Beetlejuice - Recipe - Grant McLaughlin

1 - On a beetle skittering along some plates and cutlery in a hotel kitchen.  The place looks a little tired and worn - as you might expect somewhere in the Beetlejuice universe to be.

HOTELIER (off-panel): There.

2 - The beetle has skittered beyond the plates and cutlery, but a jar (being held by the off-panel hotelier) is coming down and capturing it within.

HOTELIER: That's the last of the infestation.

3 - On the hotelier as he closes the top of the jar, the beetle skittering about within, trying fruitlessly to find an escape.  The hotelier is reminiscent of the mayor from The Nightmare Before Christmas - whether that's because he also has two faces or just because he's short and squat is up to you (he def does not have that hat though).  The hotelier looks down at his handiwork, a frown crossing his face.

HOTELIER: I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but must we make them into a liqueur?

VOICE (off-panel): No...

4 - Close on the hotelier's hand as he passes the jar off to the unseen figure from panel 3.

VOICE (off-panel): Not a liqueur.

5 - Reveal Lydia standing in the kitchen, now holding the jar.  She is older, now an adult, although her aesthetic has not changed dramatically from her younger days.  She has grown into a beautiful, if tired, woman.  Before her on a counter is a demonic-looking juicer.  All around her, whether on the counter, the shelves, the table, or pretty much wherever you can find a surface, are more jars filled with beetles of all varieties.  Lydia has a forlorn expression on her face.

LYDIA: A juice.

Beetlejuice - Clowns - P. A. Nolte

1/ Beetlejuice grumpily trudges along next to Lydia, hands in his pockets, as they walk a suburban sidewalk surrounded by the comings and goings of sugar-addled children in costumes of all shapes and sizes.  Neither of them are technically in costume. Their usual dress is enough.

B: Aren't you a little--

L: Don't say it.  You know what happens.

2/ Beetlejuice rolls his eyes.

B: Yeah, yeah...

3/ Suddenly, his face lights up.  He's got an idea.

B: Say!  You know what would make a really good prank?  If some of these awful, little clowns--

4/ Lydia winces.  Even out of the Neitherworld-- Especially out of the Neitherworld-- Beetlejuice's turns of phrase cause trouble. She's bracing for impact.

5/ One by one, the children around them erupt in brief flashes of green flame.  Where once stood Batmans, Elsas, and Ninja Turtles are unnerving clowns.  Lydia stares daggers at her friend.

Lydia: BEETLEJUICE!

Beetlejuice: Um...

6/ Beetlejuice watches her storm off.  The streets are full of these gruesome bozos carrying the same sacks of candy they did as children.

Beetlejuice: Lyds?  Babe?  I don't think this was me...

Why Beetlejuice?

For years, Halloween has come and gone with nary a blip on TB’s radar.  Things start to get a little spookier in tone, sure, but not necessarily subject.  This year, we’re shaking things up.

As a self-proclaimed bio-exorcist, THAT GUY is kind of a dud. The movie ends with the Maitlands and Deetzes living together in a kind of grotesque harmony after all.  But there’s a lot more to him than getting rid of the living.  Some might say too much more… And they’re probably right.

It turns out, toning down his… ahem… proclivities and cranking his trickster figure underpinnings up to 11 as they did for the animated series, doesn’t seem to change much.  Even sanitized, THAT GUY is still very much himself.  A weird little nuisance who revels in the not-quite-right with a penchant for worms and spiders and the stereotypically macabre.  Just with slightly softer edges.

So, this week, in celebration of Halloween, we’re turning to inspiration from The Ghost With The Most.  The one.  The only.

Beetlejuice...

Beetlejuice...

Beet--

She-Hulk - Trespassing - P. A. Nolte

1/ Jennifer Walters is in her element.  We’re seeing her from the position of the unknown person on the witness stand.  She’s talking up a storm, but we’re not going to be hearing much of it.

She-Hulk (Cap): Okay, Jen.  You can do this.

2/ The judge cocks an eyebrow.

She-Hulk (Cap): Just forget about friendship.  Loyalty.  Justice.

3/ Jennifer turns to face the jury, obscuring the witness stand. She’s starting to get frustrated.  Still talking.

She-Hulk (Cap): You can give Holliway your piece later.

4/ As she turns to wag a finger at the witness stand, she hulks out, ripping her skirt and jacket in that barely tasteful way only She-Hulk can pull off.

She-Hulk: A building which he owns!  Legally!  Which you had a major part in destroying, along with years of scientific research and millions of dollars in equipment!

She-Hulk: And this is far from the first time!

She-Hulk (Cap): Sorry, Pete…

5/ Spider-Man hangs his head sheepishly.  Shulkie’s regained her composure, but she’s still big and green.

She-Hulk: For all previously enumerated charges, violation of the protective order, and trespassing.  In the case of Spider-Man v Dr. Otto Octavius, there can be no doubt—

Spider-Man: Man…

She Hulk: "Manhattan, The Living Island"--David Press.

PAGE ONE: Four wide panels.

1.1: Coming in with an aerial shot of She-Hulk’s Jay Street office building—it’s a beautiful clear day without a cloud in the sky and a blazing yellow sun.

CAPTION:                             68 JAY STREET. BROOKLYN, NY.

1.2: Interior of the office building: specifically, the office of Jennifer Walters, She-Hulk, same office configuration as the Charles Soule/Javier Pulido run on the title. Jen is on the left hand-side of the panel, closest to the window and facing the door; ANGIE HUANG is opposite facing the reader; PATSY WALKER—Hellcat—has her back to us.

Make it so the picture rumbles a little bit like the building has been hit by an earthquake.  

CAPTION:                             The law offices of Jennifer Walters, ESQ., PLLC Attorney-at-law.

 SFX:                                      RUMBLE.

1.3: Jennifer, Patsy, and Angie rush out into the hallway where the rest of the 68 Jay Street tenants are standing. Let’s have some wavy lines around everything showing the picture is shaking.

JENNIFER is helping SHARON—the landlord—up to her feet.

SHE-HULK:                           I’ve got you…

SHARON:                              Everyone to the shel—

VOICE [No Tail]:                   I’m looking for JENNIFER WALTERS.

1.4: They’re down the stairs from the office building and staring at a red brick wall that is taking the shape of a human figure.

JENNIFER:                            That’s me. To whom am I speaking?

1.5: The WALL FIGURE extends out and it shows a distorted, plant-humanoid figure in the wall.

VOICE:                                   GORE! The son of the LIVING ISLAND!

She-Hulk - One Crummy Ploy - Perry Kent

Panel One

Exterior, day, rainy New York sidewalk. She-hulk tries to shield herself from a giant splash of water as a cab drives by.

1. SHE-HULK: Ah, not again!

Panel Two

Interior, day, sky scraper lobby. She-hulk yells toward the nearly closed elevator as she walks into through the lobby. Her clothes are soaked and dripping.

2. SHE-HULK: Hold the elevator!

Panel Three

Interior, reception, law office. She-hulk exits a door marked "Stairs" into a reception area. The chipper receptionist greets her. She-hulk looks soaked and bitterly angry.

3. RECEPTIONIST: Good morning, Ms. Walters!

4. SHE-HULK: Easy for you to say. Do you know how hard it is for a green gal to get a cab in this city?

Panel Four

She-hulk attempts to open her office door, but the door is locked and won't budge.

5. SFX (small, doorknob): Locked!

6. SHE-HULK: Of course... Left the key at home.

Panel Five

She-hulk rips the office door off it's hinges and out of her way. She has a grim smile on her face.

7. SHE-HULK: I hope this shitty morning isn't a plot device to get me to meet a maintenace man.

- END - 

She-Hulk – The Red Green Show (Part x) – MK Stangeland, Jr.

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: Post-Chaos. Both SHE-HULK and DEADPOOL are sitting on something that passes for a bench as collateral damage lies all around them, both look worse for the wear and in serious need of a breather after a rather spectacular fight of some kind.

Panel 2: Continuation of PANEL 1, as SHE-HULK and DEADPOOL continue to sit there.

YELLOW BOX: Well that happened.

SHE-HULK: *angry grunt*

Panel 3: Further continuation of PANELS 1 and 2. SHE-HULK reaches up and grabs YELLOW BOX (2), noticeably crushing it with her grip.

DEADPOOL (1): (Thought Balloon) Did we actually accomplish anything?

YELLOW BOX (1): We accomplished entertainment, that’s what we accomplished!

DEADPOOL (2): (Thought Balloon) Ah, right.

DEADPOOL (3): (Thought Balloon) So who’s ready for Round 2?

YELLOW BOX (2): In bed, maybe. If you know what I mean.

DEADPOOL (4): Bow chica bOW! OW! OW!

Panel 4: SHE-HULK swings YELLOW BOX (2) from PANEL 3 at DEADPOOL like a club in a one-handed backhand, the rest of her body hardly moving. DEADPOOL goes flying into the air and into the background at high speed as result.

SFX: HULKSLAPPED!

Panel 5: SHE-HULK remains sitting as she breaks YELLOW BOX (2) from PANEL 3 across her knee as DEADPOOL lands somewhere in the background behind the rubble and destruction beyond where we can see.

SFX: (From PANEL 3 YELLOW BOX (2)) wrr-ECKED!

SFX: (From DEADPOOL landing) thd

Panel 6: SHE-HULK tosses the two halves of PANEL 3 YELLOW BOX (2) aside.

DEADPOOL: (Far in the background, not actually seen) ow

(END PAGE)

Why She-Hulk?

Before Deadpool, there was Jennifer Walters, AKA the Sensational She-Hulk.

It’s not as an absurd comparison as it might first seem. Both got their origins from very similar pre-existing characters. Both were played seriously at first before developing into the more light-hearted versions that we know and love today. Both take massive amounts of punishment and keep on going. And of all the characters at Marvel, they’re by far the best known for their habitual breakage of the 4^th wall.

Odds are that if Thought Balloons existed decades ago instead of now, it might well be this ‘Why?’ instead of Deadpool’s that would be written in-first person.

On the other hand, Deadpool’s managed to headline multiple titles at the same time to the point over oversaturation, his own video game, makes regular appearance in animated Marvel works, and even has a unexpectedly popular movie.

She-Hulk…less so. But hey, no analogy is perfect.

But I digress. The point is that for a character that started out so connected to the original Hulk, Jennifer Walters has come a long way into her own, where oftentimes the connection between Hulk and She-Hulk is an much an afterthought as anything. She’s got a well-established on-again-off-again career as a lawyer, has been on at least half a dozen different teams, has an infamous reputation surrounding her love life, and when you get right down to it, probably runs circles around Deadpool when it comes to actually breaking the 4^th Wall – Deadpool merely acknowledges his existence as a comic book character more often than not. Jen? At her best, the darn thing might as well not even exist.

Ultimately, she’s a highly versatile, highly fun character with lots of potential. So lets put some of the potential to work, shall we?

INKTOBER-John Hughes's Day Off by James Hughes-David Press.

This is based off a profile of John Hughes, the American Film Director of Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller, and you know the rest. He was, apparently, an avid sketch artist and in this article from Vanity Fair David Kamp shows off some of his notebooks. This script is based off of the Kamp article and a Grantland piece Hughes’s son wrote.

PAGE ONE.

1.1: Let’s open up with three rows. The way I pictured this was the top and bottom tier will be two panels with the middle tier having three panels. Of course, things are totally up to your interpretation.

We’re opening on WRIGLEY FIELD and instead of a baseball game happening the field is covered in ice. Narration will be from the text of James Hughes’s story—mostly paraphrased.

1. CAPTION [JAMES]:         My father was from Detroit, but was a Chicagoholic.

1.2: Close on a pair of seats, just out in right field, where we can see JOHN HUGHES and his youngest son JAMES HUGHES. On John Hughes’s lap is a notebook.

2. CAP:                                   For him, writing was a way of life. Even when he was directing the Brat Pack movies of the ‘80s.

1.3: Close on the notebook: where we can see this image from James’s story. If you can, let’s try a sneak at the field where we can see the familiar colors of the CHICAGO BLACK HAWKS playing the DETROIT RED WINGS in a game of ice hockey. Here it is: https://espngrantland.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/grant_e_hughes-nb01jr_576111.jpg

3. CAP:                                   After he left public life he never stopped his compulsive scribbling.

1.4 CUT TO: A jazz club and a spotlight stage where we can see a SAXOPHONIST [http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/photos/2010/03/john-hughes-slideshow-201003#8].

4. CAP:                                   He used Smythson and Moleskine notebooks. They were filled with memoirs, agendas, op-eds,

1.5 CUT TO: REDWING FARMS, in Northwest Illinois where John Hughes and his wife Nancy spent the last ten years of their non-public life. There are no photos of this farm—mostly because Hughes wanted his anonymity and people gave it to him—but we can see Hughes back standing in the field surrounded by Apple Trees.

5. CAP:                                   and plans for the farm…

1.6 CUT TO: A shoebox filled with notebooks. Looks like this: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4f/07/af/4f07af103929d3cdc876d21c95cdc7f9.jpg

6. CAP:                                   When he died in August 2009 my brother and I found over 300 notebooks filled with drawings that were similar in style to Saul Steinberg and R. Crumb.

1.7: A dark box where we can see the face of John Hughes.

7. DISPLAY LETT:               John Hughes, 1950-2009.

8. CAP:                                   On the day he died, there were some photographs and some notes a couple of steps away from where he collapsed. One thing is clear: my father only stopped writing when his heart stopped beating.

--END--