thoughtballoons - One page of script a week. Every week brings a new character.

Indiana Jones - Indiana Jones and the Measures of Austerity - Grant McLaughlin

2012-02-02T12:45:00.001+11:00

Ugh, later than I would have liked. Either way, here's my entry for the week.

Three rows of panels. The first row is a single panel, the second is three panels, and the third is two.

1 – Outside shot of Marshall College. It is a nice Fall day in the mid-1930s. Students are walking about, enjoying the weather.

INDY (from within the building): What do you mean my claims are outrageous?!

2 – Interior of a college meeting room. Indiana Jones stands opposite three senior looking pedagogues: the Chancellor and two senior school officials. While Indiana Jones is in his classic professor attire, he wears the attitude he usually has on while adventuring. The three older men sit side by side with a table between them and Indy.

CHANCELLOR: We are not here to cast doubt on the authenticity of your – er-hmm – dalliances. What we are doing is questioning the school's need to continue subsidizing them.

3 – Indy moves closer, putting his hands on the table in his frustration. He is rather agitated. The two professors sitting beside the Chancellor are taken aback, but the Chancellor is unphased.

INDY: What the hell are you talking about?

CHANCELLOR (1): Doctor Jones, please control yourself. This is not a personal attack.

CHANCELLOR (2): Our objections lie with your exorbitant expense claims.

4 – It is now Indy's turn to be taken aback. He is literally and figuratively on the back foot, unable to respond to the Chancellor's words.

INDY: What?

CHANCELLOR: While you have been off gallivanting around the world, you may have missed the fact that our nation is currently undergoing a rather serious depression. And our institution has not remained unaffected.

5 – Close up on the Chancellor. He is reading off of a long list. He looks somewhat unimpressed.

CHANCELLOR (1): As nice as it has been to have access to the many ancient baubles you have provided to us, it is presently beyond this school's means to continue to provide you with the funds for such disreputable and unnecessary things as “bribery” or “moat construction”.

CHANCELLOR (2): To name but a few.

INDY (off-panel): Chancellor, I can explain--

6 – A close-up of Indy. All frustration and bravado are gone. In their place is merely a shocked professor.

CHANCELLOR (off-panel): I'm afraid this is well beyond explanations. The board has reached its decision. Your fortune hunting services will no longer be required.

NEXT: Indiana Jones – FIRED?!?

Indiana Jones – Leave No Hat Behind – Rol Hirst

2012-01-31T00:11:00.001+11:00

Panel One.

Deep in the Peruvian jungle. Indiana Jones faces a Gestapo officer in a trenchcoat and trilby. Indie looks like he’s been through the wars – his face cut, his shirt torn, his hair dishevelled…

The Gestapo hasn’t got a scratch on him, and his trenchcoat and hat are immaculate. He has got a gun on him though: a Luger, and it’s pointed straight at Indie. Two other, lower ranking Nazi soldiers, stand behind the Gestapo, also with their weapons trained on our hero.

On the ground between them lies Indie’s famous fedora.

Nazi: You know what you are, Doctor Jones? You are a fool.

Nazi: You come all this way to steal the legendary Stone of Sachamama--

Panel Two.

Close on Indie, gritted teeth, a sly grin.

Indie: Didn’t really want it for myself. Just didn’t think you lot should have it.

Panel Three.

Close on the Nazi, smiling. Evil.

Nazi: But, see, this is what I do not get. You succeed in your quest. You outwit the Third Reich itself and somehow manage to escape with your magical little trinket.

Nazi: Your friends are probably halfway to Lima by now… and you could be with them.

Nazi: And yet you return…

Panel Four.

The Nazi crouches down, reaching to pick up Indie’s hat. He’s lowered his gun but the other two soldiers still have Indie in their sights.

Nazi: And for what, exactly…?

Nazi: For this…

Panel Five.

The Nazi has lifted Indie’s hat to reveal a deadly rattlesnake coiled up beneath it. He looks shocked by his discovery, and lets the hat go as he staggers backwards. The snake attacks.

Nazi: …hat!?!

Snake: Hissssssssss!

Panel Six.

Indie has grabbed his hat and is running away, towards us, through the jungle. Behind him, the Gestapo officer has fallen into the other two soldiers in his panicked attempt to escape the rattlesnake. Indie frowns / grimaces as he runs, almost as though he’s justifying his actions to himself, as much as to the Nazis he’s leaving behind.

Indie: I like this hat…

Indie: …and snakes are growing on me too.

Indiana Jones - The Way - Ben Rosenthal

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000+11:00

1. We are looking down the edge of a cliff. Dangling over the lip is Indiana Jones sans his trademark hat, panic on his face as he struggles to hold on to a vine. Indy is looking up at a figure whom has his back to us.

INDY

It doesn't have to be this way.

2 The person whom has their back to us is revealed – an adult Short Round. He wear Indy’s hat, and has Indy’s bullwhip thrown over his shoulders in a scarf like fashion, mocking his former mentor. Short round is holding each end of the bullwhip as casually as you may see an old fashioned lawyer holding his suspenders. He is standing casually over the struggling Indy.

SHORT ROUND

Why, what way would that be? The way of dying?

3. Looking back at Indy as Short Round continues to talk. Indy’s panic face has changed to a stubborn look.

SHORT ROUND

You shouldn't have a thing to worry about. Surely a man who has no trouble leaving a young boy at the mercy of murderers and rapists has no soul to fear for.

4. Back to the framing of Panel 2, however this time Short Round is leaning forward mocking Indy. He wants to be nice and close when Indy’s grip slips and he plummets to his death. Short Round wears a smile of vengeance – cocky and cruel.

SHORT ROUND

You died years ago, Doctor Jones.

5. Same as Panel 4, however Short Round’s face has turned to shock and panic as Indy’s hand clutches the bullwhip around Short Round’s neck.

INDY

Yeah?

6. Indy has a gruff, bitter and angry look on his face. He speaks through gritted teeth.

INDY

Then tell me I said ‘Hi’.

7. A long panel, showing the silhouette of Short Round in mid air as he falls to his death. Indy is standing on the cliff face, holding onto the vine with one hand, and his bullwhip with the other. He watches Short Round fall.

Indiana Jones- Indiana Jones and The Obelisk of Axum- Dan Hill

2012-01-29T00:30:00.001+11:00

I tried to go for fancy, I tried to make clever allusions to the rise and fall of empires. In the end I stripped it all back and just went for something that hopefully captures the tone of what I love best about the character and the franchise. Admittedly the scene is something of a homage.

For the others taking a crack (no pun intended) at this weeks character I heartily recommend putting that John Williams score on, letting it wash through you and then writing away.

Indiana Jones and the Obelisk of Axum

Page 1- Six Panels

1.1
We OPEN on a CLOSE UP of INDIANA JONES locking lips with PROFESSOR BRUNILDA SPECCHIO.

Brunilda is in her late twenties with long black hair, brown eyes and cheek bones to die for. She’s wearing a khaki shirt, a pair of combat trousers (desert camouflage) and brown leather boots.

Indy’s eyes are wide. He's taken aback by the kiss slightly.

NO COPY

1.2
The pair part with Brunilda breaking out into a gloating smile. Indy smirks, adjusting his hat slightly.

BRUNILDA

I take what I want.

INDY

No kidding.

1.3
WIDE PANEL: We ZOOM OUT to show Indy and Brunilda are atop a truck (http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=1266) as it speeds along a desert road somewhere in Ethiopia.

Climbing up the sides of the truck and out of its rear are a number of Italian soldiers, all with machine guns slung over their backs.

They look like they mean business.

CAPTION

Near Axum, Ethiopia. February, 1937.

INDY

But you're stealing a 78 foot tall obelisk, Brunilda.

(link)

Did you think I wouldn't notice?

BRUNILDA

The spoils of war.

(link)

The New Roman Empire takes what it wants too.

1.4
CLOSE UP again on Brunilda as she pulls Indy towards her by his collar with both hands.

Indy is all smiles.

BRUNILDA

I won’t be denied.

1.5
ZOOM IN on the pair as Brunilda comes in for a farewell kiss.

BRUNILDA

Arrivederci, Indiana Jones.

1.6
WIDE PANEL. Brunilda turns around suddenly looking towards the lead truck in the convoy in the background of the panel. The truck explodes, shooting into the air, flames and debris shooting off in all directions.

Some of the soldiers who have managed to climb onto the top of the moving truck can only look in the direction of the explosion with horror and surprise.

SFX

KTOOOOOOM!

BRUNILDA

Porca vacca!

1.7
INSET PANEL. CLOSE UP on Indy’s face, smirking.

INDY (to himself)

Sallah, I could kiss you.

Why Indiana Jones?

2012-01-29T00:00:00.001+11:00

Raiders Of The Lost Ark is easily a contender for my favourite film of all time (I'm not alone in that regard) and a huge influence on me as a writer. The movie is a perfect blend of character, romance, thrills and action and includes some of the best set-pieces put to celluloid. Not only that but Indy inhabits a world rich with mythology, history, great villains and has a supporting cast to die for.

Indy is a guy just trying to make his way in the world. He's a little cynical, sometimes romantic and has fears and insecurities like the rest of us. He knows how to handle himself in a fight, but he's not invincible. He messes up, he dusts himself off and tries again. He's making it up as he goes along.

As Spielberg put it:

"Indiana Jones is not a perfect hero, and his imperfections, I think, make the audience feel that, with a little more exercise and a little more courage, they could be just like him."

However, for a character so beloved and with such a deep well to draw from Indy has had a pretty raw deal when it comes to comics. The Marvel series introduced a few years after the first movie featured the work of such industry stalwarts as Denny O'Neil, John Byrne, David Micheline, Howard Chaykin, Archie Goodwin, David Mazzuchelli and even the legendary Steve Ditko. The series ran for 34 issues and featured some great stories and art.

But Indy didn't receive another outing in comics until the 90's when Dark Horse picked up the license with an adaptation of the PC game Indiana Jones And The Fate Of Atlantis. The adaptation isn't something to write home about and the art is serviceable if not great. Dark Horse would continue to publish Indy's adventures throughout the 90's. The scripts are, at best, solid and the quality of the art is mixed. Recently, in 2008, Rob Williams tried his hand with the character in the four issue mini Indiana Jones And The Tomb Of The Gods, but since then it's been quiet.

This is where you come in.

With Indy himself and a huge swathe of history, locations and situations to choose from I'm excited to see what the tenured writers and those of you playing at home come up with.

Harry Osborn - Are You Ready? - Dan Hill

2012-01-27T18:00:00.000+11:00

Page One- Six Panels

1.1
We open in the kitchen of the Osborn family home and a TIGHT SHOT on a worried looking HARRY OSBORN. Harry is wearing casual winter clothes, a jacket, a scarf, etc.

VOICE (OFF): Ready!

1.2
Harry crouches down slightly, talking directly into CAMERA.

HARRY: You sure? You got everything?

1.3
CUT TO a CLOSE UP of little NORMIE OSBORN looking up at Harry. Normie is dressed in a Devil costume (something like this http://www.costume-illusions.com.au/img/p/240-353-large.jpg). He smiles a wide toothy grin.

NORMIE: All set.

1.4
ZOOM OUT a little to reveal that Normie has a small pumpkin tucked under his arm, a devilish looking visage carved into its surface. Normie’s eyes are wide as he suddenly remembers something.

NORMIE: Oh, wait! Wait!

1.5
CLOSE UP on the pumpkin’s features.

NORMIE (OFF): I forgot my mask.

1.6
CLOSE UP on Harry, putting on his best fake smile for his son.

NORMIE (OFF): Do I need my mask?

HARRY: No, it’s okay. You all set?

Harry Osborn – Clones of His Own - MK Stangeland Jr.

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000+11:00

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: NORMAN OSBORN sits at a desk in a dark room. The only light illuminating him comes from the set of massive computer screens sitting in front of him. When it can be seen, the details on the screen make it clear that the project it is concerned with is creating a clone of HARRY OSBORN.

Standing next to OSBORN a messy-looking cyborg version of MILES WARREN – as if he used to be a well-assembled clone but has since had several pieces replaced with machine parts. He pushes a button on OSBORN’s desk.

CYBORG WARREN: The current results for Clone Number 93 point two.

Panel 2: Close up on NORMAN OSBORN’s eyes as he glares at the data.

Panel 3: NORMAN OSBORN turns away from the screen and waves his arm back in a ‘scrub it’ motion.

NORMAN OSBORN: Unacceptable. Scrap it and try again.

Panel 4: CYBORG WARREN looks at the data on the screen.

CYBORG WARREN: The results are a near perfect match for the parameters you set.

NORMAN OSBORN: Near perfect match.

Panel 5: NORMAN OSBORN Stands and points at the screen.

NORMAN OSBORN: I don’t want the replacement for my son to be near prefect and just turn out to be another disappointment.

Panel 6: CYBORG WARREN looks at the desk and taps a few buttons.

CYBORG WARREN: As an expert on cloning, I advise…

Panel 7: NORMAN OSBORN glares at CYBORG WARREN in that ‘I’m your boss, do as I say’ kind of way.

NORMAN OSBORN: And as your boss and the reason you still exist, I am ordering you to scrap number 93 point two and begin work on the next version of my son.

END PAGE

Harry Osborn - Beginnings and Endings - Grant McLaughlin

2012-01-26T06:00:00.009+11:00

Three rows of panels. The first row can be a bit smaller than the other two. The first row is made up of one panel, which takes up the width of the page. Rows two and three are each made up of three equal sized panels.

1 – Harry and Peter are standing opposite each other atop the bridge where Gwen Stacey died. It's nighttime, it's raining real hard, and there's enough lightning going on to really set the mood. Harry and Peter are both wearing their respective costumes. They've been engaged in a brutal fight and are both much the worse for wear for it. At this point, neither of them are wearing their masks. Harry is standing at the edge of the bridge, looking out towards the water. Any angle is good for this one, but maybe let's try an angled shot from above to really show off what's going on.

HARRY (1): I've done terrible things, Pete.

HARRY (2): Unspeakable things.

2 – Focus in on Harry. He's wearing an expression of pretty complete sorrow. He looks down at his upturned hands, almost as if he can see the blood he's referring to. Feel free to have water dripping from his hands to hit this point home if you don't think it's too much.

HARRY: I have so much blood on my hands at this point that no amount of repentance is going to wash it all off.

3 – Close shot of Harry's face. You don't need to have all of it – up to half can be off-panel. His eyes are shut tight. The sorrow remains, with maybe a bit of frustration thrown in for good measure. Peter, while still a bit off, is walking towards his friend.

HARRY: I can't sleep anymore, Pete. Every time I close my eyes I see the faces of all the people I've hurt. All the lives I've maimed.

4 – Peter has closed the distance between the two. He places his hand on Harry's shoulder in comforting gesture. If shown, Harry's eyes remain closed.

PETER: It'll be okay, Harry. We'll figure something out. We'll find a way to make things right.

5 – Harry has turned around to face Peter. He looks a lot calmer, almost eerily so.

HARRY: -heh- You're kind to say that, Pete.

6 – Without warning, Harry pushes Peter away. The momentum pushes him off the edge of the bridge. No dialogue.

7 – Harry is gone from view. Peter is on the ground, yelling towards where his friend was a moment ago.

PETER: Harry!

Like Winter Soldier, I'm not sure how well this fits in continuity right at present. I think that Harry doesn't know Pete's identity right now? And maybe he isn't the Green Goblin anymore? Either way, this is what I'm offering for the week, so I hope you all don't mind.

Harry Osborn - Goblin Come Knockin' - Simon McDonald

2012-01-24T18:00:00.001+11:00

PAGE 2

PANEL ONE

We're at Harry Osborn's cabin overlooking the Vermillion Lakes, Mt. Rundle looming overhead. It's a picturesque setting, early morning Winter sun piercing through a thin layer of cloud. Harry's come here to get away, to be alone and be one with nature, where the name Osborn carries no ominous overtone. At the forefront of this panel is Harry's dog, barking at something we're unable to perceive from this angle. In the background, approaching us from the cabin, comes Harry, rifle in hand, dressed for the weather.

DOG

Ruff! Ruff!

HARRY OSBORN

Swear to God, if this is another...

PANEL TWO

Tight panel of Harry's eyes, bulging wide.

HARRY OSBORN

What...

PANEL THREE

Largest panel on the page. Harry and his canine companion are looking down at a body, gutted savagely, blood pooled in the snow. It's a man, that's for certain, gauging by his gait and thick forearms and thighs, but we can't identify him because of the Green Goblin mask covering his face.

NO COPY

Harry Osborn – Don’t Turn Out Like Your Father – Rol Hirst

2012-01-24T00:01:00.010+11:00

Panel One.

Close on a newspaper. Frontline. The headline reads: Norman Osborn – Threat Or Menace? The subheading reads: Disgraced H.A.M.M.E.R. Director Escapes Custody Again.

The paper is being held by Harry Osborn. We only see his hand here.

CAP (Harry): I’ve always lived in my father’s shadow.

Panel Two.

Flashback. A young Harry (late teens) is on the floor, holding his face, crying. Norman towers over him, angry, having obviously just slapped him down.

Norman: You... you’re a disgrace to the name Osborn! I should have drowned you at birth, you pathetic, snivelling brat!

Panel Three.

Out of flashback. Harry walks down a busy New York street. Daytime. It’s a cold winter day and he’s bundled up in a big coat and a woolly hat. He’s carrying the newspaper under his arm.

CAP (Harry): Even when he wasn’t around, I kept trying to make him proud.

Panel Four.

Flashback. In a grim playback of the earlier flashback, here Harry stands over an unmasked Spider-Man. Pete's lying on the floor, clutching his chin after a good old-fashioned Goblin smackdown. Harry’s wearing the Green Goblin suit, holding his own mask in his hand.

Harry: Don’t you see, Pete? This is the way it has to be.

Harry: I am my father’s son.

Panel Five.

Out of flashback. Harry walks into a shop. We can’t make out quite what sort of shop it is… we’ll find out in the next panel. As he enters the shop, he pulls off his woolly hat.

CAP (Harry): That ends today.

Panel Six.

It’s a barber’s shop. Harry is sitting in the barber's chair, facing his own reflection in the mirror. The barber stands behind him holding a pair of clippers above that distinctive Osborn haircut.

Harry: Take it off. Take it all off.

Harry Osborn – The Next Best Thing – Ryan K Lindsay

2012-01-23T06:00:00.005+11:00

PAGE 3 - 5 PANELS

1. Full width panel, as all will be on this page. Harry Osborn leans back against a tall fence in a suburban street. We’re tight in on him, the rain comes down around him, his face is cast down, he’s glowering. He wears a trenchcoat, with the collar up. Here, we see his shoulders to the top of his head – each progressive panel will pull back more, I’ll tell you how much in each one.

Caption: I cut up a picture of him when I was seven, I hated the bastard so much.
Caption: In my fury, I nearly severed a finger.

2. We now see above the head slightly, and down to mid chest. He remains in the same pose.

Caption: Years later, in high school, Mr Myers failed me in English.
Caption: I subsequently borrowed eleven different copies of John Donne’s Collected Poems from nine libraries and burnt them all.

3. We now see a bit more above Harry and right down to his waist. It is here we see the tops of heads walking by – these are trick or treaters on Hallowe’en night. Go crazy with the tops of the masks we see – though you’d be thoughtless to not include hints to Boba Fett, Jason Voorhees, Ronald Reagan, and a lil Snake Plissken. Harry is still in the same pose.

Caption: At Empire State, I sat in on lectures for a class of which I wasn’t enrolled just to study this other blonde who looked just like her.
Caption: I eventually spoke to her – she was rude – and I had her car demolished by some unsavoury people I could never be connected to.
Caption: She may have been in the car at the time.

4. We can see down to about Harry’s knees now. The little people in costumes continue to pass by, we should see some of them from the previous panel have now moved about 4 feet in the direction they were travelling. One, dressed as Spider-Man, is entering the frame from the left. Harry still holds the same pose.

Caption: Why did I do all these things?

5. We have moved out to see Harry right down to his feet. The Spider-Man child is on the right side of the panel now and Harry has turned to start walking behind him at about 2 metres.

Caption: Practise.

Apologies if you dig Harry and think he’s a swell cat. I wanted to play with his homicidal side.

I could see John Romita Jr drawing the hell out of this page. Seriously, think about it.

Harry Osborn - Wank - Ben Rosenthal

2012-01-22T00:30:00.000+11:00

I don't expect any of you to get this. I don't expect any of you to like this. This here - this is for me.

All you need to know is that Harry Osborn likes coffee. Thank you Dan Slott!

1. Harry Osborn stands at the coffee machine at his work. One hand is clearly visible as he steams milk while the other unseen. The coffee machine is a La Marzocco Strada – fully manual. It is during the down time so it is not terribly busy. As such, Harry is taking orders as he makes coffee on the pinnacle of coffee machines. We can only see the backs of the customers he is serving – two obviously male men. Both obviously hipsters.

HARRY

Hey, how can I help you?

HIPSTER ONE

Yeah, I’m after a single origin but I only like my espresso pressure profiles through a Synesso Hydra Gen II.

HIPSTER TWO

Yeah, like do you have any alternate brew methods or are you happy being in the middle ages?

2. Harry’s customer service smile has dropped – he has dealt with these types before. However he still tries to carry on with his job.

HARRY

Today we have the Brazillian Canto Gallo through both Chemex or a Kenyan pea berry through siphon.

HIPSTER ONE

Is that it? And what do you mean ‘a’ Kenyan pea berry?

HIPSTER TWO

Yeah, is it even from a nano-lot? What’s the farm of origin?

3. Harry is grimacing now. He’s about to snap. The hipsters have no idea

HIPSTER ONE

Doesn’t it seem weird to you to be extracting a pea berry through a siphon?

HIPSTER TWO

Do you have any non-gm cookies? I hope that’s fair trade milk.

4. Harry’s left hand, which has been hidden behind the machine all this time, is now visible. On it he wear one of the purple Goblin gloves that he wore as the Green Goblin. He is pointing it at Hipster Two. Sparks fly from Harry’s extended finger as they fry the Second Hipster’s face. Harry wears a psychotic grin. The colour of the page has turned a shadowy green.

5. Harry is now standing on the bench next to the coffee machine, throwing pumpkin bombs into the face of Hipster One with his non-gloved hand. He looks even happier than before. The page colour is greener and a little more shadowed than the previous panel.

6. Harry is back behind the coffee machine. The last two panels were just Harry’s imagination.

HIPSTER ONE

Actually, I think I’ll just have a coke.

HIPSTER TWO

Is the ice for the coke run through your reverse osmosis filtration system?

HARRY

*sigh*

Why Harry Osborn?

2012-01-22T00:00:00.000+11:00

Because he died and then came back to life! How many of your favourite super heroes or villains can claim that, huh? Oh...wait.

Harry is such a diverse and insecure character. Even before his father took up the mantle of the Goblin, Harry was striving to gain his father’s approval. He never did.

A life of drug addiction, self worth and confidence issues, and the death of his dad tipped Osborn over the edge, and he became the third Green Goblin.

Unlike his pops, Harry tortured Peter Parker through psychological means. He followed an unconstumed Peter on the street, gliding behind him. He hinted to Peter that he would hurt his own family. Hell, he even created robot replicas of Peter’s parents and sent him all moody and broody – which lead into the clone saga.

Since coming back from the dead (cos he was healed by the goblin formula that heals his father – even though the thing that killed him originally was the goblin formula he fiddled with and took....yup) Harry has been a bit more subdued. When he’s not on the run with his half goblin half human son Stan, Harry can be seen using a taser to shock former police officers (even though he has enhanced strength) or running a coffee shop (even if he doesn’t know the ideal extraction times and dose levels for an Ethiopian Guji Sidamo five days off the roast).

Have fun with Harry Osborn this week – no one else seems to.

Winter Soldier- Dream A Little Dream - Dan Hill

2012-01-20T18:00:00.003+11:00

Page One- Four Panels

1.1
WIDE PANEL. A CLOSE UP on the WINTER SOLDIER as he’s put to sleep by his Soviet masters. He floats in a glass tank, surrounded by a green liquid, an oxygen mask around his mouth. His eyes start to close.

VOICE (OFF): He’s under...*

CAPTION (JAMES): Every time I close my eyes it's the same thing. Always repeating.
(link)
Glimpses of someone I feel I used to know and a place I’ve never seen.

CAPTION: *Translated from Russian.

1.2
WIDE PANEL. CUT TO BUCKY holding onto that infamous rocket as it hurtles into the atmosphere, towards CAMERA. He's trying to hold on with all of his might. Below him we can see the rocket's trail, the frozen sea and a falling figure.

CAPTION (JAMES): There’s heat there.
(link)
Cold too.

1.3
WIDE PANEL: ZOOM IN on Bucky. His teeth are gritted, his neck muscles straining.

CAPTION (JAMES): I know somehow that he’s scared. That he’s trying to hold on.
(link)
But he can’t. He always falls.

1.4
WIDE PANEL: CUT TO another CLOSE UP of the Winter Soldier in the tank. He looks a little older this time (5-10 years). His eyes are wide open. He’s awake.

VOICE (OFF): Get him up and prepped*.

CAPTION (JAMES): But he’ll keep trying.

Winter Soldier – In Soviet Russia, Target Hunt You – MK Stangeland Jr.

2012-01-20T00:00:00.001+11:00

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: WINTER SOLDIER hides behind cover somewhere in RUSSIA, weapon armed. In the background, OMEGA RED is approaching, tentacles out and ready to strike.

OMEGA RED: < Come out now and I promise not to make this more painful than it needs to be. >

WINTER SOLDIER: < Tell me how you knew I was coming and maybe I’ll comply. >

Panel 2: OMEGA RED knocks away WINTER SOLDIER’s cover with one of his tentacles. WINTER SOLDIER starts to move and brings his rifle up to aim it at OMEGA RED.

OMEGA RED: < Knew you were coming? >

Panel 3: One of OMEGA RED’s tentacles wraps itself around WINTER SOLDIER.

OMEGA RED: < I’ve been hunting you myself! >

Panel 4: WINTER SOLDIER grabs part of OMEGA RED’s tentacle with his metal ROBO-ARM OF DOOM. It starts to cause an electrical surge that starts from the hand and feeds out.

SFX: (Surge) ZxxzZ!

WINTER SOLDIER: < Is that so? >

Panel 5: The surge starts a feedback loop, which spreads out from WINTER SOLDIER’s ROBO-ARM OF DOOM and flows back to OMEGA RED, electrocuting him.

SFX: bzzzZZAAKXZ!

OMEGA RED: GUAAAAAAAH!

Panel 6: WINTER SOLDIER stands over a half-unconscious OMEGA RED. He has a weapon pointed down at OMEGA RED, ready to kill him if he tries anything.

WINTER SOLDIER: < Looks like I might have a reason not to kill you yet after all. >

(END PAGE)

Winter Soldier - Is It Hard? - Grant McLaughlin

2012-01-19T06:00:00.002+11:00

Okay, so I haven't exactly read a ton of Winter Soldier-related books, so my knowledge of the character is maybe a little sketchy. Consequently, I didn't know of a villain to fill the role necessary for this script, so I present to you Sickle, a villainous Soviet woman who worked with Hammer (now deceased) during Bucky's brainwashed time as Winter Soldier. She has done some nefarious wrong (let's say break into the Avengers Mansion and hack their computer system or what-have-you), and he has chased her to a church. This would take place shortly after Bucky regains his memory and the (shaky) trust of his colleagues and friends. If it doesn't make a ton of sense in continuity, think of this as part of "Winter Soldier: Year One" or its equivalent.

Disclaimer done, this page has three rows of panels. Row one is a single panel. Rows two and three are comprised of three panels.

1 – Interior establishing shot. Bucky has entered the cathedral. It's big. Grand. The entire area stretches out before him, dwarfing him. It is shrouded in darkness.

SICKLE (off-panel): Is it hard?

BUCKY (whispering): Where are you...

SICKLE (off-panel): To be a devil.

SICKLE (off-panel): (2): Among angels?

2 – A stained glass window depicting Jesus forgiving some men and women. It, like everything else, is dark.

SICKLE (off-panel): Your companions have welcomed you back, mouthing words of forgiveness.

3 – Pull out a bit. The bottom of the stained glass from the previous panel is visible at the top of this panel, but the focus is on the confession booth below. Bucky is walking by it, ignoring it. His face is hidden by the darkness.

SICKLE (off-panel): But I can't imagine how much you've been sharing about all the terrible things you've done.

4 – Another stained glass window. This is definitely one of those Old Testament style ones, showing a significant amount of death and destruction. Real fire and brimstone type thing.

SICKLE (off-panel): Cities burned. Bodies broken. Lives ended.

5 – Bucky is moving towards the front of the church. His body language is tense, frustrated, and angry.

SICKLE (off-panel): You must fear what they'd do if they ever somehow found out the entire truth.

BUCKY: You can't run forever!

6 – One more stained glass window. A number of Roman soldiers march onwards, their weapons and shields at the ready. No dialogue.

7 – Bucky stands at the front of the cathedral, kneeling at the prayer bar. His face is visible for the first time. He is crying.

SICKLE (off-panel): Maybe I'm not the one who should be running.

Winter Soldier – The Cracked Mirror – Ryan K Lindsay

2012-01-18T20:44:00.000+11:00

PAGE 5 - 5 PANELS

1. James Barnes sits at a café table. The setting is a Russian café and there is snow around. He is facing to the right, so we see him in profile on his right side. This panel is wide and covers the top of the page.

Caption: It stands to reason I’d eventually find myself.

2. These three panels are tall and evenly wide. They fill the gap between the wide panel at the top of the page and the bottom. Here we see a fat bureaucrat walking toward the café. We cannot see Barnes in this panel but the people sitting around the bottom of the panel show us he is approaching the café.

Caption: I never thought myself so precious as to believe I’d be the only one.

3. The man is closer.

NO COPY

4. The man is just getting to the first tables.

Caption: The odds were stacked against me.
Caption: Yet even still…

5. Malachai Nikitin sits at the same café. He faces to the left. He sips his steaming coffee and looks straight ahead.

Caption: …I never truly thought about what I would do, what I should do, in this situation.

I’d actually push to do this as a doublepage spread and have way more dialogue about this concept in a real issue but one page will suffice here.

In cooking this one up, I thought about where I’d want to take Barnes now he’s getting his own title. I figure a new Winter Soldier, one currently used by the Soviets, could be an interesting case for Barnes to have to investigate. Realistically, he’d probably need to take this guy down – and I’d make sure he did – and then you know it would weigh on his mind.

I think the idea is perhaps a little cliché but I think you could still have fun with it.

Oh, and I am definitely buying WINTER SOLDIER when it drops. cannot wait. I think Brubaker is going to absolutely nail on this one.

Winter Soldier - 1956 - Rol Hirst

2012-01-17T00:01:00.001+11:00

Panel One.

Close on a file, in a brown folder, with a Russian emblem stamped in the top corner. A hand holds the file. A metal hand.

On the front of the file, the following words are written (though we don’t need to see them all):

О культе личности и его последствиях

Caption: February 24th, 1956.

Panel Two.

Pull out to show Bucky, as The Winter Soldier, holding the file. He’s reading it. He’s in a grim, 50s, Russian hotel room. A balcony window looks out over Moscow… we may even be able to see The Kremlin in the distance. It’s dark though so we won’t see much. In the foreground, two shadowy men are standing watching him, wearing long KGB trenchcoats. #1 is wearing a furry hat, #2 isn’t.

Man #1: [Premier Khrushchev intends to deliver the speech tonight, in a closed session of the Congress.]*

Caption: *Translated from Russian.

Panel Three.

Bucky stares at the men. Their faces are mostly in shadow. He is listening and taking in their information without judgement. He has a job to do, that is all that matters to him now. He hands the folder back to them.

Man #1: [We went to considerable lengths to find you. Comrade Stalin kept you well hidden.]

Man #2: [But we got you out of there, and we can keep you out. You can have a normal life again, James. Leave all this behind…]

Panel Four.

Bucky stands at the open balcony window. The curtains are billowing in the breeze. He’s preparing to leave. The man (#1) holding the speech has stepped more into the light. He is young (30s), dark-haired and handsome, but we do not recognise him.

Man #1: [As long as this speech remains a secret.]

Panel Five.

The Winter Soldier is gone. The first man takes off his hat as he turns towards us. The second man is staring after Bucky, facing away from us.

Man #2: You think he can pull this off?

Man #1: I think he’s the best chance we’ve got. No way we could have sent one of our own men in there.

Panel Six.

Close on the second man, his face also in the light now. We recognise him. The eye patch is the give away. He’s gritting his teeth in anger.

Nick Fury: Helms, you bastard…

Nick Fury: We just did.

Winter Solider - 1963 - Ben Rosenthal

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000+11:00

1. A crowd of people line a street in Dallas, Texas. American flags are waving, with a general buzz of excitement in the air.

CAPTION: Friday November 22, 1963. Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas.

2. Faces of men, women and children all happy and excited.

3. The cavalcade of cars, and the convertible carrying John F. Kennedy travels down the street.

4. Same as panel 3, however Jacquie Kennedy is holding parts of her husband’s head in her hands as she leans over him. Agent Clint Hill has climbed onto the car to see if the President is still alive (it’s the infamous scene just after JFK has been shot. I’m sure you know the one).

5. The crowd is in a panic, some running away while others lay on top of their children. In the ramble, one person speaks but we have no idea who.

WORD BALLOON: законченный.

I’m sure you know what I’m getting at here. However, my reasons for not showing the Winter Solider are purely because he wouldn’t be seen. At this stage he is a ghost, a mere rumour. Hence why I chose the legend of the second shooter.

Winter Soldier - Commander in Chief - Simon McDonald

2012-01-15T14:30:00.004+11:00

WINTER SOLDIER

COMMANDER IN CHIEF

PART 1 [of 4]

PAGE 20

PANEL ONE

Inside the Oval Office, Captain America has his hand clasped around the President’s arm, pinning it to the desk, preventing POTUS from lifting the cordless red telephone to his ear Outrage is plastered on POTUS’ face, his eyes wide, struggling to comprehend why the SHIELD agents posted around him aren’t responding to the threat.

CAPTAIN AMERICA

Put him in holding.

POTUS

What - - !

You can’t - - !

PANEL TWO

In the foreground of the panel, Captain America stares out the window at the White House grounds, his iconic shield strapped to his back. In the background, POTUS is being led away, visibly agitated, equally powerless.

CAPTAIN AMERICA

I can.

POTUS

Let go of me - !

PANEL THREE

POTUS is shoved into a White House board room where other members of the President’s cabinet and staff are seated, surrounded by armed SHIELD agents, all stone-faced.

SHIELD AGENT

Inside!

POTUS

Huff!

PANEL FOUR
The SHIELD agent returns to the Oval Office as Captain America faces of his men, his arms crossed.

CAPTAIN AMERICA [1]

Gentlemen.

CAPTAIN AMERICA [2]

The White House is ours.

PANEL FIVE

Cut to the lower levels of the White House, beneath the White House. In a scene intentionally reminiscent of the panel of Wolverine in Uncanny X-Men#133, Winter Soldier stands over the unconscious bodies of three enemy SHIELD agents. He’s battered and bruised – and determined.

WINTER SOLDIER

My turn.

CAPTION

“The single greatest fear that America faces today is that its military forces no longer tolerate the continuing incompetence of its civilian leadership.”

Mr George K. Suskind

Defence Intelligence Agency

Evidence given before the House Sub-committee on the Armed Forces, 22nd July 1996

Why The Winter Soldier?

2012-01-15T12:00:00.002+11:00

Winter Soldier #1 hits stores on February 1, brought to us from Marvel by the all-star creative team of Ed Brubaker, Butch Guice and Bettie Breitweiser, and I couldn't be more excited. The road to Bucky Barnes reclaiming the Winter Soldier mantle has been long and convoluted - see Fear Itself - but just check out those preview pages: it has been worth the wait.

Brubaker pitched the premise of his newseries in a recent Next Big Thing press conference: Bucky Barnes operating in the shadows as a Black Ops-esque soldier, delving into his past and mixing real world Soviet history with Marvel continuity.

Oh, and there'll also be some globetrotting; just in case that Soviet stuff isn't up your alley. This is espionage in the Marvel universe, people! Sounds awesome, right?

Let's prove it.

NEW TENURE - Welcome Dan Hill

2012-01-15T11:15:00.003+11:00

It's always a festive time when we can welcome a new Tenured writer into the thoughtballoons fold. We recently bid farewell to Maxy Barnard and Danial Carroll, and thus we have a little space to recruit. We don't need to clog our airwaves but there was one man with enough talent and consistency to immediately get the call up from us, so please welcome:

DAN HILL

He's put a script in every week, usually quite quickly, and (one thing I love about him) he's been commenting on our scripts a lot. It also helps he often wins the week for me, he researches his work, and he just puts together damn smart and enjoyable pages. I am stunned we were able to land the man and now cannot wait to have his scripts officially crush mine in plain view up on the main page of the site.

Make him feel welcome, comment on his scripts, and rate them, and here's to one hell of a 2012.

Matty Roth – Rules of Engagement – MK Stangeland Jr.

2012-01-14T10:00:00.000+11:00

(5 Panels)

Panel 1: A soldier, SGT. HALLS (new character), is standing next to MATTY ROTH and handing him a rifle.

MATTY ROTH: What’s this?

SGT. HALLS: A gun, dumb-@#$

Panel 2: MATTY ROTH looks at SGT. HALLS. His face says ‘I KNOW what a gun is’.

MATTY ROTH: No, I mean…why are you giving it to me?

SGT. HALLS (1): Because I’m going to train you to use it.

SGT. HALLS (2): I’m going to teach you how to fight.

Panel 3: MATTY ROTH tries to reject the weapon, but SGT. HALLS pushes it to his chest.

MATTY ROTH: I don’t understand. I’m just a photojournalist.

SGT. HALLS: Not anymore.

Panel 4: MATTY ROTH reluctantly holds the weapon.

SGT. HALLS (1): War’s ugly. This war especially.

SGT. HALLS (2): It’s not just the USA and the FSA. There’s also the d-@&# militias and PMCs.

SGT. HALLS (3): Then there’s the gangs.

Panel 5: SGT. HALLS turns, but still looks at MATTY ROTH as he expect him to follow.

SGT. HALLS (1): Regardless of how the F’*** intellectuals try to talk about the &$#@ rules of warfare, those rules are always going to get broken.

SGT. HALLS (2): You either learn how to fight, or you forever leave yourself at the mercy of those who already do.

(END PAGE)

Matty Roth - Eye of the Beholder - Grant McLaughlin

2012-01-13T18:00:00.048+11:00

Matty and Zee are lounging in Zee's apartment. No particular point in continuity in mind.

1 - Matty is cleaning his camera lens.

CAPTION (MATTY): People generally feel that there isn't much to taking a good photo.

2 - He brings the camera up to his face, the classic picture taking pose.

CAPTION (MATTY): You just need to point and shoot, right?

3 - Pull out a bit. Matty is aiming the camera at Zee. She is packing her medic supplies and looking over her shoulder at Matty. She wears an expression that is a mixture of happiness and mild exasperation.

CAPTION (MATTY): I won't argue that that's a pretty important part of it.

MATTY: Hey, Zee --

SFX: FLASH!

ZEE: Quit messing around, Matty.

4 - This last panel is a developed photograph. It's at a slight angle so that it overlaps into the panel above and off of the page below. It is the picture that Matty just took. Zee looks towards the reader, smiling and looking genuinely happy.

CAPTION (MATTY): But I like to think there's a little more to it than that.

Matty Roth - OMFUG - Matt Duarte

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000+11:00

Matty Roth in “OMFUG” by Matt Duarte

Note: Sorry, I haven't read any DMZ. Hope this doesn't go straight into the face of something established in the comic.

Panel 1

Description: Matty Roth stands in a crowd, holding his camera. We can't see many of the features of the people around him just yet.

CAPTION: Deep within the DMZ, there's a place that has remained unchanged by the upheavals going on outside.

Panel 2

Description: A photo. A bathroom is in a terrible condition, semi destroyed, with graffiti on the wall, and very unclean.

CAPTION: Precocious conditions. Wanton violence. Military boots stomping all over the place.

Panel 3

Description: Matty Roth again, taking a photo of a group of young people that seem to be in the middle of a fight, pushing each other. They are wearing ragged clothes with metal studs and tattered patches.

CAPTION: One would think that there is a war going on in here. It's not war...

Panel 4

Description: A photo. The same group from before, this time all within each other's arm, posing for a photo like the friends they are. We can see their shirts before, which sport logos of bands like Ramones, Youth of Today, Crass, Dead Kennedy's, etc.

CAPTION: It's just punk rock.

Panel 5

Description: Matty is leaving a building. Outside of it, there are more teenagers and young adults that look like the ones from the previous panels. He is waving to the doorman, who is waving back. Above him, we can see the sign that reads “CBGB”.

The End.

Matty Roth - Duel - Rol Hirst

2012-01-10T18:00:00.021+11:00

Panel One.

Extreme close-up on Matty’s finger, hovering over the shutter release button on his camera. His hand is shaking. He’s scared to press that button.

Voice (O/P): You come here looking for a picture, boy?

Panel Two.

Another close-up, though not as extreme. This time it's Arturo Knowles (new character), the leader of a prominent gang in the DMZ. We can see more of his face than we saw of Matty in the last panel. A gold tooth showing where his lips crack into a grin. A thinly trimmed moustache just below his nose. His smiling eyes, sliced in two by the top border of the panel. He's in his late 20s, but that makes him an old man in his business.

Arturo: A pretty picture to make you famous?

Panel Three.

Pull out from panel one to reveal more of Matty’s face, with the camera held up to his eye so he can focus on the picture he’s about to take. His hand is still shaking. Beads of sweat on his forehead.

Arturo (O/P): I'll give you a picture.

Panel Four.

Pull out from panel two to show more of Arturo. Head and shoulders. He’s grinning. His right arm is up, held towards us, though his hand reaches out of the panel.

Arturo: Come on, boy...

Panel Five.

Full shot now, across the bottom of the page. On a flat rooftop in the DMZ – the damaged New York Skyline is our backdrop – Matty stands to one side of the panel, camera held up, frozen, unable to take his photo. On the other side, Arturo holds a gun on him. Arturo is wearing gang colours and holding his gun sideways on. He’s grinning, taunting, dangerous.

Arturo: Shoot.

Matty Roth - Full Stop - Simon McDonald

2012-01-10T12:00:00.002+11:00

PANEL ONE

It's the middle of winter in Brooklyn. Heavy snow has, and continues, to fall. The desecrated city is cast in a gray haze and appears eerily empty, lifeless. In this case, the calm after the storm. The battle has come and gone, the fires have been extinguished, life is reverting to what counts as normal in this world.

CAPTION

There is a story here that needs to be told.

PANEL TWO

A mass burial site has been developed, bodies from both sides of the conflict of varying age and sex buried in individual unmarked graves, dutifully being filled by expressionless men and women dressed snugly for the weather. Matty Roth stands amongst them, arms hanging loosely by his side, unmarked notepad in one hand, pen in the other. He's holding back the emotion of the moment, but his neutral facade shows signs of cracking.

CAPTION

For the first time, in a long time...

PANEL THREE

Tight on Matty, his mouth creased into a frown, eyes wet with tears.

CAPTION

...I'm not sure I can write it.

Matty Roth - The Land of the Free - Ben Rosenthal

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000+11:00

1. A tight shot of a pair of legs, walking through what looks to be a bombsite. Debris is everywhere, covered with dust. Think post Sept 11 level of decimation. Parts of building walls are still standing. Nothing is left alive.

CAPTION (Matty)

They blew up the bridges a few hours ago.

2. The fees have stopped in front of what looks to be a notebook, its corner jutting out from a pile of dirt.

CAPTION (Matty)

Some bartered their way onto ship, others just tried to swim.

2. A hand is wiping away the dust off a note pad. On the black, well used black cover are the words ‘PRESS’ scrawled on with white out.

CAPTION (Matty)

I stayed.

3. The notebook is open as the unseen figure opens it up to the last entry. We can see the previous captions written on the pages. What would be the next caption is written on the dirty page. The next caption in the next panel is only slightly visible. Perhaps the first two words.

Notebook reads: If this is going to be the end, I’m going to see it through.

4. An aerial view of the DMZ, decimated. It has been levelled by many missiles. Nothing is left of the former Manhattan Island. The Statue of Liberty is the only structure left standing.

CAPTION (Matty)

I can hear the planes now.

Matty Roth – A Favour To Ask, A Menial Task – Ryan K Lindsay

2012-01-08T12:33:00.001+11:00

PAGE 1 - 4 PANELS

1. New York. Nice wide establishing shot, we’re about the corner of Central Park West and W 75th Street. A lone room of a building burns amongst the others – flames lick out the window.. We are in Winter so the flames stand out from the rest of the panel. Snow drifts down softly. From this angle we can see the New York Historical Society a few blocks down.

Caption: I had to call in a lot of favours.
Caption: Not all of them.
Caption: Just the most powerful ones.

2. Matty Roth sits on a bench, a thick jacket protects him from the cold. PRESS stands out on his back. He is looking at the fire.

Caption: Wilson had a stockpile of Shi Gao like it was blow and he was Senor Montana.

3. We see over Matty’s shoulder, he’s writing in a notepad.

Caption: The gypsum found in Shi Gao is what’s stopping that fire from engulfing this whole apathetic block.
Caption: We’re safe.

4. We now look up at Matty, eyes concentrated on his notepad, and behind him is a Central Park Ghost creeping up on him, rifle in hand, identity concealed. He should look like a real ghost coming out of the snow. He should look scary as hell.

Caption: But they don’t know that and I need their attention.

Of course, I’d only want Brian Wood himself to illustrate this page. At a pinch I’d take Ricardo Burcielli.

I always liked the Central Park Ghosts. Just one of the pieces of genius Wood slid into this book.

Oh, and if you want to read more about DMZ, I wrote an article way back when about how #18 is one of the finest pieces of comics ever. Go, enjoy.

Why Matty Roth?

2012-01-08T12:01:00.005+11:00

Because he’s one damn fine character.

And maybe I’m man-crushing on him just a little.

Maybe.

DMZ is one of my Top 10 All Time favourite books. It’s simply amazing how well Brian Wood, and his wide cast of artists, made this book. It’s smart, beautiful, heartbreaking, smart, funny, gory, and so damn smart. This is the sort of book you want to read again and again because the plot is so tight but the characters carry the heart of the book every time.

Matty Roth is this heart and he’s been broken for some time now.

DMZ is also the kind of book you wish you wrote. I wish I had written it. It’s the sort of sprawling saga that doesn’t pad a tale and does its own thing that I love, and love to write.

DMZ just came to an end. The trades are all out there but I have a feeling some deluxe HCs will be on the way – and my wallet will be opening for such an event, you better believe it.

For now, think about checking out the book, enjoy our scripts today, and look after one another. That’s what it’s really all about, right?*

* Wrong it’s about looking after yourself. Then you can more properly look after others.

Apocalypse – My Little Apocalypse – MK Stangeland Jr.

2012-01-07T10:00:00.000+11:00

The following is an EXILES-based story, so the characters are not versions that anyone would be familiar with. This Exiles team is made up of the following:

AGENT TASKMASTER – A version of Taskmaster who decided to become a hero, and ended up replacing Steve Rodgers as Captain America instead of John Walker.

DR. WAGNER – Nightcrawler as Sorcerer Supreme, but highly conflicted about the actual use of his mystical powers due to his Catholic faith.

IRON WOMAN – In a world where TONY STARK is still the playboy CEO and owner of STARK INDUSTRIES but without the usual super-powered brain, instead of being his secretary PEPPER POTS is both the true genius behind Stark’s R&D Department and the Super Hero known as IRON WOMAN.

GROOT – He is Groot! (Just not quite the one we’re used to…)

PATSY WALKER: DEADPOOL – From a world obsessed with fashion, where Supermodel Patsy Walker underwent an experimental cosmetic treatment that went wrong, emerging from the situation as the insane “Model with a Mouth: DEADPOOL”.

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: Close-up of DR. WAGNER and the new form of APOCALYPSE which he now holds in the palm of his hand. APOCALYPSE now resembles a ‘My Little Pony’ toy. (Potential Reference Art)

DR. WAGNER (1): I used Apocalypse’s own transformative abilities against him.

DR. WAGNER (2): He should be far easier to contain in this form.

Panel 2: The team all stand around DR. WAGNER as they look upon the new form of APOCALYPSE. GROOT stands opposite of DR. WAGNER.

DEADPOOL: Apocalypse? As a pony?

DEADPOOL: (Yellow Text Box) Get it? Apocalypse Pony!

DEADPOOL: Oh, I get it now!

Panel 3: Everyone looks at DEADPOOL. She has one hand loosely up to her mouth as to indicate that she’s giggling like a crazy schoolgirl.

DEADPOOL: HA! The Magical Elf made a funny!

SFX: (Surrounding and behind DEADPOOL) He he he he he he he he he he he he he!

Panel 4: Close up on APOCOLYPSE. His eye flashes.

SFX: ding

Panel 5: Silence as everyone looks at APOCOLYPSE.

Panel 6: APOCOLYPSE leaps out of DR. WAGNER’s hand and uppercuts GROOT with head-butt, popping him up in the air and making it quite clear that APOCOLYPSE is still far from beaten and far from harmless.

SFX: CRACK!

END PAGE

(I already had the artwork and the joke was just too good to pass up on, so yeah, you better believe I went there!)

Apocalypse - Anything You Can Do - Grant McLaughlin

2012-01-06T18:00:00.055+11:00

1 - Apocalypse stands amongst a large group of defeated superheroes. Pretty much all the big names lie at his feet, including Captain America, Thor, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and so on. Apocalypse laughs malevolently.

APOCALYPSE: I'm disappointed in your futile displays of bravado. If this is all that you drudges can muster in defence of your world, then I have already won!

2 - Close-up of Apocalypse's face. He is not pleased at this interruption during his moment of triumph.

OFF-PANEL: Not so fast, ugly.

3 - Pull back out to show Apocalypse among the fallen heroes again. Apocalypse is undaunted. He looks towards the unseen figure defiantly.

APOCALYPSE: Why would you waste your life trying to delay my victory? Were you not watching as I vanquished the philistines who tried to resist my ultimate dominion?

OFF-PANEL: Actually--

4 - Switch angle to show the heretofore unseen figure. The shot is from over Apocalypse's shoulder. It's Taskmaster. He stands before Apocalypse, poised and ready to fight.

TASKMASTER: ...that's exactly what I was doing.

Apocalypse - For the Girl Who Has Everything - Matt Duarte

2012-01-05T06:00:00.001+11:00

Apocalypse in "For The Girl Who Has Everything" by Matt Duarte

Panel 1

Description: The members of Generation Hope are under attack. They are scrambling behind cover in the outside of Utopia. Velocidad is running past Hope, who is taking cover behind a rock formation.

VELOCIDAD: To be fair, a supervillain attack is EXACTLY what I expected would happen in your birthday

HOPE: I don't even know this guy! Look, we'll distract him while you and Teon just try to flank his position.

Panel 2

Description: Apocalypse is walking in the direction of where the remaining members of Hope's team are. He is using Celestial technology to now hold Teon and Velocidad in the air. Both of them are hovering mid-air behind him.

APOCALYPSE: Sending children to fight me? You truly are Cable's daughter.

HOPE: What do you want here?

Panel 3

Description: Using the same technology as before, Apocalypse is now holding all the members of Hope's team in the air. He has also grabbed Hope by the neck.

APOCALYPSE: I am merely delivering a gift for you. A chance for you to rejoin your father in the footnotes of history of those who once defied the mighty Apocalypse.

APOCALYPSE: Happy birthday, messiah. I give you oblivion.

Panel 4

Description: A close up on Hope's face. She is seething in anger. In her eyes, we can see the outline of a fiery bird, burning with the fury of a sun.

HOPE: Burn.

Panel 5

Description: Apocalypse has been decimated to ashed. The members of Hope's team are back on the floor, looking at Hope with a mix of horror and awe. Hope looks calm and collected, looking around.

HOPE: Huh, he seemed tougher than he was.

The End

(with apologies to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons)

Apocalypse - The Apocalypse Solutions - Ryan K Lindsay

2012-01-03T18:06:00.002+11:00

PAGE 22 - 5 PANELS

1. Fantomex stands with a smoking gun by his side.

Caption-Cyclops: What have you done?

2. Fantomex stands looking into a vat of fluid where we see part of a young blue skinned body floating.

Caption-Fantomex: We separated the cloning sequence.

3. Three young blue skinned boys sit in front of Fantomex.

Caption-Fantomex: We made En, Sabah, and Nur.

4. Fantomex holds a gun to the head of one while the other two play outside through the window.

Caption-Fantomex: I killed the evil one.

5. Fantomex walks away from Cyclops, his gun still smoking.

Fantomex: I'm trying.
Fantomex: If I got it wrong then I'll just try again.

With a tip of the hat to Rick Remender's amazing Uncanny X-Force.

Apocalypse - Dear Mr Davis - Ben Rosenthal

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000+11:00

1. An old, bald man sits on a couch, a pre-prepared meal sitting on his lap. The man watches the tv in front of him as he feeds himself from the plastic tray.

2. The same room as in Panel 1, but the man is now walking out of the room with the aid of a walking stick.

3. A long hallway, with the man halfway down.

4. A smaller panel, showing the old man’s spotted and wrinkled hand reaching for a door knob.

5. The door is open. We are looking into the room. It is full of scientific looking things. In the middle is what appears to be Apocalypse. However, it is nothing but a suit. The Apocalypse suit is open from the side.

6. A tight shot of the old man. He is smirking evilly.

OLD MAN APOCALYPSE

Look upon your future, and tremble.

This tale is dedicated to one Alan Davis. The man who, at the turn of the last century decided that the best way to have the epic battle between Apocalypse and the X-Men play out was to reveal that Apocalypse was nothing but an old man in a robot suit.

I still have not forgiven Mr Davis.

Apocalypse - Not Now! - Rol Hirst

2012-01-01T12:05:00.003+11:00

Panel One.

Times Square, New York: New Year’s Eve. The crowds have gathered for the countdown.

CAP: 10… 9… 8…

CAP (Apocalypse): All else has been distraction.

Panel Two.

High above the square, Apocalypse looks down on the festivities from the balcony of a penthouse apartment. He appears smug and self-satisfied.

CAP: 7… 6… 5…

Apocalypse: I have bided my time, distracted myself with petty squabbles and insignificant campaigns… all because I knew this day was coming.

Panel Three.

Close on Apocalypse, grinning, victorious.

CAP: 4… 3… 2…

Apocalypse: The Mayans, the Celts, the Hopi… Sybil, Nostradamus, Ozymandias…

Apocalypse: All the prophets foretold...

SFX: BOOM!

Panel Four.

A stunned Apocalypse looks down at a steaming great hole in the middle of his chest.

CAP: 1…

Apocalypse: My... greatest...

Panel Five.

Apocalypse collapses to the ground. Behind him stands Deadpool, holding a ridiculously huge gun in one hand… and a folded open copy of Marvel Previews in the other. Smoke pours from the barrel of the gun.

Apocalypse: ...victory.

Deadpool: Know where I go to read the future? This here magazine.

Deadpool: Know who it says is gonna die this year?

Panel Six.

Apocalypse’s point of view. Deadpool leans over him, holding the copy of Marvel Previews open to a black page with the word ‘Dead’ written on it, half of Deadpool’s logo. He’s pointing to the advert, explaining why Apocalypse had to die.

Deadpool: Looksie…

Deadpool: So the end of the world’s postponed – least until everyone’s had a chance to buy my black bagged, New York Times-spoilered death issue. Y'hear me, Spocky-Lips?

Deadpool: No one. Else. Dies.

Why Apocalypse?

2012-01-01T12:01:00.003+11:00

Because it's 2012, dude. It's the big guy's year.

Let's party... we might not be here next year!

The North Pole – Luke Cage’s Sweet Christmas Page 3 – MK Stangeland Jr.

2011-12-31T10:00:00.001+11:00

(7 Panels)

Panel 1: LUKE CAGE stands in the snow and holds his arm in front of his face as a blizzard suddenly starts to blow.

CAPTION: Just when seemed his Christmas just might be ruined

LUKE CAGE: Now I have to deal with a blizzard that’s blowin?

Panel 2: LUKE CAGE begins to walk through the snow. The snow of the blizzard is thick now.

LUKE CAGE: I swear if I freeze to death, that fat man’s getting a poundin!

Panel 3: The blizzard begins to dissipate. The Avengers Mansion can be seen in the background through the snow.

CAPTION (1): But Santa had certainly not forgotten the hero,

CAPTION (2): He saw to it that Luke was whisked back so quickly, he said

LUKE CAGE: Woah!

Panel 4: LUKE CAGE runs back into the Avengers Mansion.

CAPTION: When inside he did run to get out of the cold, just what wondrous thing did his eyes then behold?

Panel 5: LUKE CAGE enters the room of the Avengers Mansion that has the Christmas Tree in it. Underneath the tree are a buttload of presents. Standing nearby are JESSICA JONES, who’s holding a sleeping DANIELLE in her arms. She looks surprised, but happy, to see LUKE CAGE. A fireplace nearby is lit up, providing the room with warmth and an ambient light source.

CAPTION (1): A reward from Santa, a huge bundle of gifts.

CAPTION (2): And waiting nearby were his sweetheart and his kid.

Panel 6: LUKE CAGE stands next to JESSICA JONES. He has his arm around her and holds her close. LUKE CAGE happily looks at the presents under the tree while JESSICA has turned to give her husband a kiss on the check.

CAPTION (1): As he stood with his family, holding them tight

CAPTION (2): Cage thought that he heard something from outside in the night

Panel 7: Outside shot of the Avengers Mansion. It’s a picturesque Christmas scene, with the area covered in white and a light snowfall. Santa’s silhouette can be seen flying across the moon.

CAPTION (1): It was a blessing from Santa, as he flew into the west:

SANTA: A good night to all, and to all a SWEET CHRISTMAS!

END

(And with the final THOUGHT BALLOONS scripts of 2011, I’d like to take the time to thank everyone who read and/or participated at all this year, wish you all a belated Sweet Merry Christmas, and give you blessed tidings for a wonderful New Year!

Here’s to 2012!)

The North Pole - Blue Christmas - Grant McLaughlin

2011-12-30T18:00:00.003+11:00

Three rows of panels, two panels of equal size per row.

1 – Santa stands in the doorway of one of his toy workshops. He is sweating profusely, only wearing an undershirt with his jacket draped over his arm. There's lots of melting snow and icicles.

CAPTION: The impacts of Global Warming were being felt all over.

SANTA: My, it's hot.

2 – This is the continuation of the image from panel 1, simply separated by the gutter. More workshops are visible in the background, but the focus of this panel is on Frosty the Snowman. Wearing his signature top hat, he is crawling towards Santa and is in the process of melting. The look on his face is not dissimilar to terror.

CAPTION: But no place was affected more so than the North Pole.

FROSTY: You gotta do something, Santa!

3 – A meeting room. Santa (still sweating) stands pointing towards a blackboard with “TOO HOT!!!” hastily scrawled upon it in chalk. Sitting at a table in front of him are Rudolf, the Abominable Snowman, an elf or two, and a polar bear. Santa doesn't look hopeful.

CAPTION: Seeing the severity of the situation, Santa called together the best minds available to him.

SANTA: ...

4 – The same room. Everyone is tired. It's clear that some time has past (perhaps a night of hard thinking). However, the polar bear leaps upwards in jubilation: he has figured out a solution.

CAPTION: And just when it appeared as if all was lost.

POLAR BEAR: I've got it!

5 – The panel focuses on a sign above the entrance to Santa's area of the North Pole. “Santa's Village” is crossed out and beneath it “Welcome to the North Pool Resort!” has been painted in below by hand.

CAPTION: A solution was found.

6 – Santa stands in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts. There's various people, elves, and reindeer lounging about, taking in some rays or jumping into the many pools. That sort of thing. There is, of course, no snow to be found. Santa holds a glass of water that contains the remains of Frosty: there's some coal eyes, a carrot nose, and a small top hat on top.

CAPTION: ...sort of.

FROSTY (quietly): This isn't exactly what I had in mind...

SANTA: I'm just amazed they found so much sand on such short notice...

The North Pole - Luke Cage's Sweet Christmas Page 2 - Rol Hirst

2011-12-27T18:00:00.000+11:00

Panel One.

From behind, we see Luke and the elf staring ahead towards Santa’s Grotto. It’s a ramshackle log cabin with Christmas decorations, twinkling lights and a huge fir tree outside. There’s a pack of reindeer standing to one side, looking grumpy. The door to the shack is opening…

The elf hands Luke a handkerchief. The snow has stopped but Luke is still shivering.

Elf: Your payment must wait, saving Santa’s the issue…
You’ll have to make do with this snotty old tissue.

Panel Two.

From out of the shack come a gang of supervillains, charging towards Luke, itching for a fight. (I'll tell you who they are in the next two panels, just play along, will you?) We don't need to see them all in this panel though.

Cap: Then faster than Quicksilver, the villains they came
And Luke, he did struggle to remember their names…

Panel Three.

Close on Luke, wracking his brains to identify the villains in the previous panel. He’s fighting while he does this, but we’re too close to see much of the action.

Luke: Erm… Trapster, and… Cancer? The Answer, and… Vixen?

Panel Four.

The four villains Luke has just named are laid out on the snow while Luke tackles another four in one big fight scrum. One of the villains is a famous film director, the rest are regular Marvel badguys.

Luke: Now, Batroc and Carnage, Richard Donner and… Blizzard?

Cap: That last one didn’t rhyme, but Luke didn’t care
He was just glad to get them out of his hair

Panel Five.

From behind, we see Luke standing outside Santa’s grotto. In the foreground, a pile of villains lay defeated. The elf runs past Luke towards Santa who’s tied up with tinsel and locked in cage just inside the shack’s doorway. Santa also has a bauble taped into his mouth like a ball gag.

Cap: So Santa was rescued, set free from his cage
And Luke, he did wonder what to buy with his wage

Panel Six.

Luke watches as Santa and the Elf zoom off on the sleigh (now loaded with presents), pulled by the reindeer. The Elf waves back at Luke from the sleigh, looking slightly embarrassed. The snow is falling again and Luke is left huddled and shivering, contemplating a long journey home.

Cap: But the old man was late, with no time to pay,
He just jumped on his sleigh and flew off on his way

Elf: Sorry!

Cap: …waved the Elf…

Elf: I guess that’s just snow business!

Cap: Leaving Luke to walk home, a’grumbling…

Luke: SWEET CHRISTMAS!

The North Pole - Luke Cage's Sweet Christmas Page 1 - Ben Rosenthal

2011-12-26T06:00:00.004+11:00

When writing the following dialogue, those parts labelled CAPTION should be in the usual caption boxes, and the speech by the characters in a word balloon from the corresponding characters.

1. Luke cage is sits in a rocking chair in the nursery at the Avengers Mansion. He is facing a crib, a book in hand as he reads to Danielle as she falls asleep. The window behind him shows that it is snowing.

CAPTION:

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung –

2. Same as Panel 1. However we can see two small hands appearing from underneath the cot. Luke Cage is standing, book in one hand while his other hand is gripped firmly on the back of the rocking chair.

LUKE CAGE

“By Jiminy, who’s there?

Show yourself now, or you’ll be eatin’ this chair.”

3. A small elf is standing in front of the cot now. His head is bowed, hat in hands as he addresses Luke Cage. Luke has relaxed somewhat, as if he knows who this elf is (Pretty sure Luke has met one of Santa’s elves before).

CAPTION

His child sleeping all snug in her bed,

When out from under it came an elf with bowed head.

ELF

“Forgive me Luke Cage, I was looking for Cap,

It seems that dear Santa has fallen into a trap.”

4. Luke Cage has his hand on the elf’s shoulder, showing compassion as he talks.

LUKE CAGE

“I’ll help little guy,”

CAPTION

Luke Cage he did say,

LUKE CAGE

“You just have to make sure that Santa can pay”.

CAPTION

The elf looked confused, and then asked

ELF

“what?”

CAPTION

Luke Cage looked down and said

LUKE CAGE

“The Avengers pay squat.”

5. This frame should go the length of the page, as it shows the two teleporting from the Mansion to the North Pole. The elf has his eyes closed as it casts a teleportation spell. The background is in a transition of being the Avenger’s nursery room, and the barren arctic tundra.

CAPTION

The elf closed his eyes, and whispered a spell of old

Next thing he knew, Cage was at the North Pole!

6. A close up of Luke Cage’s face as he shivers in the cold. A string of snot dangles from his nose.

CAPTION

Luke was freezing, his nose all runny,

His teeth chattered loudly as he asked

LUKE CAGE

”Where’s my money, honey?”

The North Pole - Where In The World Is The North Pole? - Ryan K Lindsay

2011-12-25T12:31:00.008+11:00

PAGE 4 - 4 PANELS

1. A S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier fills the sky as we look up at it. Someone whom we cannot see yet speaks within the vehicle.

Voice: You're kidding, right?

2. Nick Fury looks down and out of the helicarrier, the wind from the open door whips his hair around a little.

Fury: You ever known me to kid, Drake?

3. Bobby Drake, the Iceman of the X-Men, looks down next to Fury - this panel might as well be the next section of the same image from Panel 2, just separated with a panel gutter.

Drake: I've never actually known you, sir.

4. We now look down at the helicarrier from above and see it is above pure green and blue ocean.

Fury: Well, I can assure you this isn't some practical joke cooked up by that blue doormat you call an intellectual superior.
Fury: You're to go down there and figure out what happened.
Fury: Maybe even fix it if you can, sure be appreciated.

And thus begins a crazy spy trip into an iceless North Pole where Atlantean scientists have made a big mistake.

Merry Xmas, one and all.

Why The North Pole?

2011-12-25T12:01:00.000+11:00

It’s a merry time of year and we should celebrate by visiting a merry place in this world.

The thoughtballoons wagon doesn’t stop, not even for the gift giving season, and so our gifts to you this week are some one page comic scripts straight from the North Pole. We Tenures don’t like to slow down for anything and so this week we’re still hard at work. Either that or we scheduled our scripts days ago and we’re sitting in a beach house with our loved ones kicking back and relaxing. It’s always one or the other, isn’t it?

Last year, we did Santa Claus and it was a lot of fun, so this year we’ve picked another festive treat. All our scripts will involve the North Pole and that’s about the only parameter to be met. It’s snowy, it’s cold, it may or may not house a slave laboured fat man who can travel faster than the speed of light and who watches you all year round, and it’s a place none of us have been, Well, I haven’t been there and I assume my friendly tenured pals are just as unsure of this location.

What the hell is Wonder Woman holding?
Socks do not have reservoir tips!

What really is at the North Pole? Well, that’s just something we’ll have to make up. I’m sure we’ll cook up some decidedly nasty ideas, as well as some saccharine slush, to get us through to 2012.

We wish you a merry Xmas, all the way from the magnetic north, and we’ll see you all in the new year ready to make with the words. As always.

Thanks for sharing 2011 with us, it’s been a roller coaster ride for us all, and I hope everything only trends upwards as we get past the next end of the world.

What If…? – What If Matt Murdock Had Died? – Ryan K Lindsay

2011-12-24T12:03:00.002+11:00

PAGE 4 - 6 PANELS

When a radioactive isotope smashes into your face, you’re probably going to die a horrible death. In this world, Matt Murdock last a few months in the hospital, blind, scared, sad, and then he passes away.

Jack Murdock struggles to go on, alone.

1. Fogwell’s Gym is relatively busy, there are plenty of people there, but Jack Murdock is alone amongst it all. You could show this with colour or an inset border. Make sure he’s isolated. He’s standing at a punching bag, perhaps have him on one side of it, and everyone else on the other side of it doing their thing.

NO COPY

2. Jack finishes the tape on his hands.

Caption: So I’m just gonna keep on punching?

3. Jack stands in front of the bag, we look at him from behind. He’s a hulk of a man but he looks defeated.

Caption: I’m gonna punch everything and that’s gonna fix somethin’?

4. Jack stands, ready to lay the first punch on, his fists up.

Caption: Even I’m smart enough to doubt that.

5. Jack punches the bag.

Caption: But not smart enough to know the other options.

6. Bare hands, small kid’s hands, grab the bag on the other side.

Lester: Need a spotter, mister?

I like Jack Murdock as a character. I actually like him a lot. I’d love to write him. This was a fun page, I got his voice in my head. Hopefully that comes across.

Also, astute Hornheads will note that name in Panel 6. I figure from here we either have Jack take young ‘Lester’ under his wing and they both become something better in the absence of Matt or Jack discovers ‘Lester’s’ tendencies and must put a stop to him. I kind of like the first one better. Maybe even build a Yancy Street gang out of ‘Lester,’ Elektra, Foggy – nah, that’s a terrible idea.

Oh, ‘Lester’ is Bullseye’s name, for those still uncertain and too lazy to get their google fu on.

What If Companies Cared About Good Comics and Not Just Good Sales? - Grant McLaughlin

2011-12-23T18:00:00.011+11:00

A little late, but better that then never, right?

Four rows, each comprised of a single panel.

1 – The image for each panel will be relatively similar, being compose of three main elements: a comic book store, a newspaper box, and two comic book readers walking in the foreground of the panel. For simplicity's sake, let's call the store “Comic Books”. Picture your standard comic book store, and you've probably got a good idea as to what this one looks like. The headline of the newspaper reads “National Crime Rate Plummeting”.

CAPTION: Month 1.

COMIC BOOK READER: I still can't believe how awesome comics have been lately!

2 – Same store. Maybe have a few more cars in the parking lot, a few more bodies visible inside. Apart from that, virtually the same scene with two comic book readers coming out of the store. The newspaper headline now reads “World Hunger Solved!”

CAPTION: Month 3.

COMIC BOOK READER: Who would have known that giving creators so much freedom would have such positive results?

3 – The store has been expanded. It is now quite a bit bigger and the sign reads “Comic Books Plus” or something equally innocuous. The amount of cars in the parking lot and people inside has increased in a similar amount. The comic book readers walk along yet again. The newspaper headline now reads “All Diseases Cured!”

CAPTION: Month 6.

COMIC BOOK READER: In retrospect, it's crazy that this didn't happen sooner.

4 – The expanded store is still the same size, but its parking lot is overflowing and people are literally lined out the door. The comic book readers are once again in the process of exiting the store. The newspaper headline now reads “All Wars Ended Forever!”

CAPTION: Month 12.

COMIC BOOK READER: It truly is a perfect world.

What If Stan Lee Became A Plumber Instead Of A Comic Book Writer? - Rol Hirst

2011-12-20T18:00:00.004+11:00

Panel One.

A computer screen shows an empty google search box.

Panel Two.

Fingers type on a computer keyboard.

Panel Three.

The google searchbox now displays the words "Thoughtalloons - One page of script a week. Every week brings a new character."

Panel Four.

A finger hits the return key on the keyboard.

Panel Five.

What If? - Harry Didn't Die - Ben Rosenthal

2011-12-19T06:00:00.002+11:00

Back story – Harry never died. Yeah, I know that really happened. But in this tale, Harry wasn’t believed dead. Again taking on another familiar theme of his father, Harry slid in and out of the goblin persona as the drug which addled his system gave him a crude chemical amnesia. Probably a mistake....

1. Peter Parker is beaten. Badly. We are seeing him from behind, his head visible as he holds it up from the ground as he lay on his back. Hovering over him on his goblin glider is The Green Goblin – Harry Osborn. Goblin is crouched down, looking at Peter with cruel, mad eyes.

GOBLIN

Why? You want to know WHY?

Well Pete, it’s as simple as this.

2. Same as Panel 1. The Goblin is now standing tall on his glider as he talks to Peter.

GOBLIN

You took it from me.

My father was obsessed with you even before he found out you wore webs. Liz, Gwen, MJ – they all loved you. REALLY loved you.

3. The goblin has ripped off his mask. The madness in Harry’s eyes glistens as he leers as Peter.

GOBLIN/HARRY

You want to know why I hate you, Peter? I hate you because you already have too much love.

As an extra special bonus, I've decided to throw in the dialogue I was briefly working on before I wrote the above script. Was going for a slightly different angle, but the same idea.

HARRY

Peter, I envy you.

Powers, loved by friends and family. Loved, full stop.

I don’t think I’ve ever been loved by anyone Pete. Not my father. Not Liz or Lilly.

What’s it like Peter? How *cough*

How does it feel to have unconditional love?

What If…? – Newest Fantastic Four – MK Stangeland Jr.

2011-12-18T06:00:00.001+11:00

(A sequel to probably the favorite ‘What If…?’ comic I own (though, granted I don’t actually own that many issues), Newer Fantastic Four, which in turn is a sequel to the ‘Mike Wieringo tribute’ version of the New Fantastic Four ‘What If…?’ issue.

In this scene, the current version of the four – SPIDER-MAN, WOLVERINE, IRON MAN, and SHE-HULK (having replaced her cousin following the events of Newer Fantastic Four) have infiltrated a Kree command center in order to stop the SUPREME INTELLIGENCE before the final pieces of his plan for OPERATION: GALACTIC STORM can come together.)

(4 Panels)

Panel 1: SHE-HULK stands just on the outside of the doorway as the now wrecked doors come to a rest on the floor. A Skrull soldier can be seen halfway sticking out from under one of the doors. IRON MAN flies through the doorway right above her and provides cover fire. SPIDER-MAN has a webline attached to IRON-MAN’s boots which allows him to be pulled into the room. WOLVERINE is about to charge into the room from behind where SHE-HULK is standing.

SHE-HULK & SPIDER-MAN: Knock, knock!

Panel 2: Skrull soldiers fire on the FANTASTIC FOUR members as the SUPREME INTELLIGENCE operates from behind a shielded control panel.

SPIDER-MAN: Hey, that was my line!

SUPREME INTELLIGENCE: STOP THEM. THEY MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO INTERFERE!

SHE-HULK: I was going to say it first!

Panel 3: IRON MAN unleashes his UNI-BEAM on the shielding protecting SUPREME INTELLIGENCE.

IRON MAN: Bad news, Intelligence. Your plan’s already been interfered with.

SFX: (UNI-BEAM) BZZEEW!

SFX: (Impact with shield) ptsfffff!

Panel 4: CUT to scene of CAPTAIN AMERICA’s Avengers team and the STARFORCE launching an attack on the skrulls guarding the NEGA-BOMB.

IRON MAN: (Voice Over) As we speak, our friends are ensuring your Nega-Bomb is neutralized permanently.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: Avengers, take ‘em down!

RONAN THE ACCUSER: STARFORCE, DESTROY THEM ALL!

(END PAGE)

Why “What If…?”…?

2011-12-18T00:00:00.015+11:00

Because I love a good alternate reality tale. I love finding out about alternate possibilities, to see people asking what might have happened if things had gone just a little bit or a lot differently, and then hypothesizing about the different paths that history might have taken as a result. What if Napoleon hadn’t lost at Waterloo? What if Captain America hadn’t been assassinated and fought in World War Hulk? What if Thought Balloons didn’t exist? What I had decided to pick a different topic for this week?

And so I decided that, to go along with the month that Marvel had been using as it’s ‘What if’ month over the past few years (even if they seem to be skipping it this year), I’d take the opportunity to ask “What If Thought Balloons did a ‘What If…?’ Week?” and see what kind of scripts might result.

It should be noted that while the topic is ‘What If…?’, this doesn’t mean that you have to use a Marvel story. Just as acceptable are stories by DC, Image, Red 5, or any other comic publisher. Want to write about what you think would happen if J. Jonah Jameson thought Spider-Man wasn’t a menace? Go ahead. Have an itch to write about what if Guy Gardner had gotten Abin Sur's ring instead of Hal Jordan? That’s fair game, too. Think you’ve got a good idea what things might be like if Nikola Tesla died before he could hit Atomic Robo’s “ON” switch? Knock yourself out. Often find yourself imagining a world in which Invincible followed in his dads footsteps and turned evil? Here’s your chance to write about it. As long as it’s a property that can be tied into comics, consider this a week to let your imagination run wild.

So what if I stop writing this ‘Why…?’ post and let the tenured writers and guest posters put some scripts together? Now that’s a what if we can start answering right now!

Judge Dredd – Judge THIS! – MK Stangeland Jr.

2011-12-16T18:00:00.000+11:00

JUDGE DREDD is hunting down a crazed mutant cyborg serial killer that has been targeting Judges. They are currently in an abandoned, ruined section of Megacity-One. The serial killer wears a Judge outfit stolen from his first kill and goes by the name of JUDGE YOURSELF.

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: JUDGE DREDD ducks behind cover as a grenade shoots past where his head was just a moment ago.

Panel 2: JUDGE DREDD pokes his head back out from behind cover, weapon out and aimed.

Panel 3: Close-up panel of the grenade as it impacts and explodes somewhere behind JUDGE DREDD, breaking some kind of mish-mash trigger unit.

SFX: BOOM!

Panel 4: A large tanker truck of some kind is seen suspended above JUDGE DREDD, and has started to fall as the trigger keeping it in place has been broken.

SFX: SkreeEE!

Panel 5: JUDGE DREDD looks up to see the truck falling towards him.

Panel 6: JUDGE DREDD leaps safely out of the way as the truck hits the ground.

SFX: Ker-SMAKSHHhhhh!

(END PAGE)

(And once again, thanks to Grant for offering the switch.)

Judge Dredd - Legion - Matt Duarte

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000+11:00

Judge Dredd in Legion by Matt Duarte

Panel 1

Description: Judge Dredd is walking through a particularly nasty area of Mega-City One. He's talking away on his communicator as he walks to a crowd of people.

DREDD: No signs of the graffitiers. Are you sure we have the right block, control?

CONTROL (out of panel): Yes, it's that one. We got several reports of it, but nothing on the cameras.

Panel 2

Description: Judge Dredd has stopped walking. He is standing and looking up at something we can't see. He is clearly not happy right now.The crowd around him look in the same direction, their faces mixed in awe, shock and horror.

DREDD: Let me guess, all the cameras from around the area malfunctioned.

CONTROL: ...yes, how did you know that?

DREDD: They were hacked. I know who we are dealing with.

Panel 3

Description: From behind Judge Dredd's back, he is staring at a huge public service announcement display. In it, there's group of judges looking sternly at the viewer, pointing their fingers in an accusatory way (think of the classic Uncle Sam poster). Underneath it, it says “Follow the law!”. However, the sign has been graffiti on it, it now has a few extra letters so that it reads “Follow the lawls”, and the Judges on it are now sporting troll faces.

DREDD: Send in reinforcements. We are facing a legion.

Next: Judge Dredd vs. Anonymous.

Judge Dredd - Ego-a-go-go - Sime McDonald

2011-12-14T12:09:00.000+11:00

PANEL ONE

Inside the Justice Department’s armoury, Judge Dredd stands with the armourer. Dredd’s outfitted in his uniform, weapon holstered by his side, iconic helmet plonked atop his head, his holding another helmet in his outstretched arms, slightly more advanced than his own, a few more bells and whistles, a little more extravagant. Dredd’s mouth is twisted into a sour grimace; he’s not impressed by this piece of new technology. The armourer, beside him, is far more impressed.

ARMOURER

- - all the customary features of course, night-vision, thermal-vision, and something else - -

JUDGE DREDD

Hmph.

ARMOURER:

- - an inbuilt fMRI scanner, that’ll display activity in the brain’s amygdala and anterior insula.

PANEL TWO

If looks could kill, the armourer would be sliced in half by Dredd’s; thusly, his complexion has paled and he’s lost a degree of composure, nervous now.

JUDGE DREDD

Which tells me what?

ARMOURER

Uh – well, er, increased activity in these parts of the brain indicate an anticipation of pain, a belief that a person is under threat - -

PANEL THREE
Dredd casually tosses the helmet into the air. The armourer watches on, fingers arms splayed, wide-eyed.

ARMOURER [1]

- - meaning you could scan a crowd, and anybody displaying heightened activity as a result of your presence could, potentially, be a threat and duly brought in for - -

ARMOURER [2]

What…?

PANEL FOUR
Small panel of the helmet clunking down onto the asphalt floor.

JUDGE DREDD (o/p)

No.

PANEL FIVE
Dredd holds his weapon up in front of the armourer’s face. It's

JUDGE DREDD [1]

People see me coming, I expect them to fear the worst.
If they don't, I'm not doing my job.

JUDGE DREDD [2]

I don’t need to see brain activity to validate my effect on people.

PANEL SIX
On Dredd, walking away.

JUDGE DREDD

My ego doesn’t need a boost.

END

Judge Dredd – Quick Response – Ryan K Lindsay

2011-12-13T22:04:00.000+11:00

PAGE 1 - 5 PANELS

1. Angle aimed at about mid-chest and down on a flat level. A young boy sits a little bit away from some London rioters, his nose is dripping blood, his shoulders sloop, a bag hangs from his back. A rioter is helping him up.

NO COPY

2. The young boy is being led away but we can see another rioter behind start riffling through the young boy’s bag, pulling out headphones, etc.

NO COPY

3. The rioter is now walking away from the boy. He is holding headphones in his hand and tossing a plastic container away.

NO COPY

4. The rioters legs are still walking but now blood spatters the sidewalk behind him and mists in the air, we can’t see what’s happened to his head, though. Not yet.

NO COPY

5. The rioter has fallen to the ground, his head is pretty well decimated by a bullet. Judge Dredd’s boots are walking over his body, perhaps stepping on him directly.

NO COPY

I think I just didn’t want to write Dredd’s voice for fear of Sly slipping out.

I also wanted to touch on the London Riots, as I am certain others will, but didn’t want it to be heavy handed. Dredd would surely know you don’t reason with these asshats, you just take them out, right?

Judge Dredd - Reality is - Ben Rosenthal

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000+11:00

1. Judge Dredd is sitting, his helmet in his hands. He looks at it, thinking, although shadow covers the upper half of his body so that we cannot see his face.

CAPTION: How many times have I stared death in the face? How many times have I dodged that bullet?

2. Judge Dredd is standing now. We see him from behind as he places his helmet over his head.

CAPTION: Now, death has caught up.

3. Judge Dredd’s arm reaches for his Lawgiver pistol.

CAPTION: Unfortunately for the scum of this city...

4. Half body shot of Judge Dredd in full light. Lawgiver in hand and what we can see of his face showing a grim determination.

CAPTION: I’m taking them with me.

Just a bit of housekeeping - Judge Dredd has been recently diagnosed with a form of brain cancer.

Judge Dredd - Writing For Creeps - Maxy "Drokk" Barnard

2011-12-11T07:00:00.003+11:00

What follows is a comic script version of real-life events, and as such must be taken very seriously, else history repeat itself. This is the tragic elimination of one of the original Thought Ballooners. He will never script again. It's a packed record, but with the right representation, we believe the tale can progress neatly, especially if the inset panels were kept as small as possible.

-----------------------------------------

#.1
Inset within panel 2. DREDD's boot kicking through the front door to MAXY BARNARD's flat, splinters flying every which way.

#.2
DREDD stepping through the door, gun in hand, as MAXY is at his desk, mid-way through panickedly falling from his chair.

DREDD: FREEZE, CREEP!

MAXY: Drokk!

#.3
DREDD picking MAXY up off the floor by the collar with ease.

MAXY: I didn't do anything, man, I swear I haven't written a word in weeks!

DREDD: That's just it...

#.4
Having pulled MAXY closer to his face, DREDD is yelling, spittle flying, point blank. MAXY is flinching away best he can.

DREDD: YOU'RE SLACK!

#.5
Inset into panel 6. DREDD throws MAXY to the floor.

DREDD: DEADLINES!

#.6
MAXY scuttling into the corner away from Dredd, reaching out for something.

MAXY: You don't understand, I had STUFF going on...

#.7
Inset into panel 9. MAXY swinging round with a gun.

MAXY: You just do-

#.8
Inset into panel 9. A bullet passes through MAXY's head.

#.9
JUDGE DREDD, gun smoking, pointed at the reader.

DREDD: No excuses for breaking the rules, kid.

CAPTION: FIN?

Why Judge Dredd?

2011-12-11T06:00:00.002+11:00

It may be a shocking realisation to people who only partake in the US comics scene, but we brits have the main pillar of our comics in sci-fi, as far removed from cliché superheroics and companies like Marvel and DC as you could possibly get, outside of arty indie books no-one sincerely wants to read. The biggest and... probably only... mainstream sci-fi series over here is 2000AD, the weekly prog where characters like Strontium Dog, Nikolai Dante and, yes, Judge Dredd get their mad-on in distinctly british and mildly insane adventures. I am a fan of this, and moreso the huge monthly injection of amazement that is the Judge Dredd Megazine, the sort of comics mag that puts all others to shame.

Which is the obvious reason to choose Dredd. The OTHER reasons to choose him and why he's a perfect choice for Thought Balloons is a little less personal and a lot more brilliant.

See, the world of Dredd is a brilliant mirror of the world we live in today, and is constantly adaptable to whatever surreal commentary is required. Adolescence, immigration, celebrity, reality tv, Dredd's world can address all of this, usually from the perspective of the unflappable man-chin that is Dredd himself. A man of the law unlike any other, unwavering in his loyalty to it in the face of whatever may come his way, his straight approach to a bent world is both comedic and capable of providing clarity to the messages and situations being bandied about in the stories.

Also there was that one movie no-one liked that is endlessly quotable and quite awful, so the lazier among us may choose to, I don't know, castrate Rob Schneider or something. Something that I'm sure won't be necessary for anyone in the upcoming Karl Urban-fronted film, which looks to be amazing, and enough of a reason for me to go "It's timely! There's a thing and so it works!", even if said thing is still far off on the horizon.

Dredd is one of my favourite comic characters of all time, and hopefully this week you'll get a glimpse into why.

If you want to read up on Dredd, check out this here WIKI page, and if you want to buy any of the superb 2000AD trades, progs or megs, then your local comic shop or the 2000AD website should be your suited ports of call.

So drokkin' get writing creeps. It's the law!

Nova – Eulogy – MK Stangeland Jr.

2011-12-10T10:00:00.000+11:00

The scene takes place within the relatively short span of time between the end of THANOS IMPERATIVE and the first ANNIHILATORS miniseries.

The location is aboard a large observation area on a starship that is currently orbiting the wreckage of XANDAR. Present are most of the members of the NOVA CORPS as well as a select group of other cosmic heroes.

(4 Panels)

PANEL 1: COSMO stands as best as a dog is able at a podium overlooking the crowd assembled on the observation deck.

COSMO: Richard Rider was good man.

PANEL 2: Panel overlooks crowd as COSMO continues to address them with his telepathy.

COSMO: He came from humble origins on planet known as Earth. It eez planet familiar to Cosmo. It has strange role of being both far from cosmic affairs and yet play big role in them.

PANEL 3: Panel shows the ship as it orbits the ruins of XANDAR.

COSMO: When given power of last member of Nova Corps, Richard prove zat great man can come from anywhere.

PANEL 4: Panel shows a distance shot of XANDAR and the ship orbiting it. Edge of panel should suggest that the following page will transition to a flashback or images of scenes that COSMO will be describing. As he continues.

COSMO (1): He show it eez not important where person come from zat eeze important, but what person do with life.

COSMO (2): Richard show one must seize opportunities presented in life and make most of zem.

(END PAGE)

Nova – What’s A Cosmic? – Ryan K Lindsay

2011-12-08T20:24:00.000+11:00

PAGE 5 - 5 PANELS

1. We are in Mary Jane’s apartment. Nova is wearing his suit, but his helmet is off and underneath his arm. He looks down at the bench, Mary Jane stands next to him and also looks down.

NO COPY

2. Nova continues to look down. Mary Jane looks at him.

NO COPY

3. Nova looks up, Mary Jane looks down.

Nova: …

4 Nova and Mary Jane face each other.

Nova: You don’t really know what it is I do, do you?

5. Nova looks up at the ceiling, exasperated, Mary Jane looks down again.

Mary Jane: So ‘cosmic’ doesn’t mean you can hook my iPad up to my wi-fi. Cool, I get it now. Fine.

Gotta admit, I'm really worried I just wrote a Big Bang Theory script about Nova. I wanted to make this a seething flirt-a-thon between Nova and MJ but just didn't have it in me this week, sorry constant reader.

Nova - Up - Ben Rosenthal

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000+11:00

1. The streets of Manhattan. Everyday citizens are looking up to a bright light in the sky. Some are pointing, while others look worried.

CIVILIAN 1

Look! Up in the sky!

CIVILIAN 2

It’s a Bird!

2. Still on the street, however the light in the sky has gotten much bigger, and looking rather ominous. The people in the street all look worried now, with some beginning to run away.

CIVILIAN 3

It’s a plane?

3. Inside an air born ship, in the control room. We see the back of a figure, but cannot work out who it is. They are standing with their hand to chin, observing the bright light from the control room window.

MYSTERY MAN

No.

4. A close up of the bright object. It is Nova, bursting with energy. His face is of intense concentration as he tries to contain the immense power that threatens to erupt from him, destroying the planet.

CAPTION: It’s a super Nova.

Nova - Just a Small Town Boy - Matt Duarte

2011-12-04T12:30:00.005+11:00

Nova in “Just a Small Town Boy” by Matt Duarte

Panel 1

Description: Nova is flying through a gravimetric stargate (what he uses to travel around space, basically a giant wormhole). Behind him, open space flows by, peppered by hundred if not thousands of stars and other galactic bodies.

NOVA: You know, Worldmind, I still remember the first time my parents took me to Jones Beach to see the 4th of July fireworks.

NOVA: I was so scared, I asked them if those were the stars exploding.

Panel 2

Description: Nova coming out of the Stargate, rocketing across the vastness of space.

WORLDMIND (CAPTION): That's ridiculous, Richard. If a star exploded in such close proximity to Earth, the planet would be decimated by its aftermath.

NOVA: I was just a boy, you know?

WORLDMIND (CAPTION): And they did not teach you this in your educational facilities? In Xandar, Space Geography was one of the earliest subjects we would teach to our young.

NOVA: I don't think that was in the curriculum, no.

Panel 3

Description: Nova flying past a planet with several large space ships flying around. They are evacuating this alien planet.

NOVA: By the way, Worldmind, you can tell them to call off the evacuation, and inform them that I am responding to the emergency.

NOVA: Anyway, what I was trying to say...

Panel 4

Description: A huge star is glowing an eerie and unnatural red. Wild lashes of fire are going off in all directions. Nova is dwarfed by its enormity as he flies towards it.

NOVA: Now that I'm actually preventing a star from exploding, I have to say that the fireworks were more impressive-looking.

WORLDMIND (CAPTION): Why were you so impressed by simple explosive pyrotechnics?

NOVA: I guess you wouldn't understand, Worldmind. Back then I was just a boy from the unpopular part of New York. I would have never dreamed I'd eventually punch my way through a star.

Panel 5

Description: A close up on Nova's face. He is smiling.

WORLDMIND (CAPTION): We are not “punching” our way through it. We are tactically using gravimetrical force to release tension from the core of this very unstable star.

NOVA: Yeah, but my way sounds much more fun.

NEXT: What dangers await at the core of a star?

Why Nova?

2011-12-04T12:00:00.043+11:00

Somewhere along the mid-2000's, someone at Marvel decided that the company should do a space-themed event series. It would include almost all of the companies cosmic heavy hitters. Popular characters like Galactus, Silver Surfer and Thanos showed up on it, but there was also some oddball choices and C-list characters.

One of them was Nova, also known as Richard Rider, who had his last solo series years ago and was in the popular-at-the-time New Warriors, but not much else. Under the dexterous hands of Keith Giffen and the duo of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, in the pages of Annihilation and later his most recent solo series, Nova flourished into a much more interesting character: a seasoned war horse that left his wide-eyed days in the past, but with a sense of humor nonetheless. His rise in status is perhaps summed up best by the time he ripped out Annihilus entrails from the inside, effectively ending a threat that killed millions of beings in the universe.

Nova went on to live a long and productive life as a space cop. That is, until (Spoilers from years ago) Richard died. A new one has recently showed up, but he is going to be written one by Jeph Loeb, so perhaps the dead one is better off.

So, in short, expect to see many space adventures, explosions, and "Blue Blazes!" this week.

Pet Avengers – Lockjaw and The Pet Avengers Versus Red Ghost and The Monsters of Evil! – MK Stangeland Jr.

2011-12-03T10:00:00.000+11:00

(2 Panels)

Panel 1: Small, thin panel as Pet Avengers LOCKJAW, THROG, LOCKHEED, REDWING, HAIRBALL, MS. LION, and TIPPY-TOE stand in shock and look upon the full team that RED GHOST has assembled.

RED GHOST: (Off Panel) Pet Avengers! Prepare to face your utter annihilation at the hands of...

Panel 2: SPASH PAGE!

RED GHOST is at the center of THE MONSTERS OF EVIL as they assume battle poses and prepare to do battle against the PET AVENGERS. The names of the members are bolded next to each of them.

RED GHOST (1): …my MONSTERS OF EVIL!

RED GHOST (2): MIKHLO, IGOR, and PEOTR the SUPER APES!

RED GHOST (3): DOG-HULK! (A comic version of one of the hulk-powered dogs from Ang Lee’s HULK movie)

RED GHOST (4): ROBO-HIT-MONKEY! (HIT-MONKEY re-built as a superpowered monkey cyborg.)

RED GHOST (5): SQUIRRELPOOL! (The Squirrel in a Deadpool mask that Marvel previously used on one of its covers and temporarily on their website when the Konami Code was entered.)

RED GHOST (6): PREDATOR Y! (A humanoid version of PREDATOR X, but with wings.)

(END PAGE)

Pet Avengers – Valhalla Interrupted – Ryan K Lindsay

2011-12-02T18:00:00.004+11:00

PAGE 22 - 5 PANELS

1. Establishing shot of Central Park in Manhattan. Take whichever panel size or perspective angle you desire. Just make sure this isn’t a massive panel, we need more room below.

Caption-Throg: You should be happy I’m here.

2. Throg sits in a majestic throne amidst the trees made of branches and leaves. His Mjolnir sits by his right hand in a cradle made of leaves and his left hand holds a tiny goblet with red wine sloshing around in it.

Throg: My mere presence recognises this locale is a prosperous ecosystem.

3. Lockjaw looks up at Throg, he’s making a point.

Lockjaw: *this speech bubble holds some kind of crazy symbol, do with it as you wish*

4. Throg points at Lockjaw with his goblet, he’s making a point of his own.

Throg: Neither I nor my associates have rained down on this city, been vomited up by fair maidens, or imposed ourselves in any malicious manner.

5. Large panel. Throg sits back in his throne, Lockjaw looks small before him. Behind and around Throg, the trees fill with tiny Gold Frogs (about 1cm in length). Their eyes hint mischief and the amount of them is intense.

Throg: If you wish to lead my army away then you should find us a suitable battleground to inhabit.

The only other alternative was assembling a new Pet Avengers consisting of Froggy Nelson, Microchipped, Beta Ray Duck-Bill, Uatu the Pincher, and … oh, no, wait, the team should totally be Howard the Duck, Black Widow, Throg, Spider-Woman, and Wolverine fighting against Man-Bull. Oh, if only there were time to tell ‘November Ryan’ such glorious plans…hrmf ;)

Pet Avengers – I’m a Bad Man - Ben Rosenthal

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000+11:00

1. Redwing is in midflight. However an arrow has pierced one of its wings. It cries it pain as it begins to fall.

2. A raging river. In the middle of the river is a burlap sack, tied up. It is in the process of sinking below the surface. From the hole in the sack we can see the paw of Hairball, reaching out for help.

3. Thog is hanging by the neck near a small lake. One hand clutches at the strand around his neck, while his other reaches in vain for his hammer, lying on the ground bellow his dangling feet.

4. Lockheed is on all fours, head held low. On the wall behind the dragon we can see the shadow of a man with a sword raised above his head. He is about to bring it down on Lockheed’s neck.

5. Lockjaw stands centre panel, looking scared. He is being tracked. Behind him leaping from the shadows is Kraven the Hunter, knife in hand.

Poor Pet Avengers - they more than anyone has suffered from my bad moos while writing this. I'll make it up to them, one day.

Pet Avengers - A Friend in Need - Grant McLaughlin

2011-11-27T12:30:00.017+11:00

I'll stop giving you these classic 3 by 3 grid pages one of these days, but today is not that day.

Ms. Lion and Hairball are together on Christmas Eve. Ms. Lion has asked Hairball what he hopes to get from Santa, to which Hairball has responded that Santa doesn't exist, much to Ms. Lion's dismay.

1 – Hairball casually licks a paw as he just as casually dismisses Ms. Lion's innocent beliefs.

HAIRBALL: Think about it. How could one fat man possibly give presents to every single person in the world in one night? Not even Lockjaw could do that – and he can teleport!

2 – Ms. Lion is totally crushed. Hairball continues to lick his paw, not looking at his companion.

MS. LION (quietly) (1): I hadn't thought about it that way.

MS. LION (quieter still) (2): I-I guess you're probably right.

HAIRBALL: Probably.

3 – Ms. Lion flops onto the ground, despondent. Imagine the saddest dog you've ever seen, and you're getting close to what Ms. Lion should look like right about here. Hairball starts licking his other paw.

MS. LION: *sniff*

4 – Ms. Lion starts wailing. Exaggerated tears stream from his doggy eyes. Hairball continues licking his other paw, but his eye are now open wide is surprise.

MS. LION: AUGH-HUNH-HUNH-HUNH!

5 – Hairball is taken aback and visibly feels bad about this turn of events. He frantically tires to think of something to assuage Ms. Lion's incredibly grief.

HAIRBALL: ...

6 – Hairball, still concerned, has an idea.

HAIRBALL: I, uh, I hope that Santa brings me some tuna?

7 – Hairball is in the same position, waiting to see what comes of his gambit. Ms. Lion is still lying on the ground, but his entire demeanour has changed completely. He perks up his head and ears, looks at Hairball, and wears a huge doggy grin. Above his head are some Christmas-themed sound effects.

SFX: JOY!

8 - Ms. Lion happily skips around a surprised and sheepish Hairball.

MS. LION: Oh, I'm sure he will, Hairball! How could he not when you're such a good friend! The best friend a dog could ever hope to have! The bestest of best friends!

9 – Ms. Lion continues to skip around, nattering on about how great Hairball is. Hairball looks thoughtfully at his doggy partner.

HAIRBALL (quietly): Merry Christmas, Ms. Lion.

I know, I know, it's a little early for Christmas, but this is the idea that came to my mind, and I couldn't shake it. I hope you can forgive my premature holiday script.

Why the Pet Avengers?

2011-11-27T12:00:00.014+11:00

Because the Avengers were busy.

I kid, I kid.

I'm picking the Pet Avengers because comics are supposed to be fun, and that's exactly what the Pet Avengers are.

In theory, the Pet Avengers are completely ridiculous. And frankly, in practice, they're still pretty ridiculous. But that's a big part of their charm.

Where else will you find a teleporting dog, a Mjolnir-wielding frog, a fire-breathing dragon, a heroic falcon, a sabre-tooth tiger, a telekinetic fielded cat, and a second, non-teleporting, regular dog? And all on the same team to boot?

I'm going to go with “nowhere else”.

I first came into contact with the Pet Avengers while reading Alex Zalben's fantastic Thor and the Warriors Four. While these amazing animals were confined to a cameo role, I immediately fell in love with. To be honest, I rushed to my local comic book store to find what else this team of super pet has been in. There wasn't a ton at the time (although there have been a few series since then), but it was all a joy to read.

These aren't necessarily the most intellectually challenging books you'll ever encounter, but darn if they don't make for some darn good reading nonetheless. Each character has their own distinct personality, and like any team book worth its salt, their sum is very much greater than their individual parts.

Seriously, if you haven't encountered these craft critters before, you have been missing out.

So in the interest of adding a bit more Pet Avenger goodness to the world, let's do our part and whip up a few more fun stories for these endearing animals to star in.

And let's not forget:

Beginnings - A Comics Anthology - Support Us

2011-11-27T10:32:00.008+11:00

I'm part of a Drink 'n' Draw group in our nation's fair capital and we've decided to pool our talent and produce a comics anthology. We also put out the call across Australia (easily done with some tin cans and taut string) and took in some other huddled and poor masses of creators. The result, in 2012, will be:

Beginnings - A Comics Anthology

This 100 page paperback book, with full colour gloss pages, is going to be one hell of a product. It will look amazing, it's going to feel great, and the content within is going to be glorious. It's all going to happen but first we need to get some funds and we're looking global for investers. We've launched a crowd source fundraising campaign on IndieGoGo and all we need is $2000. It's not much and by the time you're reading this we'll nearly be halfway there. We want to make sure we get past the post and take this book to some cons and show our stories around the world.

If you are a fan of thoughtballoons then you owe it to yourself to pre-order this book - a number of tenures will have their work showcased within. I have a 10 page short called 'The Big Day' that I'm sure you will love.

$20 is all it takes to get a copy of the book. More money will see you get some of these perks:

original art and prints
sketches in your pre-ordered book
these awesome badges - you gotta get the badges
a script critique from Kurtis Wiebe (Image Comics scribe for Green Wake)
a script critique from Justin Jordan (Image Comics scribe for The Strange Talent of Luther Strode)
a 45 minute Skype chat with Kelly Sue DeConnick (Marvel Comics scribe for Osborn and Sif)
an art portfolio critique from Steven Sanders (Marvel Comics artist for S.W.O.R.D. and Generation Hope)

There are also a few other amazing perks we'll be unlocking as these ones sell out. We are determined to reach our goal and also give the investers as much as possible for their buck.

Personally, I figure if you visit this site then you write comics, right? If you want to improve writing comics why not chat to some of the guys who do it best (and if you've read either Luther Strode or Green Wake you'll know these guys are top of the game and sure to break some end of year lists)? Not only will you improve your writing but you'll have made a connection in the business, someone you can network with later. That's easily worth the money. Scoop on in before someone else does...

If you do contribute any money to our anthology, be it $1 or $100, I thank you immensely. It's always so greatly appreciated when independent comics are supported.

Hit the link and help us out - if you like this site then you'll love this book!

BEGINNINGS - A COMICS ANTHOLOGY

Thank you.

Barry Allen – The Flash: Earth One – MK Stangeland Jr.

2011-11-26T10:00:00.002+11:00

BARRY ALLEN and IRIS WEST-ALLEN are in a police laboratory that looks like its seen better days.

(5 Panels)

Panel 1: BARRY ALLEN walks across the laboratory floor as he heads for a computerized machine. IRIS WEST-ALLEN is right behind him.

BARRY ALLEN: Wally may have completed the experiment that turned him into The Flash, but it was my research he used as a foundation.

Panel 2: BARRY ALLEN leans up to the machine and retrieves a mysterious looking vial.

BARRY ALLEN: I wanted to make sure his powers weren’t going to do more harm to him than good, and in the process, I was able to created this formula.

Panel 3: BARRY ALLEN holds up a vial filled with a reddish liquid.

BARRY ALLEN: This “Speed Force” should allow me to copy Wally’s powers in their entirety, at least temporarily. Hopefully, long enough to turn things around.

Panel 4: BARRY ALLEN and IRIS WEST-ALLEN head towards another set of machines.

IRIS WEST-ALLEN: But that Zoom person already beat Wally. Not to mention doing who knows what to that old friend of his. And Wally actually knew how to use his powers. How do you expect to beat him?

Panel 5: BARRY ALLEN hooks up the red vial to one of the machines.

BARRY ALLEN: I don’t have to beat him, not on my own. That’s why my first goal is to save Wally

(END PAGE)

This is part of my own idea on what The Flash might look like if I were given the job of writing the Earth One graphic novels for the character (in line with the already written Superman: Earth One and the upcoming Batman: Earth One).

In it, Wally West actually becomes The Flash first, with uncle Barry Allen having served as a powerless metor-type character and Wally’s own personal Commissioner Gordon with more emphasis being put on Barry’s brain as a police scientist than his power of RUNSFAST. The scene above is something that would take place in a potential follow-up book where the above is a result of him having studied Wally’s own powers to see how they work and things getting particularly bad.

The Flash - Time Catches Up - Grant McLaughlin

2011-11-25T18:00:00.004+11:00

I don't think anyone should be surprised when I say that I imagine this page being drawn by Francis Manapul. At this point, I don't want anyone else to draw the Flash ever again. His work is too beautiful and too perfect. In my mind, his style is exactly how the Scarlet Speedster should look. But enough about my crush on Manapul. Here's a script for your reading pleasure.

Three rows of panels. Row 1 has three panels of equal size. Row 2 has two panels. Panle four is the size of two panels. Panel five is the size of a single panel. The third row is a single panel.

1 – A close-up of a handwritten “To Do” list. It's really full – excessively full. The reader can't even see all the items on the list it's so long. It's titled “TO DO – TODAY!!!” and “today” is underlined three times. Items on the list include Silence the Shade, Repel the Rogues, Put a stop to Grodd, Date with Iris, Close five cases, Get dry-cleaning, Finish that book, and so forth. The first item is crossed off. If desired, you could have some of the Flash's gloved fingers on-panel, holding the list.

CAPTION (BARRY): “Not enough hours in the day.”

BARRY (off-panel): Okay, Barry. You can do this.

CAPTION (BARRY): It's a truism we all face, but as the Fastest Man Alive, I discovered that I have a bit more wiggle room than most.

2 – The Flash running towards the lefthand side of the panel (to denote he's going backwards in time). Have a whackload of speed-lines here, some lightning bolts emanating from his person, and some “shadow” Flashes to show how quickly the Flash is going.

CAPTION (BARRY): It's pretty crazy when you realize for the first time that you can literally run back in time.

3 – The same close-up of the “To Do” list. The first two items are crossed off.

CAPTION (BARRY): That's something that comes in handy pretty often.

BARRY (off-panel): *sigh* This is going to take a while.

4 – Another panel of the Flash running back in time. Same idea as panel two, but this time, there are lots and lots of Flashes. Like, way too many. They are all generally going towards the lefthand side of the page, but their routes, positions, and closesness to the “camera” on the page are all different. There's enough of them that it's getting pretty chaotic. Additionally, show the Flash running harder and harder, exhausting himself with the effort.

CAPTION (BARRY): And while I realized that I was depending on it more and more.

5 – Switch angles to show Barry (still in Flash costume) standing in a nondescript room, next to one of the walls. Visibly drained, he's looking down at his “To Do” list, which is now clearly all crossed off.

CAPTION (BARRY): I had no idea to what extent I relied on it to fit everything in.

BARRY: There. All done.

(off-panel): Barry...

6 – Switch angle. We see that the room is full of dozens of Flashes, all of them holding their own “To Do” lists.

BARRYS: I think we have a problem

The Flash – A Matter Of Timing – Ryan K Lindsay

2011-11-25T00:03:00.000+11:00

PAGE 3 - 6 PANELS

This is an Elseworlds tale. It’s a Noir city, perhaps even connected to Batman: Nine Lives. Design the characters, and places, as you see fit.

1. Barry Allen sits in a club booth – this is the Club Dark Side as presented in a noir world. Go crazy with the tropes. Next to Barry is Iris West. There is a big rock on her finger and the only thing shining more is her smile.

Iris: …
Barry: You going to spend all night staring at your reflection in it?
Iris: You bet’cha.
Caption: Allen was seen in the Club Dark Side from 7pm to 11pm.

2. A suave and besuited Darkseid walks up towards Barry and iris’ table, he is wearing white shoes.

Caption: The proprietor of the club approached Barry and his new fiancé at approximately 10:35pm.

3. Barry looks down as a single bullet lands in his lap. It hasn’t been fired, it’s just been tossed there.

Caption: No one could report exactly what occurred.

4. Barry looks up and Darkseid stands with his arms folded.

Darkseid: Be careful, Allen, the next one’s coming much quicker.
Caption: But it was clear words were exchanged.

5. Barry sits still, playing with the bullet in his left hand. Darkseid walks away. Iris looks angry because she knows Darkseid has ruined her night.

Caption: Allen’s mood soured, appreciably. They left soon after.

6. Crime scene out the back, tape up, cops taking photos. Darkseid is dead on the ground, a sheet covers most of his body, just not his white shoes.

Caption: The proprietor was found dead out the back at fifteen minutes to midnight. He was last seen at 11:40pm, well after Allen was gone.
Caption: Multiple witnesses verify Allen was buying, and eating, ice cream with his lady from 11:25pm to midnight at Jack’s Ice Cream Parlour.
Caption: He had a rum and raisin. It didn’t lift his spirits.

I'm still not certain about that last line. I could easily be convinced by an editor to remove it.

Otherwise, it's nice to get back to some noir. Feels like it's been forever. I tried with Jim Gordon week but it just wasn't happening. I like this page, maybe not love it, but it feels like I got the tone right.

I stole the bullet line from something Australian. Extra points to you if you can tell me what it was.

The Flash - Violence - Matt Duarte

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000+11:00

The Flash in “Violence” by Matt Duarte

Panel 1

Description: A close up of The Flash's classic yellow boots, they are hitting the floor, pushing forward, as he is running.

CAPTION: Rubber hits the floor as the process starts. The ground breaks asunder in response to the incredible force of his muscles.

Panel 2

Description: The Flash is running. We can see his back as he makes his way through Central City.

CAPTION: He slices his way through the air, leaving an empty space in his wake. As particles rush violently to fill in the emptiness, a sonic boom announces his departure.

Panel 3

Description: The Flash is chasing a criminal in a futuristic looking motorbike, still through Central City. He is shouting at him.

CAPTION: His name is Barry Allen. He is the Flash. The fastest man alive.

CAPTION: With every one of his mercurial whims, he creates a plethora of catastrophes on the molecular and atomic level.

THE FLASH: Really, you are trying to outrun me? Not the brightest plan you've come up with, buddy.

Panel 4

Description: Once again the motorbike as the Flash is chasing it, this time though, we can see a tunnel of energy surrounding them both.

CAPTION: He has separated us from our friends. Wrecked our families. Shaken the very foundation of our lifestyles. He has destroyed countless of sub-atomic worlds. Something must be done.

CRIMINAL: I'm not outrunning you, I'm leading you to where they want you.

THE FLASH: Wha---?

Panel 5

Description: The criminal in the bike and Flash are now standing in front of a group of older looking men. One of them clearly has a higher status, standing taller than the rest, as he is the leader of them. This is one of the many subatomic worlds that exist all around us. It has some clearly advanced technology, which can be seen around the room. The men are a council of elders, who don't look particularly happy.

LEADER: Welcome, Flash, our violent and unpredictable God. We assure you, our vengeance shall NOT be swift.

Next: The Atomic Rogues!

The Flash - Second Glance - Sime McDonald

2011-11-23T12:06:00.000+11:00

BARRY ALLEN

THE FLASH

SECOND GLANCE

PAGE 18

PANEL ONE

Night. The Flash is standing in the mouth of an alley; a crime scene with yellow tape feebly attempting to block public access, the chalk outline of a body still marked on the concrete. There are a couple of uniformed cops manning the scene, eying Flash suspiciously, hands lingering close to their holstered weapons. Flash's inactivity should be emphasized. We're so used to seeing him portrayed with constantly speed-lines and blurs. Here, his arms are folded and his brow is furrowed in thought.

FLASH CAPTION

I missed something.

PANEL TWO

Flashback; consider alternate color palette or shift in artistic style. Flash is standing with Batman in the Batcave, by the Batcomputer (is that what they still call it?!). Flash's expression is pained. Batman, as always, is perfectly stoic, listening, the gruff shoulder on which Flash currently needs to lean.

FLASH [1]

One man's dead and the killer's still out there.

FLASH [2]

It's been twenty-four hours.
I need to be faster.

PANEL THREE

Flashback, continued. On Batman. His mouth is a thin line.

BATMAN [1]
No.

BATMAN [2]

You need to slow down, Barry.

PANEL FOUR

Back to the present. Angle this panel from over the top of Flash's shoulder as he examines the scene, still motionless. The crime scene, for the moment, appears void of clues. Nothing stands out. Not yet. Just the grim outline of a corpse, the splatter of dried blood on brick.

BATMAN CAPTION [1]

Sweat the details.

BATMAN CAPTION [2]

Work the clues.

The Flash - Title To Be Revealed - Rol Hirst

2011-11-22T18:00:00.008+11:00

The scenario: Barry Allen is searching for something… or someone. Speeding across the DC Universe, stopping off at various notable hero hang-outs. Each individual panel is separate by a lightning bolt to denote Barry’s lightning fast journey.

This page should be drawn by George Perez, or at a pinch Phil Jiminez. You’ll soon understand why…

Panel One.

Barry Allen (in Flash costume) speeds away from Titans Tower, across the surface of San Francisco Bay. His face is set in an expression of grim determination.

CAP (Barry): The Titans know nothing.

Panel Two.

A dark, seedy bar. Barry is leaving, fast, scowling. Behind him, John Constantine, Deadman and Shade are drinking at a table while Madame Xanadu deals tarot. Constantine is giving Barry the finger while the others ignore him.

CAP (Barry): The magicians refuse to help.

Panel Three.

Barry speeds away from The Hall of Justice. Behind him, Booster Gold and Guy Gardner are involved in an argument that’s about to develop into a fistfight. Fire and Ice are trying to separate them.

CAP (Barry): And the JLI are incompetent buffoons.

Panel Four.

This panel is divided by further lightning bolts into three sections. In one, we see Batman frowning at a huge computer screen in the Batcave. In another, Clark Kent is standing on the rooftop of the Daily Planet, looking awkward, adjusting his glasses, unable to help. In the third, the energy from Hal Jordan’s ring has formed into a large green question mark.

CAP (Barry): Not that any of my own colleagues have been able to provide an answer to my question either…

Panel Five.

The remainder of the page is a Perez/Crisis style group shot/montage showing Barry speeding between various other characters from the DCU, including Wonder Woman, Aquaman, J’onn J’onzz and Stormwatch, the Doom Patrol, Legion Lost, and the Suicide Squad. The panel features various freeze-frame images of Barry as he moves between the various characters. The final such image has one line of dialogue: also the title of this strip…

Barry: Where’s Wally!?

The Flash - Date Night - Ben Rosenthal

2011-11-21T06:00:00.001+11:00

1. A shot of Iris West, looking shocked. She is looking directly at the reader. The background is dark, but we can make out some slight images of tables, with people sitting at these tables.

IRIS

Barry?

2. Barry Allen is shown in his civilian clothes. Around him are piles and piles of food. His arms move at a blur as he begins to devour everything on the menu.

BARRY

I’ll go for a run later.

So basically, Barry has to eat a lot a food because he burns so much energy with all his running. Get it? Hey? I'll be over here.

The Flash in "Bottleneck" by Danial Carroll

2011-11-20T12:30:00.000+11:00

PANEL ONE, WIDE
Wide angle of Barry's bedroom. In one strobed blur, Barry has thrown the bedsheets off, turned off the alarm clock, run in to and out of the adjacent bathroom (going from unshaven to shaven in the process), and run in to and out of the wardrobe (changing from boxer shorts to work clothes). The final "strobe" is him tightening his tie.

CAPTION: A system is only as fast as its slowest component.

SFX/SHEETS: WHOOSH

SFX/ALARM: MEEP MEEP ME--

SFX/BATHROOM: VZZZZZ

PANEL TWO, WIDE
From in front, we see Barry sitting in his car on a highway. There is a long line of cars behind him, showing that this really is some heavy traffic. His car is filled with boxes of paperwork--this being the reason he couldn't just run to work. He is propping his head up with his arm and rolling his eyes.

CAPTION: When fast meets slow, it is called a "bottleneck".

BARRY: ->sigh<-

PANEL THREE
Barry is stooped over a kettle in the office tearoom, waiting for it to boil.

CAPTION: As The Flash, I rarely run into such problems.

BARRY/WHISPER: Just boil already.

PANEL FOUR
As of Barry's POV, we see a computer screen with a quarter-filled load bar and a big label reading, "Loading. Please wait..." From each side of the panel we see Barry's hands clutching at the air.

CAPTION: But as Barry Allen...

PANEL FIVE, WIDE
Close-up of Barry's eyes, sullen, overlaid with a sequence of clock hands ticking second-by-second towards 5pm.

SFX/CLOCK: TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK

CAPTION: ... The Bottleneck is my Arch-Nemesis.

Why The Flash?

2011-11-20T12:00:00.000+11:00

If you ask a non-comic-reader who their favourite DC character is, they will undoubtedly say either Batman or Superman. This is fair enough, as both these characters have had more films, TV shows, cartoons, and video games than any other. Myself, on the other hand--having never read a DC comic until the recent New 52 campaign--had always considered The Flash to be my favourite. Why this is, I've never been entirely sure. My best guess is the short-lived live-action TV series that ran when I was at the impressionable age of 11. No matter the source, my liking for the character has carried through to adulthood and has been more than justified by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's current series.

Doctor Who - Testing a Theory - Grant McLaughlin

2011-11-20T11:30:00.011+11:00

Another 3 by 3 grid from me this week.

1 - The TARDIS is next to be a big superhighway. Cars are whizzing by. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory stand on the side of the road, watching. The Doctor stands in front of the other two, looking intently at the highway. Amy and Rory also seem kind of intent.

2 - The TARDIS is now in a small French alleyway, the kind with barely enough space for one car, let alone two. The Doctor has his screwdriver out, seemingly taking readings. Amy and Rory stand behind him once again, with Rory scratching his head in confusion. French people pass by, looking curiously at the scene before them.

3 - The TARDIS is now in a busy street in downtown Tokyo. It's nighttime and the nightlife is buzzing. Neon signs shine brightly, cars move along quickly, and people seem to be everywhere. However, the Doctor ignores them, taking a keen eye for the street, standing a little askew as if trying to get a better angle on it. Amy and Rory continue stand behind him; Rory looks to Amy for a hint of what's going on, but she just shrugs her shoulders.

4 - The TARDIS is now in the middle of a rural English road. There's no cars in sight, but there are a bunch of curious sheep standing in a nearby pasture. Once again, the Doctor is looking with incredible interest at the road - he's on his hands and knees, with his head to ground, seemingly listening for something. Amy and Rory stand slightly apart again, looking pretty confused.

5 - The TARDIS is now in Rio de Janeiro, along Copacabana Beach. Local Brazilians walk along the beach in swimsuits of various varieties, but unsurprisingly, the Doctor has eyes only for the nearby road, taking notes this time around. Rory is sitting on the sand, looking at some of the beach-goers, while Amy lets out a big ol' yawn.

6 - The TARDIS is now in the forzen tundra. It's pretty miserable. There's a strong wind that's whipping snow to and fro. There is also a frozen road nearby that is commanding the Doctor's entire attention. Amy and Rory are freezing, rubbing their arms frantically to stay warm. The Doctor seems unaffected by the cold weather.

7 - Move a little closer to the Doctor and Amy and Rory. The Doctor's hand is rubbing his chin pensively. His two companions continue to freeze.

DOCTOR WHO: Fascinating.

8 - The Doctor has turned around and is walking towards Amy and Rory and, ultimately, the TARDIS that is behind them. The Doctor can be in the process of straightening his jacket. Amy and Rory are on the verge of turning blue they're so cold.

DOCTOR WHO: It seems that all roads do lead you home.

RORY: Uh, d-don't you mean "all roads lead to Rome"?

DOCTOR WHO: Why, of course not.

9 - The Doctor has walked past his two companions, a knowing hand in the air with one finger pointing skywards to emphasize his point. Amy and Rory look at each other, cold and confused.

DOCTOR WHO: ...everybody knows that saying's rubbish.

In just under the wire!

I am also one of the seeming many of our group that hasn't seen all that much Doctor Who. I've taken in maybe one and a half episodes at this point, and although I have been meaning to check out more, that doesn't leave much in the way of inspiration for a script. All I managed is this questionable wordplay. I wouldn't call it one of my best, but if I didn't bite the bullet and submit, Doctor Who week was going to be over before I finished, so here you go.

Doctor Who – The Future Is Later – MK Stangeland Jr.

2011-11-19T10:00:00.001+11:00

Through an unfortunate series of freak accidents, the TARDIS has managed to merge with DOC BROWN’s Locomotive Time Machine. DOC BROWN and DR. WHO both realize that this is a really, really bad thing.

(4 Panels)

Panel 1: DOC BROWN and DR. WHO are standing in a room that could presumably be part of the TARDIS. DOC BROWN looks like he’s about ready to pull the hair out on one side of his head as he reacts in shock to what he and DR. WHO have just realized. CARLA BROWN, JULES BROWN, VERNE BROWN, and EINSTEIN are in the room as well.

Around them are a number of digital whiteboards with a large assortment of mathematical equations and SCIENCE! written on them. In the center of it all is a hologram displaying the result of the TARDIS and the Locomotive Time Machine merging – in short, it looks kind of like what you might get if the two individual machines had a baby.

DOC BROWN: Great Scott!

DR. WHO: The weight of what this implies is astronomical!

DOC BROWN: This is worse than I feared!

CLARA: What is it?

Panel 2: DOC BROWN and DR. WHO look at each other as they try to explain the situation.

DR. WHO: Originally, we thought that the TARDIS would be able to handle having the Flux Capacitor incorporated into its other systems.

DOC BROWN: But it turns out they’re far less compatible than we hoped.

DR. WHO: It seems that the two systems are now working against each other.

DOC BROWN: Even as we speak, their separate efforts are likely beginning to warp the fabric of the space-time continuum!

Panel 3: JULES BROWN asks a question while VERNE BROWN holds onto EINSTEIN.

JULES BROWN: That’s bad, right?

DOC BROWN: Bad? Son, it’s worse than bad!

DR. WHO: If we don’t solve this problem, and quickly…

Panel 4: Panel focuses on DR. WHO and DOC BROWN.

DOC BROWN & DR. WHO: This could destroy the very fabric of reality itself!

END PAGE

Doctor Who - Eroica - Matt Duarte

2011-11-17T06:00:00.002+11:00

Doctor Who in "Eroica" by Matt Duarte

Hello everybody! Breaking my radio silence to post a Doctor Who script. Truth be told, I have never watched the show, and I have only read one comic in which he starred, but I got an idea into my head for a script that needed to get out and this is the result. Hopefully I'll do him some justice.

Panel 1

Description: A large manor seen from outside. Gardens decorate the outsides. People are walking in and out of the manor, but we can see a man in particular walking towards the main entrance, with a big scarf trailing behind him. His outfit is particularly anachronistic as it doesn't look anything like what the rest of the people are wearing.

CAPTION: Bonn, Germany. 1770.

Panel 2

Description: A young woman is holding a young baby, almost newborn, in her arms. She looks worried and is perhaps cuddling the child with more than love, a certain fear that if she lets go, something terrible will happen. Her name is Maria.

MARIA: Thank you for coming on such short notice, Doctor.

MARIA: The matrons are quite worried...

Panel 3

Description: We can see the hands of a man, wearing a business suit, grabbing the baby away from her. She is reluctantly letting go of him but without moving her eyes away from him.

DOCTOR: Yes, the complications you mentioned from your previous pregnancy.

DOCTOR: Understandable, no?

Panel 4

Description: First point of view angle, as we can see the baby laying down on a bed. Once again, we can see the arms of a man, but this time they are holding an electric device, long and that opens near the top. The sonic screwdriver is beeping and glowing.

MARIAS: What... what's that?

DOCTOR: This? Oh, nothing, just a new device to run medical exams. You'll see every doctor carry one of them soon enough.

Panel 5

Description: First point of view again, this time the doctor is now passing on the baby back to the mother. The baby is holding a finger to his left ear, as if picking something.

DOCTOR: The good news is that he has an almost clean bill of health. He seems to be suffering from a mild ear infection, but nothing too serious. I will give you the appropriate medicine to give lil'...

DOCTOR: You haven't settled on a name for him yet, have you?

Panel 6

Description: The mother is holding the baby once again, close to her chest and neck in a loving embrace. Besides her is The Doctor putting his arm on her shoulder, in a reassuring way.

MARIA: I think I will name him Ludwig, after his grandfather.

THE DOCTOR: That's a charming name Ms. Beethoven.

The End.

Doctor Who - Daleks Are Cool - Rol Hirst

2011-11-15T18:00:00.000+11:00

Panel One.

A UK city street: not London, because far too much attention is given to London. Manchester, Leeds, or Newcastle. It’s a scene of carnage and chaos anyway. In the foreground, the Doctor crouches in front of a burning car. Laser beams are firing over the top of the car from some unseen assailant. The Doctor is explaining the situation to a pretty young woman in army fatigues. We’ll call her Gabrielle. She may become the Doctor’s new assistant… if she survives that long.

The Doctor: So, to recap: they’re my oldest, deadliest enemy.

The Doctor: The most truly malevolent force in the universe.

The Doctor: They exist only to destroy. To kill every single life-form they encounter. To—

Panel Two.

Close up on a Dalek, firing straight at us. The top of the panel cuts off the top of the Dalek’s head – we can see only the bottom half of it’s “sink plunger” eye as it stares our way.

Dalek: EX-TER-MIN-ATE!

Panel Three.

Back to the Doctor, still crouched behind the burning car. He’s pointing his thumb back over his shoulder in the direction of the attacking Dalek (off-panel). He gives a comical shrug.

The Doctor: (Sigh.) What he said.

Panel Four.

The Doctor continues to explain...

The Doctor: The thing is, I’ve encountered many, many Daleks over the years. And I’ve had to deal with them – in ways I’d rather not go into right now.

The Doctor: But this Dalek… for all its homicidal malice and outright stroppiness… it’s different.

Panel Five.

The car they’re hiding behind explodes under Dalek fire and the Doctor and his would be assistant are forced to run for their lives. Now we can see the full Dalek… and we can see why the Doctor has taken a liking to it. On top of its dome, the Dalek is wearing a certain Turkish hat...

Dalek: EX-TER-MIN-ATE!

The Doctor: It's wearing a fez!

The Doctor: And fezzes are cool!

(For the non-Whovians among you, this might help.)

Doctor Who - The First Annual WhoCon: 2011

2011-11-15T06:00:00.005+11:00

The Premise: A good ol' 21st century beatdown of an annoying fandom, PAD style.

------------------------------------------------

#.1
Crowds passing by miscellaneous shopping booths at a crowded convention. It's really unimportant how much of this is conveyed to the reader, just that there's enough room for the tardis to crop up in the next panel.

Caption: London, 2011.

Caption: The first annual Doctor Who convention.

#.2
Same shot as before, now with the TARDIS VWORP-ing into view (perhaps semi-visible, mid-transportation?). Any on panel shoppers and con-goers are running out of the way in a panic.

SFX: VWORP VWORP VWORP VWORP

#.3
The TARDIS is now solid, and the 'Matt Smith' Doctor is poking his head out the door, along with Rory, River Song and that one ginger girl everyone seems to care about.

Doctor: Oho! And where have we come to this time?

Rory: Dunno. Some sorta... Big party?

#.4
Who fans (whovians?) swarm the TARDIS, waving fan paraphernalia and autograph books at the group, who are now outside the doors and incredibly alarmed.

Random Fan: OH EM GEE! IT'S HIM!

Random Fan 2: MISTER DOCTOR! WHY DO YOU KEEP GETTING YOUNGER!

Random Fan 3: YOU SHOULDN'T BE FRIENDS WITH ALL THE PEOPLE WITH GUNS!

Random Fan 4: Actually, he's always been around gun wielders, and in fact used some hi-

Random Fan 5: SHUT UP! SIGN MY MOOBS, DOCTOR!

#.5
Cross-section view between the hordes outside and the Who cast, trying to push the doors shut against the masses, faces sweating in fear.

Doctor: Oh sod! It's the fans! PUSH THEM BACK! WE MUSTN'T LET THEM INSIDE!

Random Fan: WHY DOES THE INSIDE OF THE TARDIS LOOK WRONG?!

#.6
The TARDIS vworps its way out of the convention, much to the dismay of the hordes of fans.

SFX: VWORP VWORP VWORP

Random Fan: I LOVE YOU COME BACK I WON'T STAB YOU WHILE CRYING I SWEAR!

#.7
The Who cast are sitting around the interior of the TARDIS, looking sad.

Rory: What the bloomin' heck was that?

Doctor: Sorry. In my confusion I took us to the one horror in my life I can never escape. At least not without dying.

#.8
Close-up on the doctor, looking stern.

Doctor: My fanbase.

Doctor Who - No Joke - Ryan K Lindsay

2011-11-14T06:06:00.001+11:00

PAGE 22 - 1 PANEL

1. The Doctor stands on a street corner, we are looking up at him from below. His scarf blows in the cold NY breeze and he looks off across into the city. Above him, we see the street signs of 1st Ave and E 9th St. He looks heroic, ready for action.

Caption: ...Where is the good doctor?

Ugh, I actually did it. What a bad joke. But y'know what, I actually managed to place this page into a larger context of a story. It's about a group of bounty hunters tracking Who down. Why? We don't know yet, this would still be the first issue. We'd find out eventually but for now he's being hunted and he's also looking for a lost necklace that was for sale at an auction house in NY and instead, the next morning, the entire hall was found with dead people and the only thing missing was the necklace.

The joke on this page then still remains kind of stupid but it's not the only reason for the page. It's contextually placed into a larger and more engaging narrative and thus the goofy thrust is taken out of it. I'm aiming for smirks here, people, just a few smirks. Is that too much to ask for?

Oh, and I was so lazy on this page because I've never, ever, watched Doctor Who and it looked like a hell of a lot of research and I just don't have time for unpaid research right now. I can only hope the next choice plays into my wheelhouse a little more naturally.

Doctor Who – World War Who - Ben Rosenthal

2011-11-13T00:15:00.000+11:00

The Doctor is up against his most fearsome and powerful enemy yet. He has tried to defeat him once. He lost. Badly. He now stands before this enemy, confident as he reveals his new plan to conquer the Big Bad.

1. The eleventh Doctor (as portrayed by Matt Smith) is standing in a spotlight facing the reader. We can see his full body in the panel, pitch blackness outside of what the spotlight has highlighted. He is alone. Looking up at the reader, the Doctor is addressing his rather large nemesis who we cannot see.

THE DOCTOR

Here’s the thing about time travel.

2. A pair of shoes can now be seen at the edges of the spotlight, situated just behind the Doctor.

THE DOCTOR

When you get down to it, time is essentially linear.

3. The spotlight has moved up to revel who is standing behind the Doctor – they are the last two incarnations of the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston to his right, David Tennant to his left). Both are holding their sonic screwdrivers out, poised and ready to use them. More pairs of feet can be seen again at the edge of this expanded spotlight shining on the Doctors.

THE DOCTOR

So it wasn’t a matter of where I was going to get help last time you kicked my behind.

4. The spotlight has not shed light on the whole panel. The remaining eight previous incarnations of the Doctor are standing behind the three latest incarnations. They are all ready for action. The eleventh Doctor, still at the front of the pack wears a smirk.

THE DOCTOR

It was when I was going.

This piece really relies on you guys knowing that the Doctor ‘regenerates’ when he dies – that is, he gets a new body, new personality but retains all of his memories. As a few of the previous actors have passed on, I thought that a comic was the only place where we would get to see such a gathering of all of the Doctor’s incarnations. Hey, it’s time travel – anything is possible.

Why Doctor Who?

2011-11-13T00:00:00.000+11:00

We’ve known each other for a while now. You’ve read my words, I’ve read yours. You’ve given me 3 stars, I’ve cried myself to sleep. We’re buds, right? I can tell you anything.

Here’s a secret that may get me kicked out of the Comic Society forever – I have only just begun to watch Doctor Who in the last six months.

It’s not that I was actively trying to NOT watch it, I just never got around to it. I was interested in the good Doctor for years, but not enough to seek it out. Then along came Christopher Eccleston, and I took notice. He regenerated into the charismatic David Tennant, and I watched a few episodes sporadically.

Then came a chap called Matthew Smith, whose brilliance in playing the Doctor got me well and truly hooked. I decided to give the show a go – just as the Neil Gaiman written episode debuted. It was fate.

Then I saw Karen Gillan.

*insert sound of jaw dropping here*

Needless to say, I have watched every episode since, and have begun purchasing the Eccleston season. I will watch them all, but for now I will do my very best to pay tribute to this sci-fi icon in the only way I know how – writing a 3 star script for all of you to devour with your eyes.

Commissioner Gordon – The Real Problem – MK Stangeland Jr.

2011-11-12T10:00:00.001+11:00

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: COMMISSIONER GORDON and BATMAN (BRUCE WAYNE) stand next to an active Bat-signal. COMMISSIONER GORDON hands three to five file folders to BATMAN. We have an opportunity to see what’s written on some of the tabs, which have the names of some of Batman’s enemies on them, such as ‘JOKER’ and ‘SCARECROW’.

GORDON: I went through the Department’s records. Put these files together myself. I have more if necessary.

BATMAN: What are they?

GORDON: Something that we somehow overlooked.

Panel 2: BATMAN has the first file open, though the angle of the panel only allows the reader to see the backs of the pile of folders that BATMAN is holding.

GORDON: It’s a rough assessment of how many times some of Arkham’s worst have escaped custody and the amount of damage they’ve caused each time they’ve done it.

Panel 3: GORDON hangs his head in shame as he thinks about how long the matter has managed to escape him.

GORDON (1): I had someone ask me a question the other day.

GORDON (2): “What about next time?”

GORDON (3): It made me realize that for all the good you’ve done over the years, Arkham has been the one major problem you’ve never solved.

Panel 4: GORDON looks back up at BATMAN. BATMAN’s closed the folder as he looks at GORDON in order to give the Commissioner his full attention, though his face betrays nothing about what’s going on inside his head.

GORDON (1): The law allows them the protection of the insanity plea.

GORDON (2): Our own moral codes keep us from seeing to it that they meet with any unfortunate accidents.

Panel 5: Close up on BATMAN’s face.

BATMAN: What are you asking for?

Panel 6: Panel focuses on GORDON.

GORDON: I want you to ask Mr. Wayne if, before he starts funding even more Batman, perhaps could think about funding a replacement for Arkham.

(END PAGE)

Commissioner Jim Gordon - Home Sweet Home - Grant McLaughlin

2011-11-11T18:00:00.011+11:00

A classic 3 by 3 grid.

1 – Night time / very early morning. A kitchen. The light is off, but you can still get a pretty good idea of what's there. From left to right you can see part of a fridge, a doorway into the kitchen, a phone on the wall after the doorway, a kitchen table with some chairs, and a window that looks onto a driveway. This shot is going to be fixed throughout all of the panels, with the actors in the setting being the only movement.

The movement for the first panel is that a car is driving into the driveway. Its headlights are on and are quite bright in the gloom (perhaps sending some light and shadow into the kitchen).

2 – The car is now parked, with part of it still visible through the window. James Gordon is through the front door and coming into the kitchen. His posture is tired. Maybe he's slouching a little. One hand is flicking on the kitchen light while the other is leaving his jacket on a chair back.

3 – James is sitting at the table, pouring himself a drink. Maybe some scotch or whatever hard alcohol you think he'd prefer.

4 – His drink poured, James takes a moment to pause, reflect, and try to decompress.

5 – Before he can make any progress on those fronts, the phone rings. James turns his head towards the interruption.

6 – James has the phone to his ear, listening to the person on the other end. Neutral expression.

7 – The phone hung up, James rubs his eyes in a futile attempt to wake up.

8 – James is back on his feet, reaching for his jacket, and heading out the door.

9 – The kitchen is once again empty. The light is out. The drink sits on the table, untouched. James' car is out of the driveway and pulling away.

Commissioner Jim Gordon – Hard Night – Ryan K Lindsay

2011-11-09T12:02:00.001+11:00

PAGE 19 - 4 PANELS

1. Jim Gordon sits in a chair, his back to us. He’s on the roof of the GCPD but we only see a piece of this.

Caption-Gordon: My muscles ache.
Caption-Gordon: My brain is fried.
Caption-Gordon: My gun only has two bullets left in it.

2. We’ve moved back a bit to see more of the rooftop, Gordon hasn’t moved.

Caption-Gordon: I haven’t slept since Wednesday.
Caption-Gordon: The scotch is kicking in.
Caption-Gordon: Guess I have to get up.

3. We’re far enough back now to see the Bat Signal next to Gordon, though it’s not on.

Caption-Gordon: That damn daughter of mine won’t pick herself up from the prom.

4. Gordon is up and walking toward us, away from the Bat Signal which is now on.

Caption-Gordon: And I certainly don’t trust that Grayson character to drop her home on time.

Commissioner Jim Gordon - Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before - Rol Hirst

2011-11-08T18:00:00.002+11:00

Panel One.

The Joker sits in a dimly lit cell in Arkham Asylum. Think Hannibal Lecter’s cell in Silence Of The Lambs, with a safety glass wall at one side. We’re looking at him from behind his chair so we can see beyond him to the people outside. Batman. Nightwing. Harvey Bullock. Renee Montoya.

Harvey Bullock: What have you done, freak? What have you done to Jim Gordon?

Joker: Gordon…

Panel Two.

Switch the angle so we’re seeing this scene from the perspective of the observers now. The Joker sits in shadows, his face obscured by his hand. Only the top of his distinctive green hair and purple pinstripe suit is visible in this shot.

Joker: Gordon…

Joker: Tee hee hee…

Panel Three.

Reaction shot from the gathered heroes. Batman is grim and tight-jawed. Nightwing is glancing nervously at his mentor. Bullock looks like he’s chewing on a nettle. Montoya is trying not to cry.

Joker (O/P): Gordon?

Panel Four.

The Joker lifts his head and stares straight at us, that familiar evil grin scarring his face. Except this isn’t the face of the Joker. It’s the face of Commissioner James Gordon, distorted and Joker-ised. His mouth torn wide and scarlet, skin burned white, receding hairline dyed green. He’s wearing his glasses, but obviously the lenses are cracked.

Gordon/Joker: GORDON’S ALIVE!!!

Commissioner Jim Gordon - Ends and Means - Ben Rosenthal

2011-11-07T06:00:00.001+11:00

1. Commissioner Jim Gordon stands on a roof top, wind blowing his trench coat as he looks out over Gotham.

CAPTION (GORDON)

I believe in justice. As the top cop in the city, I need to.

2. A close up of Commissioner Gordon’s face, his eyes tight as he thinks.

CAPTION (GORDON)

I need to believe that my boys are the best. That they can handle whatever this insane city can throw at them.

In reality, I know that isn't the case.

3. Commissioner Gordon has turned to face two police officers, giving them an order.

CAPTION (GORDON)

They need help. I got them that help.

GORDON

Ok, fire it up.

4. Same as Panel 1, but the Bat-Signal is reflecting off the clouds. Commissioner Gordon’s head hangs slightly.

CAPTION (GORDON)

And I hate myself for it.

Commissioner Jim Gordon - Forsaken - Sime McDonald

2011-11-06T16:30:00.003+11:00

PANEL ONE
Entirely black.

THUG

[off panel / no word balloon tail]

Relax, Gordon.

Close your eyes.

You're tired.

CAPTION

The smell of creeping rot in the walls mingles with cordite from his weapon.

Blood pumps out from his wound like oil from a ruptured pipe.

PANEL TWO

In the darkness we can make out the silhouette of Jim Gordon, propped up in a corner beside a window that provides no illuminiation, natural or artificial. His revolver is in one hand; his other is clasping his gut as blood pools from a deep gash. I'm in two minds about representing the darkness in this panel; perhaps graytone the entire panel? Or provide Gordon's outline in white?

CAPTION [1]

This is not how James Gordon wants to die.

Alone in the darkness.

THUG

[off panel / no word balloon tail]

This'll all be over soon, Gordon.

Let it happen.

Let the darkness take you.

CAPTION [2]

There is still so much to accomplish.

So much that must be done.

PANEL THREE

Lighting flares and the room is momentarily lit. Gordon's attacker is right in front of him; rake-thin, gangly, long serrated knife in his hands. Gordon has his revolver raised.

SFX

BOOM!

CAPTION

Gotham needs him.

PANEL FOUR

Another black panel, save for the SFX.

SFX

Click.

CAPTION

The dead man's click tells him the city has forsaken him.

THUG

Hahahah!

PANEL FIVE

Similar panel as #2. The silhouette's of Gordon and the thug are visible. But now the thug is closer, leaning over Gordon, knife inches from his throat.

CAPTION [1]

Their relationship was always a one-way street.

Gordon sacrificed all for Gotham.

Gotham gleefully took it from him.

CAPTION [2]

What did Gordon expect in return?

PANEL SIX

Another explosion of light as lightning flashes - - - revealing THE BATMAN, clutching the thug in a choke-hold, the knife falling from his grasp.

SFX

BOOM!

CAPTION [1]

Gotham may have forsaken James Gordon.

THUG

Gack!

CAPTION [2]

Its Dark Knight hasn't.

Why James Gordon?

2011-11-06T14:00:00.004+11:00

"Gotham City.

Maybe it's all I deserve, now.

Maybe it's just my time in Hell."

- Liutenant James Gordon, Batman: Year One

In a surreal world of crazy clown psychopaths, scar-faced murderers and costumed vigilantes, James Gordon represents our only glimpse of realism in Gotham City. He is a humble man, dedicated to combatting evil and corruption however he can, as best he can. His desire to save Gotham from its inherent darkness is unrelenting. He is a man we can root for, who sets the kinds of standards we hope our law enforcers can reach. James Gordon is a man with flaws, like us, who strives to do right and doesn't always succeed. Who fails and falls and gets back up again. Whose determination is something we can aspire to.

Also? He's just a damn cool character who has thankfully been revitalised, initially under the stewardship of Scott Snyder in his Detective Comics run, and now continued in the DCnU. Gordon has been the focal point of some brilliant comics in the past and will surely inspire the Thought-Balloons crew to some of their best.

As always we welcome you to join in below.