Eclipso - The Madding Crowd, Part 17 - Ray Wonsowski

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eleven - twelve - thirteen - G - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen

Set-up: HAWK and DOVE, with the assistance of combat magicians HARRY DRESDEN and WILLIAM GRAVEL, have beaten back the Hellspiders and collapsed the Madness Gate, forcing ECLIPSO back to his fortress on the dark side of the moon. Now joined by former captives JACKIE ESTACADO, the CREEPER, SHADE the Changing Man, and ANDREW BENNETT, the heroes mount one final assault on Eclipso's throne room...

Layout: Double pager (Yeah, I know, last one, I promise...), tilt POV in all panels 45 degrees so that upper left corner is top and lower right corner is bottom.

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Panel 1 - JACKIE ESTACADO, barefoot in a wifebeater tshirt and white pants, crawls toward us on his hands and knees on a dark marble floor, his left hand reaching forward, hair in his eyes. The Darkness is coming back to him, a dark amorphous pool, but tendrils are climbing over his fingertips and reaching over the back of his hand to his wrist.

ECLIPSO: (off panel) You think I need the Darkness to grind you on my wheel?

Panel 2 - SHADE, mouth open wide, clutches his gut as he vomits up a dozen Black Diamonds, excruciating pain lining his face.

ECLIPSO: (off panel) You think I need my Black Diamonds to pulverize your souls?

Panel 3 - The CREEPER raises an arm to shield his eyes from falling debris, ebony rock and dark crystal. His fear is palpable, tears streaming down his face.

ECLIPSO: (off panel) When you dare violate my sanctum? Human filth...

Panel 4 - The cathedral-like throneroom of ECLIPSO's lunar fortress. The design should be a cross between European Gothic architecture, a medieval torture chamber, and a leather bondage domination set.  Now, imagine that ECLIPSO is the room. The ceiling has fallen in, and we see earth hanging in the black sky, and ECLIPSO's giant's head and shoulders are forming out of the walls, his arms about to encircle our (tiny) heroes on the floor, slender claw-like fingers ready to tear them apart. As a reference of scale, imagine an adult with 8 Lego mini-figs. The floor is cracking, the stones are rent, and glass flies in all directions. ECLIPSO's face is pure unadulterated rage as he screams.

ECLIPSO: I WILL FLAY THE SKIN FROM YOUR BONES AND EAT YOUR HEARTS!!!

Panel 5 - The eye of the hurricane, the calm in ECLIPSO's rage-storm.  Our eight heroes stand ready to face his unholy Wrath. Front and center, side by side, SHADE, who is holding up exaggerated fists of Madness, and Jackie, now fully transformed into the DARKNESS. From center to the left: DOVE stands behind SHADE, his hand resting on Shade's shoulder, as if lending strength. HARRY DRESDEN stands behind DOVE in the same manner, his eyes hidden under his wide-brimmed hat, magic flowing through his fingertips. The CREEPER is down low behind DRESDEN in his madman's crouch, wiping the dust and tears from his face. The right side of the panel is a mirror of the lineup: HAWK's talon-like hand digging into the DARKNESS's shoulder, WILLIAM GRAVEL has one hand on HAWK's shoulder and the other with a Desert Eagle pistol drawn, both hands glowing with dark magic. ANDREW BENNETT is on all-fours, vampire thirst evident in his bared fangs. HAWK has a $#!t-eating toothy grin as he relishes the fight to come.

HAWK: Not today, you gruesome sonuvabitch.

...next week - ???...