THE WRIGHT STUFF (adventure, mystery)
The four Wright brothers (Reuchlin, Lorin, Wilbur, and Orville) are teenagers in late-1880s Dayton, Ohio. Think the Three Investigators meets X-Files. Adventure stories for kids, with a definite dark side. Each brother has special abilities for invention, detective work, problem solving, occult influence, etc.
THE ATTIC WARS (adv, fantasy, sci-fi)
CHARACTER BIOS
DORIAN KATCHÉ – He wields a katana, but I don’t want him to be associated with the Highlander. No flowing trenchcoat (at least not as his signature outfit), instead, he dresses in plain black suits. He almost looks like an F.B.I. agent. A cross between Fox Mulder and James Bond. He never quite fits in to the era. Physically strong, 6-3, 200 lbs. but not muscle-bound. Black hair (not long, average length) and black eyes. Keeps the katana strapped to his back. Style of fighting with sword is a cross between kung-fu broadsword and traditional samurai. When he fights barehanded, he employs more of a Chinese boxing/aikido style, rather than Bruce/Jet Lee flashy martial arts. He’s not stupidly brave, preferring to run from overwhelming odds. He is fairly neutral, believing that most people are expendable in the Attic Wars. He is of a special race of humans called, Darlings. They are semi-immortal. They can be killed (they are tougher to kill than an average human) but they are regenerated, keeping all of their past knowledge. When a Darling dies, he/she is simply reborn to random parents. Their form and memories do not change, even though they have different parents each time. The parents are unaware of who the Darling is. What I think is interesting, is here you have a Darling at age 3, already self-aware with the intelligence of his previous incarnation. But since he’s so small and weak, he has to bide his time before he is old enough to continue the fight. It must be frustrating. What I imagine are stories from when Dorian is a man, a teenager and a little boy. How he deals with his inability as a youth to combat evil, etc. Other Darlings will appear throughout the storyline.
RENMAT – Genetically engineered, ape-like beings with malformed bat wings. “Its head is misshapen... a dark mass of teeth, a mouthful of spikes... just red pinpoints for eyes. At the end of each, long, ape arm is a single claw. A razor-sharp scythe used to cut down people like wheat. They are mindless and programmed to hunt down prey, destroying anything in the way.”
TOMINAGA, JOH (JOH) – A Japanese Darling-hunter, working for the bad guys. When the Renmats fail, he is called in. He and Dorian have a long history. I will write an episode where Dorian is born to Japanese parents and he grows up with Mori as rivals. He wears a white suit. I like the irony, the good guy wears black, bad guy wears white. His main weapons are two Mauser pistols.
TOMINAGA, MIKO (MIKO) – Joh’s sister and fellow Darling. It is not clear whose side she’s on. She is the love interest of Dorian, but she also uses him for her own gains, as she does Joh. Her main weapon might be poison needles. Beautiful yet deadly.
OTTO von UBERMENSCHE – Evil genius. Crippled as a boy and must use a special wheelchair (it can transform into a submersible). His main base of operations is from a mechanical island. He also uses a massive Hindenburg-like airship to get around. (one scene in particular has his airship docking at the tip of the Eiffel Tower.) Out for world domination.
WHO ARE THE DARLINGS?
Damon and other characters are a special race of humans called, Darlings. They are semi-immortal. They can be killed (but tougher to kill than an average human) and regenerate, keeping all of their past knowledge. When a Darling dies, he/she is simply reborn to random parents. Their form and memories do not change, even though they have different parents each time. The parents are unaware of who the Darling is. What I think is interesting, is here you have a Darling at age 3, already self-aware with the intelligence of his previous incarnation. But since he’s so small and weak, he has to bide his time before he is old enough to continue the fight. It must be frustrating. What I imagine are stories from when Dorian is a man, a teenager and a little boy. How he deals with his inability as a youth to combat evil, etc. Other Darlings will appear throughout the storyline.
SYNOPSIS: Dorian is on a train heading through Austria to eventually return to his most recent birthplace of Chiba, Japan. He is racing to get to his mother’s bedside before she dies. While on the train, Renmats have tracked him and cause him to abandon it, leaving him to travel by foot to Vienna. While there he encounters the Darling hunter Joh Tominaga, a boyhood rival. He escapes this ambush to continue on his way to Japan. He arrives to find his mother on the verge of death only to be faced with questions that she never wanted to ask before (why did he never age past 35? What was he doing all over the world? How did her husband, Dorian’s father, really die?). This confrontation will lead to a flashback of Dorian growing up in Chiba, and his rivalry with Joh Tominaga, as well as the death of his Japanese father. We also find out about Otto von Ubermensche and his plan to take over Europe. He has built robot slaves called Mandroids which assist him in flying his airship. He has learned that a UFO is crashed at the bottom of the Maryanas Trench. While searching in his submersible, Otto is sucked into a vortex that throws him back in time. In this world, Dorian is a boy growing up in Texas. The two go through almost a Dennis the Menace/Mr. Wilson battle that seems humorous at first, until the shocking conclusion when Otto murders the boy Dorian. That is when Dorian is reborn in Chiba. Now there are two Otto’s roaming the world. Only Dorian and the 2nd Otto know the truth.
VOL. 1 – The Rise of UbermenscheNOTE: “PANEL” entries are suggestions. The artist is free to re-interpret these.
COVER: Ubermensche’s Super-dirigible has docked at the top of the Eiffel Tower. POV is from the frightened onlookers on the ground, looking up at the massive airship overshadowing their most beloved monument.
SPLASH PANEL: Dorian is sitting on a seat in a train compartment, staring straight ahead while his hands are leaning on his sheathed sword. He looks quite grim with a shadow partially obscuring his face. Very King Conan-like pose.
CAP
The Orient Express speeds through the Austrian countryside. The forest is only a blur as Night spreads its shadow over the hills. One man stares out into the liquid darkness, ignoring the celebrating passengers. It is, after all, New Year's Eve. He should be at the party, drinking and laughing. But he already knows the fate of every man, woman and child riding this doomed train...when the clock strikes midnight...he knows...
PANEL: Side shot of Dorian staring at a little boy on the opposite seat (Texas Dorian at age 10). The boy’s legs don’t quite touch the ground.
BOY
“Do they all have to die?”
DORIAN
“Yes. Tonight they will get in the way.”
PANEL: Close-up on boy.
BOY
“But why? Can’t we save them?”
CAP
The mysterious man's thoughts are interrupted by a knock at his cabin door.
PANEL: Dorian stares at the door as the boy dissolves over a few panels.
DORIAN KATCHE
“Why can't those fools leave me alone? They should be dancing and getting drunk instead of bothering me. If they only knew their lives were very short, they might forget about me and live these last few moments to the fullest.”
PANEL: Outside Dorian’s compartment, two pretty, shapely women stand in front of his door, knocking. One is dressed as a nurse while the other is costumed like a Jungle Girl (leopard skin mini-skirt with plastic knife).
SFX: Knock! Knock!
NURSE
“Come on! Open up in there!”
JUNGLE GIRL
“We know you're in there. We need some company. All the men in the dining car are old and naughty. We know you are YOUNG and possibly VERY naughty!”
PANEL: Inside Dorian’s compartment. Close-up on his face, the top of which is obscured by a shadow.
DORIAN
“Please leave me alone!”
PANEL: Train hallway outside Dorian’s compartment.
JUNGLE GIRL
“We could help you. My friend’s a nurse, or at least dressed as such.”
SFK: Giggling!
PANEL: Dorian’s compartment. He looks agitated and notices a familiar sound.
SFX: Strange flapping noises.
PANEL: Dark figures in the night sky wing their way toward the train in the distance.
DORIAN
“Do you hear that? It is your doom! Celebrate while you can! Don't waste another moment lingering outside my door!”
PANEL: Train hallway.
NURSE
“Never mind then.”
JUNGLE GIRL
“You party pooper!”
PANEL: Close-up on Nurse’s mouth.
NURSE
“Stay by yourself!”
LARGE PANEL: Dorian’s compartment. Dorian stands and moves to the large window. In the distance, against the moonlight, we see a small swarm of winged things, like bats only much larger.
CAP
Dorian can hear it. The sound of Death approaching. It always follows him... yet never overcomes the strange man. Always taking those around him. How many lives have been sacrificed for his survival? He has lost count over the years... over the centuries.
PANEL: Shot from outside the streaking train. Dorian is staring out the window.
DORIAN
“Damn the gods. Why do they play games like this?”
PANEL SEQUENCE, ALTERNATING: Shadowy, bat-like figures called Renmats swoop down on the end of the train. They scramble toward Dorian’s car.
Dorian is preparing for the attack. He dons his black jacket and strings the sleeves like a samurai.
The Renmats tear open the roof of the train car and slip in.
PANEL: Dorian’s compartment. The boy is back.
BOY
“They’re here.”
PANEL: Mayhem in the train car. People are surging through the narrow hallway.
MAN
"Out of my way!"
PANEL: Dorian stands ready to open his door.
DORIAN
“They're coming fools. Run while you can!”
PANEL: People are running over one another.
MAN
“Run mister. There's monsters! Killing everyone...everything!”
DORIAN
“I know.”
PANEL SEQUENCE: Dorian watches as the last person retreats down the hallway. He stares into the darkness as lights flicker on and off. The train’s electrical system is obviously affected by the Renmats.
PANEL SEQUENCE: Dorian stands ready, his sword still in its sheath, but he moves it from his back to his left side.
DORIAN
“Come on. I'll send you back to your masters.”
SFX: Beast noises...slobbering...growls...nasty shit!
SFX: Howl of rage....
PANEL SEQUENCE: As the first Renmat appears from the shadows, Dorian uses his right had to draw his sword (palm facing up), slicing a Renmat in half with a left to right arc, then slices through the neck of the next beast with a return swipe. The black, viscous blood of the Renmats coats the hallway as Dorian slowly moves back, slicing and dicing. Dorian leaps into the air and swings his sword upward, lopping off the arm of the Renmat. He lands with both feet on the head of another, crushing its deformed skull beneath his boots. Dorian backs up until he reaches the door to the next compartment.
PANEL
More Renmats stalk out of the darkness.
DORIAN
“I can't keep this up. Soon they will overwhelm me with sheer numbers. I need to get off this train!”
PANEL: Dorian grabs a chair from a compartment and hurls it at the approaching Renmats before exiting into the ajoining room between train cars. It has a door on either side that leads to the outside, while a 3rd door leads to the next car.
PANEL SEQUENCE: A woman and her child lay dead, obviously trampled by the fleeing passengers. In another corner of the room, a man is sitting, his hands over his face.
DORIAN
“Get out of here. They're coming!”
MAN
“I can't move. Please help me. That woman and her stupid child were in my way! I need to get away from here.”
DORIAN
“I can't help you now.”
MAN
“Please! I'll pay you!”
PANEL SEQUENCE: The man reaches out for Dorian just as the door to the car is torn apart. A claw swings through the midnight air and separates the man from his hand. Cash goes flying into the air.
Dorian drives his katana through the dead man into the beast and then rips upwards, tearing the man and Renmat in two. In one swift motion, he slides the dripping blade into the sheath and moves it to his back. He then leaps out a side door.
Instead on landing on the hard earth, Dorian continues to fall. What little moonlight there is reveals that the train was on a bridge over a river. Dorian can see the rushing waters swiftly approaching and curls into a ball. In seconds he hits the water.
CAP
The freezing waters pull him under...crushing the breath from his lungs. His eyes start to close...for some reason, he wants to sleep. It would be so nice to just rest in the water...floating down below.
FIVE FOR SOLOMON (adv, wetsern, sci-fi)
SYNOPSIS: NEW WEST (1880-1910) Solomon was a rifleman for the U.S. Army until his wife was killed in an accident while he was away. He fell into a deep depression and was rescued from suicide by General Clark Wilkins, head of the newly formed and top secret government organization known as The Branch. Solomon is trained and turned into a merciless killer. But, he soon gets tipped off that his wife’s death may have been murder. His priorities start to shift and he finds more and more conflicts in his job as he searches for his wife’s killer.
CHARACTER BIOS:
AGENT SOLOMON – Assassin for a secret U.S. government organization at the turn of the century, just as the real Old West is coming to an end. His senses, reflexes and strength have been enhanced by an unknown procedure. Expert in hand-to-hand combat and use of firearms, especially a modified German Walther G43 Sniper rifle that he has named Rose, after his dead wife. How and why she was killed is at the heart of story; it is the reason Solomon went from the regular army to a super secret organization known as The Branch. He is haunted by the memory of Rose and is always gathering information to discover who killed her.
GENERAL CLARKE WILKINS – Solomon’s superior at The Branch and veteran of the Civil War. He may know something about Rose’s death, but he also knows that this memory makes Solomon a better assassin.
CHAPTER 1 – Circle of BloodINTRO - 1/2 PAGE PANEL
We see, through a riflescope, a baby in its mother’s arms. The crosshairs are sitting over the baby’s head as it sleeps.
Night. Solomon is riding a train headed to Sacramento, California. He is sitting in an aisle seat in a half-full train car. He is cleaning his rifle.
A woman pushes a cart down the aisle, selling peanuts and dried fruit.
She stops at Solomon’s seat.
WOMAN
Oh my, what a frightening thing.
SOLOMON
It won’t bite.
Solomon returns the rifle to its case.
WOMAN
Peanuts, sir? Dried fruit?
SOLOMON
No thanks.
The woman offers Solomon a small, brown bag.
WOMAN
These apricots are imported. Very hard to find.
SOLOMON
No, really.
WOMAN
Well, I have something even more exotic. I haven’t been turned down yet.
The woman reaches under the cart and pulls out a large scythe. She slashes it across the seats, shearing them off at the top. Solomon has ducked, just in time. Unfortunately, the man sitting behind him wasn’t as lucky and sits headless, still holding his bag of peanuts.
Solomon grabs his rifle case just in time to parry a return swing of the scythe. While the blade cuts through the leather cover, it halts with a CLANG on the metal case.
Solomon blocks the scythe downward and thrusts the case into the woman’s chest, knocking her into the opposite seat and on top of a frightened woman.
This gives Solomon just enough time to extract his rifle, load it with blinding speed and fire a shot at the woman.
She is inhumanly fast and darts out of the way. The bullet hits the woman holding the baby, killing her. Solomon doesn’t react and simply follows the other woman as she speeds to the end of the train car. Solomon fires off another shot, hitting her in the leg, just as she leaps out of the window, disappearing from sight.
Solomon looks at the dead woman and has a flashback…
Solomon is in a New York hotel. He is staring at himself in the bathroom mirror. He has a pistol to his head.Solomon returns to the present and leaps out of the same window as the woman.
SPLASH PANEL w/ TITLE
Solomon is kneeling on the dirt next to the train tracks as the train fades away. He is staring at a blood trail leading off into the scrub brush of a desert plain.
WE ARE THE DEAD (sci-fi, horror, adv)
SYNOPSIS
It is the year 2094. After 20 years of Zombie Wars, mankind has abandoned Earth for the moon, leaving the zombie horde to roam across the world. The Earth colony on the Moon has sent a sqaud of military scientists to make an inspection of the planet every year, believing a radioactive poison that can wipe out the undead exists. After a satellite picks up the arrival of an alien spacecraft, the 6-person crew travels to Earth to find that the invaders have enslaved the zombies and are making them dig a massive, 1-mile wide pit in the middle of Central Park, NYC. They learn that over the years, the various radioactive poisons they’ve been testing ont he zombies have only served to mutate the undead, giving them a limited intelligence, manifesting itself in speech and understanding of their condition. A few of the more advanced zombies have formed an underground rebellion to free their brothers and sisters from the alien conquerers. The crew joins with them to discover what the aliens are looking for. But it won’t be easy. The aliens have turned some of the zombies into an elite fighting force known as The 12 Vespers. Could the artifact in the pit be the thing that caused the zombies to rise in the first place? Do the aliens want control over this device? And if so, why?
CHARACTER BIOS
President Robert “Bo” Reich - Ex-U.S. President now Moonbase Delta commander. His daughter was the first human born on the Moon. Her mother died in childbirth.
SQUAD 6 – A team of scientists and soldiers, all genetically altered and enhanced. Made up of:
Major Richard Stark - Leader of Squad 6. Veteran of the Zombie Wars and overall badass. Hates zombies with a passion. His wife still roams the Earth as a zombie. He hopes to one day capture her. Secondary weapon: Pair of Colt 45s. Enhacement: Invulnerablility.
Seargent Malinda Reich - Daughter of Moon Base commander Bo Riech. First person to be born on the Moon. She has no recollection of Earth, and is without pop culture reference. Trained form birth to be a highly effective soldier. Enhancement: Psionic ability.
Lieutenant Cal Røl – Fought in the last offensive int he Zombie Wars. The only human known to have been bitten by a zombie and not turned into one. Dr. Rasa believes the secret to a possible cure or bio-weapon may be hidden in his DNA. Enhancement: Immune to Zombie bite.
Dr. Rasa Lightfeather - An expert in Anatomy and Anthropology. First proposed the theory that the zombies are afflicted by an unknown virus. Enhancement: Precognition.
Dr. Archibald Michiba - Combat surgeon and medic. Secondary weapon: Twin, 12-inch, electrified daggers. Enhancement: Computer brain.
Proffesor Reg Nhimbe - A mystery to the inhabitants of Moonbase Delta. Expert in cultural anthropology, liguisitics and literature. Once a member of a super secret branch of the intelligence community called Project Apocalypse; a failsafe protocol that links several anti-matter bomb sites around the world by computer. Once activated, the bombs would blow simultaneously, destroying the Earth forever. After watching his family be ripped apart by the zombie horde, he has vowed to destroy them by any means. Enhancement: teleportation.
PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS
Moonbase Delta (M-D) - Very similar to the moonbase on Space: 1999. In fact, I may reference Moonbase Alpha from the show. Living quarters are very utilitarian. Some of the inhabitants have made their own personal, cosmetic changes. There are also main areas including: Command Ops (CO), Sci-Tech, Hangar 18, and an entertainment facility called The Rez (bar, videogames, restaurant).
Earthbase Delta (E-D) - Squad 6’s homebase on Earth, set on the 52nd floor of the Empire State Building.
Weapons - The biggest advance in fighting technology comes with the advent of anti-matter control. These weapons include: (AMR) Anti-matter rifles, sometimes called Anti-Mats, fires a directional burst of anti-matter. (AMB) Anti-matter bomb, has the force of 12 nuclear warheads and fits into a briefcase.
Personnel - Moonbase Delta is inhabited by 200 humans, mostly techs who work to keep the moonbase going.
ISSUE 1 – Revenge of the VespersPAGE 1
LARGE PANEL
We see a slightly younger Major Richard Stark on the battlefield as he and other soldiers take on a zombie onslaught. (think Kubert’s Sgt. Rock) Their gear is slightly more futuristic than current army weapons and armor. The biggest advance being AMRs.
SMALLER PANELS
Stark is putting his boot through the head of a zombie when a massive shadow looms over him. He looks up and is horrified at what he sees. (the reader only sees his reaction).
PAGE 2
Stark wakes up from the nightmare. He has one of his Colt 45s in his hand. He sits on the edge of his bed and checks the time... 4:34 a.m. He looks at the gun before sliding it into a holster hanging from the edge of the headboard. His room’s com-unit activates:
Voice of Bo Riech: Major Stark. We need you in the CO. Please report immediately.
PAGE 3
SPLASH PANEL
Command Ops. Present are Bo Reich, Richard Stark, and Reg Nhimbe.
BO
Reg, you wanna walk us through this?
They all follow Reg to a large monitor. On it is a shot of a shadowy spaceship nearing Earth.
NHIMBE
This morning we received a proximity alert from one of our Earth satellites. Seems a large object made a controlled decent into Earth’s atmosphere and landed in New York. Central Park to be exact.
The monitor changes to a blow-up satellite shot of the spaceship in the middle of Central park. Bo and Stark looked stunned.
NHIMBE
Smaller vehicles exited the main ship and spread out across the park. Before the satellite lost picture it looked like they were searching for something. These shots are several hours old. We’re waiting on another fly-by.
STARK
When do we leave?
PAGE 4
Command Ops.
BO
You leave for Earth when Betty says so.
STARK
If you think I’m sittin’ on my ass waitin’ for some hunk of wires to tell me when I can go on a mission, you’ve got...
BETTY
(from the computer)Major?
STARK
Oh, Christ.
All three men look toward the massive computer.
BETTY
You know, I only have your well-being in mind.
STARK
I hurt its feelings.
BO
(to Stark)
That’s enough, Major.
(to Betty)
He didn’t mean anything, Betty.
BETTY
I know, Commander. And what I have to report next will convince him of that.
PAGE 5
ALMOST FULL PAGE
Command Ops. Stark, Bo and Nhimbe are looking at the massive monitor. It shows a wider shot of the Central Park landing area. Next to the spaceship are the beginnings of a gigantic pit.
BETTY
These are the latest satellite shots. The alien force is digging a mile-wide pit in Central Park. While their machines seem to be doing the bulk of the work, they have enlisted a slave workforce for support.
SMALLER PANELS
Nhimbe stands near Betty.
NHIMBE
Workforce? There aren’t any humans left on Earth.
BETTY
I did not say humans. They appear to be the native inhabitants.
STARK
Fucking zombies.
DIABOLOS FANTASTIK (horror, adv, mystery)
CHARACTER BIO:
Abel Winston is a bored millionaire in Victorian England when he decides to dress up like a vampire and stalk the dark alleys of the East End scaring people. One night, he stumbles on an attempted murder and scares the thugs away by accident when he slips and falls from his hiding place. News spreads about the "vampire hero" and Abel decides to carry on fighting crime dressed as the vampire. At first, he is sloppy, but soon gets better and enlists the aid of assistants who create weapons and special effects for him. His alter-ego is Diabolos, more of an anti-hero, not fighting crime because it is the right thing to do, but because it takes him away from a very boring life. His costume looks like a poorly-applied Nosferatu makeup. This comic will have a very dark, comedic tone.
ATMOSPHERE REFERENCE: Dr. Who - The Talons of Weng Chiang. Kind of a cross between E.C. Horror and Eightball, if David Lynch directed it.
VOLUME 1: The Cane of AbelNOTE: Narration text should be spread out over the panels.
PAGE ONE
MULTI-PANEL: Show Abel going to his closet, getting his costume, putting it on, applying make-up, all with his back to us. On the nightstand is a copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
NARRATION
England, 1897. Welcome good readers to the posh, bedroom within the London mansion of Abel Winston. Though he wallows in money like a sow in shit, the young man is bored. And when he gets bored by the daily grind of spending his fortune, entertaining beautiful socialites and gorging of the food of the rich, Abel retreats to his fevered and diabolical imagination. But don’t feel sorry for him, good reader, for he is about to find something to occupy his passing days, and steal time away from you as we follow him from the comfort of his silken mansion…to the mean streets of London’s East End. But first, our young mister Abel must don his new skin, to strike fear in the hearts of the downtrodden… good people living in fear and filth… the last thing they want to see…
PAGE TWO
SPLASH PANEL: Abel turns to reveal himself in a close-up on the horrible make-up made to look like a grotesque version of the Nosferatu vampire with the only word bubble.
ABEL
…is me.
JESUS OF THE APES (adventure, fantasy)
Synopsis for a graphic novel
or ongoing comic book series
Written by Jon Wilkins"Think not that I [Jesus] have come to send peace on earth: I come not to send peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34)
COVER:
Jesus squats menacingly among a group of fierce gorillas.
CHARACTERS:
Jesus – Destroyer of mankind, guardian of animalkind.
PLOT NOTES:
Joseph and Mary find that their son Jesus has disappeared. In fact, he was taken by white slavers to be sold in Egypt. The boy escapes with missionaries and is taken to the Congo. There, he walks away from the camp and is found by a mother gorilla. She raises him as her own and he grows up to be a powerful figure. The missionaries find the young man and teach him to read and write. During his time with the apes, Jesus finds he has special powers of healing and precognition. He returns to civilization in his early 30s and begins to spread his gospel of humanity for animalkind. Pontias Pilot (who’s son was trampled to death by an elephant) hates animals and decides to make Jesus an example. While in his holding cell awaiting crucifixion, Jesus is visited by an African shaman. The shaman offers him a nasty looking drink, saying it will save him. Jesus drinks it. As he is nailed to the cross, he slips into a deathlike slumber and awakens in the tomb, suffering from severe amnesia. All he can remember is the shaman’s name and makes his way back to Africa. There he ventures deep into the jungle before stumbling upon his gorilla tribe. He also decides that humankind is unworthy and must be destroyed by an animal army. Occasionally, angels appear and attempt to take him back to Heaven and restore his memory, but he fights them off thinking they are demon birds. He takes the name of Jesus making his goal to raise an animal army to sweep across Earth and destroy civilization. His animal army can travel over water.
SUBPLOT: While Jesus/God is away from Heaven, there is a revolt and a new angel wants to take control.
DRIFTER SMILE (mystery, horror, drama)
**CURRENTLY IN PRODUCTION**
Excerpt from the feature length screenplay
From an idea by Garry Messick
Written by Garry Messick, Jon Wilkins and Grant Balfour
Screenplay by Jon WilkinsFADE IN:
INT. – MOTEL BATHROOM, NIGHT
Overhead shot of a sink filled halfway with water. A small amount of blood is swirling at the bottom.
A hand enters the frame and dips a glass into the sink, fills it with water, then exits the frame.
MAN
(o.c.)
Wake up, Alfonse. Drink this. Don’t you want a drink?
(beat)
Come on. Wake up.
(rage)
Wake up!
SFX: One punch, then a gurgling sound as if someone is being forced to drink, then a glass breaking.
CUT TO:
EXT. – NORTH TEXAS BACKROAD, NIGHT
The CAMERA moves over the hills, finally catching up to a sheriff’s car hauling ass down a two-lane road until it comes to a halt next to a battered sign reading:
WELCOME TO REMBRANDT: Home Of The Texas-sized Swedish Meatballs!
As the dust cloud clears, 40-ish sheriff JOHN PAYNTER gets out and stares down the long highway.
PAYNTER
(sotto)
Son-of-a-bitch.
Paynter looks back down the road and sees nothing but darkness. He gets back in his car, starts it up and slams down on the gas pedal. The car lurches forward, and fishtails a bit before continuing down the highway.
INT. – PAYNTER’S SQUAD CAR
Paynter opens the glove compartment and rifles through the contents before coming away with a half-finished bottle of whiskey and a cassette tape. Paynter rams the tape into the car stereo, and tries to open the bottle with one hand.
ANNOUNCER
(from the stereo)
Welcome to Volume One of Successful Living Through Positive Thinking. I’m Richard Danforth, president of BioLife Incorporated and I want to welcome you to the beginning of a whole new life.
CHEESY MUSIC plays as Paynter has trouble getting the cap off the bottle. He tries unscrewing it with his thumb but it won’t budge.
PAYNTER
Goddammit.
ANNOUNCER
Just 1-hour out of your day is all I ask to help you live longer, happier and most importantly; better.
Paynter looks at the road for a moment, making sure there’s no oncoming traffic. He then takes his other hand off the wheel and uses his knee to steer the car. He loosens the bottle cap and is about to take a swig when he looks up and notices a woman with short, black hair standing in the middle of the road wearing a see-through nightgown. Her back is to him. Paynter drops the bottle and slams on the brake sending the car into a slide. The car careens sideways and runs the woman over before coming to a halt in a cloud of dust.
ANNOUNCER
(cont’d)
Let’s start with what I like to call, the moment of pure love. This is where you take your arms, wrap them around yourself, and repeat the following; I love myself. I love my warmth, my voice and my smile.
Paynter looks down at the whiskey bottle lying on the passenger seat. He grabs it and takes several, long gulps. He wipes his mouth on his shirtsleeve and exits the car.
EXT. – NORTH TEXAS BACKROAD
Paynter walks around his car, looking for the woman. He strolls down the road a bit to find nothing.
ANNOUNCER
(distant)
Just sit like this for a few minutes, realizing who you are and what you mean to YOU!
Paynter walks back to his car, leans in and grabs the bottle. He is about to take a drink when he HEARS:
ANNOUNCER
Are you sure you want to do that?
Paynter lets the bottle rest against his bottom lip, but doesn’t drink.
ANNOUNCER
(cont’d)
Do you really need that? Wouldn’t a hug be much better? Hugs are better than bugs, and we all know a person sees nothing but bugs when they do what you do. Like the one on your shoulder.
C.U. on Payner’s face. He slowly turns to look at his shoulder. REVEAL a very nasty-looking beetle crawling from his back over his shoulder. Paynter freaks out and starts smacking at the bug.
ANNOUNCER
(cont’d, with bluegrass banjo)
That’s the spirit. Beat the bug blues away. And give yourself a hug while you’re at it.
PAYNTER
Fuck off!
Paynter pulls his revolver and uses the butt end to smash the stereo. Paynter calms down as the smoke clears. He slides into his car and rests his eyes. When he opens them, he clears the tape from the stereo and throws it onto the road. Strangely, the stereo is still in working order, though in very bad shape. Paynter reaches into the glove compartment and pulls out another tape. He slides it into the stereo and starts the car. Music blasts from the stereo as he speeds away.
