VampireSelektor

BUMP

Comic book films and television write in Pattern 2 more often since Winter Soldier set the standard for Daredevil to challenge last season, and good. Well-choreographed, believable fights are refreshing in live-action comic book media after years of lacking. But Pattern 4 is rewarding, too, for the momentum building up between the protagonist and antagonist, moreso than the actual final battle.

Hmm. The Mirror didn't show him flayed. Well, hmm.

CBR alleges that Mister Miracle's trapped either in Hell or Heaven, but the simplest answer is that he survived another ordeal and started learning how to cope with the accumulated trauma.

Thoughts?

Have you ever been disappointed by poor, even careless handling of a great premise? My nomination goes to Uncanny Avengers vol.1 (2012). Writer Rick Remender misfired with a "why-hadn't-anyone-thought-of-this?" idea. Create a joint task force staffed with veterans of the world's premiere superhero group and the dogged mutant organization X-Men to advocate for mutants. But the first arc started off awkwardly - the Red Skull masterminds the abduction of Xavier's corpse and the Scarlet Witch for a plan that ultimately amounts to little impact aside from binding the first lineup together. The Skull's role in the first arc is a stretch compared to the ongoing war games between the X-Men and forces trying to capitalize on the myriad new Apocalypse(s).

Stryfe is the heir to Apocalypse. After Decimation, the Celestials arrested the original Apocalypse to collect their debts, Fantomex murdered his reincarnated child self, and Archangel succeeded him in the Clan Akkaba. Stryfe, in part two of this narrative, would have been better cast as their would-be-successor. Stryfe has untapped potential, heritage-wise - he and his siblings offer different paths for how to advocate for mutants. Their triumphs and faults, strengths and failures raise certain questions for their uncle. Havok has been trying to earn his doctorate for over 30 years, and his forays into leadership cost him his reality, his relationship, his father, and his childin that order. Remender, in keeping his scope on the book wide enough to include Kang, neglects these hardships. For a person who isn't much older than Peter Parker, he's almost endured as much (remember, this is Peter Parker we're talking about).

Pitting Stryfe, against the Unity Squad forces Havok to weigh his responsibility to himself versus the needs of the greater world. X-Men aside, adventuring aside, there are millions of mutants like him, who want to live their best lives without putting on a costume. Havok needs teammates to realize a more equitable world between humans and mutants. Some of the original casting choices for the Unity Squad, though, are naive at best. Drafting Spider-Man and Spider-Woman into the Avengers caused an uproar, so why take a risk on Scarlet Witch? Who, in her first appearance in the book, is vocally unrepentant about depowering over 99% of mutantkind and the following, ongoing trauma these former mutants had to suffer? She should not have been considered. Captain America and Wolverine should have been considered either. The Avengers have had other field leaders, but their examples pale in comparison to the fundamental image of Cap in charge. Keeping him subordinate to Havok breached credibility of the Squad and the story's prospects. And Wolverine - everyone loves Wolverine - but he had just started tenure as headmaster of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and serving the main Avengers team, plus indulging in his solo excursions all over the world. Where did he have the time to play spokesman for mutant-human relations?

Let's start recasting. If we keep Thor and Rogue, both of whom were well-placed on the team. First nomination goes to Wasp, Janet Van Dyne. Janet would have been among the strongest contenders for the initial six-person lineup had the book been more grounded. She's the ideal talent - highly recognizable, captivating, and a veteran field leader, all amounting to an invaluable adviser.

Rachel Summers-Grey gets the second nomination. Her vast experience over several lifetimes as tracker, den mother to the Askani Sisterhood and Cable, team player and raw psychic talent deserve better use than bit player in one of several X-Men comics. Rachel has a winning profile, too - young, attractive, intelligent with a compelling backstory. If anyone can articulate the dire future where human and mutant relations fail, it's her.

Rounding out the list, it's Ant-Man, Scott Lang. Scott has a great backstory, too - former electrical engineer gone bad steals the Ant-Man suit to save his daughter, and Hank Pym, seeing potential, allows him to keep the suit provided he do good. Scott earned his memberships on the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. His daughter Cassie followed in his career path without lasting incident. And his size-changing abilities and past as a burglar make him ideal to play point-man when Rachel's telepathy proves ineffective against a threat.

Nominations for "Comic runs that should have worked" are encouraged down below.

Nightfall

Issue 1

Story by Caleb Wossen

Foreword: ‘Nightfall’ is the alternative sequel to ‘The Dark Knight’. Keeping with the color sequence from the Nolan films, this series will maintain a honeysuckle to indigo aesthetic in its cover art and pages. Readers can also find "Nightfall" and other stories on my Tumblr

For the Artist: Your input is valued. Please come forward with any suggestions.

Page 1

The story opens with James, 18 years old, bespectacled with sandy blonde hair and a blue windbreaker.

Panel 1

Tight shot of James’ face as he rests a tab of Baby Doll, a concentrated drug similar to MDMA, on his tongue. Panel 1 sits top left of the page encompassing panel 2.

“...the world is an illusion…” , a television broadcasts the news offscreen. “...Hugo Strange will appear later this evening on Hammond Tonight in support of his new book...”

Panel 2

Pull out. Wide shot of James and friends posing manically to a corral of whoops and yeah!yeah!yeah!’s. The television appears behind James and his three friends to the right in a modest bachelor pad. Cheap beer cans litter the dining table.

“...Top story tonight,” the broadcast, offscreen, text only. “Recently announced mayoral candidate Alberto Falcone deflected criticism regarding his alleged mob ties through his father, the late Carmine Falcone, responding to comments on social media regarding his characteristically large nose…”

Page 2

Panel 1

Zoom out. Wide panel comprising the entire page interlaid with later panels. James and friends are walking downstairs out of their apartment to hit the streets at 10pm, still flailing about warlike.

“All my appendages that protrude are distinctive and huge, thank you,” the broadcast, offscreen, airing a soundbite from Falcone.

Panel 2

The boys carefully advance ahead of people in line at a concert venue. Show posters advertising the marquee act, “Mothman”. Pace the motion like so -

1. The boys get in line facing away from the reader in the first segment;
2. James and his friends, now facing the reader, advance cautiously from the right of the line. (Let’s have breath visible in the cold, late fall air. Brilliant violet light bleeds from the open door);
3. Some bloke tries to intervene, but his sympathetic girlfriend halts him as James and company are permitted inside. “Falcone recently tendered in his resignation as lecturer at Oxford University amid allegations of misconduct from a colleague…”

Page 3

Panel 1

Roughly three panels’ large. Over the boys’ shoulders, the venue looks ablaze with purplish to hot pink lights cast down on people on dancing.

Panel 2

James and his friends prance on the dancefloor, facing towards the reader.

Panel 3

The panel moves through two halves.

1. The boys break out into jangly, hip-thrusting dance moves, drifting confidently, if not savvily towards schools of woman.
2. James attempts to push up on an unreceptive woman apparently engrossed by her friends.

Panel 4

The young woman and her friends (right, foreground) attempt to move away, but James is in pursuit (left, background). One of James’ friends watches several feet away in the background.

Panel 5

Shot from behind James. James attempts to advance on them, but looks over to his shoulder to find one of his friends pulling him away.

Panel 6

James and his two friends are dancing in a huddled, serious-faced romp.

Page 4

Panel 1

James leaves the club alone a few hours later around 3am.

Panel 2

James heads back in the direction of his apartment, walking away from the reader. Somewhere in the background should read “God Loves, Batman Kills” in graffiti behind James’ shoulders.

Panel 3

1. We’re walking slightly overhead behind James entering an alley on his left.
2. James stands shrouded, lighting a joint.

Panel 4

Close up on James from the waist up, inhaling deep, nostrils wide.

Panel 5

Long exhale, James’ head tilted back like he’s taking a warm piss.

Panel 6

Over his shoulder, a group of delinquents walk into frame from the street into the background.

Panel 7

The panel is split into two:

1. Tight shot on James and the hands of the thugs asking for a hit.
   1. Delinquent: Aye, bruh, can we get a hit?
2. Tight shot on James’ hand passing the joint. “You can have it. I got -”.

Panel 8

The panel is split into two:

1. Tight shot. One of the hoodlums grabs James’ hand.
2. Zoom out. The thug manipulates the nerve in his hand to throw him down. The motion should flow forward, slightly right.

Page 5

Panel 1

James falls towards the reader to the right, foreground, the only fully visible person in the dark, mauve shadows. Delinquent #1 adjusts his belt in the background, left. Note that this scene decompresses frame by frame till panel 4.

Panel 2

Reversal angle from above the delinquent's shoulders. Delinquent #? kicks James between the shoulder blades as he reaches forward.

Delinquent #?: Uh uh.

Panel 3

Back to the perspective from panel 1. The delinquents descend on James.

Panel 4

Zoom out slightly. A pair of shoes enter frame. Aldo’s, dark brown.

Dick: Hey.

Panel 5

Reverse angle. The thug looks up to catch a kick to the chin. Dick is sharply dressed, wearing a gray suit, dark brown tie, gray vest, and unbuttoned jacket.

Panel 6

Delinquent #? goes after Dick.

Panel 7

Dick halts his blow and follows through with a chop to the throat, spinning around for a hard elbow to his solar plexus. Break this motion down step by step.

Panel 8

Switch side perspective. The last delinquent to attack our hero lunges after him only to…

Panel 9

(Vantage point looking into the alley from a distance) ….be flung, judo style, out into the street.

Panel 10

Smaller, circular panel, right corner of panel 9. Back to James lying on his belly, we’re looking over his shoulder while he looks up at his savior.

Page 6

Panel 1

We’re now facing James lying on the floor, rummaging through his jacket pocket.

Panel 2

Again with the decompression. James pulls out a cigarette pack full of joints. Holding a lighter in the other hand, James tries to pull out a sympathy joint in light of recent events.

Panel 3

Alas, Dick crushes the pack under his foot. James looks up at his champion as if he’s just been resuscitated.

James: Mm!

Panel 4

Big, six-panel aggregate. Looking up from James’ shoulders, we get our first look at ADA Richard Grayson. Dick smiles down sheepishly at James, patting his combed back hair.

James: Dick.

Dick: Sorry, I wasn’t looking.

Dick: Wanna get juice?

Panel 5

Small circle in the far bottom corner of panel 4. James looks up, somewhat peeved.

Page 7

Panel 1

Dick helps James up, smiling warmly at James’ moonface.

James: Sure.

James: Thanks for being there.

Dick: No big.

Panel 2

We follow James and Dick walking away.

James: Are we going to your apartment?

Dick: Yeah, I’m going to make ‘em.

Dick: You’re still getting juice, though.

Panel 3

James and Dick approach a modest brownstone in a trendy part of Gotham. The aesthetic should imply close proximity to the club and James’ apartment.

Panel 4

Reverse angle. Dick looks back shyly at James as he leads him into his unlit apartment.

Dick: Mind the mess, please.

Panel 5

Tight shot on Dick’s fingers pressing the light switch “on”.

Page 8

Panel 1

Zoom out. Look around the messy apartment. Books strewn around the floor and counters, pajamas laden over one of his couch arms. There’s a six-pack of beer still sitting in a grocery bag on the kitchen counter. Pictures are hung abundantly.

James: Nice.

James: Lovely.

James is not sobering up for a while.

Dick: Thanks. Make yourself comfortable while I get everything ready.

Panel 2

James lies on the nearest couch facing away from the kitchen while Dick clicks on a remote for his stereo. Here, Dick could face the audience while James lies back, or stand adjacent. I’m listening to “Coronus, the Terminator” now, so something from the core of Flying Lotus’ “You’re Dead!” would work or “No Love Deep Web”, or anything that deals with paranoia, loneliness, or death.

Panel 3

Vantage point on front of the couch. James rests serenely, but alert. Dick is offscreen.

James: People think you’re the new Robert Kennedy.

Dick: Heh. I’m doing what I can. This city needs a lot after what it’s been through.

Panel 4

Dick, sans jacket, holds wheatgrass over a compost heap of blueberries, cut-up strawberries, whey powder, and a moat of cranberry juice. Now James is offscreen.

Dick: You like wheatgrass?

James: Love it.

Dick: Who’d you go see tonight?

James: Mothman.

Dick: Ah.

Panel 5

Dick, adjacent to the audience, walks over to James holding two juices. James flicks his tongue teasingly.

James: You seriously running for DA?

Panel 6

Zoom out slightly. Dick hands juice to James, who’s sitting up to receive his cup. There’s an armchair half-cropped out in the right corner of the panel.

Dick: Yeah.

Panel 7

Dick sits down in the armchair. He looks pensive. James is offscreen.

Dick: You still in school?

James: No.

Panel 8

Dick takes a swig of his juice.

Panel 9

James, slightly oriented right facing screen left, peers into his cup, watching the juice pour into his mouth. Dick is offscreen now.

Dick: Don’t let life pass you by.

Page 9

Panel 1

Back to Dick staring patiently.

James: You sound like my dad.

Dick: Is he wrong?

Panel 2

James takes another sip. Same perspective as panel 9 on page 8.

James: No.

Panel 3

Zoom out. From our vantage point, we observe Dick in one corner (left) and James in another (right).

James: I don’t understand how people blame our generation for letting Gotham go to shit.

Panel 4

Back to Dick. James is offscreen.

James: Like we’re the ones who bent over for Falcone. We let our balls drop off when the Joker hit.

Panel 5

Same perspective on Dick. He’s staring down soberly.

James: We’re living in a world they built. How are we wrong in reacting?

Panel 6

James looks like he’s about to make out with his juice. Doll, man.

James: People cry about bad things to deflect from how corrupt they’re being. No one’s even trying anymore after Den- the rumors.

Panel 7

Dick sits crouched in his chair. He’s digesting everything James is saying.

James: It’s hard to know what to believe in. Why even try? Why do you try?

Dick: (brief pause) Someone has to. What else is there?

Panel 8

Dick gets up from his chair and heads to his bedroom adjacent to the front door.

Dick: I have to head to the office in a few hours. You can stay here till I get back. ‘member to turn the bolt lock before you leave from the back.

Panel 9

Dick leaves his room holding a blanket to cover James.

Dick: Try not to do too much damage, k?

Panel 10

Smaller, circular panel in the bottom right corner of the panel. James continues to stare into his cup, transfixed in the darkness.

Page 10

Panel 1

Cut to the set of “Hammond Tonight”, that bears an uncanny resemblance to “The Bill Maher Show”. Roy Hammond, 40ish, sits off-right at the table with psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Hugo Strange, tonight’s special guest screen right from Hammond. Strange, 37, sits tall in his chair, slightly tawny with a faint beard and combed back hair. He’s wearing glasses and dressed haute collegiate; very attractive. Screen left from Hammond are former mayor Cady, Garcia’s predecessor and Audrey Peables, social scientist. Captions list names and occupations infrequently when the guests speak.

Hammond: Baby Doll. Baby Doll. Guy’ll walk out of his house hoping to get lucky, wake up next morning wearing fishnets sitting next to a trucker.

Panel 2

Frame around Cady and Peables. The audience resembles a blurry mass of heads behind them.

Cady: If he’s lucky, he’ll be dead before that.

Panel 3

Same perspective. Crowd boos Cady. “BOOOO!” animated and overlaid on Cady and Peables. Cady is embarrassed.

Panel 4

Tight shot on Hammond smiling impishly.

Hammond: Now, Cady. If my only real choices for a leader are the son of one of the city’s most reviled crime lords and Bruce Wayne, I’d be getting high, too. I mean, are these our best and brightest?

Panel 5

Wide angle capturing the entire debate panel just slightly adjacent from Strange’s right shoulder, catching the side of his face.

Peables: Now to his credit, Falcone is an academic.

Hammond: Controversially, you mean. Guy apparently, uh, allegedly tried to come on to his TA. I’m sure a little mob money’s good these days, blow the whole thing over.

Cady: Compared to that Man of Mystery substance abuser Wayne, I think Falcone deserves a fair shot.

Hammond: Now Falcone doesn’t drink or smoke, right? You know, as a matter of fact, did Wayne even graduate from a university?

Peables: I believe he did.

Hammond: See, that’s what I mean.

Panel 6

Hammond in the foreground, left, Strange slightly shrouded in the background, right.

Hammond: Who is Bruce Wayne?

Hammond: He shows up after being dead for seven years, and then suddenly he’s this philanthropist rebuilding the city after his man Harvey Dent’s crash and burn, and now there’s this conspiracy theory that he’s tied into the Dent mur- I mean *ahem* the Batman murders. Then he goes and adopts an orphan, puts him through school, and now at 24, he’s the favorite to win the DA’s seat. The billionaire who might have funded the Batman. Christ, it doesn’t get murkier than that.

Peables: To be fair, he hasn’t declared yet.

Hammond: If he did, people would vote for him, Audrey. And the man’s a junkie.

Page 11

Panel 1

Model after last panel. Hammond turns to Strange and nudges him.

Hammond: Not that a little poison every once in a while dulls the mind, right, Hugo?

Strange: I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.

Panel 2

Strange, center in panel.

Strange: What we do have to acknowledge, despite the intrigue and credible evidence to both corruption and the less egregious allegation, kingmaking, the DA’s collaboration with the Batman was the first substantive reform effort this city has ever seen.

Panel 3

Vantage point from the camera monitor.

Strange: The hope Gotham felt and the civil and political engagement people were starting to exercise were certainly breaths of fresh air.

Panel 4

Over Hammond’s shoulder, on Strange.

Strange: How soon that disappeared, right?

Panel 5

Wide shot angled overhead.

Strange: Corruption’s as prevalent as it’s ever been. There’s serious evidence pointing to the resurgence of organized crime, and if we can be honest for a moment, they probably never left. Dent’s successor, DA Bhangari, is alleged to have taken bribes. The only reason I see not to view Grayson with suspicion is how visibly busy he is trying to address people and their problems.

Panel 6

Hammond and Strange in the background, right, but clear. Peables and Cady, backs to the reader, far left, shrouded. Strange’s hands are raised as if to say “I told you.”. Hammond listens attentively.

Strange: Say Grayson wins the DA’s seat. He will still have to answer to one of two problematic socialites.

Panel 7

Wide shot of the panel adjacent to Strange’s shoulder. The audience is in the background.

Hammond: One of whom is basically his father.

Strange: And not enough people seem to care.

Panel 8

Same shot, but with the sheen of a television screen.

Strange: People would rather immerse themselves in addiction and tend to their wounded self-esteem than get serious about cleaning their city up. When is Gotham going to stop looking to larger-than-life personalities and do for itself?

Panel 9

The audience applauses (note: let’s print the applause in onomatopoetic comic font).

Hammond: Toil over that question while we take money from our sponsors.

Page 12

Panel 1

A hand holds a pair of glasses similar to James’. The television plays blurrily in the background.

Panel 2

Side left. We see two of the delinquents from earlier cuddling in bed.

Panel 3

Close up on the couple wearing similar expressions. Delinquent #1 looks dazed, and the henchman under his arm looks the same aside from his slightly bruised face.

Delinquent #1: Put on ‘Cirque Du Soleli’.

Delinquent #?: K.

Panel 4

Zoom out slightly. #1 is out of bed rummaging through a backpack. #? clicks on the remote control.

Delinquent #1: On second thought, ‘Ex Machina’. You wanna try this shit raw?

Panel 5

Front shot of the bed. #? lies back while #1, adjacent to the reader, fiddles with a shrouded object, a pipe with the unnamed drug tucked in his palm.

Panel 6

#1 is back in bed, knees bent, sitting up, loading the drugs into his pipe, light from the television shining on him and his partner. (Let’s have some recognizable dialogue here from ‘Ex Machina’ [“You tore up her drawing!”, “I’m about to tear up this motherfuckin’ dancefloor right here”.]).

Panel 7

#1 takes a hit. Smoke billows into the pipe and out slightly.

Panel 8

#1 exhales. Smoke encompasses half of the panel.

Panel 9

The smoke fills the entirety of the panel.

Page 13

Panel 1

Close up on #1’s red, veiny eye, roughly three-fourths of the panel. Smoke billows around one-fourth of the panel, lining its borders.

Panel 2

Zoom out. Smoke billows screen left, lining the left and bottom borders. #1, screen center, slightly right, looks over with one visible, red eye at #? obliviously watching ‘Ex Machina’.

Panel 3

Side on. #? in the foreground, #1 eyes him from behind the smoke.

Panel 4

Same perspective, but closer up. #1 leans over and sucks on #?’s neck.

Delinquent #?: Mmm.

Panel 5

Zoom out slightly. #? struggles to push away #1 whose teeth have broken the skin on his neck. #? is bleeding and screaming, tearing up.

Delinquent #?: Aaaow!

Panel 6

#? jumps out of bed, stunned, staring at #1. #1’s back is turned away from the reader in the foreground.

Delinquent #?: What-wha..

Panel 7

#1 lunges at #?, forcing him against a wall with enough force to make a dent.

Bottom: Uuf!

Panel 8

Side on. #?, left, looking at #1 hoisting him up and biting his neck.

Bottom: Stop bit-!

Panel 9

Close up on #1’s teeth ripping into #?’s neck.

Bottom: -tt-!

Page 14

Panel 1

Tight shot mirroring the last panel on page 13. A great set of teeth are chomping into a sweetened rice bun. The subject appears European-American.

Panel 2

Zoom out. Bruce Wayne, 40, gushes over his appetizer at a Japanese restaurant located several stories high at WayneCenter, apparent from the window in the background. Bruce sits alone, wearing some sort of three-piece suit, gray or dark blue. As we’ll see throughout the volume, he’s developed sort of a dad bod, but he’s still in near-perfect condition.

Bruce: Mmm! Magnifque!

Panel 3

Dick enters frame with his back to the audience from screen left. Over his shoulder to the right, we see Bruce’s excitement at seeing his protege for a business lunch. Never say Bruce Wayne doesn’t know to invest his money.

Panel 4

Close shot of Dick’s face behind people dining in the background. Bruce yells offscreen.

Bruce: D I I I I I I I I C K!

Several people look over towards Dick. It’s safe to assume this has happened before. Dick looks embarrassed as if his parents are visiting him at university and just met his girlfriend. He’s appreciative, but they could dial back the energy.

Panel 5

Long shot of Dick in the middle ground preparing to greet Bruce, far right, foreground. Dick grins, arms raised for a hug.

Dick: Bruciie! How’s tricks?

Panel 6

Dick and Bruce hug, Bruce’s back turned away from the reader.

Bruce: Can’t complain. Let’s get you fed.

Panel 7

Dick and Bruce are chatting in front of their food. Bruce’s eating big noodles steeped in pork broth. Dick’s eating a kobe beef burger with a light layer of butter on the sesame buns and three strips of bacon. They’re both drinking beer.

Bruce: I’m tellin’ ya, ya gotta upgrade your digs, Dickie Bird.

Panel 8

Dick dips his french fry in ketchup. Bruce is offscreen.

Dick: I like it. It’s cozy.

Bruce: You should move.

Dick: And miss out on my exotic dance classes in my neighborhood? No thanks.

Panel 9

Bruce gives Dick the side-eye while a mouthful of noodles hang from his mouth.

Page 15

Panel 1

Bruce swallows his food like an adult.

Bruce: Well, far be it for me to tell you how to keep your acrobat skills sharp.

Dick: Hey, man of the world, right? Gotta keep things interesting for myself.

Panel 2

Reverse angle. Side on Bruce, foreground right. Dick, far left, rolls his eyes.

Bruce: And your lady friends, hm? *hiccup*

Dick: I do it for the craft, Bruce. If I have admirers, so be it.

Panel 3

Side on. Bruce raises a fork to his mouth.

Bruce: Uh huh. How’re your friends?

Panel 4

Perspective straight on Dick. He’s reluctant.

Dick: ...I ran into James.

Panel 5

Bruce pauses in recognition, his spoon suspended in front of his open mouth.

Bruce: Oh.

Panel 6

Bruce dips his fork back into the bowl.

Bruce: What’s Junior up to?

Panel 7

Perspective on Dick, back turned to the reader, handling his partly-eaten burger and Bruce, who’s stone faced.

Dick: Good. Saw him on the way home from the office.

Panel 8

Same perspective. Bruce picks up his beer to sip.

Panel 9

Straight on Dick and Bruce, screen left to screen right. Bruce chugs his beer.

Page 16

Panel 1

Frame around Bruce and Dick, reversed so that Bruce is in the foreground, shrouded to the left, and Dick is in the far right, crisp. Bruce smiles thin. He’s trying to veil his true feelings.

Bruce: Shame about what happened to his old man, right?

Dick: Yeah, he didn’t deserve that.

Panel 2

Reverse the perspective from last panel with Dick shrouded in the far left and Bruce in the far right. Bruce catches a waiter’s attention mid-sentence.

Bruce: A - excuse me, Black Label, two glasses - scapegoat.

Panel 3

Same perspective. We can see Dick finishing his burger.

Bruce: He went above and beyond. Through all of that chaos.

Panel 4

Reverse angle. Now we’re on Dick dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin. Bruce flails his arms, shrouded in the far left.

Bruce: Two terrorist attacks, and I’m understating when I say ‘terrorist’, and - campaigns! Unprecedented campaigns of terror wreaking havoc on our city, and he steps up, holds it all together, makes one error in judgment under pressure no one who tried him could even conceive, and they beat on him like a rented mule. It’s a disgrace.

Panel.5

Frame around Dick and Bruce, far left to far right. The waiter finally arrives with the two glasses and a bottle of Black Label chilled in ice.

Dick: At least he had people who stood by him.

Bruce turns his head to thank the waiter.

Bruce: Eh, thank you.

Panel 6

Pull closer to Bruce. The waiter pours them drinks.

Bruce: Thank God you have someone in your corner to help you get where you need to go.

Panel 7

Slight diagonal angle on Bruce raising his glass.

Bruce: To you, Dick. To Gotham, and to the return of vision in the DA’s office.

Panel 8

Reverse angle. Dick, clear in the far left, Bruce slightly shrouded, screen right, knocking back his drink. Dick’s glass is still full.

Dick: Bruce…

Panel 9

Same frame, except Bruce is pouring himself another drink.

Bruce: Don’t you dare be embarrassed.

Page 17

Panel 1

Dick and Bruce, left to right, drinks in hand. Dick smiles cringely. People are peaking at them and talking gossip.

Bruce: 24. Already in the running for the DA’s office. My hat’s off to you. Eight years ago, you were in one of the hardest positions imaginable, but you persevered. How you managed to breeze past college and law schoo- Law school! You could barely drink when you got your degree. Drink up.

Panel 2

Dick and Bruce clean their glasses. Same framing as last panel.

Panel 3

Dick and Bruce brace themselves for the acid reflux ravaging their throats. Same framing as last panel.

Bruce: I’m honored *phew* It’s an honor to watch you lead this city towards greener pastures.

Panel 4

Tight frame on Dick from chest up wearing a sober expression on his face. He either doesn’t notice or care that Bruce is refilling his glass. Bruce is offscreen except for his arm.

Bruce: Look at what you’ve done in just two years. Peop- young people are more engaged in what goes on in this city than ever. Drug use is starting to go down with peopl- ah, people going to rehab, and the esteem, Dick, the esteem people are starting to have again in this city, themselves, their DA? Nothing short of a miracle. I’m so proud of you.

Dick: I’m not the DA, Bruce.

Panel 5

Tight shot on Bruce raising his glass.

Bruce: Not yet. Drink up.

Panel 6

Dick and Bruce, screen left to right, down their drinks

Panel 7

Dick and Bruce immediately belch out gastrointestinal foulness.

Bruce: C’mon, let’s do another.

Panel 8

Dick protests, incredulous.

Dick: Another? You look like you pregamed before I got here.

Bruce: A lil’ bit.

Page 18

Panel 1

Dick and Bruce stumble outside of WayneCenter faintly in the background. Bruce is standing slightly wide, hands on his hips. Dick is classy.

Panel 2

A Lamborghini pulls up, headlights flashing.

Panel 3

The driver, Alfred gets out and greets his masters.

Alfred: Master Richard, is this old git rotting your mind?

Dick: Leave ‘em alone, he’s harmless.

Panel 4

Side on, inside of the Lamborghini. Bruce, right, droops forward, hands on his head. Dick, left, is classy. Alfred takes a quick look in his rear view mirror and interrogates Dick like all good uncles.

Alfred: How goes the crime busting?

Dick: It’s more like community outreach, Alfred.

Panel 5

Perspective - outside of the car driving towards screen right, and we’re peering through the windows. Traffic is tolerable.

Panel 6

Same perspective.

Alfred: Heh, I’m teasing you. Those kids you’re mentoring to take to you yet?

Dick: Yeah, they’re spectacular. Bright, savvy kids. One of them is set to attend Gotham State in the fall at 16.

Alfred: A copycat, sir? Shall I handle him?

Panel 7

Zoom out. Side on. The Lamborghini enters the Gotham Bridge.

Dick: Eh, I think we’ll air on leniency here.

Panel 8

Close up on Dick peering through the window, content. Bruce stares solemnly at nothing.

Dick: I’m happy these kids have places like the mentorship program to hone their talents. Between the DA’s office and the programs you’ve been funding, Gotham’s intellectual capital and infrastructure are about to make a leap.

Panel 9

Slightly different angle. Dick, slightly shrouded in the foreground, far left, and Bruce to the far right. Bruce’s posture and tone have sharpened. Was the lunch scene an act? Dick straightens up, alert but confident. The sky has now darkened.

Bruce: How do you feel about the prosecutions so far?

Dick: There’s been progress. Assaults and robberies are down and organized crime is at a record low. What’s concerning, though? The number of arrests for public intoxication. Possession. It’s alarming how many people are behind bars for either.

Panel 10

Overhead shot of the Lamborghini about to pass the bridge.

Bruce: Is your office considering decriminalization?

Dick: Yeah, but it’s the dependency that scares me. For every healthy, functional person, there’s eight slurring their lives away. It’s sad.

Page 19

Panel 1

Side on the exterior of the Lamborghini. Frame around Dick and Bruce through the passenger window, with Alfred in the right foreground.

Bruce: This is definitely the hard part.

Panel 2

Zoom in. We’re inside the car, but the framing is otherwise the same between Dick and Bruce.

Bruce: The morale of this city’s been broken for a long time. It’s going to take more than throwing money around and posing for photo-ops to raise public esteem.

Panel 3

Dick, in the far left background, crouches over to listen in to Bruce in the far right foreground.

Bruce: But if we do it right, take initiatives to optimize what’s working, then we can finally ensure a stable framework that addresses Gotham’s issues through its institutions. Learn and adapt in real time, not dig our heels in dysfunction.

Panel 4

Overhead, X-ray shot of car interior. Dick and Bruce chat in the backseat, while the car drives on the service road towards the bottom right corner of the panel.

Bruce: This city deserves to know what it’s like to have a reliable government, and when that happens, everyone will prosper. And then Batman’ll just be a ghost story.

Panel 5

.

The reader follows the Lamborghini driving up to a gate. The mansion beyond the gate is Wayne Manor as evidenced by the plaque saying so on both columns anchoring either side of the gate. Dick replies offscreen.

Dick: Amen.

Panel 6

The gates open allowing Alfred to pass through to the mansion.

Panel 7

Alfred pulls up to the front of the mansion. Same perspective as previous panel but slightly closer up. We’re several feet away from the car. Dick and Bruce are offscreen.

Dick: I kinda miss the penthouse.

Bruce: I don’t.

Panel 8

Same shot. Alfred exits the car.

Dick: Oh, did I tell you I saw Babs today?

Bruce: Yeah? You talk about the actress you vacationed with last week?

Panel 9

Same shot, except Alfred has opened the driver’s side passenger door.

Dick: What?

Bruce: *hiccups* heh.

Page 20

Panel 1

The woods. We’re several feet away staring from behind James’ right shoulder. Screen right from James are his two friends entering the forest ahead of him. The person most outfront, Sagan, appeared in the club scene earlier. Tall, wavy-haired, shops-at-Costco-for-clothes type of man. The person between him and James, Clarissa is a plus size girl of average height, 18, coconut oil complexion and dimples visible from where she’s standing, wearing a stylish coat, boots, and headband. She’s looking at James and beckoning him over. This is as much of an invitation to the audience as it is to him.

Clarissa: C’mon! Let’s get weird!

Panel 2

James follows his friends into the woods, his back turned to the audience.

Clarissa: How’d you find this place, Sagan?

Panel 3

We’re staring into the darkness. Sagan pauses to fiddle with his pocket.

Sagan: Arby used to take me out here with his neighbor.

Panel 4

Sagan illuminates the trail with a miniature, high-powered flashlight. The trail veers upward to the right.

Clarissa: Cool!

Panel 5

Side on the gang following the trail.

Clarissa: You should take dates here. You know, when you have any.

Panel 6

The secret spot - a sequence of stumps surrounded by a put-out campfire - illuminated under Sagan’s flashlight. Surrounding the stumps are warped-looking trees with ruptured trunks.

Sagan: Quiet, or Jim and I’ll use you for a blood sacrifice.

Panel 7

Reverse angle of panel 6. Sagan is in front, lit by his flashlight. Clarissa poses behind him excitedly, smiling. James remains shrouded in darkness.

Clarissa: Spooky.

Sagan: Pick a stump.

Panel 8

The gang sits down at their respective stumps. The placement goes (l to r) James, Clarissa, and Sagan.

Sagan: Alright, James, you’re up.

Panel 9

The flashlight shines on a tight shot of James’ face. He’s tripping a little less hard than earlier.

James: Turn up.

Page 21

Panel 1

The reader looks over James’ shoulder at Clarissa and Sagan both smiling at him. Sagan fiddles with his jacket pocket again.

Clarissa: Ayyyye!

Panel 2

Tight shot of Sagan’s hand holding a pipe filled with the unknown drug #1 smoked.

Sagan: You first, as always.

Panel 3

Reverse angle of the first panel. Sagan passes the pipe and lighter tucked behind his fingers.

James: Yay me.

Clarissa: hehhehheh.

Panel 4

Tight shot of James lighting the bowl.

Sagan: You know how to light -

Panel 5

Same perspective. The bowl fills with smoke leaking into the panel.

Panel 6

Same perspective. Now the smoke fills the majority of the panel.

Panel 7

Tight shot framed around James’ hand passing the pipe to Sagan. Smoke billows across the panel.

Clarissa: Niiice. Hope that wasn’t too much.

Sagan: He’ll be alright. It’s you we have to worry about.

Panel 8

Same perspective as panel 1. The reader looks over James’ shoulder at Sagan and Clarissa. The smoke is nearly dissipated.

Clarissa: Oh, whatever, grandpa. James, you good?

Panel 9

Tight shot of James. His eyes are “redder than the devil’s dick”, to quote ‘Pineapple Express’.

Page 22

We’re back to looking over James’ shoulder at Sagan and Clarissa. James grabs Sagan by the wrist tightly and pulls him over. Sagan protests, confused.

Sagan: James, what the - ?

Panel 2

Tight shot of Sagan’s and James’ arms. James’ hands are firmly clenched around Sagan’s wrists.

Sagan: The h-?!!

Panel 2.5

Smaller panel within panel 2 slightly above right, a tight shot of James raising his foot whilst gripping Sagan’s wrists.

Panel 3

Tight shot of James kicking Sagan in the chest while pulling his arms hard enough to rip them off his body. Blood spurts out of his wounds like a fountain. Clarissa falls back in terror. Sagan screams in horror (let’s animate his “ahhhhhhhh!” in onomatopoetic comic font).

Panel 5

Tight shot of Clarissa frozen, terrified.

Panel 6

Clarissa makes a run for it towards the reader. In the background, James sees her from over his shoulder, knocking out Sagan with his own severed arm.

Panel 7

Same perspective as panel 6. James fires one of the severed arms at Clarissa’s head, knocking her down.

Panel 8

James stands over Clarissa. His eyeglasses are opaque, his clothes smeared in blood.

Panel 9

Close up at a slight angle of James squatting down and raising Clarissa by her coat.

Clarissa: Aahhh!

Panel 10

Smaller, circular panel. Tight shot of James sinking his teeth into Clarissa’s neck.

Clarissa: -tt!-

Page 23

Panel 1

Same perspective as panel 8. James and Clarissa sink to the floor.

Panel 2

James approaches closer to the foreground as he’s leaving the woods.

Panel 3

James walks into the immediate foreground, head raised, mouth open and blood dripping down his chin, neck, and shirt. His face is vacant, but wired, and his eyes are “redder than the devil's dick”.

Fin

Nightfall

Issue 1

Story by Caleb Wossen

Foreword: ‘Nightfall’ is the alternative sequel to ‘The Dark Knight’. Keeping with the color sequence from the Nolan films, this series will maintain a honeysuckle to indigo aesthetic in its cover art and pages. Readers can also find "Nightfall" and other stories on my Tumblr

For the Artist: Your input is valued. Please come forward with any suggestions.

Page 1

The story opens with James, 18 years old, bespectacled with sandy blonde hair and a blue windbreaker.

Panel 1

Tight shot of James’ face as he rests a tab of Baby Doll, a concentrated drug similar to MDMA, on his tongue. Panel 1 sits top left of the page encompassing panel 2.

“...the world is an illusion…” , a television broadcasts the news offscreen. “...Hugo Strange will appear later this evening on Hammond Tonight in support of his new book...”

Panel 2

Pull out. Wide shot of James and friends posing manically to a corral of whoops and yeah!yeah!yeah!’s. The television appears behind James and his three friends to the right in a modest bachelor pad. Cheap beer cans litter the dining table.

“...Top story tonight,” the broadcast, offscreen, text only. “Recently announced mayoral candidate Alberto Falcone deflected criticism regarding his alleged mob ties through his father, the late Carmine Falcone, responding to comments on social media regarding his characteristically large nose…”

Page 2

Panel 1

Zoom out. Wide panel comprising the entire page interlaid with later panels. James and friends are walking downstairs out of their apartment to hit the streets at 10pm, still flailing about warlike.

“All my appendages that protrude are distinctive and huge, thank you,” the broadcast, offscreen, airing a soundbite from Falcone.

Panel 2

The boys carefully advance ahead of people in line at a concert venue. Show posters advertising the marquee act, “Mothman”. Pace the motion like so -

1. The boys get in line facing away from the reader in the first segment;
2. James and his friends, now facing the reader, advance cautiously from the right of the line. (Let’s have breath visible in the cold, late fall air. Brilliant violet light bleeds from the open door);
3. Some bloke tries to intervene, but his sympathetic girlfriend halts him as James and company are permitted inside. “Falcone recently tendered in his resignation as lecturer at Oxford University amid allegations of misconduct from a colleague…”

Page 3

Panel 1

Roughly three panels’ large. Over the boys’ shoulders, the venue looks ablaze with purplish to hot pink lights cast down on people on dancing.

Panel 2

James and his friends prance on the dancefloor, facing towards the reader.

Panel 3

The panel moves through two halves.

1. The boys break out into jangly, hip-thrusting dance moves, drifting confidently, if not savvily towards schools of woman.
2. James attempts to push up on an unreceptive woman apparently engrossed by her friends.

Panel 4

The young woman and her friends (right, foreground) attempt to move away, but James is in pursuit (left, background). One of James’ friends watches several feet away in the background.

Panel 5

Shot from behind James. James attempts to advance on them, but looks over to his shoulder to find one of his friends pulling him away.

Panel 6

James and his two friends are dancing in a huddled, serious-faced romp.

Page 4

Panel 1

James leaves the club alone a few hours later around 3am.

Panel 2

James heads back in the direction of his apartment, walking away from the reader. Somewhere in the background should read “God Loves, Batman Kills” in graffiti behind James’ shoulders.

Panel 3

1. We’re walking slightly overhead behind James entering an alley on his left.
2. James stands shrouded, lighting a joint.

Panel 4

Close up on James from the waist up, inhaling deep, nostrils wide.

Panel 5

Long exhale, James’ head tilted back like he’s taking a warm piss.

Panel 6

Over his shoulder, a group of delinquents walk into frame from the street into the background.

Panel 7

The panel is split into two:

1. Tight shot on James and the hands of the thugs asking for a hit.
   1. Delinquent: Aye, bruh, can we get a hit?
2. Tight shot on James’ hand passing the joint. “You can have it. I got -”.

Panel 8

The panel is split into two:

1. Tight shot. One of the hoodlums grabs James’ hand.
2. Zoom out. The thug manipulates the nerve in his hand to throw him down. The motion should flow forward, slightly right.

Page 5

Panel 1

James falls towards the reader to the right, foreground, the only fully visible person in the dark, mauve shadows. Delinquent #1 adjusts his belt in the background, left. Note that this scene decompresses frame by frame till panel 4.

Panel 2

Reversal angle from above the delinquent's shoulders. Delinquent #? kicks James between the shoulder blades as he reaches forward.

Delinquent #?: Uh uh.

Panel 3

Back to the perspective from panel 1. The delinquents descend on James.

Panel 4

Zoom out slightly. A pair of shoes enter frame. Aldo’s, dark brown.

Dick: Hey.

Panel 5

Reverse angle. The thug looks up to catch a kick to the chin. Dick is sharply dressed, wearing a gray suit, dark brown tie, gray vest, and unbuttoned jacket.

Panel 6

Delinquent #? goes after Dick.

Panel 7

Dick halts his blow and follows through with a chop to the throat, spinning around for a hard elbow to his solar plexus. Break this motion down step by step.

Panel 8

Switch side perspective. The last delinquent to attack our hero lunges after him only to…

Panel 9

(Vantage point looking into the alley from a distance) ….be flung, judo style, out into the street.

Panel 10

Smaller, circular panel, right corner of panel 9. Back to James lying on his belly, we’re looking over his shoulder while he looks up at his savior.

Page 6

Panel 1

We’re now facing James lying on the floor, rummaging through his jacket pocket.

Panel 2

Again with the decompression. James pulls out a cigarette pack full of joints. Holding a lighter in the other hand, James tries to pull out a sympathy joint in light of recent events.

Panel 3

Alas, Dick crushes the pack under his foot. James looks up at his champion as if he’s just been resuscitated.

James: Mm!

Panel 4

Big, six-panel aggregate. Looking up from James’ shoulders, we get our first look at ADA Richard Grayson. Dick smiles down sheepishly at James, patting his combed back hair.

James: Dick.

Dick: Sorry, I wasn’t looking.

Dick: Wanna get juice?

Panel 5

Small circle in the far bottom corner of panel 4. James looks up, somewhat peeved.

Page 7

Panel 1

Dick helps James up, smiling warmly at James’ moonface.

James: Sure.

James: Thanks for being there.

Dick: No big.

Panel 2

We follow James and Dick walking away.

James: Are we going to your apartment?

Dick: Yeah, I’m going to make ‘em.

Dick: You’re still getting juice, though.

Panel 3

James and Dick approach a modest brownstone in a trendy part of Gotham. The aesthetic should imply close proximity to the club and James’ apartment.

Panel 4

Reverse angle. Dick looks back shyly at James as he leads him into his unlit apartment.

Dick: Mind the mess, please.

Panel 5

Tight shot on Dick’s fingers pressing the light switch “on”.

Page 8

Panel 1

Zoom out. Look around the messy apartment. Books strewn around the floor and counters, pajamas laden over one of his couch arms. There’s a six-pack of beer still sitting in a grocery bag on the kitchen counter. Pictures are hung abundantly.

James: Nice.

James: Lovely.

James is not sobering up for a while.

Dick: Thanks. Make yourself comfortable while I get everything ready.

Panel 2

James lies on the nearest couch facing away from the kitchen while Dick clicks on a remote for his stereo. Here, Dick could face the audience while James lies back, or stand adjacent. I’m listening to “Coronus, the Terminator” now, so something from the core of Flying Lotus’ “You’re Dead!” would work or “No Love Deep Web”, or anything that deals with paranoia, loneliness, or death.

Panel 3

Vantage point on front of the couch. James rests serenely, but alert. Dick is offscreen.

James: People think you’re the new Robert Kennedy.

Dick: Heh. I’m doing what I can. This city needs a lot after what it’s been through.

Panel 4

Dick, sans jacket, holds wheatgrass over a compost heap of blueberries, cut-up strawberries, whey powder, and a moat of cranberry juice. Now James is offscreen.

Dick: You like wheatgrass?

James: Love it.

Dick: Who’d you go see tonight?

James: Mothman.

Dick: Ah.

Panel 5

Dick, adjacent to the audience, walks over to James holding two juices. James flicks his tongue teasingly.

James: You seriously running for DA?

Panel 6

Zoom out slightly. Dick hands juice to James, who’s sitting up to receive his cup. There’s an armchair half-cropped out in the right corner of the panel.

Dick: Yeah.

Panel 7

Dick sits down in the armchair. He looks pensive. James is offscreen.

Dick: You still in school?

James: No.

Panel 8

Dick takes a swig of his juice.

Panel 9

James, slightly oriented right facing screen left, peers into his cup, watching the juice pour into his mouth. Dick is offscreen now.

Dick: Don’t let life pass you by.

Page 9

Panel 1

Back to Dick staring patiently.

James: You sound like my dad.

Dick: Is he wrong?

Panel 2

James takes another sip. Same perspective as panel 9 on page 8.

James: No.

Panel 3

Zoom out. From our vantage point, we observe Dick in one corner (left) and James in another (right).

James: I don’t understand how people blame our generation for letting Gotham go to shit.

Panel 4

Back to Dick. James is offscreen.

James: Like we’re the ones who bent over for Falcone. We let our balls drop off when the Joker hit.

Panel 5

Same perspective on Dick. He’s staring down soberly.

James: We’re living in a world they built. How are we wrong in reacting?

Panel 6

James looks like he’s about to make out with his juice. Doll, man.

James: People cry about bad things to deflect from how corrupt they’re being. No one’s even trying anymore after Den- the rumors.

Panel 7

Dick sits crouched in his chair. He’s digesting everything James is saying.

James: It’s hard to know what to believe in. Why even try? Why do you try?

Dick: (brief pause) Someone has to. What else is there?

Panel 8

Dick gets up from his chair and heads to his bedroom adjacent to the front door.

Dick: I have to head to the office in a few hours. You can stay here till I get back. ‘member to turn the bolt lock before you leave from the back.

Panel 9

Dick leaves his room holding a blanket to cover James.

Dick: Try not to do too much damage, k?

Panel 10

Smaller, circular panel in the bottom right corner of the panel. James continues to stare into his cup, transfixed in the darkness.

Page 10

Panel 1

Cut to the set of “Hammond Tonight”, that bears an uncanny resemblance to “The Bill Maher Show”. Roy Hammond, 40ish, sits off-right at the table with psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Hugo Strange, tonight’s special guest screen right from Hammond. Strange, 37, sits tall in his chair, slightly tawny with a faint beard and combed back hair. He’s wearing glasses and dressed haute collegiate; very attractive. Screen left from Hammond are former mayor Cady, Garcia’s predecessor and Audrey Peables, social scientist. Captions list names and occupations infrequently when the guests speak.

Hammond: Baby Doll. Baby Doll. Guy’ll walk out of his house hoping to get lucky, wake up next morning wearing fishnets sitting next to a trucker.

Panel 2

Frame around Cady and Peables. The audience resembles a blurry mass of heads behind them.

Cady: If he’s lucky, he’ll be dead before that.

Panel 3

Same perspective. Crowd boos Cady. “BOOOO!” animated and overlaid on Cady and Peables. Cady is embarrassed.

Panel 4

Tight shot on Hammond smiling impishly.

Hammond: Now, Cady. If my only real choices for a leader are the son of one of the city’s most reviled crime lords and Bruce Wayne, I’d be getting high, too. I mean, are these our best and brightest?

Panel 5

Wide angle capturing the entire debate panel just slightly adjacent from Strange’s right shoulder, catching the side of his face.

Peables: Now to his credit, Falcone is an academic.

Hammond: Controversially, you mean. Guy apparently, uh, allegedly tried to come on to his TA. I’m sure a little mob money’s good these days, blow the whole thing over.

Cady: Compared to that Man of Mystery substance abuser Wayne, I think Falcone deserves a fair shot.

Hammond: Now Falcone doesn’t drink or smoke, right? You know, as a matter of fact, did Wayne even graduate from a university?

Peables: I believe he did.

Hammond: See, that’s what I mean.

Panel 6

Hammond in the foreground, left, Strange slightly shrouded in the background, right.

Hammond: Who is Bruce Wayne?

Hammond: He shows up after being dead for seven years, and then suddenly he’s this philanthropist rebuilding the city after his man Harvey Dent’s crash and burn, and now there’s this conspiracy theory that he’s tied into the Dent mur- I mean *ahem* the Batman murders. Then he goes and adopts an orphan, puts him through school, and now at 24, he’s the favorite to win the DA’s seat. The billionaire who might have funded the Batman. Christ, it doesn’t get murkier than that.

Peables: To be fair, he hasn’t declared yet.

Hammond: If he did, people would vote for him, Audrey. And the man’s a junkie.

Page 11

Panel 1

Model after last panel. Hammond turns to Strange and nudges him.

Hammond: Not that a little poison every once in a while dulls the mind, right, Hugo?

Strange: I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.

Panel 2

Strange, center in panel.

Strange: What we do have to acknowledge, despite the intrigue and credible evidence to both corruption and the less egregious allegation, kingmaking, the DA’s collaboration with the Batman was the first substantive reform effort this city has ever seen.

Panel 3

Vantage point from the camera monitor.

Strange: The hope Gotham felt and the civil and political engagement people were starting to exercise were certainly breaths of fresh air.

Panel 4

Over Hammond’s shoulder, on Strange.

Strange: How soon that disappeared, right?

Panel 5

Wide shot angled overhead.

Strange: Corruption’s as prevalent as it’s ever been. There’s serious evidence pointing to the resurgence of organized crime, and if we can be honest for a moment, they probably never left. Dent’s successor, DA Bhangari, is alleged to have taken bribes. The only reason I see not to view Grayson with suspicion is how visibly busy he is trying to address people and their problems.

Panel 6

Hammond and Strange in the background, right, but clear. Peables and Cady, backs to the reader, far left, shrouded. Strange’s hands are raised as if to say “I told you.”. Hammond listens attentively.

Strange: Say Grayson wins the DA’s seat. He will still have to answer to one of two problematic socialites.

Panel 7

Wide shot of the panel adjacent to Strange’s shoulder. The audience is in the background.

Hammond: One of whom is basically his father.

Strange: And not enough people seem to care.

Panel 8

Same shot, but with the sheen of a television screen.

Strange: People would rather immerse themselves in addiction and tend to their wounded self-esteem than get serious about cleaning their city up. When is Gotham going to stop looking to larger-than-life personalities and do for itself?

Panel 9

The audience applauses (note: let’s print the applause in onomatopoetic comic font).

Hammond: Toil over that question while we take money from our sponsors.

Page 12

Panel 1

A hand holds a pair of glasses similar to James’. The television plays blurrily in the background.

Panel 2

Side left. We see two of the delinquents from earlier cuddling in bed.

Panel 3

Close up on the couple wearing similar expressions. Delinquent #1 looks dazed, and the henchman under his arm looks the same aside from his slightly bruised face.

Delinquent #1: Put on ‘Cirque Du Soleli’.

Delinquent #?: K.

Panel 4

Zoom out slightly. #1 is out of bed rummaging through a backpack. #? clicks on the remote control.

Delinquent #1: On second thought, ‘Ex Machina’. You wanna try this shit raw?

Panel 5

Front shot of the bed. #? lies back while #1, adjacent to the reader, fiddles with a shrouded object, a pipe with the unnamed drug tucked in his palm.

Panel 6

#1 is back in bed, knees bent, sitting up, loading the drugs into his pipe, light from the television shining on him and his partner. (Let’s have some recognizable dialogue here from ‘Ex Machina’ [“You tore up her drawing!”, “I’m about to tear up this motherfuckin’ dancefloor right here”.]).

Panel 7

#1 takes a hit. Smoke billows into the pipe and out slightly.

Panel 8

#1 exhales. Smoke encompasses half of the panel.

Panel 9

The smoke fills the entirety of the panel.

Page 13

Panel 1

Close up on #1’s red, veiny eye, roughly three-fourths of the panel. Smoke billows around one-fourth of the panel, lining its borders.

Panel 2

Zoom out. Smoke billows screen left, lining the left and bottom borders. #1, screen center, slightly right, looks over with one visible, red eye at #? obliviously watching ‘Ex Machina’.

Panel 3

Side on. #? in the foreground, #1 eyes him from behind the smoke.

Panel 4

Same perspective, but closer up. #1 leans over and sucks on #?’s neck.

Delinquent #?: Mmm.

Panel 5

Zoom out slightly. #? struggles to push away #1 whose teeth have broken the skin on his neck. #? is bleeding and screaming, tearing up.

Delinquent #?: Aaaow!

Panel 6

#? jumps out of bed, stunned, staring at #1. #1’s back is turned away from the reader in the foreground.

Delinquent #?: What-wha..

Panel 7

#1 lunges at #?, forcing him against a wall with enough force to make a dent.

Bottom: Uuf!

Panel 8

Side on. #?, left, looking at #1 hoisting him up and biting his neck.

Bottom: Stop bit-!

Panel 9

Close up on #1’s teeth ripping into #?’s neck.

Bottom: -tt-!

Page 14

Panel 1

Tight shot mirroring the last panel on page 13. A great set of teeth are chomping into a sweetened rice bun. The subject appears European-American.

Panel 2

Zoom out. Bruce Wayne, 40, gushes over his appetizer at a Japanese restaurant located several stories high at WayneCenter, apparent from the window in the background. Bruce sits alone, wearing some sort of three-piece suit, gray or dark blue. As we’ll see throughout the volume, he’s developed sort of a dad bod, but he’s still in near-perfect condition.

Bruce: Mmm! Magnifque!

Panel 3

Dick enters frame with his back to the audience from screen left. Over his shoulder to the right, we see Bruce’s excitement at seeing his protege for a business lunch. Never say Bruce Wayne doesn’t know to invest his money.

Panel 4

Close shot of Dick’s face behind people dining in the background. Bruce yells offscreen.

Bruce: D I I I I I I I I C K!

Several people look over towards Dick. It’s safe to assume this has happened before. Dick looks embarrassed as if his parents are visiting him at university and just met his girlfriend. He’s appreciative, but they could dial back the energy.

Panel 5

Long shot of Dick in the middle ground preparing to greet Bruce, far right, foreground. Dick grins, arms raised for a hug.

Dick: Bruciie! How’s tricks?

Panel 6

Dick and Bruce hug, Bruce’s back turned away from the reader.

Bruce: Can’t complain. Let’s get you fed.

Panel 7

Dick and Bruce are chatting in front of their food. Bruce’s eating big noodles steeped in pork broth. Dick’s eating a kobe beef burger with a light layer of butter on the sesame buns and three strips of bacon. They’re both drinking beer.

Bruce: I’m tellin’ ya, ya gotta upgrade your digs, Dickie Bird.

Panel 8

Dick dips his french fry in ketchup. Bruce is offscreen.

Dick: I like it. It’s cozy.

Bruce: You should move.

Dick: And miss out on my exotic dance classes in my neighborhood? No thanks.

Panel 9

Bruce gives Dick the side-eye while a mouthful of noodles hang from his mouth.

Page 15

Panel 1

Bruce swallows his food like an adult.

Bruce: Well, far be it for me to tell you how to keep your acrobat skills sharp.

Dick: Hey, man of the world, right? Gotta keep things interesting for myself.

Panel 2

Reverse angle. Side on Bruce, foreground right. Dick, far left, rolls his eyes.

Bruce: And your lady friends, hm? *hiccup*

Dick: I do it for the craft, Bruce. If I have admirers, so be it.

Panel 3

Side on. Bruce raises a fork to his mouth.

Bruce: Uh huh. How’re your friends?

Panel 4

Perspective straight on Dick. He’s reluctant.

Dick: ...I ran into James.

Panel 5

Bruce pauses in recognition, his spoon suspended in front of his open mouth.

Bruce: Oh.

Panel 6

Bruce dips his fork back into the bowl.

Bruce: What’s Junior up to?

Panel 7

Perspective on Dick, back turned to the reader, handling his partly-eaten burger and Bruce, who’s stone faced.

Dick: Good. Saw him on the way home from the office.

Panel 8

Same perspective. Bruce picks up his beer to sip.

Panel 9

Straight on Dick and Bruce, screen left to screen right. Bruce chugs his beer.

Page 16

Panel 1

Frame around Bruce and Dick, reversed so that Bruce is in the foreground, shrouded to the left, and Dick is in the far right, crisp. Bruce smiles thin. He’s trying to veil his true feelings.

Bruce: Shame about what happened to his old man, right?

Dick: Yeah, he didn’t deserve that.

Panel 2

Reverse the perspective from last panel with Dick shrouded in the far left and Bruce in the far right. Bruce catches a waiter’s attention mid-sentence.

Bruce: A - excuse me, Black Label, two glasses - scapegoat.

Panel 3

Same perspective. We can see Dick finishing his burger.

Bruce: He went above and beyond. Through all of that chaos.

Panel 4

Reverse angle. Now we’re on Dick dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin. Bruce flails his arms, shrouded in the far left.

Bruce: Two terrorist attacks, and I’m understating when I say ‘terrorist’, and - campaigns! Unprecedented campaigns of terror wreaking havoc on our city, and he steps up, holds it all together, makes one error in judgment under pressure no one who tried him could even conceive, and they beat on him like a rented mule. It’s a disgrace.

Panel.5

Frame around Dick and Bruce, far left to far right. The waiter finally arrives with the two glasses and a bottle of Black Label chilled in ice.

Dick: At least he had people who stood by him.

Bruce turns his head to thank the waiter.

Bruce: Eh, thank you.

Panel 6

Pull closer to Bruce. The waiter pours them drinks.

Bruce: Thank God you have someone in your corner to help you get where you need to go.

Panel 7

Slight diagonal angle on Bruce raising his glass.

Bruce: To you, Dick. To Gotham, and to the return of vision in the DA’s office.

Panel 8

Reverse angle. Dick, clear in the far left, Bruce slightly shrouded, screen right, knocking back his drink. Dick’s glass is still full.

Dick: Bruce…

Panel 9

Same frame, except Bruce is pouring himself another drink.

Bruce: Don’t you dare be embarrassed.

Page 17

Panel 1

Dick and Bruce, left to right, drinks in hand. Dick smiles cringely. People are peaking at them and talking gossip.

Bruce: 24. Already in the running for the DA’s office. My hat’s off to you. Eight years ago, you were in one of the hardest positions imaginable, but you persevered. How you managed to breeze past college and law schoo- Law school! You could barely drink when you got your degree. Drink up.

Panel 2

Dick and Bruce clean their glasses. Same framing as last panel.

Panel 3

Dick and Bruce brace themselves for the acid reflux ravaging their throats. Same framing as last panel.

Bruce: I’m honored *phew* It’s an honor to watch you lead this city towards greener pastures.

Panel 4

Tight frame on Dick from chest up wearing a sober expression on his face. He either doesn’t notice or care that Bruce is refilling his glass. Bruce is offscreen except for his arm.

Bruce: Look at what you’ve done in just two years. Peop- young people are more engaged in what goes on in this city than ever. Drug use is starting to go down with peopl- ah, people going to rehab, and the esteem, Dick, the esteem people are starting to have again in this city, themselves, their DA? Nothing short of a miracle. I’m so proud of you.

Dick: I’m not the DA, Bruce.

Panel 5

Tight shot on Bruce raising his glass.

Bruce: Not yet. Drink up.

Panel 6

Dick and Bruce, screen left to right, down their drinks

Panel 7

Dick and Bruce immediately belch out gastrointestinal foulness.

Bruce: C’mon, let’s do another.

Panel 8

Dick protests, incredulous.

Dick: Another? You look like you pregamed before I got here.

Bruce: A lil’ bit.

Page 18

Panel 1

Dick and Bruce stumble outside of WayneCenter faintly in the background. Bruce is standing slightly wide, hands on his hips. Dick is classy.

Panel 2

A Lamborghini pulls up, headlights flashing.

Panel 3

The driver, Alfred gets out and greets his masters.

Alfred: Master Richard, is this old git rotting your mind?

Dick: Leave ‘em alone, he’s harmless.

Panel 4

Side on, inside of the Lamborghini. Bruce, right, droops forward, hands on his head. Dick, left, is classy. Alfred takes a quick look in his rear view mirror and interrogates Dick like all good uncles.

Alfred: How goes the crime busting?

Dick: It’s more like community outreach, Alfred.

Panel 5

Perspective - outside of the car driving towards screen right, and we’re peering through the windows. Traffic is tolerable.

Panel 6

Same perspective.

Alfred: Heh, I’m teasing you. Those kids you’re mentoring to take to you yet?

Dick: Yeah, they’re spectacular. Bright, savvy kids. One of them is set to attend Gotham State in the fall at 16.

Alfred: A copycat, sir? Shall I handle him?

Panel 7

Zoom out. Side on. The Lamborghini enters the Gotham Bridge.

Dick: Eh, I think we’ll air on leniency here.

Panel 8

Close up on Dick peering through the window, content. Bruce stares solemnly at nothing.

Dick: I’m happy these kids have places like the mentorship program to hone their talents. Between the DA’s office and the programs you’ve been funding, Gotham’s intellectual capital and infrastructure are about to make a leap.

Panel 9

Slightly different angle. Dick, slightly shrouded in the foreground, far left, and Bruce to the far right. Bruce’s posture and tone have sharpened. Was the lunch scene an act? Dick straightens up, alert but confident. The sky has now darkened.

Bruce: How do you feel about the prosecutions so far?

Dick: There’s been progress. Assaults and robberies are down and organized crime is at a record low. What’s concerning, though? The number of arrests for public intoxication. Possession. It’s alarming how many people are behind bars for either.

Panel 10

Overhead shot of the Lamborghini about to pass the bridge.

Bruce: Is your office considering decriminalization?

Dick: Yeah, but it’s the dependency that scares me. For every healthy, functional person, there’s eight slurring their lives away. It’s sad.

Page 19

Panel 1

Side on the exterior of the Lamborghini. Frame around Dick and Bruce through the passenger window, with Alfred in the right foreground.

Bruce: This is definitely the hard part.

Panel 2

Zoom in. We’re inside the car, but the framing is otherwise the same between Dick and Bruce.

Bruce: The morale of this city’s been broken for a long time. It’s going to take more than throwing money around and posing for photo-ops to raise public esteem.

Panel 3

Dick, in the far left background, crouches over to listen in to Bruce in the far right foreground.

Bruce: But if we do it right, take initiatives to optimize what’s working, then we can finally ensure a stable framework that addresses Gotham’s issues through its institutions. Learn and adapt in real time, not dig our heels in dysfunction.

Panel 4

Overhead, X-ray shot of car interior. Dick and Bruce chat in the backseat, while the car drives on the service road towards the bottom right corner of the panel.

Bruce: This city deserves to know what it’s like to have a reliable government, and when that happens, everyone will prosper. And then Batman’ll just be a ghost story.

Panel 5

.

The reader follows the Lamborghini driving up to a gate. The mansion beyond the gate is Wayne Manor as evidenced by the plaque saying so on both columns anchoring either side of the gate. Dick replies offscreen.

Dick: Amen.

Panel 6

The gates open allowing Alfred to pass through to the mansion.

Panel 7

Alfred pulls up to the front of the mansion. Same perspective as previous panel but slightly closer up. We’re several feet away from the car. Dick and Bruce are offscreen.

Dick: I kinda miss the penthouse.

Bruce: I don’t.

Panel 8

Same shot. Alfred exits the car.

Dick: Oh, did I tell you I saw Babs today?

Bruce: Yeah? You talk about the actress you vacationed with last week?

Panel 9

Same shot, except Alfred has opened the driver’s side passenger door.

Dick: What?

Bruce: *hiccups* heh.

Page 20

Panel 1

The woods. We’re several feet away staring from behind James’ right shoulder. Screen right from James are his two friends entering the forest ahead of him. The person most outfront, Sagan, appeared in the club scene earlier. Tall, wavy-haired, shops-at-Costco-for-clothes type of man. The person between him and James, Clarissa is a plus size girl of average height, 18, coconut oil complexion and dimples visible from where she’s standing, wearing a stylish coat, boots, and headband. She’s looking at James and beckoning him over. This is as much of an invitation to the audience as it is to him.

Clarissa: C’mon! Let’s get weird!

Panel 2

James follows his friends into the woods, his back turned to the audience.

Clarissa: How’d you find this place, Sagan?

Panel 3

We’re staring into the darkness. Sagan pauses to fiddle with his pocket.

Sagan: Arby used to take me out here with his neighbor.

Panel 4

Sagan illuminates the trail with a miniature, high-powered flashlight. The trail veers upward to the right.

Clarissa: Cool!

Panel 5

Side on the gang following the trail.

Clarissa: You should take dates here. You know, when you have any.

Panel 6

The secret spot - a sequence of stumps surrounded by a put-out campfire - illuminated under Sagan’s flashlight. Surrounding the stumps are warped-looking trees with ruptured trunks.

Sagan: Quiet, or Jim and I’ll use you for a blood sacrifice.

Panel 7

Reverse angle of panel 6. Sagan is in front, lit by his flashlight. Clarissa poses behind him excitedly, smiling. James remains shrouded in darkness.

Clarissa: Spooky.

Sagan: Pick a stump.

Panel 8

The gang sits down at their respective stumps. The placement goes (l to r) James, Clarissa, and Sagan.

Sagan: Alright, James, you’re up.

Panel 9

The flashlight shines on a tight shot of James’ face. He’s tripping a little less hard than earlier.

James: Turn up.

Page 21

Panel 1

The reader looks over James’ shoulder at Clarissa and Sagan both smiling at him. Sagan fiddles with his jacket pocket again.

Clarissa: Ayyyye!

Panel 2

Tight shot of Sagan’s hand holding a pipe filled with the unknown drug #1 smoked.

Sagan: You first, as always.

Panel 3

Reverse angle of the first panel. Sagan passes the pipe and lighter tucked behind his fingers.

James: Yay me.

Clarissa: hehhehheh.

Panel 4

Tight shot of James lighting the bowl.

Sagan: You know how to light -

Panel 5

Same perspective. The bowl fills with smoke leaking into the panel.

Panel 6

Same perspective. Now the smoke fills the majority of the panel.

Panel 7

Tight shot framed around James’ hand passing the pipe to Sagan. Smoke billows across the panel.

Clarissa: Niiice. Hope that wasn’t too much.

Sagan: He’ll be alright. It’s you we have to worry about.

Panel 8

Same perspective as panel 1. The reader looks over James’ shoulder at Sagan and Clarissa. The smoke is nearly dissipated.

Clarissa: Oh, whatever, grandpa. James, you good?

Panel 9

Tight shot of James. His eyes are “redder than the devil’s dick”, to quote ‘Pineapple Express’.

Page 22

We’re back to looking over James’ shoulder at Sagan and Clarissa. James grabs Sagan by the wrist tightly and pulls him over. Sagan protests, confused.

Sagan: James, what the - ?

Panel 2

Tight shot of Sagan’s and James’ arms. James’ hands are firmly clenched around Sagan’s wrists.

Sagan: The h-?!!

Panel 2.5

Smaller panel within panel 2 slightly above right, a tight shot of James raising his foot whilst gripping Sagan’s wrists.

Panel 3

Tight shot of James kicking Sagan in the chest while pulling his arms hard enough to rip them off his body. Blood spurts out of his wounds like a fountain. Clarissa falls back in terror. Sagan screams in horror (let’s animate his “ahhhhhhhh!” in onomatopoetic comic font).

Panel 5

Tight shot of Clarissa frozen, terrified.

Panel 6

Clarissa makes a run for it towards the reader. In the background, James sees her from over his shoulder, knocking out Sagan with his own severed arm.

Panel 7

Same perspective as panel 6. James fires one of the severed arms at Clarissa’s head, knocking her down.

Panel 8

James stands over Clarissa. His eyeglasses are opaque, his clothes smeared in blood.

Panel 9

Close up at a slight angle of James squatting down and raising Clarissa by her coat.

Clarissa: Aahhh!

Panel 10

Smaller, circular panel. Tight shot of James sinking his teeth into Clarissa’s neck.

Clarissa: -tt!-

Page 23

Panel 1

Same perspective as panel 8. James and Clarissa sink to the floor.

Panel 2

James approaches closer to the foreground as he’s leaving the woods.

Panel 3

James walks into the immediate foreground, head raised, mouth open and blood dripping down his chin, neck, and shirt. His face is vacant, but wired, and his eyes are “redder than the devil's dick”.

Fin

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OK, a couple of the statements above are inaccurate. Tim ranks among the few who have surprised Bruce, and fought doggedly to win his, Dick's, and just above everyone else's approval during his freshman years as Robin. Dick overcame his own numerous expectations projected onto him by Bruce and set precedents for Tim to learn from during his training. The very independence Tim enjoyed that his fans love to cite stems from Dick's own messy struggle to break away from Bruce. So while I respect Tim as a character, I struggle with fans who overly glorify him. The comparisons to Damian, Tim's successor and junior, who started patrolling as Robin at age 10 to Tim's 13, raised till that point in the art of assassination outside of civilization, are inconsiderate, and one-sided. Tim's wealthy, smart, latchkey kid versus Damian's child terrorist. Why wouldn't Tim have an easier transition to vigilante life than Damian? Tim, after losing both parents and his best friend finally accepts Bruce's adoption of him, and then meets his new daddy's biological son, wasn't insecure? Tim wasn't jealous when Dick "promoted" him out of the Robin costume at the age when he would've graduated out of the role anyway, or when he exclaimed "I'm Tim Wayne!" after punching Damian for jeering at him? Certain Tim fans describe him as a Mary Sue but swear so profusely that he has depth; he literally cannot be both, by definition.

Tim may not have wanted to succeed Bruce and Dick as Batman, but he damn sure wanted Gotham for himself at the end of Red Robin, and that take under Fabian Nicieza's pen might've been my favorite version for Tim. There on the rooftop, Tim had of his peak Nightwing moments, coming to grips with his own growing pain, only instead of answering "I will create for myself and others to learn and grow" the way Dick did during his run leading the Titans and his own adventures, Tim declared "the city is [his]", that Red Robin policed Gotham sovereignly now. That's fascinating to hear from someone who's best work as a superhero was (and still is) as Robin, and who when even playing another role, was still Robin, even in name. Tim may have graduated, but he graduated from Batman's Robin to the Bat-Family's Robin, and yet at the end, refused to settle. We never saw how his inner turmoil played out after Flashpoint, but I do wonder how Tim fans might've reacted.

Have to leave now. Back for edits and replies later.

Selam.

But Fisk is one of my 3 favorite characters in the extended universe.