Interview: Greg Pak

Greg Pak is a very busy man. Between the just-launched War Machine, Skaar: Son of Hulk, Magneto: Testament, and Incredible Hercules, which he co-writes with Fred Van Lente, it seems like he’s writing half the Marvel Universe.

It’s an incredibly diverse body of work—Skaar brings to the table the same combination of cosmic Marvel and high fantasy that his very well-received Planet Hulk storyline did, while Incredible Hercules is a more tongue-in-cheek buddy adventure that’s very much rooted in the recent goings-on on Earth. Magneto: Testament presents, at long last, a cohesive and historically accurate origin for the mutant master of magnetism. Finally, War Machine casts  Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes as the planet’s lethal protector.

But don’t take it from me. Greg Pak agreed to take some time out from his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his various series—and provide a few teases. Spoilers abound, so you might want to make sure you’re all caught up on these books before you continue on.

ComicMix: Magneto: Testament has been getting a lot of attention, both for attempting to tell the definitive origin of Magneto and for placing it in a meticulously specific historical context. Would you mind telling us a little bit about where this project came from?

Greg Pak: Marvel editor Warren Simons has wanted to tell this story for years.  And from the minute he started telling me about the project, I knew I had to be a part of it.  I researched the project for about three years before we finally went to script.  And Warren and I have spent hours and hours talking through the history and the nuances of the story beats.  I think everyone working on the book has felt the same kind of responsibility to getting the story right.  Artist Carmine DiGiandomenico and colorist Matt Hollingsworth in particular have gone above and beyond, bringing just the right tone and nuance and gravity to the images while making constant tweaks to ensure the book is as historically accurate as we could make it.  And we owe a thousand thanks to our historical consultant, Mark Weitzman of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

CMix: When it’s done, will it represent the canonical last word on where Magneto came from, or is this outside of continuity?

GP: As Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada recently confirmed in his MySpace Comics column, Magneto Testament is indeed in continuity.  Feel free to start updating your wikis, Mags fans!

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