CBR: Pak Drafts the "Incredible Hulks" into War

[CBR News]

"Incredible Hulks" #618 heads to the front lines of "Chaos War" pitting the title characters against a familiar looking enemy. We spoke with writer Greg Pak about taking the gamma clan into battle through 2011.


Full article here.

[ian33407]

Pelletier' art is disappointing, as subtle than Rob Liefeld at his prime...

nice idea to bring the Hulks in SAVAGE LAND, that is really the place...Eaglesham'cover is really cool, Ka-Zar having a nice KAMANDI' vibe...Hope to see more of this.

[Stuck-in-the-Burg]

Not really pleased with the art either.

As a longtime Defenders fan a Dr. Strange/Hulk team-up is usually reason to get my money.

I thought Dr. Strange was actually Brian Banner for a second. I'm guessing the elder Banner is the enemy that will show up at some point.

[Mechano]

I never imagined I would say this, but the books have not been too whoopee since WWH'S...

[Hulk_Is]

I don't like to be a stick-in-the-mud, but I need more Hulk and much less Dr.Who from the series. And, that means letting Pak go as capable a writer he is. I think his writing style suits events and stuff like Chaos War (which is a "Top 3" title for me right now) and iHerc. It suits the Hulk too, but it's worn thin on me here since halfway through the well-recived Planet Hulk (yeah, it's been that long).

[HulkSmash!]

Wow, it's disheartening to see the masses turning on Pak. Right now I take a look at the psychology of the book and the events that have been building since "Planet Hulk" and I'm thinking here's one writer who really gets the Hulk and has been cutting to the heart of the character by bringing out a new status quo that hasn't been done before, keeping the Banner/Hulk relationship fresh, and bringing back old and familiar faces and concepts in new ways. The book has been revitalized, and I'm enjoying it steadily for the first time since, I'll be really honest here--the early merged Hulk period during the Peter David era. However, instead of doing what David did, which was changing the character to suit the stories he wanted to tell, Pak is using the history of the character (mainly the Mantlo era) to tell ever more complex and personal stories about Banner and Hulk, who are more clearly defined than they've been in ages.

It seems we're getting an extension of the paradigm from the David run, where Banner represents logic or intellect, and the Hulk represents pure emotion. Only Banner was detached enough from Hiro-Kala to take him down (though it didn't exactly work like that), leaving the Hulk to grieve. However, at the same time, Banner scored a huge win in the fatherhood column--just take a look at what Skaar said to his brother in #617. We've got Banner/Hulk as "My Two Dads," the gamma version, with each having an interesting perspective on parenting.

We've also got the relationship between Banner/Hulk and Betty/Red She-Hulk, as complex as it's maybe ever been. They each let their alter egos out to deal with things they can't express as their human selves. For Betty, that's interesting, given everything that's happened to her, like her death and subsequent resurrection. It'll be even more interesting seeing her get a shot at the man who "killed" her over the next few issues.

If I have a complaint about Incredible Hulks, it's that there's not a real balance between Hulk, Red She-Hulk, and Skaar, and the remainder of the team. Maybe they're moving in the right direction with some of the next arcs not featuring all members of the team, so that the emphasis shifts from arc to arc. I know there is an endgame in mind for the "Hulks" situation, but for now we're getting some excellent, emotionally earned stories out of the bargain.

Okay, I have a second issue with the series, which is its scheduling. While looking good on paper (one issue every other week will eventually lead to Incredible Hulk #650 in May of 2012, the character's 50th anniversary), the hurry-up-ness of this series has already damaged "Dark Son" with its wildly inconsistent art. Barry Kitson can be a tremendous artistic talent, but hampered by only having the time to draw breakdowns on the last two issues of the storyline, it leaves the finishes in the hands of a sub-par artist. I'm very afraid the same thing will happen in months to come if they don't really start getting ahead of the curve. If only other artists could be of Paul Pelletier's caliber! Certainly Dale Eaglesham is a step in the right direction, but time will tell who else can join the book and knock it out of the park while keeping to a rigorous schedule.

For now I'm totally on board with the direction, and can't wait for things to keep on going. Incredible scripts every month, and there's some top-notch artistic talent hanging around this book, if they can stave off delays without sacrificing additional quality.

~G.

[andybmcd]

Pak writes the Hulk well as a character, but his plots have been pretty bad lately. Dark Son was almost a complete waste of a storyline.

[Maestro Hulk]

Pak writes the Hulk well as a character, but his plots have been pretty bad lately. Dark Son was almost a complete waste of a storyline.

Planet Hulk to Dark Son was one single story. Dark Son was a bit of a disappointment as an end to the saga. I think Pak used Dark son, and will use Chaos War and Savage Land as a way to plan what comes next. Hopefully his next saga will be consistently good. Unlike how Planet Hulk and World War Hulk were far superior to the latter stories, although Banner and Son would have been almost as good if Paul Pelletier was on art.

[Hulk_Is]

I respect your opinions, HulkSmash! and that's why I'll respond to your well-thought out post so I can maybe shed some light as to what someone else may be seeing.

Wow, it's disheartening to see the masses turning on Pak.

I haven't turned on him as I never held him to a high standard since he started to write for Hulk. But, that's neither here nor there for this discussion.

Right now I take a look at the psychology of the book and the events that have been building since "Planet Hulk" and I'm thinking here's one writer who really gets the Hulk and has been cutting to the heart of the character by bringing out a new status quo that hasn't been done before, keeping the Banner/Hulk relationship fresh, and bringing back old and familiar faces and concepts in new ways. The book has been revitalized, and I'm enjoying it steadily for the first time since, I'll be really honest here--the early merged Hulk period during the Peter David era. However, instead of doing what David did, which was changing the character to suit the stories he wanted to tell, Pak is using the history of the character (mainly the Mantlo era) to tell ever more complex and personal stories about Banner and Hulk, who are more clearly defined than they've been in ages.

I guess I can see your points, but in reference to the bolded part especially, while both characters are well-defined some don't particularly like the definitions and/or how they are displayed throughout Pak's storytelling. Like, Banner's an awkward uber-geek who exhibits a bit of nastiness at times - and as has been shown throughout the characters exsistence, but what some of us feel is a bit of camp throughout Pak's story and that makes it hard to digest this Banner due to this percieved backdrop. And, the Hulk seems to have been turned into a bump on a log in comparison. I know it's not just his book now but, if you like 24hr. Hulk - no matter how well the story is being weaved - Gravage (or whoever he is supposed to be; which is another thing) doesn't cut it for many of us in Pak's hands.

It seems we're getting an extension of the paradigm from the David run, where Banner represents logic or intellect, and the Hulk represents pure emotion. Only Banner was detached enough from Hiro-Kala to take him down (though it didn't exactly work like that), leaving the Hulk to grieve. However, at the same time, Banner scored a huge win in the fatherhood column--just take a look at what Skaar said to his brother in #617. We've got Banner/Hulk as "My Two Dads," the gamma version, with each having an interesting perspective on parenting.

I like how the show started out early on when I read that Scorpion could be (or is) Banner's daughter; I was like, "You cheeky devil you!". And, then Conan-er- I mean Skaar came into the picture and I was like, "Cool." But, then all these Gamma-beings seemingly started to fall from the sky and it became like a Marvel's version of the Maury Povich show. I mean, it's like everbody Banner/Hulk is close to has come back as a Gamma creation. It feels unatural. So, once again no matter how well Greg Pak is writing, some of us just can't get past the fact that there's a glaring veritable Gamma-circus taking place amidst all of this.

We've also got the relationship between Banner/Hulk and Betty/Red She-Hulk, as complex as it's maybe ever been. They each let their alter egos out to deal with things they can't express as their human selves. For Betty, that's interesting, given everything that's happened to her, like her death and subsequent resurrection. It'll be even more interesting seeing her get a shot at the man who "killed" her over the next few issues.

Some of us have a hard time with the fact Betty's back, but not only back, but was embroiled in a contraversial myterious Red-bombshell. It's hard to take the relationship seriously when she came back in what feels to some like a convoluted manner and her and Bruce go in-and-out of egos (literally) just to express certain things. It just feels a bit like lo-fi 60's camp all together.

If I have a complaint about Incredible Hulks, it's that there's not a real balance between Hulk, Red She-Hulk, and Skaar, and the remainder of the team. Maybe they're moving in the right direction with some of the next arcs not featuring all members of the team, so that the emphasis shifts from arc to arc. I know there is an endgame in mind for the "Hulks" situation, but for now we're getting some excellent, emotionally earned stories out of the bargain.

I understand the depth of emotion is there, but when the cast seems unecessarily all Hulked-out and we're supposed to take Banner/Hulk's fathering skills for entertainment it just seems like a horrible blend. It reminds me of the recap page where it's like, "A family of Hulk's. No one understands their rage. So, they must band together as a family of Hulks! It's like, "Really?" It just lends to the percieved corny-ness of it all.

Okay, I have a second issue with the series, which is its scheduling. While looking good on paper (one issue every other week will eventually lead to Incredible Hulk #650 in May of 2012, the character's 50th anniversary), the hurry-up-ness of this series has already damaged "Dark Son" with its wildly inconsistent art. Barry Kitson can be a tremendous artistic talent, but hampered by only having the time to draw breakdowns on the last two issues of the storyline, it leaves the finishes in the hands of a sub-par artist. I'm very afraid the same thing will happen in months to come if they don't really start getting ahead of the curve. If only other artists could be of Paul Pelletier's caliber! Certainly Dale Eaglesham is a step in the right direction, but time will tell who else can join the book and knock it out of the park while keeping to a rigorous schedule.

Funny thing is on my end is that if Hulks shipped monthly, I feel like I would have dropped it by now. A month is too long to wait on a product you sort of like. The bi-weekly schedule actually makes getting through the series quicker and on to another issue.

For now I'm totally on board with the direction, and can't wait for things to keep on going. Incredible scripts every month, and there's some top-notch artistic talent hanging around this book, if they can stave off delays without sacrificing additional quality.

Wow, man, you're really into this aren't you?

[Master of Sound]

Wonder why talks so mysterious about Abomination. Is it not him?

[Zomling]

I'm really looking forward to this arc. I can't see why there is so much dislike of the current direction. For me this is one of the best Hulk writing in years.

Besides even PAD had his off moments, I personally really disliked the Las Vegas bouncer period after the classic Ground Zero storyline.

One thing struck me in the preview pages, the black tentacles that seem to emanate from the Abomination seem very reminiscent of the Void. Hopefully they won't bring the Void back this soon after his death.

Looking forward to seeing Blonski again and it looks like Strange is going to use Zom's power again, which will backfire and lead to a confrontation with the Hulk.

[vanhelsing2004]

I want to see an Abomination vs. A-Bomb brawl

[Shai Hulud]

Greg Pak, Single greatest Hulk Writer of all time.All time.

[Soundrave]

Wow, it's disheartening to see the masses turning on Pak.

Five Internet posters = "the masses?"

[HulkSmash!]

One thing struck me in the preview pages, the black tentacles that seem to emanate from the Abomination seem very reminiscent of the Void. Hopefully they won't bring the Void back this soon after his death.

The tentacles are the Chaos King, which is very, very apparent from reading the recent issues of CHAOS WAR. I don't think the Void is going to be back anytime soon.

The biggest question is, which dead Hulk villains are due for a return? Certainly Brian Banner can be numbered among them (though I'd prefer he remain in Hell; he's best served being the villain the Hulk can't fight or defeat because, well, he's dead but his legacy continues).

Also, he's not dead, but Miek has already been shown in CHAOS WAR #4 and a new confrontation with him has to be in the cards at some point.

Five Internet posters = "the masses?"

Well, you know, if there's one thing Stan Lee, Greg Pak and I have in common, it's a vicious tendency toward hyperbole!

~G.