Big Trouble in Little China/Escape From New York crossover comic — exclusive preview

When writer Greg Pak was approached by BOOM! Studios about working on a comic which featured Kurt Russell's character Jack Burton from the film Big Trouble in Little China and his character Snake Plissken from Escape From New York Pak burst out laughing.

Then said, "Yes!"

"I got an email from some editors over at BOOM!," says the writer, whose previous credits include The Totally Awesome Hulk and Doctor Strange Season One. "They said, [it's a] teamup of Kurt Russell characters from Big Trouble and Escape From New York and they included a piece of concept art from Daniel Bayliss, the artist. It had Jack driving a big rig, and Snake standing on top with a giant gun, and they’re gunning down a monster heading down the highway. It had such ridiculous fun and energy to it. I just laughed. The gimmick is hilarious. I was just hooked. I literally couldn't say, 'No.'"

So, how do the respective paths of blowhard trucker Burton and the rather more lethal military veteran Plissken actually cross in the 6-issue adventure? "It's set in Snake Plissken's world, but it's a little bit further down the line from the Escape From New York movie," says Pak. "It's a post-disaster world, where you've got marauders in souped-up jalopies and motorcycles fighting each other on the broken highways of destroyed North America. Jack Burton gets summoned to this world by somebody who's actually looking for Snake Plissken. Jack drives through a giant magical portal, and ends up in this world, and people immediately think he's Snake Plissken. And then the real Snake Plissken finds out about it and hijinks ensue."

Pak reveals that filmmaker John Carpenter, who directed both Escape From New York and Big Trouble in Little China, has given the project his blessing. "I got to have an amazing conversation with John Carpenter," says the writer. "The folks at BOOM! had sent over the outline that I had done for the whole series, and he thought it was a ton of fun, and he basically said, 'Go for it.' I got to spend the rest of the conversation talking to him about Snake and Jack, and laughing about the characters, and picking his brain a bit. He was hugely supportive, and he totally got the tone we were going for, and it was just a ton of fun talking to him. I mean he's a legend. My head was kind of popping off the whole time I was on the phone with him."

And what about the man himself, Kurt Russell?

"I haven’t had any contact with Kurt Russell," says Pak. "So, here's hoping he gets a kick out of it!"

Big Trouble in Little China/Escape From New York #1 goes on sale Oct. 5. Jack Burton fans may also care to note BOOM! is publishing two books about Big Trouble in Little China — The Official Making of Big Trouble in Little China and The Art of Big Trouble in Little China — in November.

Below, you can see five exclusive pages from issue #1 of Big Trouble in Little China/Escape From New York, the comic's two main (connecting) covers, and four variant covers. Other than that.