1. Detective Driver is standing at the crime scene, his arms crossed, his face sullen. A new junior detective, Hungerford, is approaching him. There is a body covered by a sheet on the ground on which we can see has a fair blood stain spreading out from the side of the body’s stomach.
2. Hungerford looks perplexed.
3. Driver grimaces and has turned away.
4. Driver is staring off, looking through a note pad, Hungerford is staring at the sheeted body, which is now slightly moving.
5. Driver is walking away, the penguin has sat up with the sheet uncovering his face, Hungerford just looks shocked.
Hungerford: Came as quick as I could. What have we got, Detective Driver?
Driver: They took his umbrella, one of his crooked little paws, and what must be at least a pound of blubber.
2. Hungerford looks perplexed.
Hungerford: Blubber?
3. Driver grimaces and has turned away.
Driver: Whales ain’t the only ones, buddy.
Driver: Looks like a trophy hunt to me. And I know someone who apparently has a very rich collection in this sort of sick vein.
4. Driver is staring off, looking through a note pad, Hungerford is staring at the sheeted body, which is now slightly moving.
Driver: Massive coins, pet dinosaurs, glass cases of defeated foes, crocodile teeth necklaces, pits to regenerate himself…giant ten pins. It’s all just a big game.
Penguin, under the sheet(faint): Waugh, Waugh…
Hungerford: Oh, god, he’s still alive.
5. Driver is walking away, the penguin has sat up with the sheet uncovering his face, Hungerford just looks shocked.
Driver: He was never dead, I was just sick of lookin’ at him.
Penguin: Waugh!
Driver: C’mon kid, we need some truth on this matter, and though I doubt we’ll completely get any it’s still our job to go ask questions.
Niiice. Love the hard-boiled detective line, "I was just sick of lookin’ at him." Classic!
ReplyDeleteThis is really well-executed. Understated, matter-of-fact -- these are just two fellows going through a day of work, dealing with crazy Gotham City. Good stuff. I really liked it. Especially the fourth panel.
ReplyDeleteA very darkly comic scene here. I think this would be a great opener to a story, possibly in flashback.
ReplyDeleteI like it!!! I didn't picture Danny DeVito 'Waughing' once!!!
ReplyDeleteVery HardCase Crime!!!!
Loved the final panel / punchline... though the literalist in me wanted to question how these cops would know about Batman's trophy collection, since he keeps it all locked away in the Batcave...
ReplyDeleteRol - notice how Driver's information of what's in the Batcave is a little off (an actual pet dinosaur, the necklace, etc). I figure by now there have been so many people casually let into the Batcave that there have to be rumours about the contents, and like any good set of Chinese Whispers it's morphing over time. That was how I want it to go, anyway.
ReplyDeleteLoved it Ryan. With a simple punchline you have added so much character to these two police officers. I could see this at the beginning of a Gotham Central type book.
ReplyDeleteExcellent work!