From the AP:
Lionsgate and Marvel studios have signed interim deals with the striking Writers Guild of America, the union said.
The deals announced Thursday followed separate guild pacts with other independent production companies such as United Artists, The Weinstein Co. and David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants.
The guild said such agreements confirm it is possible for writers to be compensated fairly and for companies to operate profitably.
Marvel has posted a five page preview as well as the variant cover for “Incredible Hercules” #114, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente with interior pencils by Khoi Pham. Regular cover is by Arthur Adams; variant by Daniel Acuna.
Click here to view the preview — and tell your local retailer to order a copy for you today!
The book hits stores on February 20.
The Comixtreme.com “2 in 1 Showcase” crew has named Greg Pak the “Next Big Thing” in their Best of 2007 episode. Click here to listen to the mp3 of the show — the “Next Big Thing” category is discussed about two thirds of the way through.
Meanwhile, in his “Everything but Imaginary” column, Blake Petit of Comixtreme has named “Incredible Hercules” #113, written by Pak and Fred Van Lente, as his “Favorite of the Week.” Click here to read the column.
The latest “Pak Talks Comics” column is up at BrokenFrontier.com — an interview with “Planet Hulk” colorist Chris Sotomayor. Here’s an excerpt:
Greg Pak: I loved the way you brought ideas to “Planet Hulk” for ways to bring out the themes of the big story through color. Tell us about some of the techniques you developed for the story and what ideas or emotions they were designed to convey.
Chris Sotomayor: We had some really great conversations on the phone initially, as far as storytelling. My favorite storytelling points that came out of “Planet Hulk†had to be conveying the themes of bigotry and alienation. A lot of consideration and planning was taken in trying to help get those themes across to the reader. Specifically in dealing with Hulk, and wanting him to truly be the alien on that world. Readers will notice that for almost the entire “Planet Hulk†arc, Hulk was the only green thing on the planet. That is, until he starts to have a profound affect on it, in both the vegetation and the ultimate destruction of his new homeland.
Click here to read the full interview. And click here to submit questions for next week’s Reader Q&A!
IncredibleHulkOnline.com has interviewed writer Greg Pak about the “World War Hulk Aftersmash: Warbound” miniseries, the second issue of which just hit comic book stores on January 16. Here’s an excerpt:
IH:EOD: Do you have a favorite [member of the Warbound]?
GP: Right now, as I polish “Warbound†#4, I have to say Korg, the stone man from Krona. Major turning points and revelations are coming in this issue that reveal the true depth of everyone’s favorite alien rock man.
IH:EOD: Why the mini origins as back-up stories?
GP: Sometimes purely logistical problems lead to pretty awesome creative developments. Because editor Mark Paniccia and I loved Leonard Kirk’s pencils and inks on the “What If Planet Hulk†book so much, Mark wanted to let him pencil and ink himself the same way on “Warbound.†But that’s clearly a more time consuming process than dividing those chores would be. So devoting a few pages per issue to a backup story that another art team could draw and ink would help keep the book on schedule. The bonus was that the back up stories gave us a great place to delve into the pasts of our heroes and reveal a bit more about the savage world of Sakaar. And penciller Rafa Sandoval has been doing an incredible job with those stories — I’m happy to announce that he’ll be taking over pencilling duties on “Incredible Hercules,†the book I’m co-writing with Fred Van Lente, starting with issue #116.
IH:EOD: Without giving anything away, where will the Warbound be at the end of the story?
GP: You ask the impossible, my friend! But here are a few big teasers, revealed here for the very first time:
A hero will fall. A red queen will rise. And the Old Power will choose.
What’s it all mean? Keep on reading, my friends, keep reading!
Here’s an excerpt:
This is the single most tense comic book sequence I’ve read all month. Writer Greg Pak knocks this one out of the park with his clever perspective, panel placement, and set-up for tension. This miniseries is a surprise and this issue secures a place for its next issue at the top of my pile as soon as I get home from my comic shop. Good reading! And Leonard Kirk’s art adds to the excellence.
Kudos to “Planet Hulk” penciller Carlo Pagulayan, who’s featured in a Philippine Daily Inquirer article about Filipino comic book artists. An excerpt:
Art advice:
I’d like to say, aside from “practice,†understand the lines you use and compare different ways of shading, like hatching. If you understand why a particular technique is used, it’s easier to draw. If you choose a style, make sure that you’re comfortable with it, because if you’re just going to copy, you really don’t know how the artists you’re emulating think or approach things.
According to data released by Diamond Comics Distributors, ten out of the 100 top selling comic books of 2007 were written or co-written by Greg Pak. Pak’s top selling books are listed below. The first column indicates the ranking by number of units sold; the second by retail dollars.
6 4 WORLD WAR HULK #1 (Of 5) WWH* $3.99 MAR
8 8 WORLD WAR HULK #2 (Of 5) WWH* $3.99 MAR
16 10 WORLD WAR HULK #4 (Of 5) WWH* $3.99 MAR
17 11 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #544 OMD $3.99 MAR
20 14 WORLD WAR HULK #5 (Of 5) WWH* $3.99 MAR
23 15 WORLD WAR HULK MATCH TO #3 (OF 5) $3.99 MAR
55 65 INCREDIBLE HULK #106 WWH* $2.99 MAR
61 72 INCREDIBLE HULK #107 WWH* $2.99 MAR
81 90 INCREDIBLE HULK #108 WWH $2.99 MAR
89 96 INCREDIBLE HULK #109 WWH $2.99 MAR
97 103 INCREDIBLE HULK #111 WWH* $2.99 MAR
Pak’s “Planet Hulk” hardcover also made the graphic novel chart, clocking in at 16th in unit sales and 5th in dollar sales.
Click here for the full list.
An excerpt:
That Greg Pak, along with co-writer Fred van Lente, has managed to not only maintain my interest in a storyline starring Hercules but mesmerize me with it says volumes about the strength of his writing…. This is everything one could hope for in a Marvel super-hero comic: clever, down to earth, action-packed and entertaining.
Jen Contino at the PULSE has interviewed writer Greg Pak about his “World War Hulk Aftersmash: Warbound” miniseries. An excerpt:
THE PULSE: What is it about this story that you think is going to win it an audience with today’s jaded comic reader? How does this appeal to the masses?
PAK: One of the advantages about writing a story with relatively new characters is that the audience has the thrill of knowing that literally anything might happen at any moment. So in the “Warbound” miniseries, we can develop our characters’ lives and stories to real conclusions, massive changes, or definitive endings. During the course of the “Planet Hulk” and “World War Hulk” epic, at least five of our major characters died or went missing — that allows for real drama and high impact emotional storytelling.