It's not about the lingerie.
Really it isn't.
Emma Frost is a fascinating character. A telepath, a manipulator, an arrogant, haughty White Queen who's seen terrible things and been forced to mend her ways as a result. Or has she...?
She's a sexually precocious, blatantly provocative temptress who's found love in the last place she'd ever imagine - an uptight, judgemental do-gooder. Being with Scott Summers has had a profound effect on the way Emma sees the world. Or... has it?
She's a teacher, the kind all young boys dream will keep them behind after class, and all young girls secretly want to be... even the ones who call her a bitch behind her back. Better watch out though, she's a teacher who could very well be listening in on your daydreams and gossip... not that she'd ever violate the trust of her students in such a way. Or... would she?
We never quite know with Emma. Even after all this time, we're never entirely sure we can trust her. And that's probably just the way she wants it. That's why Emma Frost...
Well, that and the lingerie.
Emma Frost – Mistress of Manipulation – MK Stangeland Jr.
ReplyDelete(6 Panels)
(The scene carries over from the previous page. The setting is a private room in a high-class restaurant. EMMA isn’t dressed in her usual attire, but something that would be deemed acceptable at such a location, though it should still clearly be EMMA’s style.
Prior to this page, EMMA thought she was meeting with a man who would be instrumental in helping her carry out her latest scheme – plan specifics or the identity of the individual aren’t important for the purposes of the page, they more or less amount to a ‘you may not like what I’m doing, but it’s for your own good and you’ll thank me later if you know what’s good for you’ type deal.
However, she had a rude awakening when on the last page the man in question revealed ‘himself’ as MYSTIQUE!)
Panel 1: EMMA is not pleased by this turn of events. MYSTIQUE doesn’t seem concerned about this at all. Her clothing has changed to something more appropriate.
MYSTIQUE: There was never anyone else, dear. It’s been just me the whole time.
EMMA: Thank you for that information. It means there won’t be anyone to suspect anything when I wipe this from your memory.
MYSTIQUE: Please, Emma. If you could pull that little trick on me, I never would have been able to pull this off in the first place.
Panel 2: EMMA’s skin has begun to take on her diamond form. MYSTIQUE remains as calm as ever as she takes a sip of water.
EMMA: Bravo. But it won’t mean anything if you don’t have proof. And I have no intention of letting you leave here with it.
Panel 3: MYSTIQUE tosses the recording device to EMMA as she dabs her lips with a napkin. EMMA is in full diamond form.
MYSTIQUE: This? Take it. It’s wireless. The real evidence is in off site.
Panel 4: MYSTIQUE looks at smug, confident glare and loosely points at EMMA.
Her appearance has once again changed to a design meant to mock EMMA. She now looks a lot like a cross between EMMA FROST and MYSTIQUE – while her skin, eye color, and hair match that of MYSTIQUE’s default appearance, the rest of her body otherwise matches that of EMMA, and her clothing is the infamous corset/bikini costume with cape.
MYSTIQUE (1): Do you really think I didn’t think this all the way through, girl? I was learning how to pull peoples strings before you were born.
MYSTIQUE (2): I have a task I’m going to be needing your help with in the near future. You help me, and I’ll hand the evidence over. Anything less, or should anything unfortunate happen to me, and everything goes straight to the X-Men.
Panel 5: EMMA has reached out to put her hand around MYSTIQUE’s neck as a threat. MYSTIQUE is unparsed by this, though her clothing has once again changed, this time to match the outfit that EMMA is currently wearing.
EMMA: So it’s blackmail, then?
MYSTIQUE: It is. I’ll contact you when I need you.
EMMA: This isn’t over, b****.
Panel 6: Close up on MYSTIQUE’s face, which has resumed it’s default appearance. She has sinister grin on her face once again suggesting that she not only knows she fits EMMA’s description of her, but that she’s relishing it.
MYSTIQE: (Small, as intended to mock EMMA.) Woof.
(END PAGE)
@MK - not a bad page, but I found myself lost a little in it. I think not knowing the set up completely threw me, or knowing enough that I knew I didn't know enough. Who is helping who in this meeting...?
ReplyDeleteThere's a few spelling/punctuation/grammar errors, but I rarely focus on them. Rol can do that...
The tension between Mystique and Frost is a good one to mine, and it works pretty well here. But it doesn't seem realistic that Mystique can defend herself against Frost, that's going to be a tough narrative point to sell.
Yeah, I think it's safe to say this is one of my weakest attempts thus far. The idea probably came across better in my head, and there was another panel at the beginning that I cut for space that I'm guessing probably would have helped make the situation clearer.
ReplyDeleteI liked the set up, but the dialogue just didn't ring true for either character. Emma's a little too stuck-up for the Jerry Springer style putdown and though I liked Mystique's patronising tone, it didn't match her schoolgirl "woof".
ReplyDeleteWell, I gotta say. This is the weirdest script I’ve ever written. What started out as a script simple sight gag turned into…well…
ReplyDeleteX-Men: Kabukicho Boogie, Episode 1—Fresh Off the Blackbird!
Five panels. Panel 1 is a two-thirds splash. Panels 2, 3, and 4 are all repeated shots, and make up their own row inset into Panel 1. Panel 5 is a widescreen panel that takes up the last third of the page.
Panel 1: Manga Emma Frost is leaning over a row of security monitors, looking directly at us. Her arms are crossed under her chest, and she’s very purposefully shoving her rack in our face, sultry as all hell. Think Jim Lee’s All-Star Batman and Robin Vicki Vale, but without Frank Miller’s well-known feminist sensibilities. This is our first look at her, so make sure to really knock her design out of the park. It might seem like Emma’s outfit can’t get any sluttier—you’re right. But we’re going with the sluttiest possible variation. The top should be so low-cut that, with the whole leaning-forward thing, if you don’t look hard enough you might not see it. And as for the lower half of her costume… Well, we’re only seeing her from the waist up for now. But, in the future, think of it this way—she’s deathly allergic to pants, and wearing a thong all the time is her Benadryl. Aaaaaaaand…let’s make her look about fifteen or sixteen. Tap the often-overlooked pederast demographic.
EMMA: Hey there, big boy.
Panel 2: Front-on shot of head of the security guard whose eyes we were just looking out of. He’s got on that typical embarrassed/horny expression that Manga characters get: massive blush, white circles for eyes, a big sweat-drop, and—this is crucial—a nosebleed.
No Dialogue
Panel 3: Same shot. The guard’s face is back to normal. He has one hand up, reaching up to gingerly touch his nosebleed. At the same time, a stream of blood leaks out of one of his ears and the corners of his eyes.
No Dialogue
Panel 4: Same shot. The guard’s head is pitched forward into his hands. His knuckles are white with pain, and a mixture of blood and saliva foam leaks out of his mouth.
No Dialogue
Panel 5: In the foreground, Emma is leaning forwards—showcasing her awesome rack—and removing a tape from the surveillance console. In the background, the guard is slumped backwards over his chair, dead. All of his facial orifices are caked with congealed blood, and his mouth is full of vomit. Some people might say this heavily detracts from or bizarrely contradicts Emma’s hypersexualized posture. Those people aren’t our target audience.
SCOTT (PSYCHIC THOUGHT BALLOON): Emma!
EMMA: Oh, please. There are worse ways to die.
Well that was...interesting. I get a strong sense of black humor here, and while this type of page isn't normally my taste in comics, I still find it morbidly amusing.
ReplyDeleteIf nothing else, you've definitely done a much better job with your script than I did.
@Aryeh - Damn, man, tnat's a killer page. It's short, punchy, and completely stands on it's own as something cool. I'm uploading my page now and I think you have me bested. Well played.
ReplyDeleteThose three inset panels work so well, I pictured this one drawn by Rob Guillory, completely.
Aryeh... I feel grubby now.
ReplyDeleteAnd I like that.
(On a purely pedantic though, pederasts like young boys... so I doubt you'd be catering for that demographic here.)
Thanks for the positive feedback!
ReplyDelete@Rol: When I wrote this, I could have sworn that I had reason to look up the word a while back, and I could have sworn it meant an adult who's sexually attracted to adolescent boys and girls (as opposed to pedophilia, which only covers prepubescent kids). But, lo and behold, you're absolutely right. Whoops.
@MK: Woops, sorry, I didn't see your script until just now, and I ended up using a title very similar to yours. One of those strange coincidences, I guess.
ReplyDeleteNo worries. You made better use of it anyway. :-)
ReplyDelete