Molecule Man - Molecule Fan - Max Barnard
The Premise: This comic doesn't star Molecule Man. It isn't set in the 616 universe. It's set on Earth 1218. Our Earth. It does however star a comic fan, his wife, and Brian Michael Bendis.
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Page One - 12 Panels
1-- A black bolt on a flesh background, á la one of the Molecule Man's face bolts.
TEXT BOX - I am matter, therefore I MATTER.
2-- We've pulled back to reveal an ordinary man in a Molecule Man costume, drawing the trademark bolts on his face in the mirror. In the reflection we can see his Volcana-looking wife (in that she's tall with black hair, not that she's also in cosplay) somewhere behind him, looking entirely fed up with her husband's stupidity.
TEXT BOX - I may only be Owen Teanett, on the paltry Earth 1218*, but I WILL be heard!
EDITOR'S NOTE - That's OUR Earth, true believers! - Multiverse-Muddling Max
3-- Owen raising his crappy wand (it's a twig!) in a dramatic pose, with a dramatic effect around him.
TEXT BOX - And I know just what to do.
4-- Owen and his wife are now in a car, driving towards the reader. The wife is the one driving, and is clearly incredibly annoyed to have to be lugging this ridiculous looking fool to whatever their location may be. A speech bubble with scribbles in it (as is typical of annoyed characters) may be a good idea to wedge into this panel.
TEXT BOX - More importantly, I know just where to go, and who to see when I get there.
5-- We see a comics convention from the outside, a dolled-up convention hall with CONVENTION in big letters on the front of it. There's a car park in front of it, where you can just about see Owen and his wife's car pulling up into a parking space.
TEXT BOX - I'm going to see the man who has corrupted what matters to me, and I will make him see what he has wrought.
6 & 7-- Both are seperate panels, but interconnect. the first is Owen yelling, pointing his twig directly out of the panel and into panel 7, where it is connecting quite painfully with Brian Michael Bendis' eye.
TEXT BOX/PANEL 6 - YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU
TEXT BOX/PANEL 7 - (cont.) UUUUUUUUUUUUUU
SFX/BENDIS' EYE - SQUIRLCH
8-- Owen is being dragged away from Bendis by security, continuing to struggle and yell. If it can fit perhaps show the horror and embarrassment on Owen's Wife's face.
TEXT BOX - HOW COULD YOU RUIN MOLECULE MAN?! HIS LIFE WAS SO GOOD! HE HAD A WIFE AND HAPPINESS! YOU KILLED IT ALL!
9-- Bendis, cradling his eye.
TEXT BOX - What are you talking about? Molecule Man's life and marriage fell apart years ago! Have you even READ anything with him in other than the Secret Wars books, you !#£%ing PSYCHO?!
10-- Owen looks shocked, and has stopped struggling against security.
TEXT BOX - N-N-No, I haven't... A... Are you serious?
11-- Bendis again, bandaging his eye now.
TEXT BOX - YES! !#£% off and do research! !#£%ing fanboys!
12-- Owen, alone now, in a dramatic spotlight, arms raised in that cliché NOOOOOOO pose thing. You know the one, where people die in films and the protagonist screams at the sky.
TEXT BOX - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
TEXT - fin
Max - this one is bloody hilarious, seems MM is only to be feared or mocked round these parts. I dig the vibe you go for in this one, I get that Strange Tales (the mini from last year) indie vibe, very cool. Also loving all of the different trains of thought and interpretations of our characters, this is the perfect opportunity to show what you can do with some inspiration, MM isn't in this script, but it is about him so it most definitely counts.
ReplyDeleteHowever, how is this fitting on a page. Would have to be small panels - though, with that indie vibe, I could see this being possible. Sketchy little, almost Skottie Young style art, hand written text, but it would be hard to ensure all pics and words fit on, but it could be done. An artist who was hungry enough would make it work.
The only other problem I have is envisioning this guy ever getting a wife, you'd have to make her hot as, just to confuse the reader even more. Ha.
I actually have the layout for this drawn out (did it before writing), and I'll scan it in as soon as my scanner stops crapping out. It actually fits okay, though it'd probably lend itself better to an oversized HC style page ahaha.
ReplyDeleteand yeah him having a wife was kinda supposed to be unbelievable, especially considering what she has to put up with. Her presence is mostly just to make him at least think he's earth 1218's Molecule Man.
thanks for the feedback and such!
Mate, if you scan that page in post it up on here, and add it after a 'break' so that it won't appear on the main page, but if they click the more link it will appear in the full post, if you're not sure how to get that done then let me know, I'd love to see a layout.
ReplyDeleteVery nice, I was laughing out loud imagining panels 6 & 7 in my head.
ReplyDeleteIf your editor was Brevoort, he would NEVER let you use the 616 or 1218 terms. :P
Very funny script Max.
ReplyDeleteOne question though, is there any reason you used Text Box as opposed to speech bubbles with the dialog?
speech bubbles kinda cramped just about everything in the panels, so I figured it'd work better to just have the text take up space at the top or bottom of the panel, out of the way for this story. it'd probably be quite painfully weak in eexecution though, i must admit
ReplyDeleteHilarious! I don't even know this character well aside from a wikipedia page.
ReplyDeleteWell... here's my go at this game.
Molecule Man - What Makes Me Happy - Milan Matejka
Page 1
Panel 1 - Pitch black. Small panel.
Caption - (The caption will always be Owen Reece, white background) I hate my life. So much power, but not enough to actually make a difference.
Panel 2 - Larger panel. Owen Reece is sitting on his couch, generic brown, but the other side has a stain. He stares blankly at the audience. We can see a doorway to the kitchen open, but it doesn't dominate.
Caption - I cannot undo myself. I cannot make myself happy. Why can't I change what is me?
Panel 3 - Small panel. The door stands alone, another brown thing among brown things.
Caption - I feel so...
Panel 4 - Small panel. The door is knocked upon from outside.
OWEN REECE - I'm coming.
Caption - Out of shape.
Panel 5 - Larger panel. Owen Reece gets up from the couch, revealing indentations that he has sat there for sometime. His posture standing up has a lack of assurance.
Caption - Maybe it isn't me, but society that needs to change.
Panel 6 - Small panel. He opened the door, two shot of him and a pizza delivery guy; a punk with attitude, he wears his uniform but with added additions and a nose ring.
PIZZA DELIVERY GUY - I got your Pepperoni pizza, cha. So... that'll be $14... and with tax it'll be-
Panel 7 - Small panel. Owen Reece looks unimpressed, as we have another two shot, the pizza delivery guy seems to be not present.
Caption - They can't even get my damn order right.
Panel 8 - Small Panel. Owen picks up the pizza from the ground, in front of an Energizer Bunny era 1989 with drum, but similar look of the pizza delivery guy.
Panel 9 - Larger Panel. The door is closed, and the bunny has moved to walk away to the left, beating at his drum.
Caption - It just keeps on going... and going... when will it stop?
*This would continue into a miniseries of about three issues where Reece would go around in a Jim Jarmusch (Mystery Train, Broken Flowers, Coffee and Cigarettes) type of way... understanding what makes life worth living and encountering random people, celebrities and superheroes and villians... even though he might end up accidently confronting them and causing damage*.
oh man Milan that's amazing stuff, and i'm glad to see why you wanted to use the Energiser Bunny!
ReplyDeleteSolid stuff Milan, I like it.
ReplyDeleteBoy, how long will it take 'til we see someone make those scripts take comic form? :)
Milan - interesting work, man. Very introspective, I'm imagining it in b&w, nice and indie like. It's interesting that we have one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel U and yet we're mostly thinking of indie moments, or funny/quuirky ones. Sime is the only one to go widescreen with it all. God, I am loving this site!
ReplyDelete@Ivan - man, I really hope at some stage we get some artists to do up our pages, how cool would that be? One day, man, I have no doubt, one day.
Max, this is great. I never realised what writers are up against when they attend cons. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteThe life of a nerd celebrity is no doubt, a terrifying one.
ReplyDeleteMax, that made me laugh. I never, ever type LOL, but I did. Out. Loud. Indie-artists would be able to manage it (I kept thinking Jim Mahfood), regular artists would string you up.
ReplyDeleteMilan, I'm pretty sure I'd buy that mini.