Batwoman - Unmasked - Sime McDonald

BATWOMAN - UNMASKED - SIME MCDONALD

PANEL ONE

Tight on Doctor Hugo Strange, fingers steepled, his chin resting on the assemblage.

DOCTOR HUGO STRANGE

I’ve made it my life’s work to understand The Bat, you see.

PANEL TWO

Pull back:

Kate Kane is strapped to a therapist's couch, tightly bound with thick rope, completely immobile. She’s been stripped of her costume, but her face remains mask.

Her teeth are clenched, she's struggling against the binds, but escape appears impossible.

Seated beside her is Doctor Hugo Strange, his fingers still steepled, leaning forward, a notepad on his lap.

Kate’s Batwoman costume is draped over his left knee.

Dressed in a suit, his expression is entirely neutral. Were we not aware of his history, we'd think him a genuine psychiatrist.

There is a person sitting nearby, on the far side of the room. Female, slender - but she's cast in shadow.

Strange is speaking not to Kate but to this mysterious woman.

KATE KANE

(small)

Hnngh...

DOCTOR HUGO STRANGE (1)

To understand it…

DOCTOR HUGO STRANGE (2)

… and destroy it.

PANEL THREE

The woman sitting on the far side of the room isn’t there by choice.

Like Kate, she’s trapped, forced to watch on, powerless.

It’s Vicki Vale. Reporter for the Gotham Gazette.

DOCTOR HUGO STRANGE

(off panel)

Now I know.

PANEL FOUR

Standing now, Strange is stroking Kate’s face with a finger, inches from her mask.

Kate shows no sign of fear.

DOCTOR HUGO STRANGE (1)

The Bat is a composite of the mask and the person beneath it.

Together, they create an otherworldly, fearless persona.

Inhuman.

DOCTOR HUGO STRANGE (2)

One cannot exist without the other.

PANEL FIVE

Strange pulls the mask from Kate’s face as Vicki Vale watches on, eyes wide, fear mingling with intrigue.

DOCTOR HUGO STRANGE (1)

You’re going to prove my theory correct, Miss Vale.

DOCTOR HUGO STRANGE (2)

You’re going to destroy The Bat.