2006.06.21 – “Giant-Size Hulk” #1

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View the stunning preview art! | Read the PULSE interview with penciler Aaron Lopresti!
“Giant-Size Hulk” #1 hits comic book stores June 21. The book features a “Planet Hulk” story written by greg Pak with pencils by Aaron Lopresti which falls between “Incredible Hulk” #95 and “Incredible Hulk” #96. Here’s the solicitation text from Marvel.com:

What is the untold story of the battle between one of the strangest superhero teams in the Marvel Universe and the engine of destruction known as the Incredible Hulk? See ol’ Purple Pants go toe-to-toe with Angel, Ice-Man, Ghost Rider, The Black Widow and Hercules in a story that holds a key to Post-PLANET HULK events! By legendary Hulk scribe Peter David and Juan Santacruz.
PLUS! A PLANET HULK INTERLUDE! Bruce Banner makes his first appearance on Planet Sakaar — and battles the Hulk for his body and soul! What secret is the Hulk hiding? What terrible truth does Banner reveal? And who will triumph in this ultimate showdown? By Greg Pak and Aaron Lopresti.
Also: Re-presenting the outstanding INCREDIBLE HULK: THE END by Peter David and Dale Keown.

Use the Comic Shop Locator Service to find a store near you.

PakBuzz Q&A: Michael Kang on “The Motel”

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Motel poster
“The Motel” poster

Michael Kang (whom viewers of Greg Pak’s short films may recognize as one of the stars of “Asian Pride Porn”) directed the award-winning feature film “The Motel,” which opens theatrically at the Film Forum in Manhattan on June 28. Read on for an in depth interview with Greg Pak in which Kang reveals how he worked with his child actors, what challenges he faced in making the film, and where to find his favorite motels.
Greg Pak: Give us the quick rundown on what “The Motel” is about and what kinds of audience members will particularly love it.
Michael Kang: “The Motel” is about a kid who is growing up in a seedy hourly rate motel owned by his family. It’s basically a story about the worst possible place to go through puberty. I think it will act as a healing force for anyone that had a terrible time going through those formative years (which is most likely all of us). It’s a dark comedy in the vein of “Welcome to the Dollhouse.” It also stars Sung Kang so I think teenage girls will really like it.
GP: Any special events around the opening that people should know about?
MK: In addition to our big premiere party being hosted by ImaginAsian, we are in the planning stages of working with groups like MK on throwing after parties every night. Basically, we think that after people see the movie, they will want to get drunk. The best way to find out about the venues and locations for these are if people sign up on our MySpace account at http://www.myspace.com/themotelfilm. There is also a podcast series of phone conversations I am having with key members of the film being hosted on the Film Forum website. We have a lot of fun stuff planned for the two weeks. Really, the best way to keep up is to sign up on MySpace or on our email list at The Motel website at http://www.themotel-film.com.

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Six preview pages from “Incredible Hulk” #96

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Marvel Comics has released the cover plus five lettered preview pages for “Incredible Hulk” #96, the first issue in the “Planet Hulk: Anarchy” story arc, written by Greg Pak with pencils by Aaron Lopresti. Click on the links below to view the pages.
Cover | Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5
“Incredible Hulk” #96 hits comic book stores on July 5. Use the Comic Shop Locator Service to find a store near you.

Pakbuzz interview with Aaron Lopresti, penciler for “Planet Hulk: Anarchy”

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A Monster Guy talks Hulk
Aaron Lopresti is penciling the “Planet Hulk” story in “Giant Size Hulk” #1 as well as the “Anarchy” arc of “Planet Hulk” (beginning with “Incredible Hulk” #96). “Incredible Hulk” writer Greg Pak interviews Lopresti about everything from what’s fun to draw to the collaborative process to Michael Golden’s advice. Also featuring two of Lopresti’s gorgeous new preview pages from “Incredible Hulk” #96 (click on the images to see the full pages).
Greg Pak: I seem to remember “Incredible Hulk” editor Mark Paniccia telling me that you were hungry to draw the Hulk. What do you find so compelling about the character?
Aaron Lopresti: There are two ways to look at a character. One is from the writer’s stand point the other from the artist’s. My desire to draw the Hulk is purely from the artist’s standpoint. He is a big muscular monster! At heart I am a monster guy, who also loves superheroes. The Hulk is the perfect combination of those things. If I were writing the Hulk, I would say that his dual personality, his struggle with his own humanity, and his struggle to find his place in the universe would be what attracts me to the character. But since I am only drawing, I will stick with the simple visual appeal the character has for me.

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Steve Mallorca talks “Slow Jam King” — screening now in NYC!

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Ron Domingo in Slow Jam King
Ron Domingo in “Slow Jam King”

A FilmHelp interview by Greg Pak

Steven E. Mallorca’s award winning feature film “Slow Jam King” is now screening at the Imaginasian Theater in New York City. Click here for screening times. And read on for an interview in which Mallorca talks about everything from his set getting raided by police to his favorite slow jams.

Greg Pak: Tell us a bit about the film and who should go see it.

Steven E. Mallorca: “Slow Jam King” is an offbeat road comedy about JoJo Enriquez, a Filipino-American wannabe gangsta-pimp who, in his attempts to answer his call to the streets, carjacks Vance, a traveling perfume salesman with an affinity to country music. Stuck along for the ride is JoJo’s friend, Devaun, an ex-funkateer and reluctant family man, who tries to talk sense into JoJo and diffuse the situation. The motley trio embark on an escapist roadtrip to Nashville, where they discover truth, love, and the dirty underbelly of the Nashville country music scene. Anyone that’s looking for a good time, enjoys genre-bending films, and likes their humor on the irreverent side with a healthy dose of multi-cultural absurdity should come out to check out “Slow Jam King.” I sort of equate this film to early ’90s Native Tongues hip hop – it’s fun and a little absurd, but with a conscious voice to it – like if De La Soul, or Tribe Called Quest were a hip hop movie…. or better yet Prince Paul. So if you’re a fan of that kind of hip hop, you’ll definitely get into “Slow Jam King.” Also, I think that anyone who’s a do-it-yourself filmmaker or musician can enjoy the film, too.

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NowPlayingMag.com likes “Battlestar Galactica” #0

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Tony Whitt, writing for NowPlayingMag.com, has kind things to say about “Battlestar Galactica” #0. Here’s a taste:

… Pak’s script truly soars, turning into the beginnings of an unseen episode we wish they’d hurry up and film already. … the best payoff to this approach is that final page, which even a new reader can have a shock of surprise over, since Pak has set it up so well within this issue. It’s an amazing moment, and one which should get this series started with a bang.

Click here for the full review.
“Battlestar Galactica” #0, written by Greg Pak with art by Nigel Raynor, hit comic book stores June 1. Issue #1 goes on sale in July — tell your local comic store to preorder your copy today! Use the Comic Shop Locator Service to find a shop near you.

RGB rather than CMYK solves oversaturation problem in Final Cut Pro

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A quick FilmHelp tip from Greg Pak
While cutting images from “Incredible Hulk” comics into the “Planet Hulk Trailer,” I noticed that some of the art, which looked fine in Photoshop, appeared strangely oversaturated in Final Cut Pro. The problem? The images were CMYK rather than RGB. To change the color mode, I used Photoshop, navigating to Image > Mode > RGB Color. Imported into Final Cut Pro, the new RGB versions of the images looked just fine — no more oversaturation.
View the final product at Pakbuzz.com or YouTube.com

2006.06.09 – “Robot Stories” DVDs and posters given away at 72 Hour Film Shootout Launch Party – NYC

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The AAFilmLab is throwing a launch party June 9 in New York City for its 72 Hour Film Shootout — and a few signed DVDs and posters donated by “Robot Stories” director Greg Pak will be given away to lucky attendees! Also, please note that the AAFilmLab is still accepting entries to this year’s shootout until June 8 (that’s a receive-by date) — visit the official website for more information.
Click here for more information about the launch party
Click here for a Pakbuzz interview with AAFilmLab president Matte Chi