Sunday, May 17, 2015

God and Country (Working Title)


This story is about an American Superhero who thinks he is an American God. He is an unstable character who has literally become unstuck in time, meaning his country's history can bleed into his present unannounced (although it has a tendency to do so when he's in the middle of a fight). The American Past is the hero's primary source of power and identity, but it is also his weaknessan ambiguous rallying cry that can turn patriotism into a burden. Ultimately, it makes him question his own sanity, all while trying to keep his own God Complex in check. He can fly, is super strong, and can shoot controlled bursts of energy at his enemies. His name is Pax and he will either bring about a second American Revolution or start a new Civil War.

God and Country (Working Title)
By: Ricardo A. Serrano Denis

Page 1 (This page is composed of four horizontal panels.)

Panel 1: We open with a shot of American Rebel from the Revolutionary War looking up at Pax, our story’s mad superhero—one who thinks he is America’s own personal god. We’re in a woods area (a setting that captures the feel of the American Wilderness, rich and vibrant yet dangerous). It is day. Pax is off-panel. He is tall and classically muscular, a sense of history about him. We want to make him feel timeless, aged, like an icon—a god (think Dr. Manhattan meets Kingdom Come’s Superman). Pax is composed of three skin colors: red, white, and black (three colors running vertically from head to toe in that order, from left to right). His left side is red (which stands to represent his country’s Native-American roots, which will be questioned as the story progresses), his right side is black (representing African-American identity, which will also be questioned), and in the middle—separating the two colors—is a very pure and solid white (which stands to represent not just white America but the divide between its different populations). He’s a walking Melting Pot and he is wearing a long black Rebel overcoat (his costume will change throughout the story, depending on the time period we’re at in the story). We only see his shadow as it covers the Rebel, the soldier overtaken by fear and wonderment. He’s looking at a god, at something that is beyond comprehension and yet is still somewhat familiar, recognizable.

Pax VO: I sometimes feel like a walking anachronism.

Pax (off-panel): Load up, son.

Panel 2: Close-up of a black hand offering a 9mm handgun to the Rebel. We just focus on the hands here, both Pax’s and the Rebel’s. Just the hands.

Pax VO: A thing that resists the idea of staying where it belongs.

Pax: No one said fighting for your country was a bloodless affair.

Panel 3: Shot of the Rebel’s hands holding the gun, as if he’s still unsure what to do with it. This is POV shot (Point of View), the Rebel looking down at the gun in his hands.

Pax VO: Perhaps I shouldn’t be too bothered by it.

Pax (off-panel): In fact, spilling blood? It’s how we speak war…how we communicate our discontent to those who seek to oppress.

Panel 4: Shot of the Rebel sliding the handgun’s barrel back, half-turned and looking for the enemy. We see Pax There’s a sense of newfound purpose with the Rebel, inspiration. The gun has made him realize he’s fighting for his country. He is now a Patriot.

Pax VO: Better to take it as a minor consequence of being…

Pax: It’s how revolutions start. Now…

Page 2-3

Double-page splash: This is a big wide-shot of Pax ordering his Rebels to charge and fire against the enemy while realizing something’s wrong: reality is shifting and is reshaping the woods area into a busy New York City street where five bank robbers armed with heavy machine guns are firing towards the Rebels. The fight is taking place in front of the bank the robbers have just help up. The scene is split into two pages. The first page is still mostly woods are and sees four Rebels firing and charging towards the bank robbers. The Rebels are carrying modern weaponry (9mm handguns and riot shotguns). One of them is a woman, one is black, and the other two are white. The second page, then, is left up to the modern day New York City street. The five bank robbers (which are all male) look like they belong to a classic supervillain organization (think HYDRA or A.I.M.). They’re dressed in full white suits and masks, big red swastikas splashed on their chests and on their faces. One of the robbers has been shot in the head and is in the process of falling back. The others are taking cover behind civilian vehicles on the street. Some vehicles still have their drivers in them, and they are frightened, paralyzed. Both realities are bleeding into each other, with the modern setting more aggressively invading the wilderness.

Pax VO: …Timeless.

Pax: ...let’s make these tyrants bleed!

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