Broken Frontier

We’re back with another big Reader Q&A!  Read on for the latest answers -- and click here to submit your own questions for future columns.

Just a quick word of warning: SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW for completed stories, including the “Incredible Hercules” Secret Invasion crossover.

Tom: Where can I buy your original art pages from Hercules?

Greg Pak:  Good question.  Typically, the pencillers and inkers own the original art.  I’d recommend searching online for the artists who drew the work in which you’re interested.  Most of them have websites; you can contact them or their agents directly for information about possible sales.

Scott H.:  Now that Herc and Amadeus are back on Earth, will we see Amadeus searching for the real Kirby?

GP:  Funny you should ask -- “Incredible Hercules” #126, which hits comic book stores in February 2009, will include a story called “The Search for Kirby” that involves -- you guessed it! -- the search for Kirby!  I’m particularly thrilled to report that Takeshi Miyazawa, the brilliant artist who illustrated the very first Amadeus Cho story back in “Amazing Fantasy” (v2) #15, is on board for this new tale.  I just saw the layouts, and they’re every bit as subtle, funny, and moving as we’ve come to expect from Tak’s work.

Mark Ballinck:  I read on the net that you were part of the recent Marvel creative summit. Can you describe what it’s like for you to be part of the inner nucleus of the House of Ideas?

GP:  It’s a blast, although it can get harrowing if you’re there with a big story that comes under the scrutiny of the table.  The good thing is that when you come out of the other end of the process, you really know what you’re story’s about and how its various moving parts work together.  

MB:  Can you add a tease on what some of the ideas were that you brought to the table?

GP:  I talked with editors Mark Paniccia and Bill Rosemann about the upcoming Silver Savage storyline in “Skaar: Son of Hulk.”  Mark’s my ongoing partner in crime with all things Hulk-related and Bill’s in charge of the Silver Surfer, so it was great for the three of us to be able to sit down together and hash through some details.

Bill’s also editing my upcoming “War Machine” ongoing series, so we hobnobbed a bit about some villainous developments for our second and third story arcs.

Marcus Martin:  Did you know that the Hulk had a son in the MC-2 Universe, one that predates your Skaar version?

GP:  Actually, I didn’t!  I’ll have to dig up those issues -- thanks for the tip!

Incidentally, if you’re interested in finding out more about the Hulk’s possible progeny, I highly recommend the “Hulk Family” one-shot that hit stores this week.  The book includes stories about She-Hulk, Skaar, the Scorpion, and... could it be... the daughter of Hulk?  I wrote the Skaar story, which is gorgeously illustrated by Jheremy Raapack.

MM:  Also on Skaar, did he just gain his first girlfriend at the end of the current issue or is it just me?

GP:  Heh.  I’m guessing you’re referring to the last panel of issue #3.  There’s definitely a spark of some kind between Skaar and Princess Omaka, but time will tell whether that will lead to romance or wrangling -- or both!

Andreo:  Do you have plans to increase the Hercules strength in the near future? I know that a character is much more than just strength, but he is Hercules, and should never be considered a "puny man".

GP:  At the end of our “Sacred Invasion” storyline, Herc managed to kill the Skrulls’ supreme deity, which makes him pretty darn strong in my book.  But if you’re interested in a test of strength right here on Planet Earth, stick around to see what happens when the Lion of Olympus faces Atlas himself in “Incredible Hercules” #124.

Clay Williams:  I read you are a big fan of Bill Mantlo's Crossroads Hulk Saga-(300-313). I am also a big fan and would love to see those issues collected in a trade. Any possibilities of Marvel doing that?

GP:  I’d love to see a trade of those issues myself.  I don’t know whether anything’s in the works, but I saw that Marvel just released a gorgeous hardcover of the classic Jarella stories that includes a Bill Mantlo contribution and might tide you over in the meantime!

Rivka Jacobs:  I just read MAGNETO TESTAMENT #2, and it is another fine effort on your part.

I had a question, though: Who is "Cecelia"? If she is Max's mother, then why wasn't the family deported to Poland, since his mother is a Polish Jew? If Max's mother was born in Germany, but still has family in Poland, then why did the elderly lady in Poland who gave them shelter talk about "Cecelia" in the third person, while Cecelia was standing right there? There was no eye contact, no indication that this old lady and the Eisenhardt family were related.

Also, the Jewish families living in Germany who were deported in 1938 were not refused entry into Poland. They were dumped across the border into a no man's land, and some were beaten and harried by first the Germans, and then Polish authorities. Others tried to get back to Germany, and were shot. Most were forced to stay on the Polish side of the border for several days, sleeping in open air, or in hovels, sheds, barns, pigsties, until the Jewish communities of Poland pressured the Polish government into letting the refugees in; the Polish Jews took them in. There is a letter from Herschel Grynszpan's father, Zindel, telling about the family's experiences, and how they got into Poland. For this group of people, the local Polish authorities honored their old passports and let them in. 

Anyway, this is not a big deal. It is more important to know who Magneto's mother is, and what her name is. Is Cecelia Magneto's mother? And if she is, how is it the family wasn't deported in 1938, as entire families were sent along with the parent who was born in Poland, whether mother or father.

GP:  Thanks for your close reading!  You’re right -- it can be argued that “refused entry to Poland” is an oversimplification.  A number of historians use similar phrases, but have the space to explain the situation with the border camps.  I’ll look into tweaking the phrase or adding an endnote to provide context for the collected edition of “Magneto Testament.”

Regarding your other question, Cecelia is Uncle Erich’s lover -- he mentions her briefly a bit earlier in issue #2.  She appears in person and plays a critical, tragic role in “Magneto Testament” #3.  Max’s mother, like his father, is a German Jew.  Her name is Edie, short for Edith, as revealed in “Magneto Testament” #3.

Thanks for reading -- we’ll be back soon with another thrilling installment of “Pak Talks Comics.”  Please click here to submit your questions for our Reader Q&A section and see you next time!

© 2008 Greg Pak.  All rights reserved.  For more about Greg Pak’s comics and films, visit www.pakbuzz.com.