Broken Frontier

“World War Hulk Aftersmash: Warbound” #3, written by yours truly with pencils and inks by the inestimable Leonard Kirk, hits comic book stores on Wednesday.  See below for a six page, lettered preview with commentary -- and stick around for a bit of Reader Q&A at the end.  (And, as always, click here to submit your own questions for future columns.)

Page 1

“Warbound” follows the Hulk’s alien allies from Planet Sakaar as they confront new terrors right here on Planet Earth.  With its themes of hero-or-monster and its New Mexico desert location, the story fits right into the Hulk mythos.  And here we had some fun with old Hulk continuity, bringing back news reporter Dianne Bellamy, who reported on the Hulk rampage through Stoneridge way back in "Incredible Hulk" #316. 

I love the way penciller Leonard Kirk managed the blocking here.  It’s a pretty complicated scene, with folks shouting at each other from open vehicles, but he makes everything work beautifully.  And colorist Val Staples astutely made the news van red, distinguishing it from the army vehicles and further helping to keep the storytelling clear.

Page 2

I made a special request that we do a logo-style treatment of the Horde's name when it first appears.  I get a big kick out of old school hyperbolic bits like that -- and somehow they feel just right in a Hulk-related comic book.  Which leads us right into...

Page 3

... Assistant Editor Nate Cosby’s tour-de-force recap page, with a big 1950s style monster-movie screamer title.  ‘Cause comics are fun, kids!

Throughout “World War Hulk,” Nate did a great job of designing recap pages that have a little fun while performing their primary function of conveying necessary expository info to get new readers up to speed with the story.  Here, I particularly like the use of the radiation symbols as bullet points. (And, man, someone remind me to register “greendomeofdeathwish.org” before this issue hits stores!)

Page 4

Each issue of “Warbound” thus far has had a 17 page main story and 5 page backup story.  But we doing our best to cram just as much story into those first 17 pages alone as you'd normally get in a 22 page comic.  That means good value for readers, but it can be a big challenge for artists.  Fortunately, I've been paired with Leonard Kirk, who's brilliant at making panels work with multiple things going on in the foreground, midground, and background.  Panel 2 is a nice example -- we have the Horde slamming Korg around while the Leader and Hiroim talk in the foreground, and Leonard keeps it all clean and seamless.

Page 5

Similarly, in this big splash, I asked Len to draw Hiroim working his Old Power mojo in the foreground, Kate firing at the Horde behind him, Korg fighting the Horde in the midground, and Kate and the Brood attacking the Horde from behind.  Leonard does it all, and even drops some soldiers in the far background for good measure.

Page 6

And once again, check out the depth in panels 2 and 3.  Always multiple things going on, and always it's beautifully framed with crystal clear storytelling.  Thank you, Leonard!

One other detail worth noting:  Len always draws ordinary people like nobody’s business. John Romita, Jr., did the same thing during "World War Hulk" -- John's fire chief in particular felt totally real and relatable.  That's critical, because the surroundings and background characters go a long way towards making a superhero book feel grounded and real and high stakes.  In Panel Two, I just love the portly guy who's saying "Oh god oh god oh god."  His body language is totally believable, and his soft vulnerability adds that perfect, almost subliminal sense of danger and high stakes for the scene.

And now...

Reader Q&A!

Adam McGovern:  Not a question, not a pitch, just a heads-up: I named Greg "Writer of the Year" in my "2007 in Review" column at  ComicCritique.com (which this time is serving as the default official "awards show" for the whole site). 

Greg Pak:  Thanks for the heads-up, Adam, and for the incredibly kind words!  It's always a pleasure to know folks are reading the books so closely and appreciating them on multiple levels.

Jeremy Lee:  Greetings, Mr. Pak -- and congratulations.  You have crafted some of the finest comic literature I've ever encountered, and I've been at this a while.  From 'Planet Hulk' to 'World War Hulk', you have captivated my imagination.  Thank you very much for that. 

GP:  Thanks for the kind words!  It's been a blast working on "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk" -- I hope you’re getting a kick out of “Warbound” and will enjoy the upcoming "Skaar: Son of Hulk" just as much.

JL:  Now, the question...  During 'Planet Hulk', you alluded that the Jade Giant had begun to explore a new level of mastery over his physiology.  Specifically, it was noted that he had developed the ability to "allow" himself to be harmed, sometimes only for dramatic effect -- such as when he let the spears and swords of his warring comrades pierce his skin to provide a shocking sight for them.  Or for more benevolent purposes, such as allowing the spikes to feed from his body.

So, the question is, is that ability in any way tied to the Hulk "allowing" Iron-Man's satellites to defeat him at the end of 'World War Hulk'?  Meaning, was his participation in that outcome deeper than merely 'standing there' and letting himself be zapped?  Did he, in fact, allow the satellite's rays to harm him?  Or would they have had that effect even against his will?

GP: The Hulk clearly provides Iron Man the time he needs to unleash the satellites when he shouts, "Do it.  Before I break the world!"  And holding back his own insane rage implies the Hulk is suppressing his own power at that instant -- which presumably means he’s keeping himself from his full Worldbreaker potential when the satellites hit. Now the exact power and effect the combination of rays of those satellites hasn’t yet been revealed, so it’s possible that they could have taken out the Hulk even if the Hulk hadn’t been holding the door open.  But without the Hulk’s pause, Iron Man seems unlikely to have been able to unleash the satellites in time.  In short, I’d say it’s pretty safe to say that no one could have stopped the Hulk at the end of "World War Hulk" if the Hulk hadn't wanted to be stopped. 

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.