Sunday, September 19, 2010

Why Lara Croft?

Will Turner is currently in Norwich with some shaky net but he managed to get the following through to me, which I duly present to you.

It's easy to forget that comics exist outside Marvel and DC. In an effort to broaden my reading, I read the Top Cow Lara Croft comics and found them surprisingly good. I've always liked the character but found the games frustrating to play and the films lacking a decent script or coherent direction (Angelina Jolie was brilliant as Lara, but a great actor can't make a rubbish script great, merely tolerable).

The other reason is that I am English and as such we don't really have superheroes. While 2000AD hails from Oxford and we have greats like Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman, in terms of superheroes we don't really have them. In my opinion, James Bond and Lara Croft come the closest, in the sense that they have a similar air of invulnerability.

Therein lies the problem and my challenge to you excellent writers- to add emotional depth without sacrificing excitement and to somehow get that in one page. Good luck!

14 comments:

  1. Ben and Ryan, were you expecting me to dislike this week's choice? Au contraire, my friends, I love it! I've never read the comics, don't like the games, and HATE the movies, but I still love the character. She's like a sexy Indiana Jones... it's win-win really :D

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  2. What do you mean no English superheroes? Have you never heard of Bananaman?

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  3. “... OUT OF TIME”


    PANEL ONE
    We see a close-up of a hand-held GPS device. In the background is just sand. The GPS coordinates read: 022° 03′ 14″ S, 125° 00′ 39″ E.


    PANEL TWO
    Lara Croft stands at the top of a sand-dune, looking out over a vast stretch of scorching desert. She is holding the previously-seen GPS device.

    CAPTION: AUSTRALIA, GREAT SANDY DESERT.


    PANEL THREE
    Lara is sitting at a desk in a dank, dusty library with a large leather-bound journal before her.

    CAPTION: Ask, and it shall be given to you...


    PANEL FOUR
    We see a close-up of the book with Lara’s hand scanning across the page. The top of the page reads: “Journal of Nathaniel Wingate Peaslee” and we can see the previously-shown coordinates hand-written over a crudely-drawn mud-map labelled with “Australia” and “Great Sandy Desert”. The word “Wind” can also be seen on the page, underlined several times for importance.


    PANEL FIVE
    Lara is now standing on the edge of a large opening in the ground. Thin trails of sand can be seen blowing upwards from the hole. Lara has her hand held out over it.

    CAPTION: Seek, and ye shall find...


    PANEL SIX
    Close-up on Lara. She is tipping sand from her out-held hand, which is then being blown upwards. Her hair is also being blown back slightly. She is looking at the sand with a sly grin.


    PANEL SEVEN
    From above, we see Lara looking down into the gaping, black chasm.

    CAPTION: Knock, and it shall be opened to you...


    [No-prize for the person to guess the source material... and I don't mean the Bible : P]

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  4. Nice script Danial. I would say your tightest one yet. As for the source, I'm going to say, gee I dunno - Lovecraft?

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  5. The title was a bit of a give-away :P

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  6. We totally need to give out No-Prize pics

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  7. Robert- Note the "as such". I refer to when someone is asked "name a superhero" they name a British superhero alongside Superman, Batman, Spiderman and Wonder Woman.

    Would you think they'd name Dan Dare, Captain Britain or (amusing as he is) Banannaman? I also discount people like Emma Frost or Psylocke as they are at best antiheroes.

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  8. P.S Danial- Like the script, very atmospheric.

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  9. Great script, Danial. I can see this looking great on a page. I'm not familiar with the source material, so I possibly didn't get as much from this as those who are, but I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless. Great stuff, mate.

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  10. Thanks! I was hoping I could make it so that people didn't need to know the source, so if you still enjoyed it, I guess I did an ok job :)

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  11. All it means is that you won't know what follows ;)

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