Greg Pak: Representing the Push for Progress
Greg Pak is a writer who is very active in several areas, especially on representation and necessary progress. Considering his various comic inspirations, his political aspirations, and how his career starts, this is a given. His debut in Marvel brings about resolution to both the X-Men and Incredible Hulk, meeting good friends, and learning to appreciate what you've got. Because opportunities can arise from many situations like DC allowing Pak to show the human side of Superman. So why sweat the small stuff when showing off your passions can lead to people making personal and social progress?
The Greg Pak Foundations
When it comes to comics a list Pak makes on Bookshop.org reveals his early inspirations. From the Peanuts and Marlys, Greg Pak finds humor in the mundane relatability of everyday life. The samurai stories of Kazuo Koike and Stan Sakai are also something that sticks; my best guess that much like with Frank Miller's Batman: Year One, there's an appeal of different people coming together for something. But unlike any of these characters, Pak wanted to go into politics where he could get his perspective out.
Pak in particular grows his passions from the people closest to him. This includes but is not limited to his immigrant Korean grandparents; his grandfather being the star of his award winning student film Fighting Grandpa. This and a few other films about different people (usually Asians) struggling to coexist with others get plenty of attention from others. Not least of which is his wife Keiko Ibi and some people at Marvel. Funny how the things you do in your spare time are the things that matter more when you can share them.
Marvel's War With Continuity
The first title Pak tackles is Warlock: Second Coming, this series details the struggle of trying to live up to a legacy. Through the character Janie, Pak demonstrates trying to forge an identity from scratch. Because entering one of the Big Two comic publishers comes with a lot of expectations. No one can hope to do great on their first tries and it's going to take a lot of oversight and insight to properly develop. Fortunately the ending shows that Pak has people to count on through the original Adam Warlock.
The Phoenix Symphony
Pak would eventually get the chance to work with the X-Men. With mutants meant to be a metaphor for minorities, it seems like a good fit. However some of Greg Pak's most notable work involves filling gaps from the era of Chris Claremont. The first of which involves putting Jean and the Phoenix Force to rest in X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong. The story fully accepts that some things cannot be brought back for more stories.
Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force have started to become static and somewhat redundant in their usage. As an ever resurrecting powerhouse, Jean and the Phoenix feel lackluster in comparison to the other X-Men. This is especially relevant as the Phoenix in terms of relationships can feel parasitical. It's dependent on both high energy and the need to feel things like love. So Pak and artist Greg Land bring both parties to their full potential before sending them both off after a satisfying sendoff. It's follow-up Phoenix - Warsong is best left untouched.
Reflecting On the Metaphor
Then there's Magneto who received an origin from Claremont, Pak would go into this origin further. X-Men: Magneto Testament is the story of Max Eisenhardt, Magneto's original identity. During WWII Max saw some of the worst humanity even as he tried to make the most of everything; this includes a fleeing romance with a gypsy and trying to subtilely stay connected to his parent's traditions. Only for all of it to be ripped away by the Nazis with a note being the only thing left of Max. If anything it reinforces his present self's beliefs about humanity, as the hopeful boy has been long dead. Neither has it gotten any easier with humanity's numerous prejudices.
Fitting In Is Hard
When it comes to his time at Marvel, Pak spends a lot of his time trying to find another niche. While still working with the X-Men, Pak tries to find more work with some rather unnecessary tie-ins and sequels. Marvel Nemesis: The Imperfects and Iron Man: House of M are merely cash grabs to poorly planned gambles from Marvel. This would obviously leave Pak more than a little frustrated as he has made good work on a What If story featuring Namor; a story about how neglecting one's heritage and living with prejudice can ultimately doom people. Yet during Marvel 1602: The New World, Pak finds a kindred spirit to his frustrations, the Incredible Hulk.
Greg Pak Rages Against the Marvel Machine
The Hulk has come to represent every person's anger about the small things that lead to severe consequences; but most people only see an unstoppable monster. For that reason, Marvel didn't want the Hulk around for its Civil War event; so they casually decided to throw him into space. When Pak becomes writer for this turn of events, he displays not a monster but a frustrated everyman at his breaking point. This only gets worse when Hulk's pod is knocked off course he becomes a gladiatorial slave on the world of Sakaar. The rage boils into a point where all of Peter David's depictions of the Hulk become one. This Green Scar persona of Planet Hulk is both a savior to the slaves of Sakaar as well as a paramount threat to Earth.
The Rage of War
In an almost meta-textual fashion the Green Scar serves as the collective rage against Marvel's publishers and editors. By attacking and conquering the Avengers, World War Hulk is Greg Pak's punishment of Marvel for focusing on the sensationalism. A lot of the people working on the tie-ins like Robert Kirkman seem to agree where the Irredeemable Ant-Man's dumb luck runs out. Others like Christos Gage meanwhile display how this infectious rage just creates more of the same problems. This is likely by design as Pak still had fondness for the X-Men. Ultimately, it's a losing battle where the status quo remains dominant and the conflict was started from within. Even then it doesn't change people's dissatisfaction with Marvel as some critics point out.
Mellowing Out With Hercules
Greg Pak is among those dissatisfied people who channels all of his feelings into the character of Amadeus Cho. This boy genius and supporting character of the Hulk shares Pak's frustrations with authority figures who can't be held responsible for their actions. But what's the point of all the outrage when despite all of the bad times, good memories are made. Pak met some good friends at Marvel including his collaborators Takeshi Miyazawa and Fred Van Lente. So for some therapeutic times, Pak has Cho team-up with Marvel's Incredible Hercules.
The adventures of these characters practically mirror the chemistry of Pak and Van Lente; Pak/Cho is the straight man to Fred/Herc's funny man. But like all great bromances, the roles don't define either pair. Hercules' laid back attitude helps Cho keep a cool head during all of the stressful times. Cho in turn ensures Herc takes matters more seriously including making amendments with his wife. Cho in turn gets the staring role for a while, but fans didn't seem to care that much; let alone when Herc gets the spotlight back.
The Feuding Family
Greg Pak has a spotty record when it comes to most of the Marvel Universe; War Machine, Alpha Flight, Silver Surfer, nothing seems to stick with him. Instead Pak continues with characters he can identify to certain degrees. In the Hulk storylines for example is the buildup of World War Hulks. The reader meets the extensive family of Gamma mutates including Hulk's sons Skaar and Hiro-Kala. But what really makes this notable is how it ties into other Hulk material like with Red She-Hulk. This series for all of its flaws details how many people are convinced that the Hulks are only monsters. The kind of monsters people like to exploit such as the Intelligencia. But once those monstrous layers peel away, there are characters who are capable yet vulnerable.
And The Meaning of It
Bruce Banner cannot access the Hulk for most of this time, not that Banner tries hard enough. By the time the Green Goliath does reemerge, it's to prove everyone including Skaar wrong about him. The Hulk isn't simply a raging monster, he's someone genuinely tired of getting the worst out of life. Skaar eventually sees this and leaves himself vulnerable for his father to see; it's a moment where Bruce wants to give his son a better chance than he had with Bruce's father. Greg Pak doesn't talk about his private life, but I wonder if he ever considered having a family.
The Hulk does just about everything to protect his new family of gamma mutates. Which by all accounts is not easy, as people who gain their power from rage there is tension all around. Like when Banner/Hulk try to mend things with his (ex?)wife Betty/Red She-Hulk, even when it looks like she's moved on. But Hulk is genuinely trying to find some common ground with everyone despite the clashes. Because in a world of small frustrations, it's best to find a way to live with them instead of ignoring them. It is what allows Pak to find ways to enjoy the small stuff.
Greg Pak Cuts Loose
Greg Pak seems to really enjoy doing stories that don't take themselves so seriously. After a more serious time with the Hulks, Pak returns to the X-Men for some sillier stories. All of which revolve around parallel realities and some hijinks; nothing all that notable, but it might've inspired Exiles. On the other hand, Pak finds Kickstarter to be a place to put in ideas he genuinely wants to try out and have a good time with. I mean the guy gets to adapt songs by comedy songwriter Jonathan Coulton; he even gets Miyazawa to be the artist for these projects. I know I felt stupid for missing out on Code Monkey Save The World's Kickstarter.
Greg Pak Meets The Man Of Steel
Meanwhile at DC, Pak gets the opportunity to work with Superman. Starting out with Batman/Superman, Pak finds the World's Finest larger-than-life hijinks so absurd that there's no point in trying to make it serious. But a counterpart rises in the Action Comics line where Superman's humanity becomes more visible. With so much of the sensationalism, there just isn't enough time for Clark Kent in the base Superman comics. Here though, Greg Pak unfolds Superman's humanity including his relationship with his Smallville crush Lana Lang. What's more Superman does whatever he can to defend people who lack the power to defend themselves. Even when he is low on power himself, because everyone at the mercy of people abusing power needs a Superman. But don't take my word for it.
The Push For Representation
During and after these times, Greg Pak notices a lack of use involving existing and powerful characters out of the norm. A couple of them like X-Men's Storm share his world views, despite a lifetime of achievements there is still so much she is unable to do. It turns out her power is just too dangerous for things like redistributing severe weather conditions. Even then, Ororo Munroe is someone who wishes to help whoever she can. This includes her mother's birthplace of Kenya with every resource available. At the end there's no greater story, just a complex character's examination. If there is anything to take from it, how about creators-of-color following suit?
Because one person can't represent entire groups of different people, let alone characters not of his ethnicity; that's what Pak's Turok: Dinosaur Hunter suggests anyway. It's partly why Pak tries to keep everything close to characters he has attachments towards like Amadeus Cho. The Totally Awesome Hulk series features Cho trying to be a different kind of Hulk while dealing with his sister's disapproval over this. Because as things move forward some of the same problems Pak had with the original Hulk pop up; I'm serious this era repeated the Civil War and Planet Hulk conflicts verbatim. The only thing of interest is the Weapon H series. So what happens when superheroes aren't working out?
The Anthology Chronicles
There are plenty of gonzo ideas to choose from, so why should creators like Greg Pak limit themselves to the big publishers? But with so many ideas it's hard to know what will stick. So by working with creators of similar and different backgrounds, Pak puts out some ideas onto anthologies. Two of which deal with the Asian American identity with Shattered being where one of these ideas get picked up by a publisher.
Some people at Boom Studios found a story they liked from the anthologies and give the okay to make it a full series. After the cancellation of weird west story Kingsway West, Pak seemed up for it. Mech Cadet Yu pairs Pak and Miyazawa again for a story about defying expectations. The title character is an admirer of past giant robots of heroism; but he doesn't have the resources to join the core. As fate would have it however, he ends up bonding with a giant misfit robot. With both of them struggling as much as everyone else, it sends a positive message that no matter the background anyone can be something more; all with some great emotional payoff.
Greg Pak On Asian Identity
Not willing to stop at that point Pak decides to put his love of the chanbara genre to the test. Ronin Island is a rather interesting take on the East Asian identity. A number of people like to put Chinese, Korean, and Japanese people (sometimes Vietnamese) into one group despite the cultural differences. It's a topic that Pak keeps so close that he has all three trades in his best books list.
Anyway... what happens when a 19th century cataclysm forces these three groups of peoples together on an island; one that seems to favor feudal Japan no less? Hana does not seem to like this situation; being the daughter of dead Korean farmers she regularly clashes with samurai heir Kenichi. But when the Shogun demands tribute to protect the island, they have to confront that the surface level differences mean very little. People will always fight over the small things to maintain a sense of identity. Yet despite whatever flaws are present, people are more than willing to fight for a home despite the mistakes they make along the way. It's being able to learn from those mistakes that make the difference.
What Kind of Difference?
Among the topics that Greg Pak seems to want to dive into are the clashes between the melting pot and salad bowl philosophies. With a greater demand for ethnic representation in pop culture, there comes a lot of ways of trying to implement the idea. With Marvel putting emphasis on its Shang-Chi movie, the company calls in Pak for supplementary material in relation to the character. Enter the Agents of Atlas lead by Shang-Chi and golden age character James Wu. This all Asian team is mostly an advertisement on several fronts. The biggest are for new characters Aero and Sword Master from a partnership with Chinese IT company NetEase.
The Asian American Identity
However fans seem to have a strong preference for Greg Pak and Pop Mhan's backup stories featuring the characters. The main stories by NetEase creatives don't seem to reach audiences as well. The reason for this is what I feel is the main difference between Asians and Asian Americans. Actress Constance Wu brings up how Chinese cinema and cultural osmosis has permeated expectations about identity. With mainstream China's pop culture permeating Taoist themes and kung fu movies, general audiences don't see the cultural differences between one ethnic group and its descendants.
The NetEase stories emphasize the sensationalism by following Manhua tropes and trying to combine them with American superhero tropes. Aero fights against someone sabotaging her architectural work while Sword Master is bickering with his helper. The conflicts are driven mainly by exposition and the flashy battles feel distracting. With Greg Pak at the pen however are characters who the reader grows to emphasize with through both context and actions. Despite their different backgrounds, the characters are still people with everyday beliefs that might not benefit them; Aero always pays back what is owed for one. This makes them much more relatable to an American audience than a gamer's power fantasy. It just takes somebody like Pak to translate those premises into something more digestible.
Greg Pak: The Fanboy
Despite being an advocate for authentic representation, Pak wants creators to work with material they can personally enjoy. Greg Pak's catalogue does include comics of licenses for Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Star Wars, and James Bond. Passion and love for someone, something, or even what they can represent can push people to get through the day. Comic writing is still a job, so it's best to stay attached to what can push those feelings out. Not everyone will share those feelings in regards to Pak's series, even if it's for things beyond the writer's control like artwork. But if a creative can make a difference for somebody even a small one, it can mean a lot more than anyone thinks. Otherwise people are going to feel stuck.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.