(5 Panels)
(The narration boxes
from this page should look hand-written, as if we are reading journal excerpts
written by Ozymandias himself.)
Panel 1: Landscape shot of a post-apocalyptic New York
City. A handful of skyscrapers still stand tall, and the Empire State Building
still looks ‘mostly’ in tact in comparison to the rest of the city.
OZYMANDIAS: (Narration
Box) Final Entry: I have lost track of the time. Days and nights no longer
have any meaning for me. I sense that the end is near for me, and so I make my
final entry.
Panel 2: The shadow of some kind of spaceship flies over
the landscape.
OZYMANDIAS: (Narration
Box) If others remain, I have yet to find them. I have long since conceded
that this cruel fate is punishment from the universe for my sins.
Panel 3: The landing gear of a spaceship touches down
on the streets of New York.
OZYMANDIAS: (Narration
Box) I wish I could say precisely what went wrong. It is a mystery that I
shall never have an answer to.
Panel 4: Interior of the Empire State Building. It is
a dark room, set up to resemble a crude throne room. The only light comes from
a now-open doorway, with the silhouette of two humanoids standing in it.
On the far end of the
room is a large chair with a dead person in it. Their body has long since
decayed and they look rather skeletal. This is the remains of OZYMANDIAS,
though this may or may not be clear from first glance.
OZYMANDIAS: (Narration
Box) I leave this journal for whoever might find it, whether they be of
this world or another.
Panel 5: Close up on the dead body of OZYMANDIAS,
who’s long since died. His body is more a skeleton in clothing at this point,
though remains his skin and hair might remain to help identify who he used to
be. A hardcover journal – which the narration has been coming from – sits on
his lap.
OZYMANDAIS: (Narration
Box) For I am Ozymandias; Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!
(END PAGE)
MK, you are a far braver man than I to not only look into the future of the Watchmen universe but then to actually write down what could have happened. While I prefer to wonder what could have been, this is a nice look at a less than successful result to Ozymandias' scheming. The recontextualization of the classic Ozymandias quote at the end is a nice touch.
ReplyDeleteA powerful concept, and a hard one to pull off. However you handled it with tact and care and build up a nice pace to have the reveal really pay off.
ReplyDeleteYour narration boxes are very well written and seem to have captured the inner voice of Ozymandias.
What sells the piece for me is the sci-fi elements: the barren earth, the unknown spaceship. There's a lot to like here.
ReplyDelete