Broken Frontier

Interested in submitting your own questions to Greg Pak, writer of Marvel’s “World War Hulk” and Dynamite’s “Battlestar Galactica”?  Click here for the guidelines ! And now on to Reader Q&A...

From: Mike Everett-Lane:  How many gladiator movies did you watch before writing “Planet Hulk”?

Greg Pak:  Maybe a half-dozen.  I also read books about gladiators, biographies of religious and political figures from past millennia, and a few classics on strategy and mythology.  And then I drew on basically everything I’ve ever learned in my whole life. 

This was one of the awesome things about writing “Planet Hulk” -- I got to create an entire world, with its own religions, politics, history, sociology, mythology, ecology, zoology and geography.  (And now you can read the entire epic in the 416 page hardcover, available now from your local comic book store or Amazon.com!)

MEL: And who would win in a fight, Spartacus or Maximus?

GP:  Spartacus, because Kirk Douglas ended the blacklist.  What mere mortal could defeat a legend like that in battle?

MEL: Since you're both a director and a comic book author, I thought you'd have some insight into this: Why is it so hard to bring comics, especially superheroes, to the big screen? Why are so many movies based on comics so bad? What do you think the most successful adaptation has been?

GP:  I’d say the best comic book movie remains the 1978 Richard Donner “Superman.”  No other comic book movie has approached its genius because none other has included a flying spoken word poetry scene. 

Maybe one reason that some comic book movies fall short is the same reason it’s incredibly difficult to do a film noir these days.  One of the things we love so much about Humphrey Bogart films and certain Golden and Silver Age comic books is the stylized language -- but that’s incredibly difficult to pull off in a movie these days.  That first “Superman” movie dealt with the challenge brilliantly by making Christopher Reeves a man out of time with Lois Lane constantly cocking an eye at him and saying things like, “Who the heck says ‘swell’ these days?”  It let us totally enjoy Superman’s classic squareness without sneering at the character, which was a master touch.

Another hallmark of greatness within a comic book movie is when the writers and directors build up to and take time for subtle, human moments.  Stan Lee’s genius was to create characters with everyday weaknesses and foibles -- that entirely human nature of Marvel’s superheroes was what made them truly great. The best recent example of that in a comic book movie was when Peter confesses his culpability for Uncle Ben’s death to Aunt May in “Spider-Man 2.”  Aunt May just stares at him, then silently leaves the room.  It’s an utterly crushing moment that had absolutely nothing to do with CGI and sci-fi spectacle and everything to do with making the story work and the movie great.

MEL: OK, I've always wondered this. When you sit down to write a Hulk comic, how do you learn the entire history of the Hulk and every character he interacts with? Do you sit down and read every Marvel comic ever made, or is there some kind of summary of every comic, or do you have to have a telepathic link with your friendly neighborhood fanboy?

GP:  I grew up reading comics and I keep track of all the flagship Marvel books, so I have a pretty decent grasp of what’s going on in the Marvel Universe.  And the Hulk in particular has always been one of my favorite characters.  But every time I start a new project, I do my homework and read up as much as I possibly can.  Those big, fat, cheap “Marvel Essentials” volumes are, indeed, essential.

From: Albert Sean Chen:  Congratulations on a series that has started off exciting from the very beginning. I haven't collected anything consistently in quite a while, but find myself anticipating and eagerly awaiting the next chapters in this series of my favorite comic book character.

After reading “Incredible Hulk” #107, you threw me a curve when Hercules declared his willingness to help the Hulk get his revenge, but, although Hercules lives by a code that demands the restoration of one's honor, is he truly prepared to follow through if it means the blood of Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and Stephen Strange (people he considered noble allies)?

GP:  Thanks for the kind words, Albert -- glad you’re enjoying the books.  It’s worth noting that Hercules has been around for thousands of years.  He’s seen empires rise and fall.  He’s seen friends and enemies at their absolute worst and shining best.  It might be easier for someone with that kind of experience and perspective to make the hard choices and do the right thing, regardless of the consequences. 

Exactly how that will play out in the context of “World War Hulk” remains to be seen -- dontcha dare miss “Incredible Hulk” #109 and #110 in particular for the answers!

AC:  In “Incredible Hulk” #106, does the Champions' misunderstood encounter with the Hulk occur in a specific back issue or was it made up for this story-line?

GP:  The Champions/Hulk encounter was depicted in its entirety in a story written by Peter David and pencilled by Juan Santacruz in “Giant Size Hulk” #1, which came out in June of last year.

AC:  Dr. Strange seems to realize the scope of his culpability in “World War Hulk” #1 when he refuses Iron Man's plea to send the Hulk away, again. Isn't it ironic that Civil War was waged to bring order to the way super-powered beings operated, to hold them accountable as professionals, and to inspire public trust, but Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Dr. Strange and Black Bolt don't want to face justice for their negligence? Isn't what they're responsible for on a far greater scale than Stamford, Connecticut and doesn't this seem very familiar to what's going on in our own reality?

GP:  I can’t comment too much for fear of spoilers, but page one of “World War Hulk” #2, which hits stores July 18, contains a key line from Dr. Strange that relates directly to parts of you question.

From: Jesse Morrison: In “World War Hulk” #1 when Iron Man first arrived on the scene with huge armor, why did Spider-Man call Tony Stark Boss when after Civil War he is angry at Tony?

GP:  We put quotes around the word “Boss” to indicate that Spidey’s being sarcastic.  He’s still angry at Tony for everything that happened during the Civil War and beyond.  But in this time of crisis, he’s doing the right thing by teaming up even with people he considers to be jerks in order to confront the bigger threat.

JM:  Why does the kid [Amadeus Cho] go to Namor first [in Incredible Hulk” #107]?

GP:  Amadeus’s big goal is to round up superhero allies for the Hulk.  In “Incredible Hulk” #106, he approached She-Hulk and Doc Samson, the Hulk’s closest superhero friends.  In “Incredible Hulk” #107, Namor’s the next logical step, given Namor’s long relationship with the Hulk as fellow members of the Defenders.

Shameless Plug:  “Battlestar Galactica” #11

The penultimate issue of my “Battlestar Galactica” run for Dynamite Entertainment hit stores this Wednesday, June 27.  See below for a few preview pages from Issue #11, and ask your retailer to hold a copy for you today! 

Thanks for reading -- we’ll be back next week with more.  Please click here to submit your own questions  and see ya next time!

© 2007 Greg Pak.  All rights reserved.  For more about Greg Pak’s comics and films, visit www.pakbuzz.com.