Symka Issue One
SYMKA
ISSUE 1
Cover
Silver and Stick in the upper
part of the cover. Gideon and El Tigre
are in the bottom.
PAGE
ONE
Panel 1. matches except for the number of rings is now two.
Tight
shot of a standard old-style telephone, but with touch-tone.
Phone(fx):
Ring!
Panel 2. Slightly different, with the hand not grasping the receiver tightly.
Same
shot as above, a hand grasping the receiver tightly, the receiver slightly off
the hook.
Panel 3.
Full width panel, 1/3 of the
page. Our protagonist, Dale Turcott, runs through
the frame. He is dressed in
casual/business, with the top buttons of his shirt open. A desk sits squarely in the background with a
woman sitting at it, looking up at Dale, her eyeglasses slightly drooping off
her nose. Her hair is tied up sloppily.
Panel 4.
Full width panel, same size
as panel 3. A Range Rover, with Dale inside is speeding
down the street; a couple of pedestrians eyeing the speeding vehicle with looks
of annoyance. The vehicle is barely on
all four wheels, and dust brushes the bottom of the vehicle from the spinning
tires.
PAGE
TWO
Panel 1.
Small panel in the leftmost
corner of the page. The Rover is centered in the panel with the passenger side headlight
in the forefront. Dale Turcott is
exiting his Rover, the door not entirely open and his head and part of his
upper torso visible through the open door.
Panel 2. Missing a title. Should be
called Beginnings
Panel 2 takes the majority
of the page, almost a splash page. The shot is
aerial. Dale is just outside the
Rover. The upper half of the panel
centers on an apartment building on the left, reaching into the sky out of
panel, and a smaller two-story mansion on the right. A chain-link fence connects the two
buildings. The fence has a large hole
through it. Four men lie on the street, in various scattered poses. Three police officers check three of the
bodies. One other officer, a Sargent
Stadanko, stands towards the left side of the street. He has his hands on his hips surveying the
scene. A yellow police line cordons off
the area, just between Dale and his Rover, and Sgt. Stadanko.
PAGE
THREE
Panel 1.
Dale
Turcott, wielding his camera, passes under the police line.
Panel 2.
Dale,
with the camera on Sgt. Stadanko, who is on the right side of the panel with
his back turned, addresses the man.
Dale’s hand is extended.
Dale:
Excuse me! Could I have a word with you,
sir? Dale Turcott, Independent News.
Sgt.
Stadanko: Wha?
Panel 3.
Sgt.
Stadanko faces Dale, looking a bit the worse for wear. The man obviously drinks a lot of coffee, and
eats a lot of donuts. His stomach is
solid, and his pants are wrinkled from being seated for too much of his
day. His eyes are tired, but strong.
Sgt.
Stadanko: Sargent Stadanko! Whadda ya’
wanna’ know?
Dale:
Just want to know what happened here, sir.
Will you go on record?
Sgt.
Stadanko: Yeah, yeah, sure.
Panel 4.
Closeup
of Sgt. Stadanko. You can see more of
the details in his face from the last panel.
Sgt.
Stadanko: There were some artifacts stolen from the museum. The
Museum’s security chased after them and there was a standoff here. There was some kinda scuffle.
Panel 5.
Pan
out from previous frame to a ¾ shot of Stadanko. In the background, out of clear focus, a
Sgt.
Stadanko: Some shots were fired. A third
party got involved and left with the artifacts.
Now take off, kid. I got some
work ta do.
Panel 6.
Stadanko
is in the forefront of the panel, to the left, very close. The dog is in focus, its eyes intelligent,
its ears perked up, listening.
Dale
(out of panel): Thank you for your time, Sargent.
PAGE
FOUR
Panel 1.
Dale
takes the camera off his shoulder. The
dog is in the background, still looking on.
Dale(thinking):
I’ll have to check out the museum… see what I can find out there.
Panel 2.
Dale
looks over his shoulder to see the dog peering at him. The dog is still in the frame, in the same
position.
Dale(thinking):
That dog? What’s it doing here? They let a dog through
the police lines? Oh well…
Panel 3.
The
dog turns and trots slowly away.
Caption:
But little does Dale Turcott know that this dog is more than it seems…
Panel 4.
A
man stands in front of an alleyway, with a knapsack over his shoulder. It is Stick in his civvies. His face is young, probably early 20’s. His stature is tall and lean. His tight muscular chest can be seen through
his open jacket and a tight T-shirt. He
stands with one hand holding the knapsack in place, the other hanging to his
side. He looks down. The dog walks past him to his side into the
alley.
Caption:
This dog was there for a reason. It was
observing.
Panel 5.
Stick
turns around, stepping into the alley.
The dog is already in the alley, off-panel.
Caption:
It was there to learn what had happened, why this fight broke out.
Panel 6.
Same
as the last panel, but just a shot of the alley. Both Stick and the dog are in the alley, out
of panel.
Caption:
Overhearing the conversation between Dale Turcott and Sgt. Stadanko, the dog
now knows what happened here. What was
taken from the museum?
Panel 7.
Stick
steps out of the alley with a woman at his side. She is buttoning her shirt. She is Puerto Rican, with hair down past her
shoulders. She is stunning, and has an
exotic, animal quality to her looks. .
Panel 8.
¼
shot of the Puerto Rican woman (Silver) and Stick.
Silver:
I overheard a police officer talking to a reporter. This was the result of a theft at the museum.
Stick:
Let’s go then.
PAGE
FIVE
Panel 1.
Close-up of a knapsack spread wide open on a
floor.. A stone tablet sticks out of the
backpack. Ancient Tibetan text is carved
into the stone.
Caption:
In a rundown apartment a few blocks away…
(off
panel): So what do you think it is?
Panel 2.
Pan
out to show two men facing one another, seated on the floor, the tablet and
backpack between them. This should be a
larger panel to introduce the two people that have started this whole mess. They have their hands on their laps, staring
down at the object. The man on the left
is of Spanish descent, with full lips, a wider nose, and thick eyebrows. His skin is tanned. He looks very young, probably 17 or 18 years
old. His physique is that of a very muscular
athlete. He wears a loose black T-shirt,
and raggedy jeans, and a pair of no-name sneakers. His name is Joaquin.
To
the right is Gideon. He has shaggy
blonde hair that gets in his eyes, and a shaggy goatee. He is a handsome guy beneath the hair. He wears a ratty hooded sweatshirt, with a
few holes in it, a pair of worn gray corduroy pants, and beat-up sneakers.
The
apartment they are in looks beat-up, like their clothes. It is a tenement with old furniture, old
everything.
Joaquin:
Can you read this stuff, Gideon?
Gideon:
Just because I’m from
Joaquin:
Come on, man. Maybe you can recognize it
or something. I can’t make heads or
tails of it.
Gideon:
All right, all right! I’ll take a look
at it.
Panel 3.
Close-up
of Gideon’s hands grasping the tablet, pulling it out of the backpack. A faint shimmer/glow surrounds the tablet.
Gideon:
Well it looks like it’s in Tibetan.
Panel 4.
Close-up
of Gideon’s face, looking down. His
pupils are dilated, and his mouth is wide.
He seems to be in a trance. The
faint glow from the tablet is reflected on his face.
Joaquin(out
of panel): You know Tibetan?
PAGE
SIX
Panel 1.
Close-up of the tablet in Gideon’s hands. The text is visible but definitely in another
language.
Joaquin(out
of panel): Gideon?
Panel 2.
Same
close-up of the tablet, this time the text is in English.
Gideon
(reads in a different voice, as if he were possessed): They were born before recorded history, two bothers: Manapatapoo and Pitawa. Manapatapoo embodied all the good the world
had; Katharta, all the evil. Each spent
their lives in pursuit of their own goals, diametrically opposed to one another,
their rivalry more than that of brothers but of gods. Neither ever able to gain
an advantage over the other.
Panel 3.
Front
shot of Gideon, seated, holding the tablet in his hands (he is not resting his
hands on his knees as before). His face
is blank, trance-like.
Gideon(still
in trance-text): Man evolved, unaware of
the struggle of the Brothers. The world
became neither a good nor an evil place.
Throughout time, the Brothers realized that neither would ever be able to
gain an advantage over the other.
PAGE SEVEN
Panel 1.
Blank
face on Gideon holding the tablet.
Joaquin is starting to get worried
Panel 2.
Side
¼ shot of Gideon.
Gideon:
Pitawa wanted to change his role in the
scheme of things. He wanted to rule the
world without impunity. He wanted his
brother dead.
Panel 3
Front
shot of Gideon, his eyes dazzled.
Panel 4.
Shot
of Manapatapoo and Pitawa.
Caption:
This proved an impossible feat as the
Brothers were immortal and thus could not be killed. They were immune to each other’s power. They would forever be in check with one
another to let humanity run it’s course without their interference. Pitawa was relentless, testing his Brother’s
immunity at every chance. He soon
resigned himself to the fact that Manapatapoo would not die at his hands.
Panel
5.
Gideon:
But Pitawa would not be daunted.
Panel 6.
Joaquin
is standing over Gideon who is slowly coming out of the daze he was in.
Joaquin(whipser):
Gideon?
Panel 7.
Same
close-up as panel 5, but Gideon is shaking his head, to clear the cobwebs.
Gideon(back
in regular text): Wha?
PAGE
EIGHT
Panel 1.
Joaquin
is standing over Gideon holding his head in his hands. Gideon is still sitting on the floor.
Joaquin:
What happened there?
Joaquin:
You just bugged out. Like you were
possessed or something.
Panel 2.
Shot
of the tablet on the floor.
Gideon:
I… don’t know.
Panel 3.
Gideon
is getting to his feet. Joaquin helps
him up, clasping one of Gideon’s hands.
Gideon:
Just… when I looked at the tablet, the words blurred, and I could see…
Panel 4.
Gideon
and Joaquin, both concerned.
Gideon:
But it wasn’t with my own eyes.
Panel 5.
Gideon
and Joaquin opposite of one another.
Gideon:
It felt like I was watching myself read the tablet from out of my body…
Panel 6.
Close-up
of both their faces. Slightly bigger panel. Gideon’s face is
worried and strained. Joaquin is
quizzical.
Gideon:
I suddenly don’t feel safe, Joaquin.
Gideon:
I think we need to get out of here.
PAGE NINE
Panel 1.
Larger panel. Show the reader the museum. Stick and a black dog enter the front door of
the museum in mid-panel, far shot. Stick
wears sunglasses, and holds a seeing-eye-dog harness attached to the dog. He is wearing the same clothes as
before. Around them, are various Egyptian displays along one side
of the panel: statues, sarcophaguses, and the like (be creative here[RJC1]). The floor should be very well polished,
enough to catch the reflection of Stick and the dog. There are a couple of people observing the
displays. ¾ shot getting the dog’s head
and Stick upper body. Stick is talking
out of the side of his mouth, in the direction of the dog. The dog is looking up slightly towards
Stick. The dog’s ears are alert.
Stick(in
whisper text): Are you getting any scents, Silver?
Silver(the
dog, in whisper text): There are a lot of scents here…too many. Give me a little time…
Silver
(in whisper text): Come on. This way!
Panel 2.
Full
shot of Silver and Stick looking towards a police line surrounding a glass case
on the far side of the panel. Silver is
pulling the harness taut. The case was
cracked open (only slightly visible in this panel).
Silver(in
whisper text): Look, what do we have here?
This way!
Stick:
Okay, okay. Let’s go. You pull like a real dog.
Panel 3.
¾
shot. Silver and Stick are near the
display case, just outside the police line.
Silver is aggressively sniffing the area. One of the patrons in the background watches
them, staring. Stick is looking away,
not quite making a convincing blind man.
The glass display case can be seen much clearer in this panel. The left-hand side of the case has a gaping
hole in it. Two plate holders are empty
on the left side of the case. The right hand
side of the case, which is still intact, has three tablets held up by plate
holders.
Dog’s
nose(fx): Sniff! Sniff!
Panel 4.
Full
shot. Long horizontal panel.
Silver is pulling Stick away from the display case, towards the left
side of the panel. The glass display is
in the center of the panel. A man walks
towards the glass display, on the right side of the panel. The two patrons are looking rudely at the
pair.
Silver(in
whispered text): I have it! I have the
scent!
Stick(in
whispered text): Keep it down, Silver!
Someone will hear you!
PAGE TEN
Panel 1.
Long horizontal panel (same
as last one). Full shot of Stick and Silver exiting through
the doors, passing Dale Turcott. The
harness is taut. Dale and the two
patrons are looking at the pair. The man
walking towards the glass display in the last panel now stands at the display
case (which is now in the right-hand side of the panel). His arms are folded and he looks quizzically
at the pair.
Caption:
Stick and Silver leave the scene as Dale Turcott, from Independent News makes his entrance.
Panel 2.
Wider panel. ¾ shot of Dale Turcott looking towards the
door.
Dale(thinking): Is that the same dog I
saw earlier?
PAGE ELEVEN
Panel 1.
¾
shot of Gideon and Joaquin. Gideon is
pacing around the backpack on the floor, upset.
The tablet is on the floor next to the backpack. Joaquin is trying to calm him down. He has his hands up, in a calming fashion.
Gideon:
We have to move! When I touched the
tablet… it left a… a… signal, an emanation.
It was like everyone that’s ever been linked to the tablet knew I
touched it.
Panel 2.
¾
shot of Joaquin.
Joaquin:
Calm down, Gideon.
Panel 3.
Close
up of Gideon’s face. His face is
serious, and intense. It is not fear,
but a feeling of his losing a little bit of control.
Panel 4.
Gideon
is pointing to Joaquin almost accusingly.
Gideon:
And don’t touch it! We don’t want to
send off another signal to whoever’s after this tablet!
Panel 5.
Joaquin
is picking up a sweater from a ratty old sofa.
Joaquin:
Gideon…, it’s okay.
Panel 6.
¾
shot of Joaquin holding up the sweater.
Joaquin:
I’ll put it back in the bag… with this sweater.
I won’t make any skin contact with it.
Panel 7.
Close-up
shot of Gideon’s eyes.
PAGE
TWELVE
Panel 1.
Close-up
of Joaquin stuffing the tablet in the backpack with the sweater.
Joaquin:
I hope you didn’t plan on wearing this sweater again.
Panel 2.
Side
close-up shot of Gideon.
Gideon:
Whoever’s linked to this tablet will know where we are now, Joaquin. We are not safe. After all these years of hiding…
Panel 3.
¾
shot. Gideon has his hands on his hips,
and his head is cocked back. His chest
sticks out a bit. Joaquin is in the
background cinching up the backpack.
Gideon:
I just wanted to live a quiet life. To
get away.
Panel 4.
¼
shot of Joaquin.
Joaquin:
What do we do, Gideon? Do you think they
can track us if we keep the tablet with us?
I don’t exactly want to let just anyone to get their hands on it.
Panel 5.
Tight
close-up of Gidoen’s eye.
Gideon:
We’re keeping this!
Panel 6.
Close
up of Gideon’s face. His eyes are not
fully alert, as if he were thinking of something else. He is thinking about more than their
situation.
Gideon: This tablet is one step to power. I feel… there have always been people after
this tablet… these tablets. When I
touched I felt every person that’s ever had contact with it. I think they’ve been reminded of its
existence. We’ve… opened a can of
worms. We have a responsibility to make
sure no one gets their hands on this.
PAGE THIRTEEN
Panel 1..
Close-up
of Joaquin’s face. He looks strong,
heroic.
Joaquin:
You know I’m with you, Gideon. I can’t
turn my back on you. I owe you too
much. But what are we supposed to do? We can’t hang on to this tablet forever.
Panel 2.
Gideon
in the left-hand side of the frame looking over his left shoulder at
Joaquin.
Gideon:
We’ll worry about that later. But for
now, we need to move. I don’t think it
will be safe to come back to our apartment anytime soon. This is where I laid hands on it. Your place reeks of the tablet. If all
the former owners of the tablets felt me touch it, they will all be coming here
for it.
Panel 3.
Side
shot of Gideon. His eyes are closed.
Gideon:
We’ll have to stay on the move for a little while.
Panel 4.
Gideon
turns.
Gideon:
I, too can feel the tablet now, in my head.
The stench of it left in your apartment
I can feel in my head. But the
pulse from the tablet itself is starting to dull, becoming less frequent.
Panel 7.
Full
shot of the two standing stoically.
Joaquin holds the backpack in his left hand by the straps.
Gideon:
Both the tablet and myself are targets until the pulse dies down. We need to find a place to hide ourselves far
away from this apartment. Already there
could be people scoping out our place.
PAGE
FOURTEEN
Panel 1.
¾
shot of Dale Turcott shaking a man’s hand; it is the man who was standing near
the glass case in the museum. The man,
James Wilson, looks troubled/stressed, but shakes the hand
enthusiastically. Dale does not have his
camera.
Caption:
Meanwhile, at the museum, Dale Turcott is meeting with the museum’s owner…
Dale:
Thank you for speaking with me, Mr. Wilson.
James
Wilson: Well, sorry for the condition of the place. I’m sure you’ve heard of the theft.
Dale:
As a reporter, I’m here to find out the details, sir. But if I may, I’d like to talk about the
museum itself first.
Panel 2.
Close-up
of Dale’s face.
Dale:
I want to run a story about what the museum has done for the city… a positive
piece. I do need to cover what’s
happened, but I want to make a positive spin on the story. You know… to keep people interested in the
museum.
Panel 3.
Dale
and Wilson facing each other off center from one another.
James
Wilson: I’ll tell you what I know about the theft. Any publicity that helps get back my pieces
is good publicity. But if you want to
talk art, you’re looking at the wrong man.
Panel 4.
¼
shot of James.
James
Wilson: I do fund the museum, but miss Edith Harker definitely runs the
place. The art of collecting is more her
passion than mine. I am a businessman,
Mr. Turcott, uninterested in the pieces that Miss Harker brings in. I do know that these particular pieces that
were stolen are of great value to her.
And she wants them back.
Panel 5.
Reverse
of the previous frame, with the focus on Dale.
Dale:
You can be assured that Independent News
will do what it can to help nab whoever was responsible for this. We will help the police in their
investigation as much as we can.
PAGE FIFTEEN
Panel 1.
¾
shot of both men, James Wilson facing the reader, Dale facing away.
Caption:
“This is what I can tell you. A number
of individuals came in, brandishing guns.
They stole two tablets with the Tibetan etchings out of a glass case , leaving
behind all of the other ones.”
Caption:
“They were quick about it. They knew
what they wanted.”
Panel 2.
Side
¼ shot of James.
James:
They even managed to get past the security we hired for the exhibit.
Dale:
Hi Tech Henchmen, right?
James
Wilson: The same one. They followed but
weren’t able to catch them, unfortunately, but they are working with the police
on this.
Panel 3.
Close-up
of James Wilson, face downcast, eyes semi-open.
James
Wilson: Ms Harker was so upset. She
worked so hard to get these pieces for our museum…
Panel 4.
¾
shot of both men shaking their hands.
Dale also grabs
Dale:
Don’t worry, Mr. Wilson. Something will
turn up. The police will find the thieves. I want to thank you for your time. Is it possible to meet with Ms Harker now?
Panel 5.
Stick,
with his knapsack over his shoulder (same one as before, to hold Silver’s
clothes), and Silver (in dog form again, this time off the leash) walk down the
street. Long narrow vertical panel.
They should look rushed, Stick almost in a jog.
Caption:
Gideon’s uneasiness urges he and Joaquin to flee Joaquin’s apartment
quickly. Meanwhile, Silver in her canine
form follows their trail. She senses their
movement and they charge on trying to catch up to them.
Panel 6.
Same narrow vertical panel. This time Joaquin and Gideon rushing down the
street, in the opposite direction. They
too, are in mid-jog.
Panel 7.
Same narrow vertical panel, but with an high overhead
shot to show both groups rushing down the same street, towards one
another.
Panel 8.
Same narrow vertical panel. Close-up of Silver’s dog-face, the nose
sniffing away, and a look of “I found them” on her face. Dog Nose (fx): Sniff!
Sniff!
PAGE
SIXTEEN
Panel 1.
Wider vertical panel. Full body shot. Gideon is slumping, holding his head with one
hand. Joaquin is stopping his momentum,
which appears quite great, with a foot still in the air. He extends one hand to steady Gideon. In the far, far background, a man in an
expensive suit is moving quickly towards them.
The reader should almost not even notice this man.
Gideon:
Aah!
Joaquin:
Gideon! Snap out of it! We need to put some distance between us and
my place.
Panel 2.
Wider vertical panel as
panel 1. The shot should be coming up from the
sidewalk, to get Silver’s face and the upper torso and face of Stick in a
fairly tight shot. Stick and Silver are
looking ahead, alarmed. They see
something ahead.
Stick:
There!
Silver:
That’s them! But someone’s coming on
them!
Panel 3.
Full
shot of Gideon and Joaquin. Joaquin has
helped Gideon straighten out. He has
both hands on him, steadying him.
Gideon’s face is pained, his pupils dilated. The suited-man from the previous panel is
still in the background but much closer now.
He is leaping gracefully in the air, having propelled himself off the
sidewalk.
Gideon:
They’re here. It’s too late. Too late…
Joaquin:
Here? Who?
Panel 4.
Same size as panel as the
last, but a
tighter shot, and a little tilted to get a better shot of the suited man. He is crouched down from having landed and
coiled to spring again. Gideon is
turning around, but not there yet.
Joaquin is looking behind Gideon, seeing the leaping man for the first
time. There is a look of surprise on his
face.
PAGE SEVENTEEN
Panel 1.
The
Leaper lands from a massive leap, closing in on Gideon and Joaquin.
Panel 2.
Joaquin
looks worried. Gideon is serious.
Gideon:
Right on us!
Panel 3.
The
Leaper is flying through the air.
Panel 4.
Very
tight shot of Silver and Stick, frantic, rushing to reach Joaquin and Gideon.
Silver:
Hurry!
PAGE EIGHTEEN
Panel 1.
Large panel showing the leaping man
drop-kicking the now totally turned around Gideon. The man’s legs are fully extended, dead
center in Gideon’s chest. The impact is
very hard. Joaquin is a [RJC2]slight background, readying
himself. His hand is in his jacket,
reaching for…
Fx:
ARRGG
Feet(fx):
Smash!!!
Panel 2.
Large panel. Gideon falls backward, on his behind. The leaper is past Gideon, hand-springing to
his feet.
Panel 3.
Joaquin
has pulled out a blaster out of his jacket.
It is big and alien looking.
Panel 4.
Narrow horizontal panel. Stick is pulling a telescoping staff out of
his jacket.
Panel 5.
The
staff extends.
Staff(fx):
Shhhk!
PAGE NINETEEN
Panel 1.
Large horizontal panel. Both hands on his pistol,
Joaquin fires a spectacularly colorful red blast from the pistol, straight into
the leaper’s back. The blast forces the
man’s arms and legs backward, and the man forward
Panel 2.
The
leaper stumbles into the right side of the panel, his back smoking a little
from the pistol blast. He is slightly
hunched over, very groggy.
Panel 3.
Same shot as past panel, except that the Leaper hears
something.
Panel 4.
Smaller than the previous
panels. Should be working into the next
panel. Stick is in position with his staff ready, a
little like a baseball player with a bat.
Silver is next to Stick, teeth still bared, in pounce position.
Panel 5.
Should be worked in from the
previous panel, much larger! Very
spectacular full extension on Stick, a large swing with the staff smacking the
leaper. The leaper is knocked off his
feet from the impact, his left foot higher than the right, arms listlessly at
his side.
PAGE
TWENTY
Panel 1.
The
four facing off.
¾
shot of Gideon, getting to his feet. He
is looking back towards Stick and Silver.
His face is calm.
Gideon:
This isn’t your fight. Get out of here.
Panel 2.
¾
shot. Stick is looking down at Silver.
Panel 3.
¼
shot. Gideon is fully standing, still
looking behind him. Joaquin is looking
past Gideon, not willing to give any ground to Stick or Silver.
Gideon:
What’s it going to be? Or are you gonna
sick your puppy on us?
Panel 4.
¾
shot of Stick and Silver, ready to fight.
Panel 5.
Same
shot as Panel 4, but they both release their attack stances. Stick holds his staff in one hand, shrinking
it back to regular size. Silver is
sniffing.
Silver:
There are more of them coming, similar scents to this one and those from the
museum. Come with us. Together you have a chance.
Panel 6.
¾
shot of Joaquin and Gideon staring at the dog, with a “Holy crap! A talking dog?” look on their face.
Joaquin
(thinking): Did that dog just talk?
PAGE
TWENTY-ONE
Panel 1.
Close-up
of Silver
Silver:
You don’t have much time. They are only blocks away. We will hide you.
Panel 2.
Gideon
with his back to the panel (he doesn’t even trust the reader), looks at Joaquin,
who looks at him. They both have
questioning looks on their faces.
Silver
(off-panel): What’s it going to be?
Panel 3.
¾
of both parties staring each down.
Panel 4.
Same
shot as Panel 3.
Joaquin:
Okay. For now.
Panel 5.
Wider panel. All four are running away, their backs to the
reader, down the street.
PAGE
TWENTY-TWO
Panel 1.
Full
shot. A man behind a desk in
shadow. His hands are in front of him,
clasped together. Two people stand in
front of the desk, facing the shadowed man.
They wear red robes.
Caption:
At an undisclosed location…
Shadowed
man: He is moving with the tablet. He
knows we can sense him now. He will keep
moving, trying to hide, to stay one step away from us.
Panel 2.
Close-up. The shadowed man is still in shadow.
Shadowed
man: I want the hounds criss-crossing the city.
The tablet’s scent even now
begins to fade. If the hounds are quick,
they should be able to track the tablet’s scent. This one is intelligent. Waste no time. If you lose the tablet, I will hold you both responsible!
Panel 3.
Tall narrow vertical panel. The man stands. He is still in shadow, except for his arms
and hands. He has sharpened ends to his
nails.
Shadowed
man: We cannot lose the tablets when we are this close!
Panel 4.
Katharta:
Understood? Now go!
Panel 5.
Horizontal panel. We see the man from behind. He has stepped a little further into the
light. The robed figures leave the room
through the open doorway.
Shadowed
man(thinking): It has been some time since I last saw him. Is it mere
coincidence that he should cross my path now over the tablets? Or perhaps has he taken them specifically to
keep them away from me.
Panel 5.
Horizontal panel. The man sits back down into his chair.
Shadowed
man(thinking): I am almost anxious. The
moment shall come when we shall face one another again, for the last time.
PAGE
TWENTY-THREE
Panel 1.
¼
shot of Dale Turcott facing the reader.
A slender hand touches his shoulder.
The nails are short and chewed. This panel should work itself into the next
panel.
Caption:
At the museum…
Woman:
Mr. Dale Turcott.
Dale:
Eh?
Panel 2.
This panel should work out
of Panel 1. A
larger tall vertical panel to show us a full shot of Edith Harker with Dale
Turcott just off on the left side of the panel, with panel 1 cutting him
off. Edith is a woman in her
mid-thirties. She wears her hair in a
bun. She wears large, old out-dated
glasses. Her clothes are androgynous:
khaki slacks and white blouse. She is,
however, very beautiful.
Edith:
James says you want to speak with me.
Dale:
Edith Harker?
Panel 3.
¼
shot of both Harker and Dale. Dale is a
little put off by her beauty. He
obviously expected some older lady.
Edith:
Yes, I am she. You spoke to James about
doing a story on the museum?
Dale:
Yes, yes! I’m with Independent News. The
station sent me here to do a story --- Well a story on the theft, of course,
but I…
Panel 4.
¼ shot of Harker and Dale. She is looking away, uninterested.
Dale:
I have to run a story on the theft. It’s
my obligation as a journalist.
Panel 5.
¾
shot. Edith is walking away from
Dale. He is running after her.
Dale:
But I want to run a complete story
on the museum. I want to showcase the
importance of the museum to the city, and the incredible antiquities you’ve
been showcasing here.
PAGE
TWENTY-FOUR
Panel 1.
Square panel. ½ shot.
Dale is still trailing behind Edith.
Except in this panel, she doesn’t look as indifferent. She is actually starting to listen to him.
Dale:
I have a soft spot for the museum. My
father used to take me to the museum as a kid all the time. I used to marvel at the stories of the
ancients, through what they left behind for us to learn from.
Panel 2.
Taller vertical panel. She is facing the left side of the
panel. She has stopped walking. She has her arms crossed. Dale stands behind her.
Dale: Just coming here reminds me of him, you know. The seriousness on his face when he told me
how Tutankhamen [RJC4]was
mummified, or how the Sphinx was built.
Panel 3.
Square panel, same as panel
1. She has turned around to face him.
Edith:
A… love for the museum? My father was an
archeologist. He taught me about the
ancient peoples.
Dale:
The pieces you’ve shown in your museum…
They are fantastic!
Edith:
Well, thank you, Mr. Turcott.
Dale:
Please call me Dale.
Panel 4.
¼
shot of Dale in the foreground, Edith in the background.
Dale:
Look, I do need to report the theft of the tablets, but I want to have a whole
segment on the museum. A stand-alone
piece. The importance of the museum to
the city needs to be more important than some scandal over some theft. I want the community to remember the museum
for what it stands for - wonder.
PAGE TWENTY-FIVE
Panel 1.
Full
shot of Silver, in human form walking in through a door to the panel,
straightening out her sweatshirt which she has just put on. She is farther away in the panel. She looks towards Gideon. In the forefront of the panel, Stick sits on
a sofa in the left-hand side of the panel.
He has one foot on the sofa, with his arm resting on that knee, looking
very comfortable. His staff lies on his
lap. On the right side of the panel,
further away from the foreground than Stick, at an angle from Stick’s sofa, are
Gideon and Joaquin. Joaquin stands, arms
crossed, legs spread wide in a solid stance, looking at Stick. He has the Backpack slung from his
shoulder. Gideon sits on a recliner,
uncomfortable, looking at Silver. Next
to Silver on her left, by the door she comes through is a computer on a rickety
table. Very much in the background.
Silver:
You have one of the tablets, don’t you?
I could smell it on you in my dog form.
The tablets definitely have a strong scent. My question is: Why do you want it?
Panel 2.
Close-up
of Gideon. He looks very serious, and
maybe a little deadly. You don’t want
him mad.
Gideon:
Why did you help us, anyway? Why should
we stay here with you?
Panel 3.
¾
shot. Silver and Stick are looking at
Joaquin and Gideon.
Panel 4.
Shot
of Stick on the couch, still in the same position. Silver is standing next to him.
Stick:
Someone’s after the tablets. Silver
seems to think you didn’t steal the tablets even though the scent is on you. But if that’s the case how did you get them?
Silver:
Do you know what happened at the museum?
Panel 5.
Reverse
shot of Panel 3, but with Joaquin and Gideon.
Joaquin:
We have a tablet. Are you
telling me there’s more than one?
Gideon:
Yes. There’s four of them.
PAGE TWENTY-SIX
Panel 1.
All
four in the shot. Silver is pointing at
Joaquin’s backpack.
Silver:
The museum had four tablets. Two of them
are now missing. One you have, but
where’s number two?
Joaquin:
Listen: Who are you? We don’t even know you! Why should we tell you anything?
Panel 2.
3/4
shot. Gideon is frustrated, tired, and
not wanting to be here. Directly across
from him is Stick, on the couch sitting up now.
Gideon:
Look, I appreciate your boyfriend’s assist out there on the street in taking
out that goon. Thanks. But beyond that we have no reason to trust
you with anything.
Stick:
Look! We said that something was fishy with
the theft! Somehow you wind up with one tablet,
but were not at the scene of the crime. So,
how did you end up with one of the tablets and where is the other one? Who has the other tablet? We need to question Edith Harker from the
museum. I found out that she bought the
tablets in the first place. Maybe she
knows something she isn’t telling the police.
Maybe she still has one of the tablets.
Panel 3..
¾ shot of Silver looking at Joaquin and Gideon. Her look is heroic, even in her sweats. This is a cause for her.
Silver: Don’t tell me you don’t have questions,
too? Let’s work together on this, and
come to the bottom of it. You don’t have
to trust us. But at least work with
us. We’re not turning you in. I don’t believe you’re guilty.
PAGE TWENTY-FIVE
Panel 1.
½ shot of Joaquin facing Silver. This time, we’ll have Joaquin on the left
side, and Silver on the right, to show that Joaquin is thinking of changing
sides. She is pointing at the backpack.
Joaquin: Just who are you supposed to be lady? Wonder Woman?
Why help us? What’s in it for you?
Silver: Sometimes it’s not about what’s in it for
someone. Sometimes, it’s about setting
something right. I don’t think you are
keeping it for yourselves. It’s to keep
it away from someone. And if that’s the
case, you’ll need some help.
Panel 2.
¼ shot of Dale Turcott. He is in his Rover. He has one hand on the wheel, on the stick
shift. He is deep in thought.
Caption: Meanwhile, in a Rover heading towards the Independent News Studios…
Dale(thinking): I hated to play Edith Harker that
way. But I didn’t think she would give
me the info I needed. But now I have
more questions.
Panel 3.
Dale: She hinted at knowing more than she let on.
Panel 4.
¾ shot of Dale walking into the news studio. He waves at a few people gathered around a
desk far off in the panel.
Dale(thinking): She knows something about the theft,
something she wouldn’t say. Maybe she
knows the thieves?
Panel 5.
Dale: Maybe the tablets are not even missing at all
and this is just some publicity stunt. Where
have the tablets gone? It’s this third
party that’s sticking in my craw. Who
got between the thieves and the guards?
A third party was involved in the skirmish between the guards and the
supposed thieves. What stake did they
have in this?
Panel 6.
¼ shot. Dale is
knocking on a door with a reversed fist.
Dale(thinking): And what about the guards, these Hi
Tech Henchmen? Who are they
exactly? I need to find out some answers. And I know who can get them for me.
Dale: Hello?
Willis?
Fist(fx): Knock!
Knock!
PAGE TWENTY-SEVEN
Panel 1.
The door is opened.
A young man sits in a office chair, leaning back, back arched. He is dressed sloppily, in a wrinkled
T-shirt, button shirt, unbuttoned, and baggy jeans. He is tapping away on a keyboard, the dull
glow of a laptop, computer screen on his face.
Willis: Voice(off-panel): Come in already!
Dale: Ahem… Willis Tanchuk?
Panel 2.
Tight shot of Willis.
Willis: What do you want, old man? And it’s Scanner to you. Don’t call me by the lame name my parents
stuck me with, okay?
Panel 3.
¼ shot of Willis
Dale: Sure, sure, whatever. Look Willis… Scanner, I need some help
getting some information on something.
Are you game?
Willis: I’m busy, cantcha see?
Panel 4.
¾ shot. Dale is
standing over Willis, almost like a parent.
He has his hands on his hips.
Dale: Surfing the Net on company time? I could report you, you know.
Willis: You wouldn’t dare.
Panel 5.
Dale scheming this kid.
Dale: I need to find out some information. I will pay you…
Willis: Oh yeah?
How much?
Panel 6.
Close-up. Dale
is face to face with Willis.
Dale: Enough.
Now I need to find out whatever I can on a company called Hi Tech
Henchmen, and some ancient artifacts called the Symka tablets. Can you do it?
Willis: All right.
If money’s involved, I’m interested.
Why are you so interested in that company anyhow?
Caption (in bottom of panel): Who is after the Symka
tablets and who is in possession of the other 3 tablets? Answers and more questions next issue!
Comments
Post a Comment