Gorilla Grodd - Gorilla My Dreams - R.A. Wonsowski

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Panel 1- FLASH running toward us.
CAPTION: I.

Panel 2- Same as above, except a small bloody hole opens in FLASH's forehead, his brains exploding out the back of his head. NO COPY.

Panel 3- Repeat Panel 1.
CAPTION: Can't.

Panel 4- FLASH trips on a rock, stumbling. NO COPY.

Panel 5- FLASH impales himself on a spike that shoots up out of nowhere, sticking out his back. NO COPY.

Panel 6- Repeat Panel 1.
CAPTION: Stop.

Panel 7- a drone flies left to right, pulling a filament wire behind, in front of FLASH, about neck high. NO COPY.

Panel 8- The filament, now pulled taut, lops FLASH's head clean off, bloodlessly, an almost cartoonish expression on his face, like an Oh No. NO COPY.

Panel 9- Panel center, in a futuristic lab below Gorilla City, FLASH hangs from the ceiling, suspended face down, unconscious, an overlarge sensory-deprivation helmet over most of his head, wires leading to a monitor on the wall showing Panel 1. On the left, in what looks like a giant fishbowl etched with circuitry and runes, DANIEL, the son of Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, pounds on the glass in desperation, silently screaming. Panel right, GORILLA GRODD, wearing the Helm of Morpheus, wrings his hands with sadistic glee, a leather pouch full of dust dangles from a sash about his waist.

GRODD: ...thus in dreams shall the world of humans end...

GRODD: ...but first...

Gorilla Grodd – Baker & Grodd’s Psychotic Adventure! – MK Stangeland Jr.

(Admittedly, I was tempted not to do another edition of Baker & Grodd this week just to mess with you all. But these two are just too much fun to pull a stunt like that, honestly.)

(In this edition, ANIMAL MAN and GORILLA GRODD have found themselves on the wrong end of a PERSONALITY RAY built by the ULTRAHUMANITE, effectively reversing their normal personalities!)

(7 Panels)

Panel 1: ULTRAHUMANITE, in his lab, as he tries to hide. He remains relatively calm in spite of this, though with  the impression he realizes he’s bitten off more than he can chew.

ANIMAL MAN: (Off-Panel) HUMANITE! COME BACK HERE YOU COWARD!

Panel 2: ULTRAHUMANITE stops short as he just about runs into ANIMAL MAN. ANIMAL MAN looks particularly angry, verging on having a mild touch of evil to him. He also looks like he’s getting ready to strike. Surrounding him are the auras of a GORILLA and a HUMMINGBIRD.

ANIMAL MAN (1): There you are.

ANIMAL MAN (2): Revenge shall be mine!

ULTRAHUMANITE: Oh dear.

Panel 3: GORILLA GRODD throws himself at ANIMAL MAN with a tackle move, but doesn’t directly hit ANIMAL MAN. Instead, ANIMAL MAN is being tossed aside by a ‘telekinetic tackle’.

GRODD: I DO SAY!

ANIMAL MAN: Uughf!

Panel 4: GRODD grabs ANIMAL MAN. ANIMAL MAN is disheveled from GRODDs interference.

GRODD: This behavior is MOST unbecoming of you, Mr. Baker!

Panel 5: GRODD looks to ULTRAHUMANITE as he offhandedly tosses ANIMAL MAN across the room. ULTRAHUMANITE looks to be recomposing himself.

GRODD (1): Apologies for my friend here, Ultrahumanite.

GRODD (2): It appears as though he’s developed quite the anger issues!

ULTRAHUMANITE: No apologies needed.

Panel 6: GRODD leaps at ANIMAL MAN in an attempt to restrain him and get him under control.

GRODD (1): Oh irony of ironies!

GRODD (2): Long have I desired a moment such as this!

Panel 7: GRODD grabs ANIMAL MAN in a headlock.

GRODD (1): Yet now?

GRODD (2): I take no pleasure in it at all!

(END PAGE)

Gorilla Grodd - Monkey See - Grant McLaughlin

Apologies for the tardiness.

1 - Gorilla Grodd sits at a desk covered in books, papers, writings, and all manner of literary / academic signifiers.  He wears a smug look on his face, triumphantly closing the book he holds in one hand with a snap.

GRODD (1): At last!

GRODD (2): With our combined efforts, I will finally get my revenge on that despicable Flash!

VOICE (off-panel): Actually...

2 - Pull back to reveal that Deadshot stands on the other side of the desk.  We can perhaps focus on solely him this panel.  He can be cleaning his guns or whatever, only kind of paying attention.  (This is pre-New 52 Deadshot, natch.)

DEADSHOT (1): I've been meaning to ask you about that.

DEADSHOT (2): Why do you have such a hate-on for ol' Flashy?

3 - Now have both in the panel.  Grodd could perhaps have stood up from his chair, showing some annoyance at Deadshot's candour.  Deadshot maintains the same cocky, detached attitude he always has.

GRODD: What do you mean?  He's my nemesis.

DEADSHOT (1): And I get that, but what did he do to earn your bad blood?

DEADSHOT (2): Kill your best friend?

DEADSHOT (3): Steal your girl?

DEADSHOT (4): Or is moving really fast just the natural predator of super-intelligent, talking gorillas?

4 - Focus again on Grodd.  He beings to answer, but looks slightly hesitant.

GRODD: Well, you see...

5 - Same panel.  Grodd has stopped talking, wracking his brain for an answer.

NO COPY

6 - Grodd is back at the desk (reflecting panel 1), looking at his papers and books.  The light in the room is darker, as if the sun has set and Grodd has been sitting there a while.  A sheet of paper titled "Why I Hate the Flash" sits prominently in the middle of the desk (the reader doesn't need to see the whole title, but enough letters to be able to piece it together).  The important thing is that the paper is blank.  Grodd is perhaps chewing on his pencil or tapping his head in concentration.  He looks kind of worried.

NO COPY

Gorilla Grodd - Missing Link - Travis M. Holyfield

Setup: THE FLASH has just destroyed one of GORILLA GRODD'S nefarious doomsday devices. In order to do so, The Scarlet Speedster has had to vibrate at a speed and frequency he has never achieved before. At the last moment, Grodd grabs hold of the Flash and they are both whisked away in a crash of lightning!

Panel One: Exterior. Daytime. A clearing in a junglescape. Foliage creeps up to nearly waist high. A hill in the background looms up over the tree line.


Panel Two: Continuation of previous, but now a flash of lightning fills the panel and the forms of The Flash and Grodd spill out into the clearing.

SFX: KRA-KA-KOW!


Panel Three: The Flash zooms towards Grodd, his fist cocked back to strike.

FLASH: You maniacal monkey! The device was a trap! This was your plan all along!

FLASH: Where have you taken us?


Panel Four: Grodd grins knowingly at the Flash. In the background, a group of humanoid figures crest the hill, their features shadowed.

GRODD: Not where, Flash! WHEN!


Panel Five: Grodd glances over his shoulder towards the hill with a devilish grin. The Flash stares past him at the figures on the hill, his face a mask of grim determination.

FLASH: It doesn't matter where or when, Grodd! You're insane if you think I'll let you harm any innocent bystanders!

GRODD: Bystanders, Flash? I don't see bystanders...


Panel Six:  Closeup of the figures on the hill. It is DOCTOR ZAIUS and a squad of Gorilla soldiers! We are on the PLANET OF THE APES!

GRODD (CAPTION): "... I see reinforcements."

Why Gorilla Grodd?

Dude. Gorillas are awesome. Why are we even having this conversation?

In the world of awesome comic book gorillas, Grodd reigns supreme. He was created by the legendary Carmine Infantino, so right there you know he's got to be great. Grodd is a hyper-intelligent, telepathic, SUPER-gorilla, who got his powers, depending on when you started reading comics, from either an alien spacecraft or a radioactive meteor.

Regardless, Grodd and a group of other gorillas are forever changed, made super intelligent, and, in the case of Grodd and his nemesis Solovar, telepathic and telekinetic.

The gorillas construct a super advanced city named, perhaps somewhat obviously, Gorilla City, and everything is pretty cool until some silly humans stumble upon the place, giving Grodd the opportunity to take over the city and start a campaign of world domination. Solovar calls the Flash for help, and it's been speedster versus gorilla ever since.

Grodd's enjoying a bit of a renaissance these days, with an appearance on the new Flash TV show. But even before he hit big screen stardom, Grodd was always my favorite telepathic, homicidal, despotic gorilla. And now he can be yours.

(BTW, if this week doesn't get us another edition of "Buddy and Grodd" from MK Stangeland, I'm calling shenanigans. I ask for so little in this life.)

Mole Man - Directionless - Travis M. Holyfield

Panel 1: Exterior. Daytime. The FANTASTIC FOUR stand side-by-side in Times Square. Behind them crowds of onlookers are being held back  by barriers, police cars, and a small army of NYPD officers. The FF look grim, determined, and ready for battle.


Panel 2: Mister Fantastic stretches his arm and pulls back his sleeve to reveal a wristwatch,

MISTER FANTASTIC: Something's wrong here. Those lava men we apprehended swore that he'd be attacking Times Square at noon.


Panel 3: The Human Torch floats behind Reed, and the Thing leans in from the side to see the time on Mister Fantastic's watch.

HUMAN TORCH: Maybe he got lost?

THE THING: Very funny, matchstick.


Panel 4: Focus on the Torch, looking thoughtful.

HUMAN TORCH: No, I'm serious.

HUMAN TORCH: How does he even know where to pop out anyway? It's not like there are street signs down there.


Panel 5: Underground. The MOLE MAN sits on a rock, surrounded by MOLOIDS. He has a large map unfolded in front of him, and is squinting at it. Several Moloids are peering at the map with him, over his shoulder or from his side. One of the Moloids holds a compass. The Moloid's dialogue should be represented by squiggles.

MOLE MAN: Blasted map! What good are you?

MOLOID 1: | | | | | | | | | | | | |

MOLE MAN: Don't talk to me like that. YOU were in charge of directions. Are you even using that compass the right way?

MOLOID 2: | | | | | | | | | |

MOLE MAN: If we end up in New Jersey again, you're all dead to me.

MOLOID 3: | | | | | | |

MOLE MAN: NO, we can't go to Brooklyn instead!

MOLE MAN: Who ever heard of a hipster Moloid, anyway?

Mole Man - Jerusalem - Ray Wonsowski

Panel 1-  Long shot, the sea, Monster Island. High noon, perfect blue sky. Towering astride the highest point, hundreds of feet tall, the dread DORMAMMU spreads his arms wide, the Flames of Faltine dancing in his palms. He has erected a clear magick dome over the island, his head is back, as if gazing into the sun.

CAPTION: Bring me my bow of burning gold!

Panel 2- In a subterranean cavern, a magic portal opens, an army of MINDLESS ONES breaching through. Countless MOLOIDS run away in fear.

CAPTION: Bring me my arrows of desire!

Panel 3- Walking purposefully from one cavern into a large antechamber, MOLE MAN, who looks p!$$ed-off as all get-out, comes toward us, surrounded by frightened MOLOIDS. One passes MOLE MAN his staff, another drapes his cape about his shoulders.

CAPTION: Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!

Panel 4- Reveal, a Kirby-esqe battle tank, gleaming rare metal and glowing circuitry, with an improbable double-barreled cannon on the top, a pilot's throne attached to the side. MOLE MAN,tiny in comparison, climbs up to take his seat.

CAPTION: Bring me my chariot of fire!

Panel 5- Close-up of MOLE MAN, strapping himself in, grim fury behind his goggles, impossibly ready to take the fight to Dormammu and his invaders, his demeanor should be almost that of a king defending his people.

CAPTION: I will not cease from mental fight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand...

Inspired by William Blake's poem "And Did Those Feet in Ancient Times", more commonly known as the traditional hymn, "Jerusalem".

Mole Man – Life in a Tunnel – MK Stangeland Jr.

(1 Panel)

Panel 1: MOLE MAN is sitting in a chair, looking a bit disappointed. He holds a smartphone in his hand, but it doesn’t look very operational. Other electronic equipment is sitting nearby, some of which various MOLOIDS are toying or working with.

MOLE MAN: If there’s one downside to living underground, it’s that it’s impossible to ever get a good signal.

(END PAGE)

Mole Man - No Man is an Island - Grant McLaughlin

1 - Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm, and the Fantastic Four are fighting some Moloids and various other Subterranea monsters.  The Subterranea forces are emerging from a large hole in the ground, while the FF are fighting them back.

JOHNNY: I still don't get it.

2 - Johnny has some monsters on the back foot, pushing them back with his flames.  Ben is punching a big monster in the noggin.

JOHNNY (1): Why would you bother, considering everything he's done?

JOHNNY (2): Considering what his minions are doing right now?

3 - Ben has picked up the big monster and is throwing it to push back the remaining monsters coming out of the hole.

BEN: I know it's hard for you to imagine, Johnny, but how would you feel if it was your special day...

4 - Switch scenes.  Mole Man sits in a dining room-esque space in his Subterranea castle / headquarters.  A "Happy Birthday" sign hangs on the wall behind him.  The sign looks dingy and old, as if this isn't the first year it's been used (and perhaps as if it's remained there since the first time it was put up).  Harvey sits at the head of a round table.  The rest of the seats are empty.  Harvey holds a card in his hand, although its details are obscured.  His expression is hard to read.

CAPTION (BEN GRIMM): ...and no one came?

MOLE MAN: Benjamin Grimm...

5 - Close-up of the card Harvey is holding.  It's a little smiley caveman standing on a boulder doing a happy dance (or whatever).  Along the top, the card reads "Hope Your Birthday Rocks!".

MOLE MAN (off-panel, tail coming from the top of the panel): Thank you.

Why Mole Man?

No no no no no no not him.

This guy.

If you can tell the difference....


The Mole Man was originally Harvey Rupert Elder, an American nuclear engineer and explorer. Elder was socially shunned due to a combination of his abrasive personality and his homely, dwarfish appearance. Furthermore, his fellow explorers ridiculed him for his eccentric, crackpot theories regarding a Hollow Earth. In 1956, while following the group of explorers called the Monster Hunters, he stumbled upon Monster Island, which was at the time a base of the Deviant Warlord Kro.

When Elder fell into a massive cave leading deep into the underground realm of Subterranea, he decided his theories had finally been vindicated. However, he suffered permanent damage to his eyes when he gazed directly upon a highly reflective deposit of diamonds. Partially blind and apparently secluded from the surface world forever, Elder dubbed himself the Mole Man and began exploring his new home. He eventually became the ruler of the branch of Subterraneans now known as the Moloids, and the ruler of much of Subterranea and the caverns of Monster Isle. He used the Deviant-derived creatures and technology that he found in Subterranea to strike back at the outer world in numerous attempts to rule or humble the world that had rejected him.

Sure he has jumped between good and bad, but to me he will always get a boo.

Hawkworld - Prey of Birds - Travis M. Holyfield

Panel 1: Exterior.Night. A Thanagar slum. A slim, grimy, young street person pushes through shin-high filth. He is nervous, throwing furtive glances around him as he scuttles through the night.

YOUNG MAN: This is not a world for weakness.


Panel 2: The young man has stopped by a stack of crates and discarded containers. Perhaps even the Thanagarian equivalent of a dumpster. Again, he stops and glances around, wary of watchful eyes.

YOUNG MAN: This is not a world of mercy.


Panel 3: Closer focus. The young man reaches behind the stack of objects. His tongue juts out of the corner of his mouth with concentration and exertion.

YOUNG MAN: This is not a world of charity.


Panel 4: The young man straightens up, holding a small metallic box in front of him. He looks at it greedily. This is the contraband he has come for.

YOUNG MAN: This is a world of predators and prey.


Panel 5:  The young man glances up in the sky. A phalanx of Thanagarian police fly over the alley, miraculously not looking down on our little criminal.

YOUNG MAN: This is a world of HAWKS.


Panel 6: The young man takes off down the alley at a run, the metallic box clutched under his arm.

YOUNG MAN: And my mother?

YOUNG MAN: She had the nerve to name me "Mouse".

Hawkworld – Wrong Turn Detour – MK Stangeland Jr.

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: An alien thief – DATTZ ZATZZ (New character) – is in the starship equivalent of a hot-rod. He has the look of a cool, smooth talker. His ship is in space, next to an orbital check point over HAWKWORLD. On the screen in front of him is THANDRIS (New Character), a police officer from THANAGAR. She should have a measure of obvious attractiveness, but not to an overplayed degree, especially since she’s in uniform.

THANDRIS: Do you have anything to declare, Sir?

Panel 2: ZATZZ looks at the screen as if he’s trying to flirt with THANDRIS, not aware about what’s actually going on.

ZATZZ (1): How about that I think you might have stolen my heart.

ZATZZ (2): Tell me, you come over here from nearby Hotsworld?

Panel 3: THANDRIS look at ZATTZ, a serious face that is in no way amused or taken in by ZATZZ words.

THANDRIS (2): Sir, do you understand that this is a very serious matter that should not be taken lightly?

Panel 4: ZATZZ looks confused and concerned.

ZATZZ (1): Wow, this place got real serious all of the sudden.

ZATZZ (2): Like when did Halkworld add a checkpoint?

THANDRIS (1): Halkworld? That criminal scum of a planet?

THANDRIS (2): Sir, this is Thanagar, Hawkworld.

Panel 5: Beat Panel. ZATZZ had a blank-eyed look of horror on his face as he realizes the mistake he’s made.

Panel 6: ZATZZ is flying his ship away from HAWKWORLD at top-speed, a number of THANAGAR police ship in hot pursuit with weapons firing as they try to chase him down.

(END PAGE)

Hawkworld - Uprising - Grant McLaughlin

Tovar, a Hawkperson in his prime, is delivering a rallying speech against the Optimacy (the upperclass of Thanagar) to the world's poor and downtrodden.

Three rows.  Row one is a single panel.  Row two is made up of panels 2 through 4.  Row three has the final two panels.

1 - Tovar stands at a podium atop a platform.  A large crowd stands before him, listening intently.  Let's go with a 3/4 angle to establish the scene.  The only important thing is that we should only see Tovar's front.  Note on word balloons: the first three can be close together, but the fourth should be slightly separated.

TOVAR (1): The Optimacy claims that they only want to help.

TOVAR (2): That they are protecting us.

TOVAR (3): That they know what's best.

TOVAR (4): In their arrogance, they believe that we will not see their actions for what they are.

2 - Close up shot of Tovar, with the panel framing him and his podium.  Shot from the front.  Tovar slams his fist on the podium to emphasize his words.

TOVAR: An attack.

3 - Same angle.  Tovar speaks with his hands, having one out pointing towards the crowd as if to punctuate every sentence.

TOVAR (1): An attack on every single Thanagarian who thinks differently than they do.

4 - Same angle.  Tovar spreads his arms wide to include the entire assembled group.

TOVAR (1): We - all of us - under threat.

TOVAR (2): And when threatened, it is only right for our fight or flight instinct to kick in.

5 - Shot from behind Tovar, looking out to the crowd.  Many look on, determination on their faces.  However, the focus here is Tovar's back.  His wings have been ripped out at the root.  While the wound has begun to heal, the stumps remain scabbed and scarry.  The whole thing is pretty hideous.  Tovar raises a hand, one finger up to show the number 1.

TOVAR: They would deny us one.

6 - Reverse angle, pulled back a bit for a shot from behind the crowd.  Tovar has his arm raised high, making a fist.  Many in the crowd raise their arms to imitate him.

TOVAR: So let us show them the other!

Hawkworld - Wonder Twins, Prog 2 - Ray Wonsowski

Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends...

Coming back to the prog-fueled adventures of Zan and Jayna, still taking inspiration from Emerson Lake and Palmer's "KarnEvil9", this time from the 3rd Impression. By the way, if you're looking for some trippy prog rock goodness, ELP is a great place to start; the whole of KarnEvil9 can be found on their masterpiece album Brain Salad Surgery...download it today!

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Panel 1- in orbit above the planet Thanagar, the warship " Death in the Wind" shines, reflecting the light of its sun, the star Polaris. The ship looks like one of those winged scarabs found in the tombs of ancient Egypt:

CAPTION: ...the Fifth Order of All Wingmen?

Panel 2- walking to the bridge, Commander PRANA STEL, a tall Hawkwoman with Hindi-like features, carries her winged helmet in one hand, her other rests on the shoulder of her adjutant. This would be a young KATAR HOL, probably just fresh out of the Academy and on his first posting, no older than 15 or 16. He carries his helmet as well, but it has no wings.

KATAR: No man yields who flies in my ship!

PRANA: A fine officer someday...

Panel 3- close up on the faces of PRANA and KATAR, looks of unexpected surprise, bathed in red warning lights.

OFF-PANEL (from loudspeaker): DANGER!!

PRANA: Stations! Know your places!

Panel 4- PRANA, putting on her helmet, takes the conn of the bridge; it should vaguely resemble a pharaoh's throne. Various WINGMEN take their stations at their consoles.

PRANA: Let the bridge computer speak!
OFF-PANEL (from loudspeaker): STRANGER!

Panel 5- a gloved hand points at an alien version of a radar screen. The electronic markings should have a hieroglyphic look to them. One glyph is tailed by an erratic vector line.

OFF-PANEL (from loudspeaker): Load your program...

PRANA (off-panel, small lettering): By all seven hells, that best not be Rann...

PRANA (off-panel): Who dares cross our path?!?

Panel 6- screeching past the nose of the Thanagarian warship is a small, beaten spacecraft that looks like a forklift with blunt wings and a jet turbine bolted on top. In the windscreen, we can see JAYNA in the pilot's seat angrily struggling with the stick controls, ZAN standing behind white-knuckling the chair with a look of fear on his face. Lasers from the belly of the warship rain down around the Twins' escape craft

ZAN: I thought you said you could fly this thing?!?

JAYNA: Jam it, Zan!!

...to be continued...

Why Hawkworld? (Why Thanagar?)

Because Hawkman (and Hawkwoman), while great concepts, have been the characters NO ONE at DC seems to know what to do with, mired in confusing continuity, and everytime someone tries to simplify the Hawks, they get MORE confusing.

Seriously, why would you do this on purpose?

Except once...

Aahhh...that's better.

See, right after Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC decided to reintroduce origins to their main heroes from scratch. Some got fresh origins set in their pasts (Superman got John Byrne's Man of Steel, Batman had Frank Miller's Year One, Green Lantern's Emerald Dawn). Others started over in the present (George Perez's Wonder Woman), and some were new beginnings for old characters (Wally West becoming the new Flash after the death of Barry Allen).   But my personal favourite of all of these was Tim Truman's HAWKWORLD.

Katar Hol and the dregs of Thanagar. Art by Truman

Before Crisis, all we knew of the Hawks was that they were two of Thanagar's planetary police. But in Truman's hands, Thanagar was a corrupted fascist caste society, and Katar Hol, with the help of Shayera Thal, try to root out that corruption and bring hope to those who live in the lower cities. When their quarry, a criminal named Byth, escapes, the chase leads to Earth, where Hawkworld, the series, becomes less about heroes and villains, but more about law vs justice, security vs freedom, and order vs anarchy.

So while we seem to be pretty gifted in depicting societies we live in, I thought it would be fun to try our hands at a truly alien culture.

Plus, it's space cops with antigravity wings. Pure awesome.

Ninjas - Shame on a Ninja - Travis M. Holyfield

SPLASH PAGE: A gigantic battle scene. Ninjas fighting ninjas. The entire panel should be just full-on ninja carnage. Every type of generic ninja imaginable should be on display. Within the melee, identifiable in a "Where's Waldo" sort of fashion, are famous comic book ninjas including, but not limited to:

• Wolverine
• Psylocke
• Snake-Eyes
• Storm Shadow
• Scarlett
• Jinx
• Elektra
• Daredevil
• Black Tarantula
• Kitty Pryde
• Lady Bullseye
• Leonardo
• Michaelangelo
• Raphael
• Donatello
• Splinter
• Shredder
• Miho (Sin City)
• Ninjak
• Nth Man
• Lady Shiva
• Oedipus (The Tick) - It would be really great to have Elektra stabbing her to death. 
• Roxie Richter (Scott Pilgrim)

CAPTION: Shame on a ninja that try to run game on a ninja...

Ninjas - by Nikolas and Victor Wonsowski

OK, this week, writer's block struck again. So I asked my boys, and they were all, "Papa, it's ninjas. Ninjas are awesome." All right, I want to see what they can do. Here's their script:

Panel 1. EVIL NINJA CLAN, bullying, the LEADER pointing.

EVIL NINJA CLAN LEADER: So, tiny blue one! Do you have the skills to take on my ninja clan?!

Panel 2. SONIC the Hedgehog accepts the challenge!

SONIC: Do I? Did your mommies make you wear those jammies?

Then, ZOOM!

Panel 3. Fight cloud! NINJAS getting clobbered saying things like "Owwie! Oof! My elbow!"

Panel 4. SONIC is the winner. He's standing on the head of the LEADER. Another NINJA  falls from the sky on his head. TAILS is cheering in the air with his tail twirling.

SONIC: So, NOW who's got the best kung fu, boys?

TAILS: You do, Sonic!!

Panel 5. NARUTO is so surprised at Sonic's victory. KAKASHI hangs upside down very impressed.

NARUTO: WHAAAA?!?

KAKASHI: ¡Heh! Yeah, we need him on our team.

NARUTO: WHAAA?!

The End.

And if that wasn't enough, they drew the thing:

Pencils by Nikolas Wonsowski (age 10)
Colors by Victor Wonsowski (age 7)

...thanks for helping out this week, boys.

Ninjas - God Only Knows - Grant McLaughlin

In the first four panels, only the ninja character should be dressed up in the cliché all-black ninja costume.  Everyone else should be just regular people going about their lives.


Layout should be two panels in each of the first two rows and the final panel taking its own row.


1 - A baby dressed in a ninja costume is taking his first tentative steps.  His mother stands before him, encouraging him to walk towards her, while his father is behind him, ready to provide support should a stumble appear.


NO COPY


2 - A few years later.  That ninja baby is now a ninja teenager, replete with acne (visible through the open in his mask for his eyes), some type of braces / headgear (either above the mask for jokes or visible underneath), and possibly a letterman jacket or some such.  He is sitting in a theatre with his date, casting furtive glances towards her out of the corner of his eye.  Maybe he's visibly working up the nerve to make his move.


NO COPY


3 - A few more years later.  That ninja teenager is now a ninja man.  It is his wedding day.  Still in full ninja garb, he now also wears a tuxedo overtop of it all as he stands next to his beautiful bride (who is obviously the same girl from the movie theatre).  They're at the part where they get to kiss.  It is obviously the happiest day of their lives, and everyone watching on is pretty pleased about the whole thing too (and all wearing regular, non-ninja garb, natch).


NO COPY


4 - A few more years yet.  That ninja man is now a slightly older ninja man.  We're in the driveway in front of his and his wife's house.  He stands at the doorway, waving goodbye as he heads off to work.  She's also pregnant (because, obviously she is).  I'd say to have the ninja wearing a suit over his ninja garb, but that might be too much, so let's just say he's holding a suitcase as he unlock his car to drive to work.


NO COPY


5 - The present.  There's a big ol' fight going down.  A group of ninja is getting their collective tail handed to them by a few colourful superhero-esque mercenaries.  Our focus, however is on two colourful heroes who are looking down at a fallen ninja.  The first hero cleans off his sword, the second holds her two guns at her side.  The first hero asks a question to which the second shrugs her shoulders as if to say "I dunno".


FIRST HERO: You think anything flashes before a ninja's eyes when they die?

Ninjas - Sorry - Ben Rosenthal

FULL PAGE SPLASH
A 'Where's Wally?' type of page - hundreds of small characters go about their business in a ancient Japan market.  A dense crowd, it is up top the reader to find the Ninjas.  They never will find them because Ninjas.

CAPTION

WHERE'S NINJAS?
A phalanx of the feudal fighters are hidden on this page.  Can you find all 20?

Ninjas – Robot Viking Ninja Pirates: Check Out Our Moves – MK Stangeland Jr.

(I ultimately decided this week to pull directly from a script I wrote years ago but has done little except collect e-dust on my hard drive since then. It’s more of the ROBOT VIKING NINJA PIRATES that I wrote about way back during the ‘Our Own Creations’ week, though this time I’m using previously written material.

The important relevant information is that CAPTAIN ODIN and members of his crew are attempting to steal from a library in TOKOTO, NIPPON. On the previous page, ODIN was attacked by OTAKA HAKA XAN, the head librarian, who used a ‘CHI-FU’ technique (basically martial arts with glowy energy-infused attacks).

Page 10 (6 Panels)

Panel 1: ODIN, having fallen to the floor, begins to pick himself up.

ODIN: (Quietly, to himself.) Unholy :-O :-O :-O :-O!

Panel 2: ODIN, still with swords in hand, cups his hands around his mouth in a contradictory attempt to both whisper and shout at XAN.

ODIN: (Loud whispering.) < That was amazing! You have got to tell me how you do that! >

Panel 3: XAN is using the shelves to wall jump to higher ground so he can chase after MIMIR.

Panel 4: A ninja star hits the shelf where XAN was about to put his hand, causing him to stop short.

Panel 5: ODIN hits XAN with a flying kick, knocking him off the shelves.

SFX: wam!

ODIN: (Whispering.) < Oh no, you don’t. >

Panel 6: Both ODIN and XAN land on their feet. ODIN is in the foreground.

ODIN: (Whispering.) < You already picked your fight. You’re staying right here with me. >

(END PAGE)

Why Ninjas?

Where would comics be without them?

They’d be short a hand and a foot, that’s what. Hobbled, struggling to make up the difference from what they are today.

No high-class kung fu action, no elite villains for when you want your hero to actually need skills to punch through to the evil mastermind, and even a lot of those heroes and villains themselves wouldn’t be half who they are today.

Hardly any large-spanning comic universe worth its salt anymore – and probably even a majority of the small ones – doesn’t have ninjas in some way, shape, or form. Shouldn’t be hard to see – unlike ninjas themselves - how integral they’ve managed to become to not just comics, but pop culture in general.

Because let’s face it, ninjas?

Ninjas are cool.

That’s why.