Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, entertainment, greg pak, mark waid, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

Mark Waid Talks Turok Dinosaur Hunter With Greg Pak – With Extended Preview

Published Wed, 05 Feb 2014 16:00:49 -0600

Making like a roving reporter this week, we have Mark Waid conducting another interview, this time with the writer of the new Turok: Dinosaur Hunter series from Dynamite Entertainment and the guy known for Planet Hulk, Greg Pak.

Mark Waid: Greg, how familiar were you with previous incarnations of Turok?

Greg Pak: I knew of the character but hadn't read many of the comics and — SHOCKING CONFESSION — I didn't even know there were games! But the idea of a Native American fighting dinosaurs always struck me as pretty darn awesome, so when editor Nate Cosby called to see if I might be interested, I was hooked.

MW: Talk to me a little about the cast. Who's there, how do they relate to one another…

GP: As our story begins, Turok is a young man living alone in exile from his tribe. Andar is the privileged nephew of the Chief and the leader of the bullies who harass Turok. And then… DINOSAURS. I'll say no more for fear of spoilers, but it's high stakes alternate-history adventure with some mind-blowing world-building and tons of emotion. Hope ya dig!

MW: …and what about them (if anything) are you drawing from your own life?

GP: I've never fought dinosaurs in my own life. But I grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, and spent a huge amount of time outdoors, in the woods, or prowling around ponds and creeks as a Boy Scout. I'm sure those experiences as a kid are feeding in some way into the outdoor adventure of Turok.

MW: If there's anything geeks know as much about as comics, it's dinosaurs. How much research have you had to do into them?

GP: I've been pretty fascinated by how much the science has advanced since we were kids learning about dinosaurs back in the day. The brontosaurus never really existed? Dinosaurs had feathers? It's been a blast reading up on all of this, and I'm pretty proud to report that we will indeed have feathered dinosaurs in the book, and yes, they're even SCARIER with those quills.

MW:What is it about this story that makes you passionate to tell it?

GP: Dinosaurs, natch!

But a huge part of the attraction of the book for me is the fact that it stars a Native American hero. That's sadly and ridiculously rare in all forms of mainstream media. I've always been interested in increasing the diversity of the casts of films and comics I work on. So when I got what what's pretty much a one-in-a-million call to work on a book with a Native American lead, I couldn't say no.

We're also doing some big alternate-history things in this book that will open up some huge opportunities for compelling storytelling and thematic exploration. I can't say too much for fear of spoilers, but you'll know what I'm talking about when you hit the second-to-last page in the book.

MW: Fill in the blanks for me: If you're a fan of ____________ and _____________, you will really like Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.

GP: If you're a fan of high stakes, emotional adventure and monstrous feathered raptors, you will really like Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.