Dry Spell # 1 Review

 DRY SPELL #1
Written by Ken Krekeler
Art by Ken Krekeler
Action Lab: Danger Zone

This will be a spoiler free review.

Note: I know I already reviewed this before a month ago but have yet to find the original review …. Soooooooooo … here we go again.

                Our story opens in a world of super heroes and our main character, Tom Ferris, is “enjoying” a mundane life as an office worker. At night, he dreams of the life he used to have … among the super heroic elite. And then … one day at work, that door to the elite starts to open again and things will never be the same.

ART:

                The art is simply gorgeous.  A mixed water colored and traditional coloring helps give the book its own sense of style and grace … and every scene is matched perfectly with tones that help set the mood and really draw you in. Krekeler does a great job with his line work, giving just enough detail to his characters and background to make them different but allows the colors and the inks help his art achieve this vibrancy and originality. Krekeler’s panel work goes from simple to outrageous, allowing readers to really keep a focus on the art while allow it to tell its story in its own way. It is truly magnificent some of the panel work when Tom is “under the influence;” allowing stunning art to really shine through. Krekeler conveys emotion well, shows people in different sizes and colors and really gives good perspectives. Really an outstanding job by Krekeler.

WRITING:

                The issue was near perfection from start to finish. Drawing on series like “Watchman” for an artistic opening with its opening page to its final panel, Krekeler allows readers to get a great dose symbolism and authenticity.  Krekeler speaks to the everyday man wishing to be something more with Tom Ferris while also talking to those men and women who think about their glory days. Krekeler uses the dream of always wanting to be more and to be back at your highest point as driving forces for the issue, allowing not only explanation on Tom’s actions but set up for the main plot of the book as well.

                Krekeler constructs Tom Ferris to be a relatable character from when we first meet him to his decision to go out with “the old gang” for a night out on the town. Krekeler also reminds us the dangers of going back to our glory days; as old vices might rear their ugly head as well but seamlessly ties it into the story well. The distinct differences in Tom in his mundane life and Tom during the end of the book are very obvious but are built upon well. Krekeler builds a good supporting cast around Tom that already starts to pull at him in different directions while also uses them to maintain a level of mystery. And while the ends kind of stops the story more than ends it, overall, the first issue was solid with great pacing and wonderful characters.

FINAL VERDICT:

                Honestly, this was a great first issue. The art was spectacular. The writing was superb. The characters were relatable and the premise seemed very authentic. I enjoyed this first issue and really and looking forward to looking at Tom Ferris a bit more, next issue. So, with that, I would like to give Dry Spell # 1 a solid 4.5 out of 5. 

1st Impression: TRISH OUT OF WATER # 5

TRISH OUT OF WATER # 5
Written by Vince Hernandez

Art by Giuseppe Cafaro, Ruben Curto, Manuela Nerolini & Mad5 Factory
Aspen Comics

FLIPPING THROUGH:

                Trish must face her destiny as the new queen of an age-old blue city. As the battle draws to a close, Trish must deal with her enemies who will stop at nothing to kill her and wipe out their people.

ART:

                Cafaro gives us some dynamic panel work this issue.  There was great detail this issue with both the characters and backgrounds that really help draw readers into the world of the book.  Also, Cafaro had some great expressions of emotion from Trish dealing with her new status to the kids( Darren, Claire and Perry) finding out what our good Captain Ito has been up to.  There are some fairly descriptive panels … for most of the books. During a few of the pages in the middle of the book, the detail didn’t look as sharp.
                And while the colors were good, there was a little too much white burn effect at times with this issue. It felt more balanced last issue. This time though, it feel there was a bit much of it. Otherwise, Curto, Nerolini and Mad5 Factory do a solid job with the coloring. Everything felt a bit gritty but fitting given the story.  Still, we got some good panels and a fitting finale.

WRITING:

                Hernandez completes volume one of Trish Out of Water with a bang that ties together much of the plots that were introduced during the course of the season. The plots tie together to form a strong ending.  The dialogue felt powerful and authentic with all of the characters. The impact of Trish dealing with ‘her people’ weighed heavily.

                The pacing of the issue was perfect. All the subplots were handled and, in typical Hernandez style, we are left with one hell of a cliffhanger that sets up for another volume.  Hernandez constructs a story where a girl becomes a woman and the affect to those around her well. Trish really gets to a point where there is no turning back and we live it with her.

                There is something to be said of her story and what will happen to Trish after this. Hernandez knows this after we were with her on this journey of discovery. As for Claire, Darren and Perry, there is much that needs to be done with them but I guess that is for the next volume. Overall, Hernandez delivers a satisfying end to a girl’s journey into her own destiny.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

                Trish Out of Water # 5 really delivers with a strong ending. While the art was good, there were some spots that could have been better. Overall, it was a solid way to end this series.

RATING:

                I give Trish Out of Water # 5 a 7.5  … out of 10.

 

EXCLUSIVE!!! Interview With Aspen EiC & Writer Vince Hernandez!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to bring to you an exclusive interview with Aspen Comics' own Editor-In-Chief, Vince Hernandez. His name should very familiar to many of you who read Aspen books because he also writes several of them including Charismagic, Executive Assistant: Assassins & one of Aspen's most recent new books, Trish Out of Water.  I am extremely honored to share this interview with you all now. 


1.First, the 10 for 10 initiative of this year has came & went. How does it feel? Do you feel it accomplished it's goal?


VH: It feels great, and actually, we’re still very much in the thick of the initiative as some of the releases from later in 2013 are winding down as we speak. It’s been a consistent workflow for now more than a year and half. When we first set our parameters for what we wanted to accomplish with the “10 for 10”, several of them were actually intangibles that we couldn’t quantify with statistics. Things like retailer support, new readers and brand awareness are all some of these intangibles that we achieved along the way. You really can’t put a value on that. Overall I think, yes, we certainly met and exceeded our initial goal for the program.



2. When you first were coming up with 10 for 10, did you believe it would do as well as it did?

 VH: A lot of the credit for the initial idea should go to our President Frank Mastromauro who came up with the broad strokes of the plan and then we filled in the gaps to make it something special. I believe all of us at Aspen offer different perspective in these matters and usually I can be very realistic/cynical in these matters initially, so I had a very good idea of what it would accomplish but I don’t think anyone expected the kind of sales totals we initially saw in those first few titles, and eventually the high point in July with the release of All New Fathom #1, our highest selling book of last year. I think it surprised us all.



3. There were a slew of new titles this year from Aspen. Did you feel like any of them were big gambles compared to your more tenured titles like Soulfire & Fathom?

VH: Absolutely, and I would be lying if I didn’t offer my own property as example #1: Trish Out of Water. I was absolutely terrified that readers and fans would not accept this type of title from us—an adolescent story of a teenage girl dealing with not only special powers but also puberty. It was a risk and I’m very pleased that everyone at Aspen had enough faith in me to allow the story to unfold without any major alterations. That meant a lot to me. On the other hand, we had several titles such as Legend of the Shadow Clan, BubbleGun and Jirni that I knew fans would enjoy. Our fans are very outspoken about what they like to see, so for us, it’s a matter of applying that formula while also expanding our own creativity and doing what we enjoy doing. It’s not always going to be action-adventure or fantasy, it can be something completely out of left field.


4. There were so much diversity in the line this year & in general. Is that a factor when deciding titles?

VH: Well, we never want to go to the same well twice, to me that doesn’t feed creativity. I’m very aware and honored of some of the genres we’ve helped establish as viable to the broader market as a whole. A few years ago, you didn’t see any steampunk books out on the market and now there’s a new one every week it seems. I can’t help but feel that Joe Benitez’ Lady Mechanika had a lot to do with that. I like to think we tend to stay on the cusp on these new trends but really—it’s a crapshoot. You never know what’s going to be the next big thing.



5. Switching gears, you wrote a slew of titles this year. How was juggling writing all those titles while also being EIC of Aspen?

VH: It’s a lot harder than people probably assume, but I think I have it down to a science at this point. I can generally write a full script (and that’s an actual full script with both panel descriptions and dialogue) in about a day, give or take. And I think this speed is a direct reflection on the knowledge and experience I have with managing books. When it comes down to it, you just have to sit down and write, and then write more and more. Procrastination and excuses spell disaster for writers.

6. There was a lot of build up to Charismagic this year. How did it feel building that through  Charismagic The Death Princess & Charismagic Vol 2? Do you feel satisfied how far the characters have come?

VH: Not at all! And I mean that in the best possible way. I have so many untold stories to tell, and I can’t wait to bring those to life. Building the world up to this point has really been satisfying. A lot of creators only end up with one issue or maybe an initial arc but in just a few short years Charismagic has already seen two volumes, a spinoff mini as well as a digital-only exclusive book for charity, so I can’t complain. It’s been great.


7. How was it coordinating Executive Extinction? How did that event come together?

VH: That was an idea I had that took to David Wohl the creator, and Frank and Peter, and we decided to cross over both the Executive Assistant: Iris proper series and the EA: Assassins ongoing into one giant event. It was fun but like all things event-based in comics, it was a lot of hard work! Over ten issues that had to be connected in continuity. It wasn’t easy. There were a few things I wish we could go back on but overall I think we provided an entertaining series with some long-lasting implications in the EA universe.


8. Let's talk Trish Out of Water for a second. How did that book come about?

VH: When we decided on the “10 for 10” initiative, I knew I wanted to provide a property that stood alone as something different from what we’ve done before. I think we accomplished that hopefully with Trish. Like any Aspen title, it took a lot of planning and initial discussions as to what the series would be, how it would fit into the overall skeleton of the “10 for 10”, and how it would be marketed. Once we had those first few talks nailed down, I was able to flesh out the concept more in my head, and like most projects I work on, tell the story I want to tell. The rest is history.

9. Overall, how do you feel about your writing over the past year? Do you feel you have developed as a writer?

VH: Well, I’ve actually been writing professionally since 2004 so I don’t feel like this year was any different from many of the previous ones beyond the fact that the workload was noticeably increased. I think in 2012 I wrote about 25-30 books and in 2013 I wrote closer to 45 titles so really it was just a little more typing than usual. As far as my development as a writer, I think I’ve learned something from every book I’ve written, and continue to do so. It’s an ever-evolving process that never really stops.



10. Any advice to aspiring creators who want to make comics?

VH: Yes. Follow your dreams but be realistic with your approach. Study the masters and take notes. This industry is littered with creators that don’t plan out their future with a business model, but rather, think that one property or their next series will be the one that hits big. The reality is that you have to approach everything like a labor of love. What you put into it is what you’ll get out of it, but if you go in thinking you’re going to have the next Walking Dead then you’re fooling yourself. Image Comics is probably asking themselves when their next Walking Dead will arrive. It’s not an exact science. Hard work and dedication will be your most successful tool.


11. Finally, what can we look forward to in 2014 from you & Aspen?

VH: We’re taking a measured approach this year with some very special new properties that we think people will really enjoy. In March, our popular Fathom heroine returns in Fathom: Kiani volume 3. In April, creator Siya Oum brings us her long-awaited new series Lola XOXO and let me tell you that it looks and reads amazing! In May we have the return of “10 for 10” alumni book Jirni for its second volume, which is looking brilliant already. In May we also have our new Free Comic Book Day offering, Worlds of Aspen 2014, that features two exclusive zero issue stories of Peter Steigerwald’s new book, The Zoo Hunters as well as my new series, Damsels in Excess, with Mirka Andolfo out in July--and I cannot wait for people to check it out. We also have another very big initiative planned but I can’t reveal more than that for now but stay tuned!

Free Comic: SCREW PHILLIPS # 1

In honor of  Broken Infinite's 1st Anniversary, here is the 1st issue of Screw Phillips, Broken Infinite's first creator owned title. This will become a regular fixture here in Broken Infinite.

FOR MATURE READERS (18 years old or older) ONLY:

SCREW PHILLIPS #1 
by Jake Estrada

Open publication - Free publishing - More graphic novel

Happy Birthday Broken Infinite ... From R2 -D2

 During Wizard World Philadelphia 2013, EIC Frankie Rodriguez & VP Darryll B. Carter run into a certain robot from the Star Wars franchise who had something to say.

Happy Anniversary Broken Infinite ... Along Came An EZ Rider & More

AND IT ALL BEGINS .. . AGAIN


            Yes. I am stealing the line from both WWE & Freddy Kruger. But this really feels like a great new start. 1 year ago today, I decided to break away from J1 Studios and start Broken Infinite … and built the site. Yep. One year ago, I was busy putting in code and getting the site launched. It was a very big turning point for me and for those who follow me. Speaking of which, those who followed me as we started BI were Jeremias de Leon (Xaos), Jeff Williams (16 bit Jeff), Durga (Eric McLeod), Darryll B Carter, & Hector Ramirez.

            There have been quite a few people who have come & gone from BI since then. There have been a lot of new blood lately. TWK, The Navigator, Yamiangie, Bobbert33, Ed the Crimson, Mahogany Cow, MadShadow42, Darkon633, Pugsly6883, Wheelchair21, BAClend of  Laid Back Comics, Visible Ninja, Brotha Doug, Devin Walker, Big Cheese KIT & more have filled up our ranks. The site is very different from what it was.

            I always wanted Broken Infinite to be a place where people can be themselves and really enjoy what they love be it comics, gaming, anime, tokusatsu & more. This site has grown so much in the last year and I am proud of what it is becoming. We are moving into another phase in its development.

             So, Broken Infinite is one years old. What will happen next? Over the next 24 hours, you are gonna see content from a bunch of our contributors, every hour … on the hour. Plus, I’m am pleased to announce that EZ Rider himself will be official joining.  Yes. You’ll be seeing Toku Time and all of EZ’s works now here … in the Infinite. So please, welcome EZ with your views & comments.

            In honor of you, our readers, viewers, contributors and friends … we will have a new post of content every hour on the hour with some other content. We will be showing you much of our coverage of Wizard World Philadelphia 2013 including interviews with creators, footage, pics & more. So, it’s a celebration … enjoy. We here at the Broken Infinite thank you.  Thank you to Valiant Comics for being with us for a year now & showing their universe. Thank you to Aspen Comics & Action Lab Entertainment for helping us a long and letting us into their worlds. Thank you for anyone who contributes, had contributes and/or help BI over this last year.

            And from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Time to Break the Cycle again. Get ready cause you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Broken Infinite titles for sale at Wizard World Philly May 30th, 2013

Hey folks, it’s Big Jake. In the last few weeks, I have been hard at work drawing up comics and setting up pages for the next few books I’ve been working on. For Broken Infinite, we have two comics coming out in print that are near my heart.

We will have a variant cover Screw Phillips # 1 which is exclusive to Wizard World Philadelphia 2013, and we have Bocas: Farewell to a Friend variant being released exclusively at the show as well.

Both covers will have a print run of 40 copies. 

Below here are the covers.

You will be able to find me in Artist Alley, so come get your copies.

I also have original one-off prints of various characters and people for sale, a few color 11X17 prints available for sale, and the acclaimed Human Virus for sale.

An Estrada Media original story from the minds of Jerry Estrada and Jake Estrada called Maestro will also be

debuting.

Hope to see you guys at the con. Talk soon.

Jake Estrada

Jake Estrada has been publishing his own comics since 2005. His first comic, Bocas, centered on a Hispanic character, and there are six books in that series. His other books include Estrada Media Serials 1, Estrada Media Serials 2, Bridgeton Nights, You Cannot Silence Me: The Unauthorized Pedro Albizu Campos Story, Tainos, Motorist vs. Bocas 1, Motorist vs. Bocas 2, The Human Virus, Screw Phillips and Maestro. Other books are currently in the production stage and are scheduled to be released in 2013. In addition to publishing comics, Mr. Estrada has worked as a comic printer and has printed comics for other independent publishers. He also owned and operated his own comic shop. He holds degrees in both Multimedia Design and Criminal Justice Administration. His books are available at DriveThru Comics, http://graphicly.com/estrada-media and other fine online stores. Plus he writes as a reviewer at http://thebrokeninfinite.blogspot.com/ He lives in Florida with his wife and three children.

Yugioh Card of the Week: 4/12/13

To start off April we will bring you the latest Yugioh Card of the Week and this time we step away from the 5Ds era and now heading to Zexal.   This week we will be focusing on non other then Yuma's favorite card NBumber 39: Utopia.  Exceed Cards work similar to Synchros except instead of adding monster card levels this time you use monsters with the same levels.  To summon Utopia you will need two monsters with same level in order to summon it.  However Exceed cards work differently then any other card in the game.  This is because instead of sacrificing the monsters and putting them in the graveyard they actually go under the Exceed monsters as shields and used for other effects.  Utopia's power allows you to use one of the monsters under it as a shield to protect its destruction which is a quite handy effect.  Also whats good about Exceed monsters is that they are even easier to summon then Synchros so its easier to pull off the winning play.  If you haven't started using Exceed monsters I suggest you should start off with Utopia since he is one of the easier monsters to summon and has a pretty nifty effect to go along with it. 

ONI #1

ONI #1 Script
Desperate Girl

by Darryll B. Carter

Cover Art by 
Christopher Rice,
Darryll  B. Carter

ONI logo by
Darryll B. Carter

ONI created by
Darryll B. Carter

Warning: Explicit Language

Page One

Panel One

This series of panels should be from a side scroll view. Show a night view of a city reminiscent of Las Vegas crossed with Coruscant through the windows of a skyscraper office. These are floor to ceiling windows. Just focus on the window, don’t bother to show any of the office.

Panel Two

Same view. A female scientist, Kate, struggles into panel from the right. Kate looks just like Karen, they’re twins; except Kate is a redhead and wears glasses. She’s wearing her glasses, a white blood stained lab coat, a pink camisole with one strap broken and her black skirt is ripped on the side. She’s holding her arm as if it is wounded. She’s dragging that arm against the window leaving a blood smear trail.

Panel Three

Same view. Kate should now be on her way off panel (left). Kate’s blood smear begins to pull in the opposite direction to the center of the window. Think of water being pulled by a vacuum. In the upper right corner; have a menacing hellhound type creature stalking into the panel, walking on the window.

Panel Four

Same view.  Kate is out of panel. The window crawling hellhound is well on his way off panel following Kate. He’s now joined by a swarm of hell hounds running on the ground after Kate. The blood travelling toward the center of the window is on its way to forming a menacing pair of eyes and a maniacal grin.

Panel Five

The hell hounds are out of panel. The window darkens and the set of red eyes are formed.

Panel Six

Full black panel with only the blood assembled maniacal face.

Page Two

                Panel One

Camera should be on a slant. Kate enters a dark room. The only thing that should be seen is the light from the hallway, as she shuts the door and the shine of her glasses.

Panel Two

Close shot of her hand locking the knob.

SFX- click

Panel Three

Another close shot of her hands locking the top bolt on the door.

SFX- shunk

Panel Four

She pushes a nearby couch in front of the door.

SFX- ERRRRRRNNN

Panel Five

Kate begins to pull out a chair in front of a computer. The light from the computer is shining on her.  It is the only light source in the room. There is another set of windows behind the desk chair.

Kate- I hope you get this Karen…

Panel Six

Kate is sitting at the computer typing with a focused look on her face. Behind her, on the windows, the hellhounds begin to converge on her.

Kate- You may be our last hope.

Page Three

                Panel One

                Straight shot from the shoulder up of Karen. She’s a brunette short hair, petite. She looks a lot like Jenny Lorenzo. She’s wearing a black hat that says Space Bean Coffee and a green apron. She looks very agitated.

                        Karen Caption- Are you #*#$%#*% serious?

Karen- Are you #*#$&%@ serious?

Panel Two

                Side shot. Karen is actually behind the counter facing a guy in a hoodie, James, who has his arms around a very attractive woman, Cosmo. Karen is slamming her hand down on the counter with a coffee in the other hand. People around the three are shocked by the force of the slam. Karen is causing a scene. James, is a text book definition of what a nerd looks like. He is somewhere between George McFly, pre Marty’s trip to 1955 and Dexter, the alter ego of Freakazoid. This girl is a textbook blonde cheerleader and she’s about a foot taller than James. He’s short.

                Karen- You’re leaving me for Cosmobitch?

                Cosmo- Cosmochick.

                Karen- Shut the #*#$ up.

    Karen Cap- She says one more thing and this coffee’s in her face.

    Karen- Are you #*#$&%@ serious?

                James- Karen, things just weren’t working out. And Cosmo is… well, better.

                Karen- Better at what? Running trains on our entire raid party or getting trains run on her?

                Panel Three

                Karen is facepalming and shaking her head. James grins in creepy manner while Cosmo is checking out the menu above and behind Karen’s head. Like in any fast food place.

                James- Cosmo is open to having an open relationship. If you wanted to join us…

                Cosmo- Can I have a Tripple Mocha Latè?

                Karen Cap- That’s it.

`               Panel Four

                This moment should look fairly epic. Karen is pissed and she’s pulling her hand back to toss this hot cup of coffee at James and Cosmo. This shot is heavy on anticipation.

                                Karen- Here’s your @#@&$!% latè!

Page Four

                Panel One

                Headshot of Karen sitting in the office getting berated by her boss who is off panel in the foreground. She is struggling to keep a straight face; anger is battling her composure.

                                Karen Cap- That was a horrible idea in hindsight.

                                Boss- You’re fired! What the hell possessed you to throw a scalding hot coffee in a customer’s face!? If they press charges we won’t be held accountable. Get out of here!

                                Karen Cap- How the hell am I gonna pay the rent now?

                Panel Two

                Karen storms out the coffee shop front door throwing her hat on the ground. She’s wearing an open leather jacket over her clothes now with a yellow motorcycle helmet in her hand. The area outside is visually a typical New York City scene; traffic is going by, tall buildings and skyscrapers in the distance.

                                Karen- Coffee tastes like dog shit anyway!

                                Karen Cap- That’s right Karen. Vent.

                Panel Three

                She hops on her yellow vespa and puts on her helmet and goggles.

                                Karen Cap- Let it all out. Woosah.

                Panel Four

                Side scroll view as she floors it down the city street on her vespa. She passes a parked cop car. One of the police officers spits out his coffee.

                                SFX- Vroooooommm

                                Karen Cap- Feel the speed releasing your stress. Woosah.

                Panel Five

                Same view, different scenery to show the progression. She’s pulled over and the cops are writing her a ticket.

                                Karen Cap- This day is such bullshit…

Page Five

Panel One          

She pulls up outside her apartment on her vespa. It is night now. Her apartment looks like a New York Brownstone. On the door to her apartment there is a pink eviction notice.

                Karen Cap- Finally home.

Panel Two

She takes off her helmet and holds it in her hands as she looks to the side at her apartment door. She’s calmer now. Her face has regained its composure.

                Karen Cap- We just go inside kick back. Farm some gold. Farm till our eyes bleed. Cause selling gold is going to be my only income for awhile…

Panel Three

Her face freaks the out. Like “WTF?” Her eyes widen in shock and her mouth is agape.

                Karen Cap- What the @#$# is that???

Panel Four

This is a tight shot of just the pink eviction notice taped to the door. Show the address numbers; 669, but have the nine swing down hanging by its tail upside down so it reads, 666.

                Karen-  Eviction notice? What the #@#@ man…

Panel Five

She loses it again, overcome with anger and crushes the notice in her hand.

                Karen- That little shit didn’t pay his half of the rent before he peaced out?!?

                Karen Cap- All will be well Karen. Just get inside.

Page Six

                Panel One

She makes her way inside the apartment to a foyer. She ascends the stair case and opens another door.

                Karen Cap- Just leave reality, all this bad mojo and all the-

                Karen- bullshit!

                Karen Cap- behind.

Panel Two

She opens the front door and turns on the lights to see a very bare living room. The only thing left is a floor lamp in the corner, some bras on the floor and a desk with her desktop pc on it. Her eyes narrow but she keeps a straight face.

                Karen- There is nothing left that can surprise me today.

Panel Three

She sits her helmet down on her desk on top of a past due electric bill and pulls out a chair to sit down. The focus of this panel should be on the electric bill. It should be a close shot that only really needs to include her hand putting down the helmet and the other pulling out the chair.

                Karen- Least he had the decency to leave my tower alone.

Panel Four/Five/Six

These are small panels. Her hand pushing the power button to the desktop.

Panel Five

Her hand pushing the power button to the desktop.

                Karen- Okay…?

Panel Six

She jams her finger into the power button with considerable force.

                Karen- What the #@%$?!

Panel Seven

She turns the desktop around to find the power supply unit is missing.

                Karen- That SOB took my PSU?

Panel Eight

She takes the cover off to find her entire desktop has been gutted.

                Karen- He took everything!?!?!?

Page Seven

                Panel One

The desktop tower is flying through the window. Should be a beautiful scene of destruction shattered glass from the window should still be in panel falling.

                SFX- Crrrrrasssssssh!

Panel Two

She’s standing with her body still in the position from the throw in the center of the living room floor. She angry and breathing hard as if physically venting her outrage.

Karen Cap- Okay, in hindsight- that wasn’t really the best idea.

Panel Three

Panel is totally black.

                SFX(Karen)- Sigh.

Panel Four

This panel is still mostly black. Light from her cell phone starts glowing in her pocket. It adds a little light around her leg revealing some details but very little.

                Karen- This better be Morpheus with that red pill.

Panel Five

She’s holding the phone in her hand. Phone should show the following messages (top to bottom); KNovak@odatron.net -Subject: no subject, ECECO Energy- Subject: Your Bill is Past Due, Premier Reality MMORPG- Subject: Cosmochick69 Wants to Be Your Friend.  The panel should focus on the phone.

                Karen- KNovak@odatron?

                Karen Cap- Kate?

Page Eight

                Panel One

                Karen throws a few things in a duffle bag, clothes and toiletries, using the flashlight app on her phone to see. The app light is a substantial lightsource.

                                Email Cap- Karen it’s me, Kate. I know we haven’t spoken in a long time. Since I left.

                Panel Two

                Karen grabs some game cases, a Dreamcast looking console with controllers, and a Pandora Construct book and puts it in a book bag.

                                Email Cap- And I’m sorry about that. But I really need your help and you’re the only one who can help me.

                Panel Three

                It’s the dead of night now. Karen is sitting on her parked Vespa with the back loaded up with her bags. She puts on her helmet and goggles. In the distance behind her there is a black four door sedan with black tinted windows.

                                Karen- Kate, what the hell have you gotten into?

                Panel Four

                Karen pulls off and the black sedan follows her. The emphasis in this panel should be on the sedan, a subtle emphasis.

                                Email Cap- It’s not safe to give the specifics through this email.

                Panel Five

                Karen rolls into the Lincoln Tunnel, traffic is light. The tunnel is the star of this panel. It should be showcased along with the scenery.

                                Email Cap- Just come to my apartment in Solheim and I’ll explain everything.

                                Karen Cap- Solheim, the city of tomorrow. I’ve heard of it. Revolutionary city with revolutionary tech. Top notch nextgen shit. GPS says its 1 day and 13 hours.

                Panel Six

                Same view as previous panel only with the black sedan entering the tunnel behind Karen.

                                Email Cap- Please Karen. You’re my only hope.

                                Karen Cap- The Star Wars esque closing is what really got me out the door.

Page Nine

                Full Page Panel- Karen arrives outside the city limits and gazes upon Solheim. It’s daytime. The city skyline is clear and it’s massive. Solheim looks like a sci fi city, a cross between Coruscant and the New York from the Fifth Element during the day. (It looks like Coruscant and Vegas at night.) The city itself is inside a massive outer wall just like the city of Troy.

                Setting Cap- Solheim, Utah- 2 days and 12hrs later…

                Karen Cap- Solheim, Utah. Sparkling city amidst the sand, plains and Mormons.

                Karen- Holy shit. Okay… I’m impressed.

Page Ten

                Panel One

                Karen drives through town admiring the high level tech. Show her watching a holo-message between a woman and her boss in the park. The woman has like a holo-screen tablet. The vehicles on the street are more futuristic too.

                Panel Two

                Karen leans back to continue catching a glimpse of the holo-conversation, amazed and mouth agape.

                                Karen- They’ve got holoterminals???

                Panel Three

                Karen and her vespa pull up onto the sidewalk in front of a building that looks like it was plucked straight off of a motherboard.

                                Karen- This looks like the place.

                Panel Four

                Her helmet is resting in her hands, goggles still on, as she stares up at the new age building.

                                Karen- This thing has more in common with the chipset on an MBoard than a building. Must take mad gold to live here.

Page Eleven

                Panel One

                The view of this panel should be an angle from above. Karen steps off an elevator on the 14^th floor. Her goggles are still on her face.  As she steps off she turns to look down the hall. Behind her is a large window. The angle should allow a view of her vespa parked out front and the black sedan pulling up behind it (the vespa).

                Panel Two

                Karen knocks on door 1417. There is a lever mechanism that you find in most hotels, but no key hole. There is a fingerprint scanner.

                Karen- 1417. This is it.

                Panel Three

                Zoom in on the fingerprint scanner pad. It has a red light glowing on it.

                                Karen-No answer. Hmmm. I wonder.

                Panel Four

                                Same panel as previous shot with Karen pressing her thumb on the scanner. The light on the scanner is now green.

                                SFX- Deet Deet

                Panel Five

                Karen steps into an apartment completely devoid of personality. The walls are white; there is no couch, no furniture, just a huge wooden sword, a desk and a laptop on it that’s plugged into the wall.

                                Automated Voice- Welcome Home Karen.

                                Karen- Geez, Kate. Looks a lot like my spot did.

Page Twelve

                Panel One

                Karen reaches for the large wooden sword mounted on the wall. She has a grin on her face. She’s surprised and happy.

                                Karen- I can’t believe she still has this…

                Panel Two

                This panel is identical to the previous, except Karen has a subtle surprised look on her face; her reaction to the sudden arrival of the men that have been tailing her.

                                MIB1- Don’t move.

                                Karen Cap- Oh, @#$@.

                Panel Three

                Two men in black suits and shades, think agents from the Matrix or the MIB, stand in the doorway. One has a silenced gun pointed at her the other is putting on a pair of disposable gloves. The guy with the gun has a grin on his face, holding his chin up.

                                MIB1- Option One: Cooperate and this’ll go smoothly. Easy.

                                MIB2 (with the gun)- Option Two: You don’t want Option Two.

                                MIB1- Where’s the DG-IX?

                                Karen Cap- What did you get me into Kate?

                Panel Four

                Karen has her hands in the air, she’s distressed. The MIB with the gun steps forward with his gun extended. He’s irritated.

                                Karen- I… I don’t know what that is.

                                MIB2- Bullshit. You drove 2,000 miles to get here without a moment’s notice! You know what we want!

                                MIB1- Don’t play coy with us Ms. Novak. My partner can be very trigger happy. Now tell us where your sister hid the DG-IX!

                Panel Five

                Zoom shot of Karen’s face, primarily her eyes. Her eyes are looking off to where the wooden sword rests on the wall.

                               Karen Cap- They’re not gonna let me walk out of here. Even If I could give them what they wanted.

                               Karen Cap- What if they’ve done something with Kate?!

                               Karen- I have to get out of here!

Page Thirteen

                Panel One

                Karen snatches the wooden sword off of the wall and bashes the MIB with the gun in the head really hard. She puts her whole soul into it; you can see it in her face. He buckles from the force.

                               SFX-  (sword impact) Crack!

                               MIB2- Ommph!

                Panel Two

                She baseball slides pass the MIB still in the doorway, with the sword in hand. He reaches out to grab her as if she was still at full height.

                              MIB1- You won’t escape!

                              Karen- #$%# that!

                              Karen Cap- Mirror’s Edge FTW.

                Panel Three

                MIB with the gun is leaning out the doorway bearing his teeth and fires off two shots at the fleeing Karen down the hall. Emphasis more on the MIB.

                             MIB2- That bitch is dead!

                             SFX- (silenced gunshots)Ffft! Ffft!

                Panel Four

                This shot is from outside the window. Karen cuts the corner. One bullet goes whizzing through her hair. Both bullets go through the hallway window.

                              SFX- (bullets passing through glass) Pssh! Pssh!

                Panel Five

                MIB1 (without the gun) slams MIB2’s gun against the wall.

                              MIB1- No! We need her alive remember?! She can’t lead us to the DG if she’s dead!

Page Fourteen

                Panel One

                Karen darts out of a hallway into another hallway at a cross road. She looks lost. There is an exit sign on the ceiling toward the bottom of the panel. She still has the sword.

                                 Karen- Shit. I’m lost.

                Panel Two

                Same panel, but MIB1 emerges from a hallway at the top of the panel. Karen turns her head to see him.

                                MIB1- I’ve got ‘er. Northeast corridor.

                                Karen- @#$#%!

                                Karen Cap- @#$#%!

                Panel Three

                Karen is running frantically down the hall with MIB1 chasing her. Their positions in the panel are; Karen, mid and MIB1 rear.

                Panel Four

                Same panel. They are closer to the foreground now. MIB1 is practically on top of Karen reaching out for her.

                Panel Five

                Same panel. Karen is in the immediate foreground getting tackled off panel by MIB2.

Page Fifteen

                Panel One

                MIB2 and Karen crash through a hallway window. The wooden sword crashes on impact against the window frame. The DG flies out of the broken sword and through the window as well. The DG looks like a red and black video card.

                                SFX- Crasssssh!

                                Karen Cap- Oh, no…

                Panel Two

                Karen and MIB2 are in free fall; falling with shattered glass, his gun, the broken sword and the DG outside the apartment building. Both Karen and MIB2 are afraid and in shock. The DG is in the foreground at the bottom of the panel. It is activating, the fan is spinning within and it’s glowing a fierce red. Karen is seemingly grasping for it.

                                DG- Emergency Proximity Activation. Makai Change.

                Panel Three

                A red portal, a demon gate, opens from the DG and Karen is falls into it.

Page Sixteen and Seventeen

                Henshin Sequence- Think Sailor Moon crossed with the Schumacher Batman Suit up, and Iron Man Suit up.

                Panel One

                ONI’s gauntlets materialize over Karen’s hands.

                                   DG Cap- 14%

                Panel Two

                ONI’s greaves materialize on to Karen’s legs.

                Panel Three

                The DG becomes ONI’s belt buckle and the belt materializes.

                                    DG Cap- 42%

                Panel Four

                Karen is in free fall like a skydiver with her arms and legs spread out. Her body is naked, but glowing. Think back to Sailor Moon’s transformation sequence. The environment she’s falling through is a hellish mix of fire and blazing red energy.

                Panel Five

                ONI’s torso armor materializes on to Karen’s body.

                                    DG Cap- 70%

                Panel Six

                ONI’s tail skirt materializes over Karen’s butt. Emphasis on the butt.

                Panel Seven

                ONI’s helmet materializes over Karen’s face.

                                   DG Cap- 98%

Page Eighteen

                Full Page Panel

                Karen crashes to the ground Iron Man style creating a small crater in the asphalt. MIB2 crashes into the roof of his black sedan.

                                 DG- Transformation Complete.

Page Nineteen

                Panel One

                Karen, now ONI, is excited and hops up with her arms outstretched examining her new form.

                                ONI- No $%#@ way!

                                Karen Cap- Nah uh!

                                ONI- I’m #$%#&*@ Iron Man!

                Panel Two

                Karen’s face inside the helmet examining her HUD. She’s smiling like a kid on Christmas.

                                DG Cap- Optimizing interface for new user.

                                DG Cap- Unable to connect to ONI Network.

                                DG Cap- Tasks. Primary Objective; Reboot ONI Network

                                DG Cap- You have new messages in your Inbox.

                                Karen- Whoa, Whoa wait a minute. First things first…

Page Twenty

                Panel One

                MIB1 is has his back turned to the window Karen and MIB2 crashed out of. He’s holding two fingers to his ear as if using a radio transmitting device.

                                MIB1- We have a new development.

                Panel Two- Splash Panel

                ONI leaps up into view of the window ready to pounce on MIB1. MIB1 turns around in panic, looking at ONI.

                               ONI- Payback’s a bitch!

                               To Be Continued Cap