Because Natalia (Natasha) Romanova (Romanoff) is a fascinating character with a complex history that dates back to the time of Czarist Russia. She's been an assassin, a ballerina, a spy, a revolutionary, a double agent, a defector, an Avenger, a Champion, a sidekick, a leader and a heartbreaker. There's plenty of story material there for us thoughtballooners to get our teeth into!
For the definitive tale of the Widow's history, I'd recommend Paul Cornell's excellent Deadly Origin mini-series of a few years back. I'm still not convinced Scarlett Johansson is the perfect casting for any aspect of the character beyond the catsuit... but, once again, Hollywood failed to ask my opinion.
BLACK WIDOW NOIR - ALONG CAME A SPIDER Part 3 of 4
ReplyDeleteThis is set in 1941 Berlin, where Natasha Romanoff is a Russian spy behind enemy lines, posing as a secretary in the office of Johannn Schmidt, head of the Nazi Extranormal Operations Division. In this scene, Johann is meeting with American industrialist George Maxon, who has expressed interest in selling weaponry to the German government.
Page 4
Layout up to the artist.
Panel 1: Natasha is at her desk, typing. Johann is talking to George outside his office, in front of said desk.
SFX:takataktak
Johann: GEORGE, IF I MAY CALL YOU SUCH, MY ENGLISH DOES NOT LEAVE MUCH TO THE IMAGINATION.
George(Interrupting): I THINK YOU MEAN THAT IT LEAVES MUCH TO BE DESIRED.
Johann: AH, ONE LEARNS SOMETHING NEW EACH DAY.
Panel 2: Same viewpoint, but Johann is gesturing towards Natasha, who is looking upwards towards George.
Johann: WELL, BECAUSE OF THIS, I WILL BE USING MY SECRETARY AS AN INTERPRETER.
Panel 3: Johann is looking at Natasha across the desk, talking with her. We might be able to see George in the shot, but that's not necessary.
Johann: WHAT DID YOU SAY YOUR NAME WAS, MA'AM?
Natasha: IT'S EMILY, SIR.
Johann: THAT'S ODD. I COULD HAVE SWORN YOU SAID YOU WERE NAMED SOFIE.
Natasha: YOU MUST BE MISTAKEN, SIR. I'M EMILY.
Panel 4: Johann is staring intensely at Natasha, almost hatefully. This panel should be from Natasha's perspective, but not entirely through her eyes. Maybe give this panel a red tint
Johann:...
Panel 5: same POV as 4, but Johann is putting on a calm, relaxed face, obviously faked.
Johann: YES. OF COURSE.
Johann: MY MISTAKE.
The set up for the page was really interesting and I enjoyed the use of Black Widow undercover, however the actual page left me a little cold. It was well structured, not a bad page at all, it just didn't do much for me I'm afraid.
DeleteI liked the concept and the characters you've chosen to involve here but I think the page's execution falls a little short.
DeleteThe dialogue is a little expository and on the nose in the first few panels. The beats you're going for at the end of the page could probably work more effectively played out over several silent panels with minimal dialogue (or none).
Thanks for the feedback,I definitely see where you're coming from.
DeleteBLACK WIDOW in: The Tourists
ReplyDeleteNatasha Romanova is narrating her letter to Matt Murdock, explaining what she did after they separated in San Francisco. The gist of the story is that she is killing her way up the heirarchy of a sex tourism ring that offers their clients children. What follows is her second target.
PAGE 4
Panel 1 - p.o.v. from over WIDOW's shoulder. She is wearing a ratty-looking parka, hood up, and we can see the head of a cello over her left shoulder. We see across the street a McDonald´s (logo written in Cyrillic). Everything is covered in a dirty snow. Weather is clear, but we can see people´s breath in the cold. A man in pea coat and fur hat exits carrying his food-to-go in one hand and a briefcase in the other, flanked by two bigger men dressed similarly but wearing sunglasses. One of them has unwrapped his Big Mac and tosses the wrapper in the street.
CAPTION: Anatoly Bremovich was the accountant. Not only did he have the names of the clientele, but records of the payments he made to the parents of the girls.
Panel 2 - The three men stop to listen to the Widow play her cello. She looks like a stereotypical struggling street musician. The accountant looks pleasantly surprised.
CAPTION: His dossier mentioned his affinity for Bach. My prelude to Suite No. 1 is rusty, but competent.
Panel 3: Natasha stands, tosses the cello aside, and impales the accountant with her bow, catching the bodyguards off guard. The accountant drops his case and food. The bodyguards fumble inside their coats for their guns.
CAPTION: I ran him through before the arpeggios cramp my fingers.
Panel 4 - The WIDOW almost pirouettes in ballet's fourth position as she shrugs off her parka. Her hair is in the same style she wore in San Fran. She is at least a head shorter than the two bodyguards, one on either side of her, both aiming for her head.
CAPTION: The телохранители are poor, barely military trained. Infantry at best.
Panel 5 - WIDOW hits the ground doing a ballet split. The gunmen shoot each other in their chests as she goes down.
CAPTION: Since Gorbachev, Russia's investment in thugs has been poor, like that Disney cartoon. Peg Leg Pete.
Panel 6 - Natasha grabs the briefcase, looks in the McDonald's bag, disappointed.
CAPTION: Rule number 2 - never trust a man who orders a salad from McDonald's.
Panel 7 - Widow spits on the accountant's dead face as she turns to leave.
CAPTION: Now I had to find out where my niece was being held.
The rest of the story finds her getting more and more violent, until the reveal at the end, where she confesses to Matt that she could not stay with him because he wanted children, and the Red Room Program left her sterile. Her investigation eventually leads to a politician in the Duma running the kids out of an abandoned Gulag in Siberia, guarded by ex-Spetznatz. She ends the letter challenging Matt's Catholic beliefs, that if God allows that kind of horror to happen to children, perhaps it would be better if they were never born.
Vashe zdorovje!
This was kick ass. The panel descriptions are deep but never to heavy. The action is very well choreographed and nicely paced and the captions read so great. Your attention to detail and flare with words comes across brilliantly in this page, I would happily read so much more of this.
DeleteThanks again! P.S. Very glad Widow is having a good year, what with the Avengers flick and Winter Soldier in the floppies. She's a fun character...
DeleteI really really enjoyed this page. Excellently choreographed action and some nice caption work too.
DeleteGreat paragraph on where you'd go from here too.
Nice work!
this kind of action is an artist's AND a reader's dream come true.
Deleteon a peculiar note, as easily abhorrent as the "children" aspect is, I'd be curious to see the villainy broadened on a story like this; in that "tourism rings" and the like involve sexual slavery and abusive cycles that are inescapable to all ages (all over the world). I think it'd be surprisingly "testing" to a lot of readers by juxtaposing a popular femme fatale like Black Widow with the over-romanticism of prostitution, let alone address the hot-button topics of sexualization in [DC] comics the last 7 months. I think the "children" aspect is like fighting Nazis: easy to get behind. I like the notion of making more people question and squirm, especially when picking up a book about a red head assassin in skin tight unzipped leather
BLACK WIDOW: A WOMAN'S TOUCH
ReplyDelete1) MODOK and Arnim Zola in their new hideout. MODOK is showing off. Zola is reluctantly impressed.
ZOLA: Yes. Not a bad job, MODOK.
2) Black Widow stands outside a doorway against the wall, gun in each hand. Security robots guard the corridor beyond.
MODOK (CAP): Not bad?!?
MODOK (CAP): My dear Doctor, I have made CERTAIN that no superhero can breach my sanctum!
3) Widow somersaulting through the air, firing her guns at the security robots.
SFX (GUNS): BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
SFX (ROBOTS): KZZZ! FXXX!
MODOK (CAP): Why, to break in here it would take someone with the combined skill of Captain America...
4) Widow at the complicated looking door controls, frantically typing while still firing with her other hand (not looking at her target).
MODOK (CAP): ...the intellect of Iron Man...
5) POV from the other side of the door as it slides open. Widow casually throws a grenade over her shoulder with a wicked smile, finishing off the remaining security robots.
SFX: KABOOOOM!
MODOK (CAP): ...and the passion of Thor!
6) From behind again as Black Widow strolls in the door, nonchalantly shooting another security robot.
SFX (GUN): BLAM!
SFX (ROBOT): KZZZX!
MODOK (CAP): So fear not, Doctor Zola. We are quite safe.
END OF PAGE.
J.D what I love about your work, is its just fun. This page and all your others thus far have been super tight, nicely crafter comic scripts that get that comics are fun.
DeleteAlso your juxtaposition of captions to image makes great use of the space you have on a single page.
Thanks for the high praise! It does occur to me that my last few scripts have all been caption-heavy. I dunno what that says, but it's interesting to note.
DeleteA good, action-centric script.
DeleteThe caption's give a nice insight into what you find compelling about Natasha as a character too.
Her Younger Man
ReplyDeleteby: zu
Sharon Carter and Natalia Romanova are walking around New York City, after a particularly good dinner. Do you have a favorite part of NYC? Set it there! It's winter, and it is the most picturesque early evening you can come up with. This page is open, so especially, if you've got a better idea on how to sequence or set the scene, do that instead.
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1.1 *Natalia exhales.*
Natalia: the point…the point was to change the world. That's why those t-shirts bug me.
1.2 *Sharon expresses concern.*
Sharon: Okay. I can see that. Anyway, ignore them. It's your birthday!
Natalia: I know, and thank you for dinner!
1.3 *Sharon Carter moves closer.*
Sharon: Nat, of course! I heard James is taking you to see the Kirov Ballet?
1.4 *Natalia smiles, ruefully.*
Natalia: Not quite. He thinks it's a secret, but he's taking me out with them after their performance tonight.
1.5 *Natalia looks up, at the sky and the softly falling snow. Wide!*
Natalia: I won't be able to keep up with them for longer than an hour. But to dance again? With the Kirov? That is the joy.
The dialogue is good here but something doesn't click with me.
DeleteThere doesn't seem to be a thrust/build to the page as such.