Friday, November 30, 2012
Wally West - Father Figures - J.D. Coughlan
SET-UP: Thanksgiving dinner at the Wests'. Wally is 12 years old (not yet Kid Flash, although I may be fudging the timeline here). His parents, Rudy and Mary, are there with Iris and Barry.
Four long horizontal panels.
Panel 1: The dinner table. Wally sits in the middle, between the four adults. Rudy and Barry sit at either end. Everyone is eating and trying to politely converse at the same time. Barry smiles at Wally's comments, Rudy is looking down at his food.
IRIS: So, Wally, given any thought to what you'll do when you leave school?
WALLY: I'd like to help people. Y'know, like the Flash.
RUDY: Pfft. Waste of time...
Panel 2: Same view. Barry is frowning, but still his friendly self. Rudy looks up at Barry like he's an idiot. Wally looks down at his food now, as if having done something wrong.
BARRY: I wouldn't call helping people a waste of time, Rudy.
RUDY: Only person you should look out for is yourself. Nobody's gonna do anything for you, so why bother doing anything for them?
BARRY: Well, that's a pretty cynical way of looking at things...
RUDY: Thank you.
Panel 3: Same view. Rudy's body language is a bit more aggressive now, pointing at Barry and actually looking at him properly. Barry remains politely defensive. Iris is giving Barry a "don't bother" look. Wally now looks at Barry with a little hope. Throughout it all, Mary just keeps eating.
BARRY: Um, no, I-- Never mind.
BARRY: Don't you think that if we all did a little to help--
RUDY: Look, my kid is gonna get a lot further in life if he doesn't waste time with stupid, goody-two-shoes ideas.
MARY: You tell him, Rudy.
BARRY: Maybe. But maybe where he ends up isn't as important as how he gets there.
IRIS: Barry...
Panel 4: Same view. Everyone has their heads down, eating, tension still in their body language, except for Wally, who remains staring hopefully at Barry.
NO DIALOGUE
END OF PAGE
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A snapshot moment of family life, played out with some nice subtle acting from the characters. I like who you explored what Wally could be as a character through the prism of two peoples very different out looks on life.
ReplyDeleteThe page is all about Wally without him being to directly involved. Nice solid work.
There's some really good character exchanges going on here.
ReplyDeleteGreat dialogue and you capture everyone's voices excellently.
Ah, Thanksgiving dinner conversation tension. You capture it well. Barry's last line is a great tag for Wally to grab hold of, but the uncertainty is ripe with possibilities. Perfect for the holidays.
ReplyDeleteMore than a little maudlin, but that's forgivable. Really liked this one, it's sincere in a way I rarely see in comics, like Parks & Rec when it decides to go for the heart.
ReplyDelete