Classic 3 x 3 grid. All panels equal size. Nothing crazy fancy there.
1 – Nighttime. Shot focused on the Riddler. He is puzzling over the question of what he should do next.
RIDDLER: It's really been far too long since I last matched wits with Batman.
2 – Pull back to show that the Riddler stands before a long line of filing cabinets. He looks towards them eagerly.
RIDDLER: Certainly I must have some clever capers collected within these cabinets.
3 – Riddler rifles through the first filing cabinet. He reads from a pile of cue cards.
RIDDLER (1): Here we are. “I am light as a feather, yet no man can hold me for long.”
RIDDLER (2): ...
RIDDLER (3): Wait. I used this one when I tried to drown him...
4 – Riddler walks around the room absentmindedly, discarding the cards he deems useless by throwing them over his shoulder. The filing cabinets are visible in the background. It is clear that he has been at this a while, because a few more drawers are open and there are cue cards lying all over the room.
RIDDLER (1): “What turns everything around but does not move?”
RIDDLER (2): No, I did this one too. He escaped from that funhouse much quicker than I had anticipated...
5 – The Riddler continues his search. He has removed his jacket, leaving it hanging on one of the filing cabinets. His shirt shows sweat stains from his exertions. More drawers are open. The cue cards are starting to overwhelm the room.
RIDDLER (1): “What kind of clothes does a lawyer wear?”
RIDDLER (2): Suing the Cape Crusader seemed like such a good idea at the time...
6 – Even more drawers are open. The Riddler sits on top of one of the filing cabinets, looking through cue cards. His initial exuberance has long since been replaced with irritation. He crumples the cue card in his hand in frustration. Discarded and crumpled cards continue to fill the room.
RIDDLER (1): “What is not enough for one, just right for two, and too much for three?”
RIDDLER (2): Ugh. I thought I had finally figured out the true identity of Gotham's Dark Knight...
7 – Light starts to shine through the windows. It is daytime. Riddler has been searching all night, and he looks awful. The sweat stains have increased in size, his eyes are red with tiredness, he has a five o'clock shadow. The man is exhausted.
RIDDLER (1): “The man who built it doesn't want it. The many who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it.”
RIDDLER (2): By all logic, burying him alive should have been far more successful...
8 – Riddler drops the last cue card. He looks around the room glumly. It is covered in cue cards. All the filing cabinets are open and empty. No dialogue.
9 – Still sitting on the filing cabinet, Riddler slumps his shoulders, defeated. Far away shot, with the Riddler in silhouette.
RIDDLER: What now, Edward?
I liked this one!
ReplyDeleteI also noticed too that this was the second strip (intentionally or not) to draw parallels with The Riddler and the life of a working writer. Who HASN'T stayed up to stupid o'clock waiting for that blasted muse to strike?
Good page and the layout and repetition of the visuals really help sell the Riddler's frustration.
Strong use of the standard nine panel layout, the pacing and build up worked perfectly in this format. God work.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or is panel 5 a reference to the old Adam West TV series?
ReplyDeleteSo - you had trouble writing the Riddler this week as well huh? :P
ReplyDeleteI only ask due to our pages being very similar in theme.
@Dan you bring up a very good point. Out of all the characters in the comic world, I feel The Riddler is the one closest to being a writer. Hence why I believe we have had nothing but strong scripts this week.
@Ben - Most certainly. I actually almost named mine "Riddle Me This" before I realized that was your title, too.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, because this script is definitely about the challenges of the writing process, but I didn't even realize it until you guys pointed it out. I was just trying to come up with something that could measure up to the rest of the scripts this week, and that really came through into the finished product.
It's kind of like Killing Joke II - Killing Riddle. Someone call Brian Bolland!
ReplyDelete