Greg Pak's run on "Incredible Hulk" enters a new era as "Incredible Hulks" #612 hits comic book stores today. The book is the first episode of the "Dark Son" storyline -- and begins a new era of bi-weekly shipping for the series. The book's first tale, written by Pak, explores the Betty/Banner relationship (with plenty of smashing). The book's second tale, written by Pak and Scott Reed, follows the Hulk's savage second son, Hiro-Kala, as he grapples with his own cosmic challenges a universe away.
Greg Pak has written a guest feature about his work with the Hulk for BrokenFrontier.com's digital magazine, "The Frontiersman." To read the article, download the Frontiersman app for the iPad. Or register at to get a pdf.
Sneak preview of Sean Chen "Rio Chino" art from "Outlaw Territory" v2!
I'm pleased to announce that I've contributed a new "Rio Chino" story to volume 2 of the Western comics anthology book "Outlaw Territory," edited by Michael Woods. The new story is pencilled by Sean Chen, inked by Sandu Florea, and colored by Chris Sotomayor. "Outlaw Territory" Volume 2 hits stores on October 6 -- the Diamond order code is AUG100457.
See below for an exclusive preview page showing off the gorgeous work of Sean, Sandu, and Chris!
The Pakistan floods have killed thousands and put millions in danger. According to UNICEF, 3.5 million kids are in desperate need in Pakistan. Meanwhile, donations for Pakistan flood relief have totaled less than a third of what was raised for Haiti - for a crisis with ten times as many victims.
It's incredibly easy to help. If you have a cellphone, just text "FLOODS" to 864233 to donate $10. The money goes to UNICEF.
As an added incentive, once you've donated, just email pakistanhelp@pakbuzz.com with your mailing address and I'll send you a free signed comic book. (You must be 18 or over and I can only ship to the US.)
C'mon, superheroes. Let's see what you can do.
Marvel.com adds a "Hercules: Chaos War" message board
In other Hercules news, don't miss "Heroic Age: Prince of Power" #4, which hits stores next Wednesday and features the return of someone very, very special. Click here for a preview.
And be sure to ask your local comics retailer to preorder "Chaos War" #1 and #2, coming in October!
"What advice would you give to a writer just starting out?"
A couple of nights ago, Twitter user @JohnEton asked me "what advice would you give to a writer just starting out?" Since that's a question that comes up pretty often, I'm re-posting my tweets below for easy reference. Enjoy!
Huge question! Let's see... first, read read and read.
Read everything, not just comics, not just fiction. History, biography, natural science. Everything can feed your storytelling.
Train yourself to listen to the rhythms of language around you, the nuances of dialogue. The way people don't say what they mean.
Make it a habit to write every day. Could be note-taking, recording ideas or scraps of dialogue. Eventually should be stories.
Write and write and rewrite. Get feedback, rewrite some more. It's a long haul - for years, most of us are terrible.
Study the specific genre/format you're interested in. For screenwriting and comics, read books about the art of dramatic writing.
Yes, write about what you know. But also, write about what you care about. Passion for your story will keep you going.
Finally, listen to the little voice inside. If it's telling you something needs work, it needs work. Never stop making it better.
And once you have collaborators/editors, listen to them. No matter how successful you are, you still have huge amounts to learn.
I'm learning/striving to be a better writer every single day, and my editors are incredibly valuable guides.
Greg Pak tells his Texas Filmmakers Production Fund story about "Mouse"
The Austin Film Society has interviewed Greg Pak about the importance of the 1997 grant he received to complete his short film "Mouse" from the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund.
GP: Absolutely. Who better than a family of Hulks to throw at a bunch of insane demons and gods? The Hulks will be fighting the critical second front in the Chaos War against the kind of enemies only the strongest ones there are have a prayer of defeating. Get ready for some mind-bendingly Marvelicious abstract entity exploration as well as a wrenching emotional rollercoaster as the fight gets more personal and brutal than the Hulks ever anticipated.
Vilcek Foundation interviews Greg Pak and Amadeus Cho
"Incredible Hulk" #611, written by Greg Pak, pencilled by Paul Pelletier, and featuring the much-anticipated showdown between the Hulk and his savage son Skaar, has already nabbed a slew of rave reviews. Here's a taste:
"Incredible Hulk #611 was about as close to perfect as a Hulk comic can get. It's got everything I love, great action, powerful emotions and big scope. Pak is quite simply a perfect writer for the Hulk and his work here is nothing short of brilliant on every single page. He and Pelletier make an incredible team that work serious magic."
-- Comic Book Revolution
"After two years, I'm ecstatic to have Banner's King Hulk persona back, one who actually remembers what he lost in his failed quest for vengeance. It makes the rivalry between father and son carry much more meaning than it did during Planet Skaar. But surprisingly, the most emotionally arresting portions of the issue involve Hulk/Banner's recollections of his father's abuses. This is hardly a new element of the Hulk mythos, but it's one Pak mines to excellent effect throughout the script. "
-- IGN
"The ending was very touching; it was a very satisfying conclusion to the past few years' worth of Hulk’s stories. Readers on board from the beginning will walk away pleased as events from Planet Hulk, Son of Hulk, and World War Hulk come to a closure not only for us but also the characters we cherish."
--
-- A Comic Book Blog
"Incredible Hulk" #611 hit comic book stores today. Written by Greg Pak with pencils by Paul Pelletier, the book caps the "World War Hulks" storyline with the long-anticipated showdown between the Incredible Hulk and his savage son Skaar.
Don't miss tonight's FREE Works in Progress screening at the Asian American International Film Festival in NYC, moderated by Greg Pak. See below for the full scoop:
Award-winning filmmaker Greg Pak (Robot Stories, AAIFF03; Mister Green, AAIFF10) returns to the AAIFF's annual Work-in-Progress Workshop. Pak will guide filmmakers through the process of molding an unfinished work into its final cut. Featured works include "Maria the Korean Bride" by Maria Yoon and "Love Arranged" by Soniya Kirpalani. These two films explore questions of marriage from intriguingly different angles. This event is organized as part of the Media Coalition for Artists of Color Networking Salon. This workshop is free. RSVPs should be made to info@asiancinevision.org.
"Maria the Korean Bride" chronicles one Asian-American woman's quest to marry in all fifty states in an effort to explore contemporary American martial customs in the context of her traditional Asian upbringing. For more: www.mariathekoreanbride.com
"Love Arranged" follows two educated, urbane Indian women who are actually actively seeking out "arranged matches," despite having other options. For more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0xORXgjLJg
"Mister Green," an award-winning short film directed by Greg Pak, screens on August 13 at the Atlanta Horror Film Festival. Click here for the full scoop.
2010.07.26 - "Mister Green" at the Asian Film Festival of Dallas
"Mister Green," an award-winning short film directed by Greg Pak, screens at 5 pm on July 26 at the Asian Film Festival of Dallas. Click here for the full scoop.
Get free tickets to see "Mister Green," other shorts, at the AAIFF in NYC!
Want free tickets to see Greg Pak's "Mister Green" at this weekend's Asian American International Film Festival in NYC? Here's the scoop from AsianAmericanFilm.com on how to get 'em:
All you have to do is follow aafilm on Twitter. Then send a tweet asking for tickets to one of the following shorts programs: "It's a Little Bit Funny," "Back to the Future," or "Untold Stories." Click here for more about the programs.
["Back to the Future" is the program featuring "Mister Green."]
Then we'll send you a direct message back via Twitter to seal the deal and you'll be off to the movies!
Pak said he began outlining the story for Mister Green in 2008 during the election. With talk of “change in the air,” he found himself thinking how hard change really is, and that nobody wants to really change on a personal level or in any way at all. To him, the idea of fundamental change is something we’re inevitably going to have to face within the next generation, and science fiction is a safe place to try out different ideas about what real change might entail. This was a chance for him to take this notion to the biggest extreme he could build around the topic of climate change and global warming. People have given him different reactions on his film. One friend told him that he found it to be really optimistic, while someone else said it was a horrifying vision of the future.
Tony Josepf of BrokenFrontier.com has interviewed Greg Pak about comics and mythology (and Hercules and the Amadeus Cho). Here's an excerpt:
BROKEN FRONTIER: A lot of your comics have a mythological angle, like Incredible Hercules and Planet Hulk. Do you think comic books function as a kind of modern mythology?
GREG PAK: I think that there are some very interesting parallels between these ancient myths and comics. One of the biggest things is that they're both concerned with the education and development of heroes, and with individuals coming to terms with tremendous power. You know, what are the responsibilities of those who have tremendous power? There are lots of stuff in myths that are really applicable to writing comics. Also, if you look at the Greek tragedies for example, a huge part of that is that the gods do what the gods do and humans suffer. There's an interesting parallel with the whole notion in comics of super-powered people, people who have powers that rival those of the gods from ancient times. That creates opportunities for stories that deal with those kind of themes, like: what are the limits of powers that an individual person should have? How much power is too much? And what are the consequences of claiming and wielding this kind of tremendous power?
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Greg Pak's run on "Incredible Hulk" enters a new era as "Incredible Hulks" #612 hits comic book stores today. The book is the first episode of the "Dark Son" storyline -- and begins a new era of bi-weekly shipping for the series. The book's first tale, written by Pak, explores the Betty/Banner relationship (with plenty of smashing). The book's second tale, written by Pak and Scott Reed, follows the Hulk's savage second son, Hiro-Kala, as he grapples with his own cosmic challenges a universe away.
