BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO The Incredible Hulk found happiness on an alien planet only to have that ripped from his grasp as his pregnant lover, the warrior queen Caiera died. But What If it wasn't the Oldstrong who perished by the Jade Giant himself? What kind of revenge would she seek on those she deemed responsible for his demise? That's being explored in a special Planet Hulk What If? storyline from the mastermind behind the best-selling saga, Greg Pak.
THE PULSE: Even thought it might seem impossible that someone doesn’t know a thing about Planet Hulk, I’m sure there are still folks who haven’t checked any of it out yet. So, can you give us the Reader’s Digest version of the story to catch people up?
GREG PAK: SPOILER ALERT!
Exiled to an alien planet by a group of so-called Marvel heroes, the Hulk went from slave to gladiator to rebel to conquering emperor. He bonded with a group of his fellow gladiators -- and eventually all the oppressed people of the planet, overthrowing the wicked Red King and taking the Shadow Warrior Caiera the Oldstrong as his bride. And then he lost it all when the shuttle in which the Marvel heroes sent him to the planet exploded, destroying a million people, including his queen and unborn child -- and setting up the cataclysmic events of "World War Hulk."
THE PULSE: With the What If? story you’re writing, you almost get the chance to be a Monday morning quarterback, and change a few things to see how it might have played out. How long did it take you to figure out what type of stories you wanted to tell in these pages?
PAK: Editor Mark Paniccia and I were talking about possible "What If" stories from almost the beginning of our "Planet Hulk" run. The first thing that came to mind was what if the Hulk had arrived on the peaceful, uninhabited planet the Marvel heroes intended for his exile instead of the savage planet of Sakaar? But as the character of Caiera the Oldstrong developed during the course of our run, we realized how much impact her death would have and began to think seriously about a "What If" story involving her -- namely, what if the Hulk had died and Caiera had lived? This has turned into an insane story gorgeously pencilled by Leonard Kirk -- and if you think the Hulk's return has been scary, wait 'til you catch Caiera in action.
THE PULSE: How soon after Planet Hulk began did you know that there would be a What If? special featuring some alternatives to what you were crafting?
PAK: We knew it was a possibility, but it only became official after I'd written the first drafts of all five issues of "World War Hulk." Or maybe that was just Mark playing tricks on me -- making sure we had "World War Hulk" in the can before he threw something new at me.
THE PULSE: I know you don’t want to spoil things for potential new readers, but what teasers will you give PULSE readers about the trio of tales contained in these pages?
PAK: One is an eerie fable, one is a chilling tale of lost love and savage revenge, and one is a loopy practical joke. It's a really fun package that I'm really proud of.
THE PULSE: Who is Caiera the Oldstrong? Why would she seek vengeance on the earth heroes who shot the Hulk out into space?
PAK: Caiera began the "Planet Hulk" saga as the lieutenant of the wicked Red King -- she was sent to hunt down and kill the Hulk after he escaped the Great Arena and joined the rebellion. But during the course of the epic, she learned of the true depths of the Red King's evil and glimpsed the hero inside the Hulk. And she changed sides. In the end, she fell in love with the Hulk and became his queen. She would seek vengeance on the heroes of Earth for the Hulk's death for the same reason the Hulk sought vengeance for her death -- they were soul mates who loved each other precisely because of the strength and anger that so many others feared.
THE PULSE: I’d guess a lot of readers were shocked and disappointed that the Hulk couldn’t have “peace” on the alien planet he seemed so at home on. Why do you think there are seldom any happy endings for comic book heroes?
PAK: Cary Grant once said something to the effect that no one wants to hear about your love life when things are going well, but when everything's falling apart, everyone's ears perk up. Drama is based on conflict. So we tend to be drawn to characters whose lives are plagued with turmoil rather than folks who have it all together. Then there's also the fact that these are comic book characters about whom hundreds of stories have been written and will continue to be written. There's no easy happy ending for these characters partly because there's no easy ending, period. Characters can and should go through major emotional changes, but each story needs to end in a way that provides new conflict and drama -- that's the nature of serial storytelling with iconic characters.
THE PULSE: The whole situation with Planet Hulk and World War Hulk seems like you’ve set the stage for something that places Hulk on a point of no return …. Why did you think it was necessary to do something like this with the Hulk?
PAK: The higher a story's stakes, the more compelling it becomes. And it felt like the right time for a big Hulk story, a story that would take him through multiple stages of a real emotional epic.
THE PULSE: It seems almost impossible to imagine what will be next for the Hulk … how do you top something like this?
PAK: Keep your eyes open! Fred Van Lente and I are co-writing an "Incredible Hulk" arc starting in November that no one's gonna see coming. And then the Hulk mythos is exploding with two massive storylines that will debut in early 2008.
THE PULSE: With the sell outs and positive buzz around the series, it seems as if this adventure was a winner with comic readers. What was the best feedback you received about your scripting of this epic?
PAK: I was always happy to hear from long-time Hulk fans who were insanely excited about this new direction and totally new fans who'd never read the Hulk before but got hooked by the stories. It's pretty satisfying to be reaching both of those audiences.
THE PULSE: What was the strangest feedback you received about your work with the Hulk?
PAK: While shaking my hand at conventions, more than one old-time Hulk fan stared me in the eye and solemnly said, "Thank you." I think Hulk fans were hungry for this kind of adventure -- I just feel lucky to have come around at the right time to give it to 'em.
THE PULSE: What surprised you the most about your feelings for the Hulk and Bruce Banner as you wrote more and more of them in these pages? I mean, we all feel like we know these characters we’ve read for years and years, but I would guess writing some of your favorites gives you a whole new insight ….
PAK: I've always been a huge fan of less-is-more in dialogue, but writing the Hulk takes it to a whole new level. I'm always surprised by how much emotion the character can express through silence.
THE PULSE: What has working on something so epic like this taught you about the comics industry?
PAK: SPOILERS AHEAD!
It's important to have a hook or three or four that keep people coming back when you're telling a story this long. With "Planet Hulk," the big hook we had throughout was the slow-burn of the Hulk's anger towards the Marvel heroes and the build-up for his return to Earth. But we tried to make each issue an event in and of itself, with the reveal of the connections of the Hulk's companions to the Marvel Universe, the appearance of the Silver Surfer, the attack of the Spikes, the final confrontation with the Red King, and the marriage of the Hulk.
THE PULSE: How tough was it to keep the secrets of Planet Hulk with the immediacy of the Internet to spill so many details and spread just about any potential fact of a story in a few hours?
PAK: I wrote most of the "Planet Hulk" solicitations myself, so I was able to leak only those elements I was comfortable with leaking.
THE PULSE: What’s coming up in some of your other projects?
PAK: I'm writing the "World War Hulk: Aftersmash" one-shot, which follows a few key characters through three intertwining stories of rage, revenge, and responsibility in the wake of "World War Hulk." And I'm writing a five issue "Warbound" miniseries that follows a number of the Hulk's gladiator allies in an epic post-"World War Hulk" adventure right here on Planet Earth. Leonard Kirk is pencilling the "Warbound" miniseries -- and he's bringing the same fire and verve to those pages that he's giving the "What If: Caiera" story. Finally, there's the third act to my big Hulk-related trilogy that began with "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk." It's still super-secret, but I can reveal that the brilliant Carlo Pagulayan of "Planet Hulk" fame is on board as penciller, and I couldn't be happier.
Posts: 21254 | From: PA | Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
"Angry Like The Hulk" To The Tune Of "Hungry Like The Wolf" by Duran Duran
Now in the center Live as a wire Seen in a new way Igor's on fire Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Well, when you found me Ignored me a sign And left my reason Even further behind Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
In touch with the ground I'm on the run now after you Tell by the sound I've lost in this round And I'm angry like the Hulk
Straddle my mind It's Gamma Time I'm on the run now after you
Now there's a light Trimpe and Wein And I'm angry like the Hulk
Start in the desert Too far behind It'll be upon you By the moonlight time Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
I am not certain Why this shirt is so tight I feel the heat Now just a moment in time Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
In touch with the ground I'm on the run now after you Descent and the sound I've lost in this round And I'm angry like the Hulk
Straddle the mind It's Gamma Time Howling now while I'm after you
Now there's a light Running inside And I'm angry like the Hulk
Running from ground A freak in the crowd I'm on the run now after you
I tell by the sound I've lost in this round And I'm angry like the Hulk
Straddle the mind It's Gamma Time I'm on the run now after you
Now there's a light Trimpe and Wein And I'm angry like the Hulk
Running from ground A freak in the crowd I'm on the run now after you
Descent and the sound I've lost in this round And I'm angry like the Hulk
Straddle the mind It's Gamma Time Howling now while I'm after you
Now there's a light Running inside
Posts: 3510 | From: San Bruno | Registered: Aug 2002
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