DF Interview: Working on Pacific Rim mini ‘dream come true’ for Joshua Hale Fialkov

By Byron Brewer

This November, Bunker creator Joshua Hale Fialkov will enter the world of Pacific Rim in a new, four-issue miniseries from Legendary Comics.

The series, titled Pacific Rim: Tales from the Drift, will be an official tie-in to the feature films, with Pacific Rim screenwriter and Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero graphic novelist Travis Beacham providing the overall story. Marcos Marz will draw the book

Dynamic Forces wanted to get the lowdown on this series that follows the events of that previous graphic novel -- and will be canonical to the universe of the film and its forthcoming sequel – so we met with the Joshua Hale Fialkov to find out what it’s all about.

Dynamic Forces: Josh, how did you enter the realm of Pacific Rim and how did this miniseries come about?

Joshua Hale Fialkov: Robert Napton knew that I was a huge fan of Pacific Rim, and Bob Schreck and I have wanted to work with each other for years, so I think when you put the two of them together, it was sort of a no-brainer. I went into the first meeting with Robert and David Sadove at Legendary not knowing what they wanted to see me about, but the first words out of my mouth were, “I will write Pacific Rim comics for toys.” They both smiled and had me sign an NDA, then told me they’d do me one better, by actually paying me in money AND toys.

DF: Have you ever dealt with a situation like this where your mini is official canon with the feature films?

JHF: I have, but, I haven’t done it where the creative team of the movie are so actively involved. Getting to talk to Guillermo and read Travis’s extensive notes on what he wanted out of the story really set me free, honestly. I get to tell a story that is important and an essential piece of the universe, while at the same time, is a great, compelling comic on its own terms.

DF: Tell us a little about the storyline of Pacific Rim: Tales from the Drift.

JHF: It follows two early pilots, and we get to see their entire relationship from their first (unpleasant) meeting, to becoming one of the best teams the PPDC ever saw. Also, there is much Kaiju vs. Jaeger action.

DF: The Pacific Rim Universe is so rich. What can you tell us about your protagonists?

JHF: Well, when we meet Duc and Kaori they are involved in a battle with one of the biggest Kaiju the world has ever seen. And they’re getting their asses kicked. BUT, the bond between them, and the way their brains compliment each other gives them an upper hand. Duc is a soldier, and Kaori is a scientist, and combined, they have the best of both worlds: an analytic understanding of what they’re fighting plus the intrinsic skills to win in battle. It’s tremendous fun getting to watch them meet and learn to drift, and especially fight. They’re of one mind to some degree, but we really get to see the tension between their tactics in every battle.

DF: Who is the big-bad? I also assume there will be some new Kaiju creatures?

JHF: We actually get to see a couple of Kaiju throughout the book, each one cooler than the next. Marcos Marz and Marcelo Maiolo are really, really delivering on the design side and the action is… breathtaking.

DF: What do you think about working with Marcos? Have you ever worked with him before?

JHF: Y’know, Marcos may be the best kept secret in comics. While he’s not done a ton of books, everything he does is simply incredible. I think that PacRim is going to be the start of some very exciting things for him. And, of course, being reunited with I, Vampire colorist Marcelo Maiolo remains a dream come true. These guys are killing it, month in and month out.

DF: Is there any series you have written that you can compare to this Pacific Rim mini?

JHF: Y’know, what I love about the PR Universe is that there’s a very distinctly psychological aspect to these battles. There’s something incredibly human built into the entire conceit, and, I think, that’s what I excel at. How do I tell the biggest story I can, but still make it about people and their lives intersecting each other?

DF: Josh, would you like to do more of these PR Universe books?

JHF: If you looked at Robert Napton’s email, you’d know it’s almost all I talk about. I’m so happy to be a part of the Legendary family on this. It’s really been a dream come true.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Joshua Hale Fialkov for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. The four-issue miniseries Pacific Rim: Tales from the Drift from Legendary Comics first hits stores in November!

For more news and up-to-date announcements, join us here at Dynamic Forces, www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/, “LIKE” us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/dynamicforcesinc, and follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/dynamicforces.

2. 04/22/2024 - PETER MILLIGAN

3. 04/18/2024 - RICH DOUEK

4. 04/15/2024 - TONY FLEECS

5. 04/11/2024 - JOE CASEY

Show All