Hello fellow Void citizens! In case you haven't heard, we've got new people and characters, tournaments, anthologies and a bunch of other cool things! We've got a lot of exciting stuff going on don't we?!

First of all, we've had a great time so far with the 2012 Invitational tournament, where we had an influx of new faces and characters. As expected with a 50 person tournament, we've had a few hiccups along the way, but it's generally been very successful and fun. The invitational fan art jam is filling up with art fast, so make sure you get in there and show your support for your favorite new characters! We are winding down to the finals ... who will be the invitational champion this year?! We've got a lot of amazing artists, so it's sure to be a tough fight from here on out!

The first everEnterVOID anthology is currently getting it's finishing touches, and will be available for purchase very soon! In previous anthologies released by VOID, the comics were not based on Void characters or stories. This is the very first in hopefully a successful new series of published comics! Stay tuned for more information on when and where that will be available.

The VOID podcasts have returned for your listening pleasure! Feel free to take a listen while you draw your next comic! Many people have said that the podcasts really help to motivate you while drawing.

We also would like to remind members that enterVOID.com has a wiki  for it's characters and stories!  Feel free to sign up there and update your character's information, and also learn new things about VOID characters!

First, thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Now as a first time introduction to the people of EnterVOID, tell us a little about yourself.

Greg Pak: I'm a comic book writer and filmmaker best known for the feature film "Robot Stories" and comic book storylines such as "Planet Hulk," "Dead Man's Run," "Incredible Hercules" (co-written with Fred Van Lente), "Magneto Testament," and "Red Skull."




What made you interested in becoming a writer and how did you start writing for comics?  What made you say, "Comics!  That's the life for me!"?

Greg Pak: I'd read and drawn comics all my life, but never really thought about doing it professionally. Instead, I went to film school at NYU and made a ton of shorts and a feature called "Robot Stories." And then my agent called up and asked if I'd like to talk about Marvel about writing comics. I said absolutely, and a year later my first professional comics writing project came out, the "Warlock" mini with Charlie Adlard, which was followed by "X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong" and eventually "Planet Hulk." I loved comics and especially writing comics for Marvel because it combined crazy genre hijinks with genuine emotional storytelling, which was exactly the kind of thing I was trying to do in my independent work like "Robot Stories."

Which medium would you say you preferred writing in, comics, short stories, film...?  And do you find writing in one medium easier over another?

Greg Pak: I love all kinds of storytelling -- I'm equally happy writing comics and films. Comics writing has an advantage in that I've know that just about every comics script I've written will actually be produced into a finished project. That's exciting and inspiring and educational and isn't always true in the world of film, alas.

In some ways, comics writing is actually a bit harder than film writing -- the comics writer is responsible for describing the visual world and action in more detail than the typical screenwriter. But film writing can be more satisfying on a literary, writerly level -- you can be a bit more evocative, even poetic, using the spare language of a film script. Comics scripts are often very conversational -- a practical discussion between the creative partners on the book, which has its own charm, but maybe makes the script a bit less of a complete literary product in its own right.

What are some of your writing inspirations?  What sort of themes do you focus on in your storytelling?

Greg Pak: Big questions! In no particular order and completely off the top of my head, some of the writers/comic book creators/filmmakers who have inspired me include Billy Wilder, Akira Kurosawa, Frank Miller, Otomo, Miyazaki, Stan Lee, Lloyd Alexander, Ray Bradbury, Lynda Barry, Charles Schultz, Harlan Ellison, and Greg Bear. Current folks I love include Robert Kirkman and Bryan K. Vaughn.

I'm compelled by many different themes over the years. But I've probably always been interested in the question of the other, that person who's different, who's separate from the group for whatever reason -- but who eventually becomes responsible for the group in one way or another. It's a pretty universal theme -- I imagine every person on the planet feels like that person sometimes. It probably contains the core of every classic hero story ever told, now that I think of it.



Now if we want to improve as writers what do you think is important to focus on?  What sort of exercises should we do to improve?

Greg Pak: Write write write and rewrite rewrite rewrite. For anything you're writing, spend time observing people and how the communicate or don't communicate. Character reveals itself in a billion tiny, compelling, human ways. It's those tiny details that make things come to life. I haven't read it for years, but Eudora Welty's "One Writer's Beginnings" explores that idea in a great way.

When I was very young, I remember giving myself various challenges and tasks -- writing short stories in genres I wasn't comfortable with, writing stories with lots of action or complicated geography to hone my descriptive abilities, and just writing a ton of stuff all the time. Probably the last thing is the most important. Ray Bradbury, in his classic essay "Drunk and in Charge of a Bicycle" talks about writing a new story every week for weeks on end. And then, finally, after ages, he finished a story he finally realized was good. That determination to work and improve and the ability to be honest with yourself about what you need to work on are probably two of the big things that get a writer to that stage of finally doing something that he or she can call good.

What's a good way to focus?  Any time management tips?

Greg Pak: Virginia Woolf wrote about the necessity of a writer having a "room of one's own." It's key to be able to block out hours during which you won't be disturbed. That's probably a big reason so many writers are night owls.

And this may sound a little boy scoutish, but it's true for me: eating properly and exercising helps a ton. When your body's in decent shape, it's easier for the brain to focus.

Everyone (as far as I know) has suffered from Writer's Block from time to time, what sort of advice would you give on overcoming it?

Greg Pak: Get a job that requires you to meet the deadlines in order to get paid. That sounds like a snide joke, but it's absolutely true. Working in comics has been the best thing I could do to develop discipline and the muscles to power out stories and scripts no matter what.



Writing for comic books has it's own set of challenges as I'm sure we're all aware but how do you go about preparing for writing a script for a single issue and/or a longer story arc?

Greg Pak: Knowing the big premise of the story and knowing the ending are key for me. If I know what the story's about (with "Planet Hulk," for example, it was "monster-to-hero") and I know how it ends, I can figure out whether each scene and moment belongs in the story or not. If I don't know those things, I'm flying blind, which doesn't often end brilliantly. I mean, I'm absolutely open to serendipity in the moment as I write -- that's key to the process and joy of writing. But determining what works and what doesn't in the end requires knowing what my story's about and where it's ultimately headed.

Now when writing a script with the artist in mind, do you add stage directions to help the penciller achieve the vision you want?  And do you write the script differently depending on the artist?  How much do you allow the artist to affect the script?

Greg Pak: Yes, I describe every action I want to see in the story, panel by panel. Great artists always find fun ways to improve and add detail. Or sometimes they know it's better to simplify a bit. I love working with artists with strong opinions who aren't scared to call or email me with questions -- when we both poke at a scene a bit more, it always improves.

What do you think is important to keep in mind with a writer/artist relationship?  Is there any advice you'd like to give artists on how they should approach writer types?

Greg Pak: Great writers and artists think of each other as creative partners -- both trying to make each others' jobs easier while aiming for the best storytelling possible. As a writer, I work hard every day to make descriptions in scripts as clear and simple as possible -- and to give artists fun action to draw. That doesn't always mean things blowing up on every page -- great action could be a fun, subtle character moment or a little sleigh of hand. But there's always something visual that the artist can flex his or her muscles in dramatizing.

I love artists who email me with questions, who do initial character sketches on their own to get into the heads of the characters, and who fix my storytelling mistakes. Artists will often ask to add a panel here or clean up some action there -- it's a fantastic thing when an artist cares enough to make every beat not just the way I've written it but the way the story really wants it to work.

Do you find it difficult writing for a character that is not your own and has his/her own storied history?  Do you do a lot of indepth research to stay true to those characters?

Greg Pak: Yes and yes. ;-)

The challenge is to remain true to the essence of the character while finding a surprising new story to tell. You have to understand and respect the source material in order to grasp what makes the character work, but you have to free your mind to find and tell a new story that takes the character to the next level.



Do you enjoy writing your creator owned characters more over the company characters?  Who would you say is your favorite?

Greg Pak: Whatever I'm writing this very instant is my favorite. You have to fall in love with any character and story you write in order to make those emotional stories sing. When I'm writing, I love all my babies equally.

Hulk and Hercules runs seemed to be somewhere between "team book" and "solo book", with the supporting casts getting a lot of spotlight (Hulk's warbound and Amadeus Cho, respectively). Do you have any you have any tips on writing a "team-oriented" story, or juggling a larger cast of characters?

Greg Pak: Great question. Both the Hulk and Herc books cheated a little. They almost looked like team books, with their large casts, but the Hulk book always was about the Hulk/Banner's emotional journey, first and foremost. And the Herc book was a Herc and Amadeus buddy story. The trick with those books was to have a rich supporting cast who provided great subplots and action -- but whose stories always helped fuel the core story of the book. So with Hulk, all of the Warbound stories, for example, point back to the ramifications on the Hulk of letting these hero-monsters close to his heart.

With your long run on Hulk now over, and Dead Man's Run just over the horizon, do you have any more plans for small or creator-owned projects?

Greg Pak: YES! Nothing I can announce just yet, but absolutely. In the meantime, please feel free to download my FREE creator owned graphic novel "Vision Machine" at www.visionmachine.net.



How did you start writing for Marvel?  What would you recommend for aspiring artists/writers trying to get into the comic book business?

Greg Pak: Everyone gets into the business a different way. I was lucky -- my agent heard Marvel was looking for writers right around the time my feature film "Robot Stories" was hitting theaters. So I had something to show that the editors responded to.

But that might be the key thing -- having existing work that proves your ability to tell great, emotionally compelling genre stories. I had my film work. Most new Marvel writers these days have cut their teeth doing great indie work. I can't think of anyone who broke in to Marvel or DC without having a success on their own beforehand.

Do you have any final advice you wanna get off your chest for aspiring comic book professionals?

Greg Pak: Write stories and make comics. No matter what, produce work, and keep producing work until you get better and better and better. Overnight success is a myth. It's a long, hard slog for anyone trying to make it in a creative field. But we do it because we love it, and because we can't bear not to do it.

I guess that's the most honest piece of advice, which I heard an older actor tell younger aspiring actors once -- if you can be happy doing something else, you probably should. It's not worth it otherwise. But if you can't NOT pursue the field, then you probably don't need the advice -- you're already doing it, plying your craft every day, working on getting better.

Now before I end this interview, they say you can tell a lot about a man by the time of soup he likes.  What would you say is your favorite soup?

Greg Pak: Miyukguk. Korean seaweed soup. Good -- and good for you!

Thank you very much for your time and responses and I hope to see a lot more of your work in the future!

Greg Pak: Thank you! Much appreciated.



Head here to discuss

Riley Chen: Recently, you launched RockStar on Zuda, so I heavily congratulate you on that achievement! But first, let's ask you about comics. What got you interested in drawing them?

Aluísio Cervelle Santos: Thanks a lot! I'd like to first thanks to you and everyone who helped me achieve that, otherwise, nothing would have happened!  It feels great to have such friends that could help me turn the tides and conquer Zuda!

As for comics, it’s a long story:
When I was very little, I already liked, like every other boy, to create stories, and I liked doing mine with Lego. At one point I wanted to draw pages of that shit, but I was really unable to.

Riley: Haha Lego, that would definitely be an interesting medium to make comics in.

Aluísio: Then I kind of gave up on comics, and would only draw… until I found VOID. Finding VOID was a very funny thing on its own. I was searching for Megaman fanart and got stuck into SilverLimit's account, and there were his epic Speed Death entries and whatnot, and I was like, “Whhhhahh this is awesome!”

And since I always liked to draw, I thought that making pages would be one hell of practice…I mean, you get to draw around 5 poses in a page, 5 expressions. I was game, so I basically started making comics in VOID.

And yes, I should try comics with Lego sometime!

Riley: Ah, excellent answer!
Yes, SilverLimit must indeed be quite an influence, and drawing comics does take a lot of practicing. Would you say VOID's strict environment helped your work ethic in doing artwork and battles compared to if you were drawing projects without it?

Aluísio: That's for sure!
Using VOID's critiques to know what you need to get better at, and what should or shouldn't change was very helpful. Back then, an interesting factor was the much varied styles I'd come in contact too.

I mean, I always only read manga till then, and there were all sorts of artists in VOID, many of which were big influences to me, such as Jhosephine "Jinguj" Tanuwidjaya, Kumaru (who was my first opponent by the way), James "spikes" Stokoe and Pio "Monday" Canlas, who really made me want to draw stuff and improve always.

Another huge point of VOID is to teach you to deal with deadlines, which is like the most important factor in any working area. And of course, try to make something good within that deadline.

Riley: I agree with what you said, Aluísio. While VOID helps you iron out the right habits in preparation for the job industry, it is also big melting pot of various styles and genres, and you definitely named some excellent artists on VOID.

In fact, my next question was going to be who is your biggest artistic influences-- You have a very detailed and colorful style, no doubt about it!

Aluísio: Definitely, there are many people on VOID who influenced and still influences me. Those I mentioned earlier I think was more of a IMPACT thing. Other artists I love or grew to like are Sheldon "shelde5000" Vella, Priscilla "Perca" Piccin, King_Pong, Alberto "Ponbiki" Rios, Mark "Kure Ji Ori" Penman, Kozispoon, Anna "Squidman" Bowles, and of course yourself, who's totally my reference for when it comes to flashy stuff, haha.

As you can notice most of them are very ink focused, and it's something I really got to love during VOID. When I entered it, I had just gotten a tablet and wanted to do everything with it alone... until I met all those people, and learned that I could use the strengths of the pen allied to the colors I could get on the tablet.

Riley: Awesome, man. Some good choices up there, and thanks for the mention, I'm flattered. Ink does seem to be a major backbone of the artwork that happens in comics, without a doubt. Would you ever try a comic that was completely painted as a departure from the norm? You're definitely very proficient in doing lineless artwork.

Aluísio: I don't know... Maybe one or two years ago I'd still be able to, but I got really rusty with paintings haha. I did start something last year, but it's collecting virtual dust in my HD.

I still plan to get back on the saddle with painting though, but for more illustrative purposes.

Riley: It would be a pity if you stopped painting entirely, Aluísio! (though of course, I'm biased because I’m a painter.)

I'm not sure if you had mentioned this before elsewhere, but how long do you plan to run with RockStar? Do you have any future projects in mind?

Aluísio: Oh yeah. Well, right now since I own a contract with DC, RockStar will be on air for at least this coming December. If it receives public approval, it might be renewed again. For me, it works just like a game. As long as there's people wanting more of it, stories will come, I don't really have a story set in stone, so, if it ends now, it's fine, if it lasts 4 seasons, here we go!
 
I have plans to start a new comic too, still undecided on the model, but I've been thinking on having it as a webcomic, to keep people knowing about it, and reading too, and later published, to reach people with no net, or that aren't interested into webcomics, which unfortunately happens a lot!

Riley: In that case, I wish you luck with continuing the series for as long as possible! It does seem very promising.

A webcomic from you would be interesting to see, will it be drastically different from RockStar's Superhero-action genre?

Aluísio: Yeah, since I made Anthropos comics, I got to like to draw horror a lot, even if I couldn’t convey horror at all with those comics haha, so possibly something on that vein. Though I like over the top action a lot, so yeah, maybe one of those, though certainly not super-hero themed!

Riley: Some more horror-action from you would be quite awesome to see, Aluísio. It seems as though the VOID crowd was a huge fan of your Dr. Anthropos character back in SDT 2008, and comics back on VOID. Which character out of your three did you enjoy drawing for the most?

Aluísio: That's great to hear, since I had an awesome time participating in the Speed Death Tourney myself, even if it didn't turn out how I'd like, those were great times. I really like both Anthropos and Pothole, though maybe I'd have to say my fave is Pothole due to large range of comic styles I can attempt with him without changing the character a lot. Delanna, my first one was a nice test run, but I think she'd be a completely different character if I were to recreate her.

Oh yes, its worthy to mention Delanna was also an effort to draw better girls back then, haha, since I sucked hardcore at it.

Riley:  I think you've come a long way with improving since you first started off! Pothole is also a definite fan favorite amongst VOID.

Speaking of which, do you ever plan to return to the site and do battles again? RockStar must have your hands full, not to mention whatever outside job or university work you have to do.

Aluísio: Thanks a lot! I plan to always stay around, I still lurk a lot and try to post sometimes on the boards…if possible I might still do battles, though probably not something so time consuming such as a tourney. Personally I think tourneys should be done with people that are new, or recent, so to speak, to VOID, so that like it did to me, makes them evolve greatly. Or at least that was the impact I felt during SDT.

As for me battling, I'll make sure to do something I've been planning as soon as RockStar gets steady!

Riley: Great dude, I'm sure many people will be excited to see you battling again on VOID! Are there up-coming artists on that site that interest you in particular?

Aluísio:Lemme see, there's an artist especially that always makes me excited to read stuff, which is Mister Kent. His battles have this sharp light hearted mood, which is something I like, and he's been improving leaps and bounds each time a new Jane Blonde comic is up.
 
I liked that many old peoples that didn't battle when I was most active are back now, and it's a nice thing to see happening.

Riley: Ah, excellent to mention people that are still trying to work hard in VOID, Aluísio. Mister Kent must be pleased to hear that you take an interest in his work.

What is your artistic process, and coming up with stories?

Aluísio: Oh, let's see, it really varies on the amount of time available. I used to spend very little time thinking up stories, though I'd always want to try something surprising and still coherent. Nowadays it goes like this: I define how many pages I want this to fit into. Then I write up an outline somewhere, in my case a text editor, and then try to divide that outline into the amount of pages I need.

This one might be tricky, it works now because I have a good idea of how much story or action scenes I can fit into a single page. Divided the outline, I completely think over all phrases and leave all the wordy parts ready on script.

Now I make small thumbnails of the pages to see how the paneling will work. That's normally a general overview, because it might change as I see fit on the final shape.

Now the most fun and most painful part too: Drawing

I pencil with colored leads on Canson paper, and ink with Uni pin pens. Usually the bigger you draw, the better. If you aren't working on vector, or totally digital, always draw bigger than what you want to show; it allows for more details, and for better lineart quality.

After I'm done, scan stuff, and color, add panel borders, and balloons all on Photoshop, with the help of the trusty tablet!  
Riley: Very nice description of your process in there! How long does it typically take for you to make a page or an illustration-- And, do you prefer working traditional or digital?

Aluísio: A detailed page usually takes one day for lineart alone, and then varies on the coloring. While I opted for cell shading style, I guess I've gone too far on it sometimes haha, and can use up a whole day, sometimes. Especially with illustration.
So yeah, I like to keep a half-breed of traditional and digital!

Riley: Awesome to hear about it, Aluísio! All the time and effort you put into your work does really show. Do you have any last words to say to EnterVOID or anyone out there who could be probable readers for this interview?

Aluísio: Thanks again for reading, and for all the support ever since I started doing VOID comics and still up to today, with RockStar. If you're finding yourself in doubt about your own art, something I've learned is to not give up easily and to pursue your dreams! But dreams require strong dedication, so in the end it depends to how much are you determined to climb up! Stand up and shout! Practice hard, and keep steady on your track!

I hope you've enjoyed it too, and that if anyone still have questions, suggestions, love letters or death letters, send them my way on cervellesantos [at] gmail [dot] com

Riley: That's our Aluísio, folks. Give him a big round of applause for his rock hard determination and work ethic!

Happy new year, folks! As we welcome 2012 with open arms, let's take a moment to reflect on the past year. It's been a pretty fantastic twelve months in Void City, as we took on new tournaments and new artists with much gusto!

We kicked off 2011 with the finale of the All-Together Now! Tournament, a unique format where artists used two of their own characters at the same time. Starting back in October of the previous year, the action came to a close during January and February, where the hardboiled Ponbiki stole the show.

And right as we finished up 2010's events, we got started bringing back a blast from the past, the legendary return of the Heavyweight Tournament! With twenty-four of the best artists Void had to offer, we kicked off the original EnterVOID contest in the spring and ran for an impressive two months of intense comic battles. But all good things must come to an end, and to this it was The One Dark Knight that emerged victorious with Pandora.

It was around this time that solo events began rolling out, another first for the site. From Orange's First Issue Challenge to Wei's Monthly Artist Showcase to Kuro's Graphic Novel Club, it was clear that Voiders had more than just battles on their minds.

As summer flipped her awesome hair in our general direction, we brought out the Death Royale, a single round event that combined the juggernaught nature of the Battle Royale and the high stakes of mortal combat. Over the next six weeks our intrepid competitors tore up the battle scene and hit it hard as the deadline closed in August. With several outstanding entries, it was Sixtem that climbed to the top of the mountain.

But the action didn't stop there! With the fall peeking over the horizon, we were once again knocking on heaven's door with the return of the crowd favorite, the Speed Death Tournament! And despite a phenomenal run through the year, Sixtem was forced to take second place yet again as Puzzlething took the SDT crown with the little ghost girl that could, the one known as Marigold.

And before we knew it, there we were in the middle of the holiday season, winter looking over at us with frosty glasses full of eggnog and cheer. The Secret Santa satisfied with a series of successful submissions, and the call came to create a comic anthology bearing the Void banner. The contest for the book's cover is still open, but closing quickly, go check out the forum thread and cast your call while you still can!

The Miller Tournament has come to the final round after weeks of hard battles. A three-way showdown stands before us, between PyrasTerran's Miller's Trap, Mister Kent's Thriller Miller, and TDKgunghoul's Subject Miller. It's been an intense tournament as fighters fell left and right, but in the end there can only be one Miller left standing!

All I can say is that it was a great year in comic battles here in Void City, and I've loved every minute of it. That said, let's toss the body in the dumpster out back and get started on the year staring us in the face! I want to see more bloody carnage! More epic action! More comics from everybody!

This is your friendly neighborhood Pi saying get busy drawing comics, or get busy... uh, drawing something else. You know what I mean, TT out!

Seasons greetings, kiddos! It’s that warm and wonderful time of the year again, and VOID City’s gotten all fun and festive. First and foremost, a hearty congratulations to Puzzlething with Marigold, this year’s Speed Death Tournament champion! Turning in a constant stream of incredible comics in a somber yet stunning gray ink wash, Puzzlething’s run stretched from heartfelt to hilarious, and hitting everything in between. It was definitely an event to remember, from all of our outstanding contestants. If you’re looking to catch up on any rounds you missed, or just feel like revisiting the magic all over again, feel free to head on over to the archives and enjoy all the blood and guts at your own leisure.

With the SDT still fresh in its grave, we’ve already got another tournament blasting forward at full speed. RoflQu’s enigmatic Miller Tournament is already in full swing, with six competitors left in the semi-final round. Miller’s Fear is taking on Subject Miller, Miller’s Trap faces off with Miller’s Rehab, and Juliet Miller is up against Thriller Miller. I know it’s a little confusing, but just bear with me and expect some very cool comics from these folks. We’ve got about two weeks left to draw in this round, and after that we’re in for a fantastic ménage à trois for the finale! It’s about to get slippery from here on out, so stay tuned!

And in a stunning turn of events, VOID returns to the print comics industry with a revival of the community anthology! The previous Pulpo volumes were a lot of fun, taking entries from around the site and giving people a first shot at making print ready stories. But the people clamored for more! So this time around we’re bowing down to what the fans want, and making the book all about the VOID fighters you all know and love! Alive, dead or retired, you can submit the story you’ve been saving up for just the right occasion and get it printed to boot! Read all about the new book on the forum thread, and be sure to ask any questions you have to our very capable Angieness.

Having a new book means needing a brand new cover to clothe it in, right? So we’re opening the doors for submissions to show off for the public! A super splash page, a prodigious pin-up, or a grand group shot; we wanna see it! The best thing that could happen is to get picked to rep VOID's new cover, and the second worst thing that could happen is getting printed in the back of the book with the other runner ups! The worst thing that could happen is that rendering the drawing somehow causes the planet to fly out of orbit and slam into the Sun, but I’m sure that’s just an old wives' tale. Check out the contest thread for details, once again run by the kitty queen Angie.

I hope all of you have a beautiful holiday season, spend it with your friends and family, and maybe some delicious Pi.

Mammon vs. Jimmy Boom
@ 2:50 PM May 17th

The Emberhearts' vs. Morrow Stone
@ 1:58 PM May 17th

Auddie in Unicorns and Bad Seeds
@ 1:28 PM May 17th

Bhindi in VOID Invitational OCT Round 3 Late Entry
@ 1:16 PM May 17th

Toro Joe vs. Roy
@ 1:12 PM May 17th