ZOD – Kneel Off – MK Stangeland Jr.

(3 Panels)

Panel 1: Large panel – not splash page size, but should occupy the majority of the page.

ZOD is facing off against LOKI – a large number of LOKIs. These are illusions being created by the real one, and as such are mostly just standing around, looking intimidating, and shouting at ZOD.

ZOD, on the other hand, is attacking the illusions in an effort to get LOKI to kneel by force.

ZOD (1): KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!

LOKI ILLUSION 1: You first, you contemptuous brute.

ZOD (2): You will kneel before me!

LOKI ILLUSION 2: I’ll remember that once I have you on your knees.

Panel 2: A long-distance view of the events from PANEL 1 as being viewed through a pair of opera glasses.

ZOD: KNEEL!

SFX: *munch*munch*

LEX LUTHOR: (Off-panel) I must admit, Loki…

Panel 3: LOKI and LEX LUTHOR are in an office building, looking through the window at the scene from PANEL 1. They are sitting in high-class executive chairs and LOKI is viewing the scene through opera glasses while LEX LUTHOR is using some standard binoculars.

LOKI is busy chewing on some popcorn, but holds the bowl he’s been eating out of to the side as he offers some to LUTHOR.

LEX LUTHOR (1): …you certainly know how to entertain.

LOKI: *munch*Popcorn?*munch*

LEX LUTHOR (2): No, I’ll pass.

(END PAGE)

Zod -Inspection -Dan Hill

PAGE ONE

Panel 1

We're inside a barracks. The room is sparse, all white space. The only furnishings are a row of beds either side. In front of each bed stands a young RECRUIT, all of them wearing dark all in one jumpsuits. Amongst them is a young ZOD.

At the end of the room, REX-UR, the drill instructor, begins his inspection.

He cuts an imposing figure, tall with a buzz cut and razor sharp cheekbones. Every cadet is frozen in fear.

CAPTION: Military Academy, Krypton.

Panel 2

Inset: Close up on a young ZOD standing to attention. He looks visibly nervous and has several bruises on his face.

ZOD(CAPTION): Once, even I knew fear.

Panel 3

Wide: a profile shot of Rex-Ur as he begins to walk down the like of recruits.

ZOD(CAPTION): I saw it wielded as a powerful weapon...

Panel 4

Rex-Ur has now turned, facing us.

ZOD(CAPTION): I saw it shape and twist minds.

Panel 5

Tight on Zods reaction, sweat forming on his brow.

ZOD(CAPTION): Especially weak ones.

Panel 6

On Rex-Ur's feet as he clicks his boots together.

SFX: Click

Panel 7

Wide: a reverse shot of the first panel, now looking towards the opposite end of the room. Rex-Ur stands ramrod straight.

All of the recruits lined up by their beds, including Zod, are now kneeling.

ZOD(CAPTION): It's something I never forgot.

Zod - Before - Ben Rosenthal

1. A line of people in a grown room. It stretches the length of the panel. The first two people on the left hand side of the line are kneeling, with the third person beginning to crouch, getting ready for his turn to kneel.


2. The line continue, but with the person who was on the far right of the previous panel's line now kneeling, with others after him getting ready to kneel.


3. Different people again in the same line. Towards the end of the line stands Superman. Next to him is Zod.


4. Everyone up to Superman is kneeling. Supes is not. He is standing, staring straight ahead. Zod is looking at him. He cannot believe the arrogance of Superman.


5. Same as the panel above with Supes still looking ahead, not kneeling. Zod has his hand to his mouth, coughing in an effort for Supes to kneel.

ZOD
Ahem.

6.  Same as Panel 5, but Zod is facing front now.  He is muttering to himself.

ZOD
Jerk.

Zod – Crown Me Your Father- Shaun Richens.

PAGE ONE – 5 PANELS.

1.1 Wide. The Lincoln Memorial Statue. GENERAL ZOD stands with his back to us, his hands crossed behind his back. He looks up at Lincoln.

CAPTION: Six days from now.

ZOD: This piece of stone is nothing compared to the works they will craft of me.

1.2 Zod has turned. He now looks down at SUPERMAN who is on his knees, his hands behind his back, they are lashed together with chains made of red kryptonite.

ZOD: Despite what strength you think you have Kal-El.

1.3 Tight profile shot of Zod and Superman. Zod cups Superman’s face by the chin and pulls his face close to his.

ZOD: Really you are just as weak as the fools you look to protect Clark.

1.4 The kneeling figure of Superman can be seen behind Zod as he walks away leaving Superman in the shadow of the Lincoln statue. Zod floats just off the ground his arms outstretched.

ZOD: You will always live in the shadow of Jor-el and old Krypton.

ZOD: Whilst I shall bask in the glow of my new Krypton.  

1.5 Wide. The Washington Monument stands tall to the right of panel as we look out across the reflecting pool towards the Lincoln Memorial. A massive crowd of thousands of people fills up every space around the pool they all kneel.

General Zod floats high above the steps leading up to the Lincoln statue his arms out stretched.

ZOD: Rise before Zod and crown me your father and ruler of new Krypton.

Why Zod?

When you think of the Man of Steel a whole plethora of sinister and powerful villains come to mind, Darkseid, Bizarro, Brainiac, Lex Luthor, and whilst all of these characters bring out something different in the big blue boy scout it is only General Dru-Zod who holds a mirror up to him. Zod is the flip side to the same coin as Superman. He is the reflection of how Earth would be different if it was another Kryptonian who had fallen to our planet, or if Ma and Pa Kent hadn’t been the ones to find baby Kal-El. Zod is the fear inside Clark that his power may corrupt him.

Zod was originally a small time Superboy villain. It wasn’t until the movie Superman II when actor Terence Stamp brought the character to life on the silver screen that he got a creative boost comic side. Now some of the best comic creators have taken the reigns of the Kryptonian General, from John Byrne to Steve Gerber, and Geoff Johns and Jeph Loeb, all of them have had him face of with the last son of Krypton.

But now with the release of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel movie we are left with only two options, we either take to our knees to kneel before the feet of Zod or we stand up and meet the new face of the General. Either way it is up to us Thoughtballoons writers and all those who want to enter the fray at home to choose. 

Storm – Toward Liberty Square – Brian Manton

1.
Aerial view of Cairo, where we see two bridges over the Nile river - the Qasr al-Nil Bridge and the 6th October Bridge. Thousands of protesters gather at the west side, trying to gain crossing en route to Tahrir Square.

TEXT:  Cairo, January 28, 2011.

CAP:  You wouldn't believe it unless you were here. I mean, there's clips on YouTube but you can't really make it out.

2.
Shot of the western entrance to the Qasr al-Nil Bridge [reference below].

Riot police have the entrance completely sealed off with four green personnel carriers. Protestors, men and women from young to old, surround.

A protestor has climbed onto one of the personnel carriers. A policeman reaches for his leg. Another man rallies the protestors with a bullhorn, waving them forward. Some of the protestors are clearly injured. Spent tear gas canisters litter the ground.

One man, with a red scarf wrapped around his mouth, stands defiantly atop one of the lion statues that mark the entrance to the bridge, as the clouds of tear gas are taken away in the wind.

CAP:  Just as it was looking like they would push us back, a wind blew up from nowhere and cleared out the tear gas.

3.
View from the entrance to Qasr al-Nil Bridge, looking up the road towards the 6th October Bridge where a mini storm cloud forms - black spiral tendrils compiling. This bridge is also blockaded by riot police and swarmed with protestors - this detail will be quite small in the distance, but if the crowds can be indicated it should be sufficient.

CAP:  Then we heard this noise - this thunder.

CAP:  Up at the entrance to 6th October Bridge we see a black cloud just sort of - forming.

4.
The west side of October 6th Bridge [reference below]. This bridge is much wider and is not adorned with statues.
Lightning strikes an empty vehicle on the bridge and it bursts into flames. Riot police jump for cover. Protestors cheer and push forward. We see people climbing the vehicle blockade. The disarrayed riot police do their best to hold the protestors at bay - some attack violently with their batons. The rain pours down.

CAP:  And... KRAK!

CAP:  The protesters just poured onto the bridge.

5.
Back at Qasr al-Nil Bridge west entrance. In the bkg we can see that 6th October Bridge is in sunshine again. The cloud has moved down here now. The protestors rejoice and cheer as they get soaked in the heavy rain and wind. In the bkg the riot police have regrouped nearer their blockade and are not attacking the protestors.

This panel has more focus on the protestors than previously. We can see their signs, placards (with both English and Arabic writing) and Egyptian flags. "GET OUT MUBARAK" "FREE EGYPT" "We want a FAIR election!"  [Further references below]

Amidst the crowd we see a young Ororo Monroe, around 10 years old. She wears a blue hoodie with a faded Nike swoosh. Her hood is down and her long white hair is heavy with rain. She stands behind one of the protestors and is reaching inside a slit in the underside of the front pocket of his backpack, taking out a wallet. She holds a box-cutter in her other hand - somewhat concealed by her sleeve.

She smiles widely. *Here's a difficult one to ask an artist for... try to show that she is not just happy about scoring the wallet. These are her people and she shares in their joy. It's not a mischievous smile. It is very genuine.

CAP:  The wind changed again and brought the cloud right above us.

CAP:  Someone shouted "Even the sky wants us to pass".

CAP:  We broke through Qasr al-Nil Bridge later that night.


##References:

Article with photos from the Qasr al-Nil Bridge on the day

Western end of Qasr al-Nil Bridge 

6th October Bridge (view from west side)

Protestors 1
Protestors 2

Storm - Thunder and Lightning - Niel Jacoby

Full splash: Storm and Jushin Thunder Liger standing back-to-back, surrounded by The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

Caption: SURROUNDED BY THE BROTHERHOOD, WITH ALL HER ALLIES OUT OF COMMISSION, CAN STORM, THE MISTRESS OF METEOROLOGICAL MAYHEM, TEAM UP WITH JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER, THE MASTER OF THE SHOOTING STAR PRESS AND THREE-TIME BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS CHAMPION, TO SAVE THE EARTH FROM ULTIMATE DOOM?

Caption: CONTINUE ON AND SEE, GOOD READER, IN THIS STORMALICIOUS 3-PART NOVEL:

Story logo: THUNDER AND LIGHTNING!

Storm - Weather-Beaten - J.D. Coughlan

Four long horizontal panels.

Panel 1: Close-up of Storm. She looks exhausted, anguished, defeated. Rain pours down on her face.

STORM (CAP): I can tame the elements.

Panel 2: Medium shot of Storm. We now see she is on her hands and knees in a field of green grass. Rain pours down on her.

STORM (CAP): I can make wind and rain and hail and thunder and lightning do my bidding.

Panel 3: Wide shot of Storm. The field, and the rain, stretches far.

STORM (CAP): But my powers are useless against the uncontrollable chaos I now face.

Panel 4: Very wide shot. Storm is almost a dot now, but still identifiable. We now see a road next to the field. In the foreground, next to the road, is a large sign which reads:

SCOTLAND
welcomes you
ceud mìle fàilte

STORM (CAP): I have met my match.

END OF PAGE

Storm – A Cool Southern Breeze - Shaun Richens.

This would be drawn my Sean Murphy in an ideal world.

PAGE 1 – 7 PANELS.

1.1 Wide. The bleak white expanse of Antarctica, the sky is nearly as clear and white as the blanket of snow on the ground. A row of bright orange and yellow tents dots the horizon, standing tall behind them is a selection of HALLEY VI ANTARTIC RESEARCH STATIONS, in blues and oranges. To one side of the research station is a DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR.

Researcher BROOKS (Coming from inside the research station): I think this might work.

1.2 Pulling inside the research station. A group of researchers huddle around a sleek, futuristic looking monitor. Researcher Brooks sits centrally to the monitor.

The screen displays a weather radar image of the local area. The image shows a large swirling blue weather cloud-moving in. (Reference something like this.)

RESEARCHER BROOKS: This is unprecedented. Fisher, check the scans.

1.3 Tight on RESEARCHER FISHER, she looks astonished. Her breath clouds up as she speaks.

FISHER: No need to check the scans. But we might want to turn the heating up.

1.4 Close up on the thermostat built into the wall. The thermostat reads - 57°C

NO COPY

1.5 A Polar bear stands on a tall and thin piece of ice in the middle of the ocean. His four paws close together as he tries to stay balanced. The bear looks down worried towards the ocean below.

NO COPY.

1.6 The Polar Bear suddenly has more room as the ice grows and forms a mini ice island. The bear looks up towards the suddenly dark sky.

NO COPY.

1.7 Wide. STORM floats in the air over the ocean. Her cape and Mohawk sway in the strong winds that she whips around herself. Dark clouds form overhead and large snowflakes are falling.

ICEMAN (Bobby) skates over the ocean on a path made of thick ice. From his hands he sprays even more ice this is the source of the bears new island.

STORM: You feeling the breeze yet Bobby?

ICEMAN: I might break a sweat I’m so hot.

STORM: Always with the smart mouth young man.

Storm – Check – MK Stangeland Jr.

(NAMOR the SUB-MARINER is on the verge of one of his ‘Invade the surface world!’ binges again.)

(10 Panels)

(Since this page probably looks a little crowded, I’m trying my hand at one of those panel guidelines for it to help show how I’m thinking it might all be able to fit.)

1122

1133

4567

899(10)

Panel 1: NAMOR is storming down a beach and halfway into the water. STORM has flown to put herself in NAMOR’s path.

STORM: Namor, STOP!

NAMOR: Stand aside, woman.

Panel 2: NAMOR sweeps his hand aside to try to signal for STORM to get out of his way.

NAMOR: You may control the weather, but I rule the sea!

Panel 3: Upward angled view of STORM as her eyes begin to glow, intended to make her look more intimidating. Above her, the sky begins to darken and clouds begin to form.

STORM: You doubt my powers out here?

Panel 4: Wide view of the surrounding area as a miniature hurricane – miniature as in about as covering as small an area as is possible – begins to form around the two.

Panel 5: View from inside a nearby city as people begin to look towards the direction of the uniquely small storm that’s begin to form off in the distance and the clouds that hang above in the sky. While the winds aren’t very violent around them, there is sign that there’s far lesser winds affecting them as well.

Panel 6: View from space of the general area surrounding where NAMOR and STORM are standing, where it’s seen that as small as the storm is, the clouds that are forming around it can still be seen from space.

Panel 7: Image of a news program, where an anchor is sitting at a desk with a picture of a hurricane up over his shoulder.

NEWS ANCHOR: This just in, there are reports of a freak, miniature hurricane forming…

Panel 8: Panel returns to NAMOR as he stands in the middle of the storm. He looks around, but in typical NAMOR style, he appears unphased by STORM’s display.

Panel 9: The hurricane begins to break up as STORM lets her powers subside. The white is gone from her eyes and there is now a smile on her face.

STORM: Glad to know you’re able to listen to reason, Namor.

NAMOR: Of course…

Panel 10: STORM flies back past NAMOR towards shore with the expectation that he intends to follow her. She’s largely off-panel at the moment, though, as it largely focuses on NAMOR, who is still standing in the water. He turns so that he can watch as STORM flies past her, the intent being that he’s ‘checking her out’. There might be a small, cartoonish style heart over his head to help emphasize the point that her display caused him to become smitten with her.

NAMOR: …what kind of king would I be otherwise?

(END PAGE)