We’ve added some fun new cheap stuff to the Greg Pak Shop, including signed, personalized bookplates and a six pack of buttons from “Code Monkey Save World” and “Robot Stories.”
Greg Pak talks STORM with Newsarama
Chris Arrant interviewed me for Newsarama about the STORM book I’m writing for Marvel. An excerpt:
Nrama: In these first seven issues, one thing I keep being hit on is how Storm always roots for the underdog. I know you’re a well-read fan of Storm, so how did that aspect of her become known to you and how do you feel about playing it up here in this story?
Pak: The truth is that almost every superhero sticks up for the underdog — that’s typically what makes them heroes and it’s why we love them. What makes Storm stand out is that over her life she’s spent time with so many different people and communities — she identifies with many different people, not just mutants, for example.
Nrama: That being said, the upcoming covers and issue solicitations promise a dark time for Storm – being wanted and hunted. Can you say what’s coming down the pipe for her?
Pak: Anyone who stands up for the right thing runs the risk of getting knocked down by people who benefit from the wrong thing. Storm’s cut loose over the first six issues of the book, doing the right thing regardless of the consequences. Now she’s going to have to deal with the consequences as the big villains of the series make their presence felt in a huge way.
I talk about diversity for the Comics Beat 2014 Year End Survey
Heidi McDonald interviewed me for the Comics Beat’s 2014 Year End Survey, and I said a few things about diversity. The money quotes:
What was the biggest story in comics in 2014? Diversity. After the success of MS. MARVEL, there’s no going back. We’re going to continue seeing more and more diversity of casts and genres and art styles in mainstream and independent comics, and that’s a fantastic thing that’s healthy for the entire industry in every way.
What will be the biggest story in comics in 2015? Diversity. Not just among casts, genre, and art style, but among actual creators. I think there was a time not too long ago when I was the only person of color writing for the big two. That’s going to change. And we’re going to see more and more women writing and drawing, and comics will continue to tap into new audiences as a result, which will be better for the entire industry.
Mark my words, etc. etc.
2015.01.07 – “Storm” #7 hits stores Wed – check out the preview!
Comic Book Resources has posted a lettered preview of “Storm” #7, which hits stores Wednesday. As that Stephanie Hans cover indicates, Storm’s been arrested by the FBI as the story opens. Any guess regarding what happens next?
Art by Al Barrionuevo, colors by Ruth Redmond, and letters by Cory Petit.
Check out the pages here and ask your local comics shop to hold you a copy!
2015.01.07 – “Action Comics” #38 hits stores Wed. – check out the preview!
A page from “Action Comics” #38, art by Aaron Kuder, colors by Wil Quintana.
USA Today’s Brian Truitt interviewed me about the horror story in “Action Comics” #38 — and previewed several lettered, colored pages from the issue, which hits comic stores on Wednesday!
An excerpt from the interview:
It takes a lot to scare someone who’s as powerful as Superman, and Pak feels it’s been his job to do that in his career of working with superheroes. Whether he’s dealing with the Hulk, Storm of the X-Men or the Man of Steel, the key is “to come up with villains or situations that genuinely challenge and disrupt them in unexpected ways. That’s the thrill and the drama, and I love it.
“It’s also great stuff to work with thematically,” he adds. “Finding those things that can get under these superpowered heroes’ skins usually means getting to the emotional heart of the characters, which makes them come to life in the right kind of way.”
Most visited blog post of the year – Bill Mantlo wins in a blowout!
By Greg Pak
On a whim, I checked the stats for GregPak.com today to see which posts got the most visits over the past year. The clear winner, by a massive margin:
Love Rocket Raccoon? Please consider donating to Bill Mantlo’s ongoing care!
This post has been visited 89,101 times in the past 365 days — because you guys are awesome and spread the word.
Comics people are the best.
Greg Pak Shop New Year’s Sale ends tonight! 15% off until midnight ET!
The big New Year’s Sale at the Greg Pak Shop ends tonight at 11:59 pm ET!
All signed books are 15 percent off — including “Action Comics,” “Batman/Superman,” “Code Monkey Save World,” and “Make Comics Like the Pros” — just enter the discount code “2015” at checkout.
Several cool comics-related New Year’s sales!
Happy New Year! And what better time to buy more comics or comics-related things? A few sweet deals I’ve noticed:
The amazing folks at ComicBookFonts.com have launched what they say is their FINAL New Year’s Font Sale! ComicBookFonts.com sells dozens of the greatest fonts for making comics out there — and for 15 years, they’ve sold them at radically reduced prices during New Year’s. This is your last big shot at getting huge discounts on amazing fonts. If you make comics, get on this.
JHU Comic Books in New York City is running a big in-store sale of 20 to 40 percent off everything. The more you buy, the bigger the percentage of your discount. I’ve been a customer of and done signings with JHU for years — they’re good folks, and the sale looks great. Check ’em out!
And then, yes, my very own Greg Pak Shop is having a 15 percent off sale in honor of 2015! All of the signed comics, hardcovers, and trade paperbacks are 15 percent off — just include the discount code “2015” on checkout! Check it!
Some Thoughts on Titles
By Greg Pak
I spent more time than I care to admit the other week trying to come up with a title for a new comic book project. I thought I had the perfect title, but then the project changed in a great way, bringing a new element to the table that the title really should evoke. And it became surprisingly tough to come up with just the right replacement.
I was looking for two or three words that instantly create a picture and action in the potential reader’s mind. Two or three words that evoke a genre and create a sensation of forward motion and intrigue — while also being able to serve as a title for an ongoing series that stretches over multiple story arcs.
Tricky, huh?
So I made some lists to try to understand what makes good titles work, particularly for comic books and serial genre fiction. Here are the categories I came up with and what they made me think about:
Titles Based on the Main Character’s Name
Superman
Batman
Wonder Woman
Scott Pilgrim
Lone Wolf & Cub
Hellboy
Pretty straightforward, right? I’d love to embrace this solution and just name the book after my main character. But it’s worth noting that “Superman” and “Batman” only launched as books after the characters had debuted in “Action Comics” and “Detective Comics,” respectively. Before the world knew about superheroes, it didn’t necessarily make sense to launch a book with the name of a superhero. If you’re creating an unexpected genre or doing fresh worldbuilding, the character’s name alone may have trouble creating that image and effect you want in reader’s minds. Of course, in comics, the title will be rendered in a specific style and accompanied by evocative art, so the words alone don’t have do all the work. But there might be ways to help them along…
Titles Based on the Main Character’s Name… Plus an Extra Description
Nausciaa of the Valley of Wind
Elric of Melnibone
Hikaru No Go
Alice in Wonderland
Y the Last Man
V for Vendetta
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (etc.)
Sex Criminals
Turok Dinosaur Hunter
This may very well work for my project. The character’s name in my project is evocative but not absolutely demonstrative of genre — but combined with a tag of some kind, it can evoke the genre and action of the whole story pretty well. I’m realizing this is a technique used frequently for fantastical stories and can be a great way to clue readers into what’s so fresh about the story in just a few words. I have a few strong possibilities that fit this pattern.
Titles Based on the Story’s Key Event
Attack on Titan
World War Hulk
Star Wars
Old Man’s War
Escape from New York
Star Trek
Love these kinds of titles — used one myself with “World War Hulk” back in the day. (Marvel editor Tom Brevoort gets the credit for that title, by the way, as I recall — it beat out “Hulkmageddon,” which is probably a good thing.) But I’m developing a book that I’d love to see go on for years, and I’m not certain that an event-based title will apply so perfectly four or five story arcs down the line.
Titles Based on the World
Planet Hulk
Battlestar Galactica
DMZ
Sin City
Astro City
Again, I love these kinds of titles. They’re particularly attractive when you’re building a new world. I’ve been rolling some world-based names around, but just haven’t found one that clicks just yet.
Titles Featuring the Inciting Character, Antagonist, or Objective
Lord of the Rings
Aliens
Predator
Akira
Wizard of Oz
Princess Mononoke
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Princess of Mars
These titles are very interesting to me — they put the objective or antagonist front and center rather than the putative main character. But this doesn’t feel right for the way I’m building this particular story.
Conceptual Titles
Ex Machina
Fables
Powers
Saga
Tooth & Claw
Pretty Deadly
I love these kinds of titles and I had a few evocative, single word titles in mind for this project — but of course they were already taken. This is a problem — folks have been telling and titling stories for a long, long time. And thousands more stories are published every year. So it’s honestly pretty tough to come up with a one or two word conceptual title that hasn’t already been used.
If all goes well, I’ll reveal what the title is and how we picked it when the project actually gets announced some time in 2015. Knock on wood for me!
For more thoughts about the writing and comic book process, check out “Make Comics Like the Pros,” a how-to book I wrote with Fred Van Lente.
Nice year-end mentions for Greg’s Superman and Storm books
A few websites have posted nice mentions of my Superman and Storm books over the last week — thanks, everyone!
“Action Comics” got Comics Alliance’s tap for “Best Comic with Superman in It” for 2014. Key quote: “Let’s be honest: they ought to call it Satisfaction Comics.”
Buy “Action Comics: What Lies Beneath” now at the Greg Pak Shop!
CBR tapped “Storm” for its Top 100 Comics of 2014 list. Money quote: “Few superheroes inspire awe in thew way that Storm does, and now she has a series that inspires as well.” The Storm book also got some nice mentions in the X-Position year-end column and Inside Joke Theater named it one of the Best New Series of 2014.
“Batman/Superman: Cross World” made the Top Ten highest circulating graphic novels at the Cape May County Library, right between Bryan Lee O’Malley and Raina Telgemeier!
Buy “Batman/Superman: Crossworld” and “Batman/Superman: Game Over” at the Greg Pak Shop!