Friday, October 22, 2010

Araña - Totally Totem Teens - Matt Duarte

Araña in “Totally Totem Teens” by Matt Duarte

This scene is set in current continuity, that means Anya is in her black Spider-Girl outfit. She and Rikki Barnes (Nomad) are staking out a place. This page is set up in six panels. The first one is a wide and small panel, across the whole page. Panel 2 and 4, 5, 6 are all square and similar size, with panel 3 being a small square panel joining 2 and 4.

Panel 1

Description: Anya and Rikki are laying down on a rooftop, with binoculars, looking at something in the distance. They are bored and killing time with random chatter.

NOMAD: Look, all I’m saying is the Kree must have done something to her, because there is no way those boots stay up by themselves.

ARAÑA: No, dude, when I was with Carol in the Initiative she told me what the secret is...

(OFF-PANEL CHARACTER, interrupting): ARAÑA!

Panel 2

Description: Anya and Rikki both have stood up and turned around. Before them (on the right of the panel), stands a guy, mid 20’s, lanky and tall, without much in the way of muscles. He is wearing a home made outfit, with antenna, some shell wings, and huge goggles. It’s supposed to look like a cockroach. This is a new character called LA CUCARACHA!

LA CUCARACHA!: Araña, al fin! Preparate a enfrentarte a tu nemesis mas mortal, LA CUCARACHA!

Panel 3

Description: Small panel, just a close up of Anya’s foot kicking LA CUCARACHA! in the face.

Panel 4

Description: A shot from farther back, we just see the silhouettes of Anya and Rikki, still standing in the rooftop, while LA CUCARACHA! is tumbling back.

NOMAD: What was that all about?

ARAÑA: No idea, but I hate cockroaches.

LA CUCARACHA!: Ay, ay, ay!

Panel 5

Description: Anya and Rikki are now looking down from the side of a building. On the street, there is an old car with antennas glued to the hood. LA CUCARACHA! has fallen on top of it, and he is laying there injured and convalescing.

NOMAD: Did that guy just fall on top of his own ride?

ARAÑA: Either that or he just ruined some poor exterminator’s car.

LA CUCARACHA!: Ayyyy...No puedo caminar...

Panel 6

Description: Rikki and Anya are swinging away from the rooftop now, with their backs turned towards the reader.

NOMAD: Dude, you really need to get some better villains.

ARAÑA: Oh shut up, isn’t your arch-villain like a giant dog?

LA CUCARACHA! (off-panel, mumbling): Araña... Soy solo el primero...

El Final?

4 comments:

  1. Matt, is that you in the La Cucaracha suit?

    I wonder if any of the other tenures wrote this script if it'd be racist in a thin stereotypical way...?

    This page rockets along and provides the laughs. I dig it, Matt. I just wish there were sub-titles.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well, yeah, the benefits of being a minority! I get to poke fun at my culture's own stereotypes coming off scot-free, you guys don't get an extra scan in airport lines.

    I was originally going to put translations (and make LA CUCARACHA!'s speech longer) but the page is crowded enough as it is. Instead, I went with shorter sentences, and with words that are close enough to English that people would still get the meaning of what is being said.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I want more La Cucaracha! He even has his own theme song - and it's arguably even better than Spider-Man's. I want a 12 issue La Cucaracha vs. Squirrel Girl mini series. Now!

    Excellent stuff, Matt.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have no idea how to respond to this. I mean... BEST. SCRIPT. EVER.

    ReplyDelete

Feedback is what every good writer wants and needs, so please provide it in the white box below
-OR-
If you want to play along at home, feel free to put your scripts under the Why? post for the week.