Broken Frontier

Thanks as always to everyone who’s been submitting questions.  See below for answers about everything from Hulk to Herc to Skaar to Galactus -- and click here to submit your own questions for future columns.

Kolwyr: Congratulations on the success of the new  Herc series  (lovin' it btw!), we're you surprised at all at the numbers it's pulling in? Going into this series, did you have some numbers rolling around in your head where you thought this book would slot into sales-wise? e.g. Did you or the editors look at this project as a 40K, 50K, 60K+ book going into it?

Greg Pak:   Coming on the heels of “World War Hulk,” we had high hopes that the book would open strongly, but you never know ‘til the readers and retailers make their picks.  We’ve just been enormously pleased that the book has resonated with so many people -- so thanks for picking it up!

Tim: What happened to “Skaar, Son of Hulk”?  It hasn't shown up in solicitations, and there's rumors circulating that it is in limbo due to the new Hulk movie coming out this year. 

GP:  You’ll be happy to know that Marvel just announced at Wizard World Los Angeles that “Skaar: Son of Hulk” will debut in June with pencils by the incredible Ron Garney.  We should have some mind-blowing art to show off pretty soon.

Harold Kayser:  There is some talk on the boards that you have quit writing Hulk because Hercules is now in the title.  Is this true?  I thought that this was the plan all along and that Green Scar would return in due time.  Do you plan on bringing Hulk back to his original title?

GP: The Lion of Olympus took over the “Incredible Hulk” book with issue #112, co-written by Fred Van Lente and yours truly.  The book’s title officially changed to “Incredible Hercules” with #113, and editor Mark Paniccia recently announced that it’s Herc’s book for the foreseeable future.  Fred and I have some insane stories for you -- starting with a showdown with the Eternals in #116 and a mind-blowing “Secret Invasion” tie-in starring the God Squad beginning with #117 -- so dontcha dare miss ‘em!

Luciano: Will you return to writing Hulk on the ‘Incredible’ book?

GP:  The Hulk’s home base is now the “Hulk” book written by Jeph Loeb.  But I’ve gotten my mitts back on the Green Goliath for a sweet one-shot co-written by Fred Van Lente -- keep your eyes open for “Hulk Vs. Hercules,” coming in April.  And of course, I’m keeping a hand in the Hulk mythos through “Skaar: Son of Hulk.”

Luciano: At the end of “World War Hulk,” during its last moments, how much power did the Hulk have? I mean, on a cosmic scale level, could he have ended up as strong as a Hungry Galactus, maybe?

GP:  Hm.  Sounds like you’re not the only one with this question:

Visemoon: ... toward the end Hulk became the World Breaker and reached a whole other level in terms of strength and power.  At that time who would have had the power and strength to stop Hulk if he continued his onslaught?  Thanos, Mangog or maybe Galactus himself? Or was Hulk at a point that no one could have stop him but himself?

GP:  Hulk was stronger than any mortal -- and most immortals -- who ever walked the Earth.  But even I wouldn’t go so far as to say he could take down a cosmic figure like Galactus -- although he’d probably give the ol’ planet eater a pretty fierce case of indigestion.

Mohammad Zaki: The first question I have for you is that the Hulk can lift 100 tons at his normal level, without being hyped up, now Hercules was seen lifting the Statue of Liberty, dragging the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, and island of Manhattan, and lifting Godzilla, so shouldn't Hercules be a lot stronger than Hulk?  I understand Hulk gets stronger as he gets madder, but it should be fair to show that Hercules is already stronger than Hulk and Hulk needs to really reach his limits of anger to challenge Hercules for a good fight, no?

GP:  That’s a good point.  When the Hulk’s happy and calm, there are a handful of heroes who just might be strong enough to beat him.  But the trick is that once a fight actually starts, the Hulk gets mad.  And the madder he gets, the stronger he gets.  And then it’s all over.  

MZ:  You once stated that at the end of “World War Hulk” that Hulk reached a new level of power where his footsteps shook the ground… but Superman can move planets in orbit, and things like that, so, many times Hulk was nothing to challenge Superman. I just think you underestimated Superman's strength.

GP:  I’ll stick by my assessment.  But it’s a question for the ages, isn’t it?

Mitchel:  Please, could we have Ariel Olivetti drawing this series? Ariel's style is well suited to draw “Incredible Hercules.” This guy was born to work on this series! Please get him on “Incredible Hercules”!!!!

GP:  Ariel Olivetti is indeed awesome and I’d be thrilled to work with him someday on any book.  But Khoi Pham knocked the first “Incredible Hercules” arc right out of the park.  And just wait ‘til you see Rafa Sandoval’s gorgeous work starting with “Incredible Hercules” #116.

Mitchel:  Also, any chances of Wonder Man of the Mighty Avengers guest starring on this series? I know he was on the last Ares arc but I would like to have him again.

GP:  Fred and I both love Wonder Man, too.  But whether we use him again will depend on the right time and story coming along.

Wells Her:  My name is Wells Her, director/producer from Imagination Entertainment Motion Pictures Co. I have produced many films in the past and I will produce more in the near future.  How can I hire an agent or a sales representative to represent or sell my films?  When I submit my film to film distribution companies, they return it unopened because they said they don't accept "unsolicited material.” How can I get access to these distributors so that my material isn't considered as "unsolicited"?

GP: One caveat -- the following is just one person’s opinion -- every filmmaker gets his or her work out into the world in his or her own way, and the following may not apply in your situation.  I highly recommend reading up and asking around as much as you can as you develop your own strategy.

That being said, in my experience as an independent filmmaker, the best way for an unrepresented director to get the attention of agents and distributors is to get into a top tier industry film festival or other venue that industry people actually attend with the intention of finding talent or doing business.  Then instead of sending a DVD to a distributor, you can send an invitation to your screening.  It’s always better to have distributors view films at festivals anyway -- a live audience can help a film come to life and make its strengths clearer.

Now there’s a Catch-22 to this because a great sales agent is usually instrumental in helping producers plan their festival strategy and premieres in the first place -- so if you’re pulling someone on board once you’re already at festivals, the cat’s out of the bag and they’ll have a harder time making the most of your film.  But all of us have to start somewhere -- and then create our own opportunities as we go along.

With my feature film “Robot Stories,” my producers and I worked hard to get distribution offers during our festival run.  But we were simultaneously using the festivals to build relationships with local arthouse theater owners who might eventually book the film theatrically.  In the end, none of the distribution offers we received made financial sense.  But our festival run had helped us build the contacts -- and win the acclaim and awards -- that we needed to launch a self-distributed theatrical run. Then the strength of our reviews and awards and press and box office receipts helped us sell the film to Kino for a DVD release and AZN Television for a cable premiere. 

David Skaar:  Just out of idle curiosity, how did you come up with the name for "Skaar: Son of the Hulk"?

GP:  Heh.  We just felt like immortalizing your surname forever, David.  Actually, it was a just a cool sounding name that came from contracting the name of Planet Sakaar to a single syllable.

Dan:  Hey, Greg. Just wondering if you're doing the adaptation to the new Hulk film. Keep up the great work.

GP:  Ah, I decided I’d let Ed Norton and Zak Penn handle this one. [winks]

Taimur Dar: I was wondering if you're aware that "Planet Hulk" is in development for a straight-to-DVD animated feature? What are your initial thoughts on the prospect of this adaptation, and as a filmmaker yourself, if asked, would you like to be involved in its development in whatever capacity?

GP:  I’m extremely excited about the project -- and happy to report that I’ve been pulled on board to consult.

Allison Hazel:  Just wanted to say thanks for uploading the actor's release [form] for others to use! It saved me a bit of money out of my teeny tiny music video budget.  Thanks!

GP:  No problem, and best of luck with your project!  (For those who are wondering, Allison is referring to info at my website FilmHelp.com, which provides tips for low-budget filmmakers.)

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.