By Greg Pak

I told you last month how proud I am of "Red Skull Incarnate," a historically accurate comic book miniseries that tells the story of a boy who becomes a monster as Weimar Germany collapses and the Nazis seize power.

I also intimated I'd promote the book shamelessly. Well, the collected trade paperback came out today, and I've come up with a crazy idea to get this book into the hands of some more people and maybe raise some money for charity at the same time.

Cover artist David Aja, interior artist Mirko Colak, colorist Matt Wilson, letterer Clayton Cowles, and editor Alejandro Arbona did incredibly amazing work on this book, and I'd love for them to have a shot at various upcoming comics industry awards.

So if you're a comics professional who hasn't read the book but plans to vote for awards like the Harveys and Eagles, please email me at vm at pakbuzz dot com . I will send a bunch of trade paperbacks of "Red Skull Incarnate" out into the world (alas, US mailing addresses only), each with a bundle of stamped envelopes. So you can read the book, then use one of the envelopes to mail it to another industry friend you think might enjoy it. And so on and so on.

Finally, I'll include a blank comic book backing board in the packet. Everyone who reads the book is encouraged to sign the backing board -- and do a quick sketch, if you're so inclined. The last envelope will be addressed to me. When I get the book and signed card back, I'll auction them off on eBay with the proceeds going to a charity like Doctors Without Borders.

Sounds crazy, huh? That's because it is! Let's see if it works!

Looking forward to hearing from you.

By Greg Pak

The "Red Skull Incarnate" collected trade paperback hits stores this Wednesday, and I really hope you'll consider picking it up. The book tells the historically accurate story of a boy turning into a monster as Germany's Weimar Republic collapses and the Nazis rise to power. Artist Mirko Colak, cover artist David Aja, colorist Matt Wilson, letterer Clayton Cowles, and editor Alejandro Arbona poured their hearts into the book and it's one of my proudest Marvel comics productions.

The collected trade includes extensive footnotes to show historical sources and help interested readers find suggestions for more exploration into the time period.

iFanboy has featured the book in this week's Don't Miss Podcast.

Splinter Comics has a great, thoughtful, extensive review (warning: some spoilers!)

Ask your local shop to hold a copy for you today.

Or you can preorder at Amazon.

Also out this Wednesday, Pak's "Astonishing X-Men" #46. Check out the preview, which includes the untold history of an alternate universe you've never seen before.

I did a few events and podcasts over the last few weeks. Check 'em out!

Fanboy Planet -- focussing on "Red Skull Incarnate"

Comic Book Club

Fanboy Buzz

Word Balloon

"... great writing and fantastic art. Will Sam make it out of Hell? I have no idea, but I’m hooked on this book until I find out and that's why its so damn good."
-- Comic Bastards

"Dead Man's Run" #1, a jailbreak from Hell story written by Greg Pak with art by Tony Parker, hit stores Wednesday and has scored a slew of rave reviews. A few excerpts:

"'Dead Man’s Run' is a strangely fun comic. It’s easy to be swept up and away in the rushing narrative of a hellbound heist looking to change direction."
-- Ryan Lindsay, Comic Book Resources

"It's a clever concept and the series opens with quite a bang."
-- Brian Cronin, Comics Should Be Good

"That's what I call a great start!"
-- Chuck's Comic of the Day

"Pak has pictured the land of eternal damnation as a giant prison, which is a brilliant idea. That in and of itself would make this comic worth reading. But Pak adds to the idea, by showing that it's a prison rife with corruption and problems, where anyone who gets there can use their evil nature to survive, and perhaps even thrive."
-- Panel Patter

"I would very much enjoy seeing the property eventually hit the screen."
-- Ain't It Cool News

"I have to say that I really find the idea of Hell - or at least the tip of that particular flaming iceberg - as a processing facility for the dead and guilty to be a very interesting concept and it allows Pak to play with and warp the general tropes associated with prison thrillers to fit the themes of judgement and punishment that are associated with the underworld. There are the threatening grins, the concealed shivs and knives associated with many works of fiction surrounding incarceration but also the involvement of demon-like guards and the feeding upon souls that you’ll find in horror works and Pak brings it all together brilliantly."
-- Paradox Comics Group

"Greg Pak does a great job of creating an atmosphere full of danger and violence without ever depleting the mystery of where the story is going. Tony Parker’s artwork is sweet on the eyes, vibrant and edgy."
-- Nerds in Babeland

"I am so excited to see where Pak is going with this."
-- Alternative Mindz

I helped judge Press Play's VERTIGOED contest, in which entrants combined Bernard Herrmann's brilliant "Vertigo" score with unexpected movies. Check out the winners!

And here's a direct link to my fave, William D'Annucci's "Alien," which made me care about the alien for the first time ever. Amazing stuff.

ALIEN "Vertigoed" from William D'Annucci on Vimeo.

The graphic novel also includes historical notes and pointers, even adding a section to use the story as a text book. It's more than just a comic book, I should say. It allows us to see the monstrous side of humanity by using something familiar to us.

Read on for the next chunk of Chapter Three, written last night, followed by some notes-to-self. WARNING: Some adult language!

CHAPTER THREE (continued)

When Rima awoke, night had fallen and the cat was sitting on her chest, purring and kneading with its eyes nearly shut and its fat cheeks pulled up into something as close to a smile as she'd ever seen on an actual flesh-and-blood feline.

Rima felt great. Rested and refreshed and utterly alert. She put her arms around the cat and sat up, stroking its chin as she looked around.

Read on for the first chunk of Chapter Three, written last night, followed by some notes-to-self.

CHAPTER THREE

Rima always knew she was strong. Once or twice a year since she was fourteen she'd challenge Chris to an arm wrestle. And she'd always win.

But until today she didn't know she was strong enough to push a 150 pound man in a wheelchair 200 yards up a 15 degree incline through two foot tall grass in less than three minutes.

The alien birds lunged at them. But the old woman running at Rima's side snarled and swung her umbrella. And the young man with the cat swung his cat, who shrieked and yowled within its soft carrying case.

The birds fluttered away and returned to the dead bodies alongside the wreckage of the subway car.

"Scavengers, not predators," thought Rima. "Good," she said aloud. With eerie calm, she took note of her eerie calm.

She also noticed her failure to collapse into tears at Chris's disappearance. And then she noted to herself that perhaps she was merely being rational and hopeful -- better for Chris to be absent than among the dead currently being liquefied and guzzled by the birds.

Once she cleared the hill, Rima headed for the edge of the forest adjoining the savanna. Chances were excellent that something horrible and sharp lurked among the orange trees. Hell, the trees themselves would probably eat them.

But we evolved from arboreal simians, thought Rima. Can't fight that instinct. Gotta head for the trees.

The trees did not eat them. But as they passed under the first branches, pollen pods exploded all around them and a soft mist of sweet smelling nectar filled the air. Rima felt an immediate surge of tremendous well-being. We've been drugged, she thought.

And then she burst out laughing. The old woman, the young man, and the man in the wheelchair all stared at each other, panting and smiling.

"Not funny," said the young man, grinning. "The trees. The pollen's an opiate," said Rima. The old woman sat down on a fallen trunk and let out a deeply satisfied sigh. "At least we'll die happy," she said. The cat began to purr.

Rima sat down. Stared through the tree trunks at the birds lazily flapping away from the dessicated corpses by the subway car.

She lay her head down on the soft leaf litter and fell asleep.

NOTES TO SELF

1. Found myself finally cutting loose a bit with wordplay. Might be over the top here and there, but I can revise later if that's the case. Nice to be relaxing a bit, having a bit more fun with the language. The interesting thing is that I didn't realize I wasn't relaxing until I started relaxing.

2. Still haven't named those supporting characters. Come on, Pak. Get on that!

3. Made Rima a doctor a couple of days ago without thinking about it too much -- very happy with the decision now. Gives her the professional background to react coolly and analytically under such extreme circumstances. Makes her interesting and helps with explaining/exploring the world. Also reminds me of an improv maxim, which is to play every character off the top of your audience. Rima's SMART. She'll be right there with us or a beat ahead of us in figuring out what's going on in this new world, which will (I hope) help the story and mystery constantly move forward and get more interesting.

(Special thanks to the awesome Chad Bonin, who kindly compiled some of these tweets.)

CHAPTER TWO (01.11.2012)

Rima never saw the bird; she just saw its three foot metal talons shattering the windows and puncturing the roof of the subway car. And then the entire car lifted from the tracks. Sparks and fire erupted as the car broke away from the rest of the train, which careened off the elevated tracks and slammed into the line of apartments and shops below.

Click here for a preview from Comicbooked.

"...terrifically accessible... only grows more engaging with each page." -- Delusional Honesty

"so damn good" -- Comic Bastards

This would be a great place to hear more about Pak's "Dead Man's Run," "Vision Machine," and "Doctor Strange: Season One" projects -- and possibly score some free comics.

Click here for the deets.

The rumors are true -- I'm writing a novel on Twitter. You can watch me write it in real time at twitter.com/gregsnovel. And from time to time, I'll post compiled chapters here, along with my notes for what's working and what isn't and what I might do in the next draft.

So here's Chapter One, in which we meet our heroine Rima, who's trying to kill her husband with her eyes. (And special thanks to the awesome Chad Bonin, who kindly compiled these tweets.)

CHAPTER ONE

Rima stared at her husband and killed him with her eyes. He just sat there, stupidly, reading a comic book, as the 7 train clang clanged up out of the tunnel and over Flushing into the dusky orange shafts of late afternoon sunlight. He looked up as the light hit his face, then turned to her and smiled, oblivious to her stare. The light was in his eyes; he couldn't see. But she'd given him the same look a dozen times before, just to see if he noticed. And even in the softest light, in the clearest conditions, he always gave her the same calm, sweet look.

"Headache?" he said.

She kept killing him with her eyes. He just reached into his satchel and pulled out a bottle of Advil.

UPDATE: Click here to read Chapter One!

Over the years, I've had a number of story ideas that I thought would work best as novels. But given my other comics and film deadlines, I've never been able to organize my schedule or section out the brainspace to do something as huge as write a book.

But the other day it occurred to me that I might be able to kick myself in the pants and crank out a first draft of one of these stories by writing it publicly -- on Twitter.

I started last night. You can follow the madness at twitter.com/GregsNovel (the username will probably change once I figure out what the actual title of the book is).

My ground rules for myself:

1. I have a story in mind with a beginning, middle, and end. But I pledge that all of the actual writing of the story will be done only in Twitter, 140 characters at a time. No cheating by drafting stuff ahead of time and cutting and pasting it in. What you see is a genuine, unvarnished first draft, written in real time right before your eyes.

2. Any non-novel-writing on the account will be preceded by an asterisk.

3. I'll post compiled chapters right here on my website, along with notes-to-self about what's working and what isn't and what I'll try to correct when I hit the second draft. But I'm going to do my best to keep moving forward and hammer out the whole story before going back to revise. Revisions will probably happen off of Twitter.

So that's the big plan for this crazy experiment! Again, check out twitter.com/GregsNovel and let me know what you think!

Listen to the podcast here.