An incident has
resulted in a partial merging of the DC and MARVEL universes, with the
METROPOLIS-NEW YORK-GOTHAM tri-city area being the ‘hub’ that currently
connects the two worlds. It has also resulted in FRANK CASTLE, THE PUNISHER,
becoming the new human host for THE SPECTRE.
This page takes place
aboard the Justice League Satellite.
(5 Panels)
Panel 1: Interior view of the satellite command
center. In the center of the room is the astral form of DR. STRANGE.
Surrounding the astral
DR. STRANGE are CAPTAIN AMERICA, WONDER WOMAN, THOR, GUY GARDNER, BEAST, THE
FLASH, CAPTAIN MARVEL (CAROL DANVERS), STEEL (JOHN HENRY IRONS), AGENT VENOM
(FLASH THOMPSON), and BLUE BEETLE (JAMIE REYES). A text box stating their
superhero identity should be present next to each of the characters to help ensure the reader knows who each of these people are in case they're not familiar with them all.
DR. STRANGE: I have a little good news, and a lot of bad
news.
Panel 2: Close up on astral DR. STRANGE as he
reports.
DR. STRANGE: We can’t stop Castle directly. The Spectre has
made him far too powerful, and the focus of Frank Castle’s mind makes him more
dangerous than you could possibly imagine.
DR. STRANGE (2): It’s been difficult enough to simply
observe him without drawing his ire.
DR. STRANGE (3): Right now, he’s punishing the tri-city area
one criminal at a time. He’s taking a sadistic amount of glee in watching each
of them be punished for their crimes.
Panel 3: View of the observers that allows us to see
both GUY GARDNER and AGENT VENOM.
AGENT VENOM: Sounds like Frank’s finally snapped.
GUY GARDNER: Guy dresses up with a skull on his chest and
calls himself ‘The Punisher’?
GUY GARDNER (2): Doesn’t sound like he had much to snap.
Panel 4: CAPTAIN AMERICA points in the general
direction of GUY GARDNER and AGENT VENOM.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: Shush it, you two.
CAPTAIN AMERICA (2): Strange, continue.
Panel 5: Close up again on astral DR. STRANGE as he
continues to report.
DR. STRANGE: That, sadly, is the good news. It’s drastically
slowing his progress.
DR. STRANGE (2): It is my suspicion that once he finishes
with the cities, he will increase his reach and extend his punishment to the rest
of the globe.
(END PAGE)
It's a great set-up. I just wish we could "see" what a Frank Castle Spectre would be like. The two go great together. Makes you wonder what THAT punishment would be like...
ReplyDeleteI can understand you wishing that Frank Spectre was in the script himself, but when I decided to go this direction and realized what the two being combined might mean, I thought that with only a single page it would be better to leave the actual Frank Spectre up to the readers imagination and instead make use of his presence and lay out what the stakes are to best sell how big a deal it is.
DeleteCertainly, if this were an actual comic, there'd be plenty of opportunity to see the actual Frank Spectre, but I had a single page to sell the idea and I stand by my choice of how to do it.
Good concept (it reminded me of Fringe, in a good way!) and the choice to leave Frank/Spectre to the readers imagination was one I think that paid off.
ReplyDeleteA big concept to play with and one could seem a little absurd, however you play it really well. The page sets up your concept quickly and with great style. Every beat hooks the reader in for another reason, from the merging of the worlds, to the combo of characters you have set up to the big idea of the Punisher in this new form.
ReplyDeleteI also love that this story only works with the concept of the Big Two. The history of the two universes and their characters is what makes this dynamic sing and you highlight that really well.