Thursday, September 27, 2012

William

1 - Senator Lowry and a small delegation are visiting a scientific research lab to check in on the progress of the "Shock Pack", a weapon that consists of a backpack battery and a rod that discharges bolts of electricity.  Dr. Johnson is leading them around the lab.  Lowry and company look dour, unimpressed, and short on patiendce.  Johnson looks nervous, but tries (poorly) to feign happiness.  William, a lab assistant stands in the background with a Shock Pack on a table in front of him.

SENATOR LOWRY: For the money we're giving you, these Shock Packs better knock our socks off.

DR. JOHNSON: Don't worry, Senator Lowry!  The project is coming along smoothly.

2 - Dr. Johnson moves close to William to speak to him quietly.  William looks concerned.  Johnson is too nervous to pay his warnings any mind.

WILLIAM (whispering): Dr. Johnson, the packs aren't clear for field testing yet.

DR. JOHNSON: Billy, there's no time to argue.  Science - and federal funding - waits for no man!

3 - William stands, wearing the Shock Pack on his back and aiming it at some dummy targets.  He looks uncertain and unconvinced.  Dr. Johnson stands behind him and reaches for the pack.

WILLIAM: I'm having second thoughts, Doc...

4 - Panel inset into panel 3.  It is a closeup of Dr. Johnson's finger pressing the "on" button of the Shock Pack.  The tailless word balloon spans panel 3 and the inset panel 4.

DR. JOHNSON: I'm glad to hear it, Billy!

SFX: touch!

5 - An arc of electricity flies from the rod as William is thrown back by the enormous force.  Have a dark background with either a big bright blue or dark yellow lightning bolt image imposed behind William as he flies away from the point of force.

NO COPY.

6 - Another shot of the lab.  The place is pretty much wrecked.  All electronics are burnt out and there's a layer of ash / burnt that covers most everything and everything (cartoony of course).  Any hair is also all stuck out due to the electricity in the air.  Senator Lowry and company look even madder than before.  Dr. Johnson looks even more embarassed and sheepish, smiling the biggest and fakest smile ever.  William's legs are visible on top of a large item that he's landed on the other side of.  His hand pops up, pointing skyward to grab people's attention.

WILLIAM (quietly and woozily in the background): I'm good!

DR. JOHNSON: As you can see, there's still a few minor kinks to work out.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Mr. Sanderson

1 - Mr. Sanderson stands at a check-in counter.  He is dressed professionally, like someone at a job interview would be.  A secretary sits on the other side.  The secretary wears a telephone headset dealie, with a hand to their ear to indicate they're using it.

SECRETARY: Thank you, Mr. Sanderson.  You may take a seat.  He should be ready for you shortly.

2 - Mr. Sanderson sits in the waiting area.  It's a single bench / couch thing.  Two other men are sitting there.  There isn't quite enough room for three people on the bench, so they're somewhat cramped.  Sanderson looks at the other two men out of the corner of his eye, trying to size them up.  Both gentlemen are also wearing suits - nicer ones than Sanderson, in point of fact.  The other two men pay Sanderson no mind.  One, Mr. Walden, reads a newspaper.

NO COPY.

3 - A call from the secretary (off-panel).  Mr. Lapierre is up and walking towards the nearby door.  Sanderson moves around on the bench to have some more space.  Walden continues to pay him no mind, reading his paper.

SECRETARY (off-panel): Mr. Lapierre?

4 - Beat as the two remaining men continue to wait.  Walden keeps on reading that paper.  Sanderson is getting nervous, fidgeting a bit while twiddling his thumbs and looking up at the ceiling.

NO COPY.

5 - There is terrible screaming coming from the door Lapierre just entered.  Walden doesn't seem to notice it, turning to the next page in his paper.  Sanderson is taken completely by surprise, freaking out pretty noticeably at that screaming.

LAPIERRE (off-panel): Oh no... please, anything but th-- owwwaaARGHHH--!

6 - Beat panel.  Silence.  Walden is still hidden behind his paper.  Sanderson starts looking around more urgently, trying to figure out what's going on.

NO COPY.

7 - A call from the secretary (off-panel).  Walden is up and walking towards the same nearby door.  Sanderson holds tightly onto the chair and his gaze follows Walden's steps.

SECRETARY (off-panel): Mr. Walden?

8 - Beat as Sanderson sits alone, waiting for what will come next.  He holds a similar pose to the last panel, but he's sweating quite profusely here.  He awaits with baited breath to see what will happen.

9 - The scream comes again.  Sanderson is up and running in the opposite direction of the door, getting the heck out of Dodge.

WALDEN (off-panel): What?  OH GOD WHY? OH, THE PAIN! THE--!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Sara and Donovan

Really on a little fantasy / D&D kick over here (although this one is coming from my recently resurrected obsession with Ogre Battle 64).

1 - Two adventurers, Sara and Donovan, set out on adventure.  Sara is tall and lithe while Donovan is short and stocky.  They are on the edge of a burgeoning metropolis, heading off to whatever adventure awaits them.  Some friends and well wishers stand, waving their farewells.

NO COPY.

2 - The adventurers walk through a dense forest.  Donovan cuts away protruding branches with his large machete knife.  Sara pushes away branches in vain, getting a few to the face (as Donovan's work does little to help her at her height).

NO COPY.

3 - The two adventurers come to a clearing, looking over the edge at the beautiful valley and landscape below them.  They both look content.  The sun is on its way down.

NO COPY.

4 - Still in the forest, the men have set up camp for the night.  Sitting around their campfire, Donovan is telling a story while Sara listens on, noshing away at some food.

NO COPY.

5 - The two are fighting a gigantic and fearsome two-headed wolf monster.  It has Donovan in one of its jaws, preparing to rip him apart with his front legs.  Sara, holding Donovan's machete from earlier, leaps onto the monster's back to save her friend.  Both adventurers look determined.

NO COPY.

6 - Campfire scene again.  Same layout and setup as before, but Donovan is alone.  Where Sara was, there is only a wolf monster pelt, which Donovan is bringing back with him.  Where before Donovan was happy, he is now sad and downcast.  The fire burns lower, emphasizing Donovan's aloneness.

NO COPY.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Kerrick

Four rows of panels.  Rows one, two, and four are all the same height; row three is quite thin, laid out to emphasis distance.  Rows one, three, and four are all single panels; row two is made up of one big image as well, but it is divided into three equal-sized panels by the gutter to break up the reading experience and extend the moment slightly.

1 - A group of large and menacing robots march down a broken street of a broken neighbourhood.  The pavement is torn up from what looks to be past fights.  Many of the buildings on other side of the street show similar wear and tear - if they're still standing.  Rubble is strewn everywhere.  The robots are protecting an even larger and more imposing carriage, which the robots are all surrounding.

CAPTION (1): 11:47am.

CAPTION (2): Front Street.

2 - Kerrick, a member of the human resistance, is pressed up against a wall on the street corner.  He holds a gun high, ready to leap from his hiding place at any moment.  He wears what looks like a futuristic version of what those old timey flying helmets (the caps with the big goggles on them), fingerless gloves, an old, reliable jacket, and some nondescript dark pants.  While his clothing is in relatively good condition, it's pretty dirty and a little threadbare, as is Kerrick.  Another person stands next to Kerrick on his left.  The look concerned, Kerrick looks ready.  The robots are visible beyond the wall, marching towards the men's position.  Note: Kerrick's second piece of dialogue extends across the three panels, being cut off as it crosses onto panel 4.  Have it written large to show he's shouting.

OTHER GUY: Are you sure about this?

KERRICK (1): Let's do this.

KERRICK (2): Death to the robo--!

3 - Continuing the image, this panel is in the street, in front of the robots.  Kerrick has leaped from his hiding spot and is running to the middle of the street, shouting with his gun raised.  The robots towards the right side of the panel are raising their weapons in response.

4 - Completing the image, Kerrick has almost made it to the middle of the street; however, the robots have reacted at this point and are shooting the heck out of Kerrick.  Due to all this being shot, Kerrick has stumbled and is tumbling towards the ground, pretty much dead.  He's clearly done, but the robots aren't really laying off.

SFX (robots shooting): zrt!  zrt!

5 - The nearest robot looks down at Kerrick's corpse (which is off-panel).  In the background, the robot leader has emerged from his steel carriage and is asking what's going on.  Further in the background (behind this robot force) are some figures that are too far away to make out - they're in silhouette.

ROBOT KING [robot voice]: What is the cause of this disturbance?

ROBOT GOON [robot voice]: Simply another human protestor, your majesty.  Nothing of consequence.

6 - We've switched to those two background background figures.  They look to be more human resistance members, like Kerrick.  Their clothing is similar in quality and condition, although they wear different individual items - it's not a uniform or anything.  They are behind the group of robots, looking at the carriage, which is no longer surrounded (the robots in the back having moved forward to dispatch of Kerrick).  One of the figures holds a rocket launcher on her shoulder, which she is firing.  A burst of flame comes out the back as the rocket flies off towards the Robot King's carriage.

ROCKET WOMAN: I'll give you consequence.

SFX (rocket launcher): pa-KROOM!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Crash

1 - A car race.  Nascar-esque, but that much isn't actually necessary.  The important thing is that a group of cars (say four or five) is taking a corner on the track.  The lead car is beginning to swerve slightly.  The panel is positioned ahead of the cars, looking back.

NO COPY.

2 - The lead car starts rolling, the side starting to come over the top.  The other cars in the background begin trying to take some evasive maneuvers.

NO COPY.

3 - The lead car is now flipping end over end, corkscrewing something fierce.  The other cars are in the process of crashing, and other packs are catching up too soon, also unable to stop in time.  We could maybe have a few small flames here, especially on that lead car.

NO COPY.

4 - That lead car is really going, getting some awfully serious air.  It's real banged up, and those early flames are starting to get a bit bigger.  To make matters worse, the panel perspective has been backing up so much that we're moving into the stands now.  People are running for their seats - have been running for a bit.  Nevertheless, it looks like that car might impact against the bleachers before everyone is out of the way.  In the background, that pile up is only getting worse, with people running in to help, while some drivers limp away.

CAPTION (CRASH): That was not a good day.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Bozo

1 - Outside shot of a shack in the middle of nowhere.  The shack's lights are on.  A beat up car is parked outside.

BOZO (from inside shack): Do you know what people generally think when they first see me?

2 - Inside shot.  The shack is old and messy and the light is scattered.  A huge guy stands showing off an even bigger gun on his hip.  It's some type of ridiculous machine gun, way bigger than anyone would really ever need.  It's got a big stock, an even bigger barrel, and so on and so forth.  It should be rendered just barely on the serious size of ridiculously large.  This guy is Bozo, a mercenary type character who might have a few screws loose.  He gets his name from the old school hockey mask he's wearing that's painted to look like a clown (either like the Joker's in The Dark Knight or similar to a stylized Juggalo).  Bozo looks towards the reader.

BOZO: "That maniac's gun is huge!"

3 - Bozo feigns hurt body language - he looks to the side, places a hand over his heart.  He also lowers the gun to take some of the emphasis away from it.

BOZO: It's kind of hurtful, you know?

4 - Bozo points enthusiastically at the reader's direction, where the off-panel voice is presumably coming from.

OFF-PANEL VOICE: mmrrf!

BOZO: Exactly!

5 - Bozo holds his gun tenderly.

BOZO: It's so reductive.  As if this baby is all there is to me.

6 - Bozo puts the gun down on a table beside him.  He moves closer to the reader.  While he's wearing a mask, it appears as if he's either getting happier or more serious.

BOZO: But I'm so much more than some maniac with a big gun

7 - Move the camera out a bit and switch the angle slightly to reveal that Bozo has a hostage tied up to a chair.  Bozo kneels right in front of the hostage at face level.  He holds a big knife to the hostage's neck, drawing some blood.  The hostage tries to move away.  The hostage is crying.

BOZO: I have a big knife, too.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Serena

The fifth panel obviously has to take up the biggest part of the page.  Beyond that, I ain't picky.

1 - Serena, a young woman of 18 or 19, looks towards the sky, awe on her face.

CAPTION (SERENA): I've always wondered what they are.

2 - Pull out a bit to show Serena walking through her town, still looking up.  Think medieval / fantasy small hamlet.  Lots of other townsfolk are now visible, but none of them are looking up.

CAPTION (SERENA) (1): I don't know why, but no one else has ever seemed that interested.

CAPTION (SERENA) (2): No one curious as to how they do it - how they stay up there.

3 - Serena is in her thatch house home.  It's a pretty meager little place.  Serena is grabbing some supplies, the most evident of which is a grappling hook at the end of a long rope.

CAPTION (SERENA): No one but me.

4 - Serena is walking up a steep hill.  She steps with purpose, her rope and grappling hook clearly visible at her side.

CAPTION (SERENA): Well, I'm through with wondering.

5 - Serena stands at the top of the hill, looking down into a large valley.  Above the valley (and what she's looking towards, of course) are a number of floating islands (or skylands, for short) that are just hanging in the sky through no evident means or manner.

CAPTION (SERENA): It's about time to get some answers.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Brendan

We've got a pseudo medieval / fantasy page.  Enjoy.

Three rows of panels.  A single panel for both the first and third rows; three panels for the second row.

1 - Brendan, a strong looking youth of 19, sits, holding a knight's helmet in his hands.  The helmet is dinged and worn, proof of its use.  The armour he wears, which is a hodge podge of unmatching pieces that is similarly used.  He looks hard at the helmet, as if he is considering a difficult decision in his mind.

MOTHER (off-panel): The King's men have already been dispatched to deal with it.

2 - Brendan looks up to see his mother standing before him.  She is a woman who is old beyond her years, worn down by the difficult life she's lead.  She is greatly concerned for her son, tears welling in her eyes.  Brendan looks certain of the words he says.

BRENDAN: They will fail.

MOTHER: And so it must fall to you?

3 - Brendan stands, the helmet at his side.  His mother gives it her all to convince him to say, but it's clear from his face that nothing will sway him from his choice.

BRENDAN: The realm needs me.

MOTHER (1): What of your family's need?  Your old father is too old to tend the shop.  Your sister are still too young to fend for themselves.

MOTHER (2) (quieter): You'll die if you go.

4 - Brendan walks towards the door, a determined look on his face.  He's made his choice.  His mother looks on, crying.

BRENDAN: I won't be able to live with myself if I stay.

5 - Outside.  A heavy rain.  Brendan rides away from the hovel that is his home.  He does not look back.

CAPTION (BRENDAN): Goodbye, Mother.


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Neville and Faramond

Three rows of panels.  Row one is a single panel that spans the width of the page (with an inset on the right side).  Row two is three panels of equal size.  Row three is another single panel, similar to row one.

1 - Neville, a young boy, stands in the middle of a scary, dark forest.  Everything around him is exaggerated. The trees are taller and scrawnier, the dark is darker, and everything is generally scarier.  Neville looks about him, scared.

NEVILLE: Hello?

2 - Inset panel on the right side of panel 1.  Close-up of Neville as he turns to his right, startled at someone yelling at him from off-panel.

FARAMOND (off-panel): Neville!

3 - Faramond, Neville's imaginary friend, emerges from the nearby trees.  Faramond is a big, burly, fluffy monster, who looks pretty friendly - although he's mostly worried at the moment.  Neville jumps back a little in fear, but calms down when he realizes who it is.

FARAMOND: Neville!  Thank goodness I found you!

4 - Faramond hugs Neville protectively, maybe hugging a little harder than is comfortable for the young boy. Neville appreciates the gesture, but is still really confused about what's going on.

FARAMOND: Don't worry, I'll protect you.

NEVILLE: What are you talking about, Faramond?  Protect me from what?  Where are we?

5 - Faramond stops the hug.  He points at Neville's head to signify that they currently in one of his dreams.

FARAMOND: You're asleep.  We're in here.

6 - In the background, a whole bunch of scary looking eyes look towards our two protagonists (wild animal, insect, arachnid, take your pick).  Faramond places himself between Neville and the eyes.  Neville is scared, standing behind his protector, but he looks around Faramond to see what's coming.

FARAMOND: But we're not alone...


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Ted & Buckly

Prepare yourself for a glimpse into the life of a somewhat anthropomorphized bear and his bee friend.  It is a tale that is not for the weak of heart.  You have been warned.

Three rows of panels.  Two rows of three panels each, with both the rows and panels being of the same size.  At the bottom of the page, row three is long and thin, a single panel taking up the remaining space.

1 - Ted the bear sits in his bear kitchen (think super rustic), berries still sitting on his plate.  Buckley, a bee that Ted is friends with, buzzes agitatedly around Ted.  Ted looks at Buckley in concern, a tinge of confusion on his face.  Buckley's word balloons are small due to the fact that he is a bee.  His dialogue is indecipherable to show that Ted can't understand him.

BUCKLEY: [a series of indistinct scribbles with a bunch of exclamation marks]

TED: Buckley.

2 - Repeat panel.  Buckley's incessant buzzing actually takes up the entire top of the page to show how much and how quickly he's talking.  Ted reaches out and grabs Buckley by the wings.

BUCKLEY: [a series of indistinct scribbles with a bunch of exclamation marks]

3 - Close in on Ted bringing Buckley in front of his face.  Ted yells at Buckley to get his attention.  The force of the shout pushes Buckley away, although Ted holds on to him tightly, so he doesn't go far.  Air and spittle fly from Ted's mouth.

TED: BUCKLEY!

4 - Ted places Buckley on his snout.  Buckley has calmed down, but has seemingly lost all the energy he had.  He flops down.

TED: What's wrong?

BUCKLEY (weakly): It's gone, Ted.

TED: What?  What's gone?

5 - Buckley regains a bit of energy and starts pacing on Ted's nose.  While Ted can now understand Buckley's words, he's still a little lost.

BUCKLEY (1): Everything.  The bees, the hives, even the wax.  There's no evidence they were ever there at all!

BUCKLEY (2): Something's wrong, Ted.  You've gotta help me find 'em!

TED: Of course, buddy.  I just need to grab some honey first.

6 - Buckley flies closer to Ted and grabs his eyelids, shaking them in frustration they way someone would grab and shake the front of another person's shirt.

BUCKLEY!: You're not listening, Ted!

7 - Straight on shot of Ted, with Buckley in the foreground.  Ted's eyes have gone wide, taking up the entire thin row.  Now that Buckley has explained how this impacts him, Ted finally grasps the severity of the situation.

BUCKLEY: They took the honey, too!


Monday, September 10, 2012

The Time Traveling Wilburys

1 - Quasar Quinn is a skinny, lithe dude.  He wears his blond hair short, with a trendy mustache adorning his upper lip.  He wears wrap around sunglasses.  He wears a lot of steampunky type clothing, including a bowler hat, vest, and dress pants (with dangling suspenders).  His dress shirt's sleeves are rolled up.  Let's say his guitar is also steampunkish, just 'cause.  He's in the process of playing some slick tunes, firing a burst of pure musical energy from his instrument to subdue some time villains (let's say they're reprobates who are all wearing the same type of gas mask to have a unifying theme there).

CAPTION (1): Quasar Quinn

CAPTION (2): It's not his real name, but that doesn't stop it from being spot on.  Quinn is the most powerful and energetic man to ever hold a guitar.  His licks have literally stopped people dead.

2 - Krom is a hulking monster of a man.  Clearly of caveman lineage, he has adapted well to a cavalier, time traveling, music playing life style.  His hair and beard are shaggy - and died purple.  In fact, purple is pretty much his primary colour, fitting in most every fashion item he possesses.  He wears Inuit snow googles (which are also purple).  He holds his drum sticks (which are clearly dinosaur bones) high above his head.  A mob of skeletons are attacking him, but he is beating them with his dino bones.

CAPTION (1): Krom

CAPTION (2): A man out of time, Krom spent his life hitting things with other things, but always felt that he had a higher calling in life.  Now he hits things with other things professionally as the Wilburys' drummer.

3 - A sleek and futuristic looking robot.  Think Daft Punk-esque.  He even wears a suit, although he has a robot body.  His optical lenses look like sunglasses.  His amplifiers are actually part of his body in some capacity, and he turns them up to eleven to ward off his attackers (a group of plant zombies).

CAPTION (1): Beat Bot 13K

CAPTION (2): Born of the most advanced 43rd Century technologies, 13K was created to literally be the ultimate drum machine.  However, Krom refuses to play anything else.  Fortunately, 13K is also a pretty mean bassist.

4 - Claire is a clear product of her Victorian epoch, although she is not nearly as steampunky as Quasar.  Instead, mix Victorian ladies fashion with Jem and the Holograms to get an idea of what she should be wearing.  She even has those weird paint flash things around her eyes (in the shape of clocks or perhaps the infinity symbol?).  She uses her microphone as a weapon to defeat some space pirates.

CAPTION (1): Claire Wellingsworth III

CAPTION (2): The daughter of a successful textile family in Victorian-era England, she could not abide the time into which she had been born.  Her Victorian ennui and versatile voice make her the perfect lead singer.

5 - The group is all together.  They're straight up jamming, but reality seems to be shimmering around them.  Their musical cavorting is sending them off through time!

CAPTION (1): Alone, each is a talented musician in their own right.

CAPTION (2): Together, they are The Time Traveling Wilburys, a force so powerful that not even time can contain them!


Sunday, September 9, 2012

Robert Drake


1 - A shot of Professor Robert Drake.  He is an older man.  From his clothing, it would be a fair guess to assume he's a professor of some variety.  Thick rimmed glasses, tweed jacket, that kind of thing.  He also looks to be scared out of his mind.  He wears his hair short.  Sweating profusely, his hands are grasping at the open air in desperation.  There's no background behind him, save for open sky.

DRAKE: Can't we talk about this?!

2 - Switch to a shot of Guillaume Montagne.  He is a sophisticated looking man.  Somewhat on the portly side, he wears a finely tailored suit and expertly coifed hair and beard.  He wears his hair a little long.  Both his hair and suit seem to be whipping in an unseen wind, slightly marring his noble look.  However, he has a grave and sombre expression that commands respect, in spite of his slightly tussled appearance.  Open sky remains the background.

MONTAGNE: I believe we have already had extensive discussions at this juncture, and while an open dialogue is important in any business relationship, it hasn't brought me any closer to posessing the Sceptre of Flames, has it?

3 - Switch to a shot of both Drake and Montagne.  There's also a guard or two standing in the background on Montagne's side.  Their uniforms flap in the wind, too.  The group stands on an empty platform in front of a large structure that appears to be a mixture between a mansion and a fortress.  Various defenses and weapons are visible on the mantress.  Montagne stands close to Drake, poking his walking stick into Drake's chest.  Drake appears to be trying to maintain his balance.

MONTAGNE: I repeat myself, Mr. Drake.  Either give me what I want...

4 - Far out landscape shot.  It's a barren desertscape, filled with rocky crevaces and mountains.  Floating above it is Montagne's flying ship / manor / fortress.  It sits on a X-shaped cross that supports the entire structure.  The group is visible standing on one of the edges.  A figure (Drake) is falling from the mantress towards the ground.

CAPTION (MONTAGNE): Or get off my ship.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Agent Foxtrot

Panel 1 spans the page.  Panels 2 and 3 are of equal size on their own row.  Panel 4 should be the focus of the page, so give it as much space as feasible.

1 - Wide panel giving a good view of the industrial building where the scene takes place.  The focus of the panel is a solid box-like object, behind which Agent Foxtrot is currently taking cover.  On the walkways above her, a number of bad guy guards are firing on her position.  Bullets fly all over the place, but none of them have hit her yet.  Wearing all black, she has her hand to her ear, using her communicator to call up HQ.

AGENT FOXTROT: Command, I have the objective, but am pinned down with no egress.  Will require backup to make extraction.  Do you copy?

COMMAND (over radio): Loud and clear, Agent Foxtrot.  The cavalry is already on the way and should be there right about... now.

SFX (along bottom of panel): KRAKAKRAKAKRAKA!

2/3 - Are the same image divided by the gutter.  Two bad guys stand on one of the raised walkways seen in panel 1.  The shot is below them looking up, giving a good view of the ceiling.  Bad Guy 1 is on panel 2; Bad Guy 2 is on panel 3.  While Bad Guy 1 has his gun up, his eyebrow is cocked and his head looks up towards an unseen sound.  Bad Guy 2 doesn't even have his gun up.  Instead, he looks up towards the ceiling, where a big chunk of it is being ripped right off.  Metal claws are visible holding the piecing being ripped asunder.

SFX: (across both panels, leading towards the ripping metal - vary letter size to emphasize the wavering of the sound): RRrrRRrRRrrr!

BAD GUY 1: What's that noise?

BAD GUY 2: I'm sure it's noth--

4 - Angle the perspective so that the now ripped-off roof and Agent Foxtrot are both visible.  Looking down from where the roof used to be is, Man Mechanical, a huge and hulking robot with red glowing eyes.  Agent Foxtrot looks relived, Man Mechanical looks like it means business, and the bad guys look like they're in trouble.  Man Mechanical's word balloons are square and electric, written in computery font, as any robot's should be.

MAN MECHANICAL: Lay down your arms or prepare to be dispatched with extreme prejudice.

AGENT FOXTROT: You're a sight for sore eyes, Mechanical.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Amos

Five rows, each made up of a single panel that stretches the page.

1 - An overhead view of a dirty and crowded market street.  There's plenty of different wares on sale, from laser blasters to exotic delicacies to everything in between.  People move from stall to stall, looking at everything there is to see.

CAPTION (AMOS): I wouldn't normally come this way.

2 - Amos is running through the crowd, going from left to right.  He appears twice on the page, along with a word balloon coming from off-panel on the right to show all of his progress in a single panel.  The first instance has him sliding past some people, the second instance has him bumping into two others, and the third instance, while mostly off-panel, involves Amos knocking over a table at one of the stalls.  The owner shakes his fist angerly at the figure off-panel.  Each word balloon belongs to a different instance of Amos.

CAPTION (AMOS): But I'm desperate.

AMOS (1): Excuse me.

AMOS (2): Pardon me.

AMOS (3) (off-panel): Sorry about that.

3 - Amos is gone.  The crowd has mostly calmed down, although some still look towards the direction that he left in.  A few on the left side of the panel point worriedly at something that has yet to appear.  The stallkeeper beings picking up his knocked over product.

CAPTION (AMOS): It's easy to get lost in a crowd.

4 - A nefarious looking group appears and follows Amos' path.  It's Tork, an ugly looking three-eyed alien, and some imposing Thug-bots.  They also appear multiple times across the panel, just as Amos did.  The first instance is Tork firing off his laser gun to scare off the crowd, the second instance is him and his Thug-bots pushing through the ensuing chaos, knocking people to the ground with impunity, and the last instance is Tork shooting the stallkeeper that Amos upset.

CAPTION (AMOS): That's not the problem.

SFX: ZZRT!  ZZRT!

TORK (1): Move it!

TORK (2): Outta my way!

5 - Tork and the Thug-bots are gone, but the damage they caused remains.  A number of people lie hurt on the ground.  Some are being helped up by bystanders, others are not.  The stallkeeper lies on the ground dead.

CAPTION (AMOS): The problem is living with the repercussions of doing it.


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

The Hike

1 - Establishing shot.  A top down view looking down on the treetops of a lush forest.  It's early fall, the leaves only just starting to turn.  Through the thick canopy, an older man is visible, walking along the forest floor with a large walking stick.  The treetops blow in the wind.

NO COPY

2 - Move way closer in.  Straight on shot of the man.  He stands still, his head turned slightly to the side.  The wind dies down for the moment.

MAN: I know you're there.

3 - Lower camera to the man's feet.  He drops his stick and it falls with a loud WHMP!.  The focus, however, is on the background where a hooded assailant emerges from the treeline.

SFX: WHMP!

NO COPY

4 - 3/4 angle.  The man prepares himself for a fight.  Taking a defensive position, he is poised to attack or defend at a moment's notice.  The assailant has moved closer, but he is not alone.  Four more figures emerge from other parts of the forest, surroudning the man.  He wears a determined look, unphased.  The wind picks up and leaves fall around our characters.

MAN: Let's finish this.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Carl and Shane

First panel gets its own row.  Panels 2 and 3 shared a row, as do panels 4 and 5.

1 - Shot from above looking down.  A pigeon, Shane, files above the sprawling cityscape of a burgeoning metropolis.  Among the buildings below him, another pigeon, Carl, is visible standing on the edge of the rooftop.

SHANE (quietly) (1): Is that Carl?

SHANE (loudly) (2): Carl, is that you?!

2 - Shot from behind the pigeons, looking off the edge of the building.  Shane lands behind Carl and looks towards him; Carl continues to look out over the city.

SHANE: It's been too long!  How've you b--

CARL (interrupting): She's gone.  She left me.  And my will to live left with her.

3 - Still shot from behind.  Shane has moved over to Carl and has placed a reassuring wing on his shoulder.  Carl pulls away, angry and frustrated.  This surprises Shane.

SHANE: Carl, you say that every tim--

CARL (interrupting): Well, maybe this time I'm serious!  I'm done with this.  I'm going to jump.

4 - Switch angles to look head-on at the birds.  Shane has lowered his wing.  He looks away uncomfortably.  Carl continues to fume.

SHANE: Carl...

5 - Shane looks back at Carl and says what he has to say.  Carl looks at his feet, pouting.

SHANE: You know we can fly, right?

CARL: ...Yes.