Xmen: Evolution
July 6, 2001
Prepared for Matt Hicks
Script for 8-page story |
Devin Kalile Grayson
MAGNETO; “SELLING POINTS”
BURGER KING “BIG KIDS” DOT COMIC
|
GENERAL NOTE TO ARTIST: As I mentioned in my
last script, I have one quick concern about Dot Comics. As you probably
know, the format breaks up pages by pulling, or “popping,” out one or two
panels at a time. The downside to this otherwise dynamic and inventive
presentation is that these pop-ups are viewed resting on top of the whole
page, which can sometimes be extremely visually distracting. So to that
end, I’d like to urge you to stick with very clean, traditional panel layouts
and heavy, solid borders. I think that will really help with the final
impact the comic has when translated into Dot Comic format. Thanks!
Now, on with the show!:
PAGE 1, splash
Open on a young, female African-American
sales clerk behind the counter of a mall clothing boutique. The store is
aimed at teenagers, so everything’s very bright and “hip” and cute -- including
the clerk. Multiethnic teens swarm the store, happily choosing outfits,
chewing gum, and teasing one another -- in fact, it’s an almost disgustingly
normal scene, save for these next few details:
First of all, this store has just opened,
as indicated by a large GRAND OPENING SALE! banner behind the cashier and
placed strategically around the store. The store itself is called MUTANT
JEANS, as proclaimed by large, decorative metal letter behind the main
counter and again, through-out the store. And, surprisingly, the clerk
is recoiling in worry and fear --
-- which is probably because a large
Magneto shadow looms over her (so that we’re essentially at Magneto P.O.V.)
Title and credits, such as they are,
here please:
XMEN: EVOLUTION
MAGNETO in “Selling Points.”
1 CLERK/small: Um...may I HELP you?
PAGE 2, panel one
Close on Magneto, holding up a flyer
as he leans in menacingly towards the clerk.
1 FLYER TEXT:
25% GRAND OPENING SALE
MUTANT JEANS
Now at Bayville Mall!
Present this coupon at register for an additional
10% discount!
2 MAGNETO: Is this some kind of JOKE?
Page 2, panel two
Pull back to show the scope of the
store. Magneto is hovering, as he often does, slightly off the carpeted
floor, continuing to lean menacingly over the register counter. The clerk
continues to recoil in fear, but is trying hard to fight it (remember,
“the customer is always right!”), and the other kids in the store are starting
to notice the way weird big guy by the cashier.
3 CLERK: N-no....
4 CLERK: ...Just pick out what you WANT and I’ll
take off an ADDITIONAL 10% when I ring it up....
5 MAGNETO: How much for your HEAD?
Page 2, panel three
Magneto stands up straight and makes
a hand gesture as he uses his powers to raise the cash register up from
the counter so that it’s hovering mid-air above the clerk’s head. We should
be concerned for her safety.
The clerk, for her part, is looking at Magneto with
confusion as other kids in the store react to his “trick.”
6 CLERK: Sorry?
7 MAGNETO: Never mind.
Page 2, panel four
As the clerk and all the other kids
in the store watch, transfixed (somewhere between terror and an ever-present
eagerness to be entertained), Magneto uses his power to move the cash register
towards the center of the retail floor (in other words, it appears to be
flying there, except for his hand gestures).
8 MAGNETO: I’m sure you can’t even BEGIN
to understand my IRE.
9 KID IN BACK/whisper: Dude, what’s “ire” mean?
10 ANOTHER KID IN BACK/whisper: You know, like “anger.”
PAGE 3, panel one
Big! Magnus lets the cash register
drop, causing it to smash open on the floor. This sends bills and coins
flying wildly every which way, which it doesn’t take the kids in the store
even a second to cheer and rush for (free money in the mall? They’re THERE!).
All except for the clerk, of course, who looks increasingly dismayed, just
smart enough not to come out from behind her counter.
1 SFX/cash register: =KRRRAAAASH=
2 TAILLESS: All RIGHT!
3 TAILLESS: Free MONEY!
4 TAILLESS: Outta my WAY!
5 CLERK Sir, you’re – oh, man –
Page 3, panel two
Kids in the store, and now even some
rushing in from the large, pristine hallways of the mall, continue to stampede
for the money as Magneto turns menacingly towards the tentative clerk (who
isn’t scolding him, she just doesn’t want to get in trouble).
6 CLERK/small: -- you’re…you’re really not
supposed to DO that….
7 MAGNETO: My DEAR little Homo SAPIEN --
Page 3, panel three
Magneto closes the distance between himself
and the clerk, wrapping one gloved hand around her throat as he starts
to pull her up from behind the counter.
She is understandably terrified.
8 MAGNETO: -- just HOW do you propose to
STOP me?
9 SECURITY GUY/OFF: Hey! Mall SECURITY!
10 SECURITY GUY/OFF: What’s going ON in here?
Page 3, panel four
Close on Magneto as he turns to the
security guard with a slight smile...oh, wait, hm...narrowed eyes? ...er...damn
that helmet! He turns towards the scared security guard with confidence,
how’s that?
The security guard, who isn’t much
older than the clerk, really, is already pulling a gun, realizing he’s
out of his depth.
11 MAGNETO: NOTHING, really...
PAGE 4, panel one
Cut to an establishing shot of the
Xavier Institute.
1 CAPTION: “...just a little EVOLUTION.”
2 CAPTION: The Xavier Institute for Gifted Children.
Page 4, panel two
Take us inside the Cerebro room, where
Professor X is already plugged in, with Jean Grey and Cyclops (both in
costume) standing anxiously behind him.
Right now Cerebro’s screen is on the
“MATCHING...” phase.
3 PROF X: Yes, I’m afraid there’s no doubt
ABOUT it...
Page 4, panel three
Cyclops looks baffled as Professor
X turns towards him and Jean. Behind him, the Cerebro monitor is showing
the Magneto “mug shot,” with Mutant Signature Match: MAGNETO written
really large under it, as well as the text: LOCATION: BAYVILLE MALL.
4 PROF X: ...it’s MAGNETO.
5 CYCLOPS: At the MALL!?
Page 4, panel four
Jean and the Professor consult as Cyclops
stares past them at the monitor, still agape.
6 JEAN: There will be lots of PEOPLE there,
Professor X. We shouldn’t waste any TIME....
7 PROF X: Agreed, but I think I’d better do this
one ALONE.
PROF X: Sometimes I can REASON with him....
Page 4, panel five
Jean and Cyclops watch as Professor
X rolls out of the Cerebro room.
NO COPY
Page 4, panel six
Cyclops and Jean turn back to one another.
Jean smiles slightly (“oh, aren’t you cute?”) as Cyclops continues to be
stuck on this mall thing.
9 CYCLOPS: At the mall?
PAGE 5, panel one
Cut back to the mall and MUTANT
JEANS. Magneto already has the security guard’s gun hovering in the air,
pointing directly at the terrified security guard (yes, yes, like in the
movie -- what can I say, that was a great visual -- though, speaking of
that, if this image is too hard-core for what we’re doing here, then we
could have Magneto wrap him up in the night security gate -- you know,
those big metal things they pull down over the individual stores when the
mall closes at night -- instead. The gun conveys a better sense of immediate
danger, though, so let’s fight for it). In addition to this, the metal
letters of “Mutant Jeans” are in the air, hovering threateningly above
various teens in the store.
Though many kids are still collected
around the smashed cash register, all the money is gone, and no one is
laughing anymore. Everyone gets it now that something VERY BAD is happening.
Magneto is holding court like
a true super-villain.
1 MAGNETO: What do they TEACH you in your
HISTORY classes?
2 MAGNETO: Do you learn only of men cutting down
CHERRY TREES and inventing LIGHT BULBS?
Page 5, panel two
Close on Magneto and a few of the nearest
kids, including the sweating security guard, as Magneto continues to deliver
a lecture they’re all afraid not to listen to. No one is moving, and the
gun remains fixed on the security guard.
3 MAGNETO: Or do they teach you, too, of
man’s DARKER hours?
4 MAGNETO: Of famines, plagues, WARS? Of men in
UNIFORMS slaughtering CHILDREN?
5 FROM OFF: Why don’t YOU tell them about the WAR,
Magnus?
Page 5, panel three
Pull back as Magneto turns to find
Professor X sitting calmly just inside the doorway of the little store
(in his wheelchair, of course).
Keep the tension up with the kids and
security guard in jeopardy.
6 MAGNETO: Professor Xavier....
7 MAGNETO: ...checking out the “fly threads?”
8 PROF X: Tell them about how TERRIFYING it was
to see your FRIENDS in JEOPARDY and not be able to HELP --
Page 5, panel four
Put the sweating security guard --
with his own gun still suspended in mid-air and pointing at him -- in foreground
as Magneto and Professor X continue to argue in BG (not deep BG, though,
please, see opening note). Charles is always calm, Magus is becoming increasingly
heated.
9 PROF X: -- tell them about TYRANNY
and the fear that your LIFE is in SOMEONE ELSE’S hands....
10 MAGNETO: I know what you’re trying to DO, Charles,
but your COMPARISON is MEANINGLESS.
Page 5, panel five
Close on Magneto, at his most evil
and terrifying.
11 MAGNETO: Humans terrorizing other HUMANS
is only...well, HUMAN.
12 MAGNETO: But WE are the next stage of EVOLUTION.
We are Homo SUPERIOR.
PAGE 6, panel one
The security guard, succumbing to panic,
tries to plead with Magneto.
1 SECURITY GUY: Puh - please. T-take whatever
you WANT.
2 SECURITY GUY: I don’t even clear six bucks
an HOUR... I won’t try to STOP you.
3 MAGNETO: STOP me?
Page 6, panel two
Charles concentrates on sending
a telepathic message to the security guard (who continues to succumb to
panic) as Magneto turns his attention back to his other hostages.
1 MAGNETO: Do you even BEGIN to understand
the breadth of my POWERS, children?
2 MAGNETO: I can manipulate METAL.
3 PROF X/telepathic: Try to hold ON, son. I won’t
let him HURT you.
Page 6, panel three
Tight on the security guard (and Prof
X, if you can get him in the shot) as, without moving his head (he’s afraid
of somehow triggering the gun) the security guard looks around nervously,
sweating profusely, clearly on the verge of panic now as Professor X continues
to try to reach him.
4 SECURITY GUY: Wh -- who SAID that?
5 PROF X/telepathic: My name is Charles Xavier,
and only you can hear me right now.
6 PROF X/telepathic: I need you to stay as CALM
as POSSIBLE. I cannot PROTECT you if you PANIC.
Page 6, panel four
Big. Magneto is still addressing
his captive audience, demonstrating some of the powers he mentions: the
doors to the store swing shut and lock, clothing on metal hangers dance
into the air like ghosts, and part of the ceiling starts to collapse. The
kids, of course, are horrified.
7 MAGNETO: Your WEAPONS, the locks of your
DOORS, your cars and PLANES, the BEAMS that support your BUILDINGS --
8 MAGNETO: -- even your very BLOOD contains trace
elements.
9 SFX/doors: =swooosh=
10 SFX/doors: =clck=
11 SFX/ceiling: =rmmmmmbl=
PAGE 7, panel one
The kids continue reacting to the Magneto-induced
terrors as Magneto opens his arms wide in a dramatic gesture to them, his
back to us and to Professor X.
1 MAGNETO: There is NOTHING you can do to
HURT me, and there are MORE of my KIND than you REALIZE.
Page 7, panel two
Magneto turns back to Professor X (and
us)-- sort of a sinister over the shoulder glance. Charles answers him
with devastating calm.
2 MAGNETO: And SOON we will take CONTROL
of this sad little planet before the sapiens ruin it UTTERLY!
3 PROF X: And how do you propose to DO that, Magnus?
Page 7, panel three
Close on Professor X, an eyebrow arched.
4 PROF X: By REPEATING history?
Page 7, panel four
Close on Magneto, frowning, silent.
5 PROF X/ OFF: Men...in UNIFORMS...slaughtering
CHILDREN...?
Page 7, panel five
Tight as Magneto turns and glares at
the clerk from page one. Her eyes are full of tears as she meets his glance
-- her fear is stamped across her features.
NO COPY
Page 7, panel six
Magneto turns now to look at the security
guard, who is equally visibly terrified as sweat runs down the sides of
his face and his eyes tear themselves away from the gun for just long enough
to glance sadly at Magneto.
NO COPY
PAGE 8, panel one
Pull back to show the whole store as,
with a visual exhale, Magneto drops his head for a moment, also releasing
his powers as he does so.
The security guard’s gun drops to the floor (or
the security gate, if that’s the way we went), the doors to the shop open,
the hangers and metal display letters put themselves back in order and
into their proper places, and although still damaged, the ceiling stops
rumbling. Only the cash register remains smashed beyond repair.
1 SFX/gun: =clnk=
2 SFX/doors: =clkt=
3 MAGNETO/SFX: =sigh=
Page 8, panel two
Without another spoken word, Magneto
floats out of the store, right past Professor X, who hails him telepathically.
The kids in the store are beginning
to hug one another and collapse in relief.
4 PROF X/telepathic: THANK you, Magnus.
You’ve done the right thing.
5 MAGNETO/telepathic: You’re a FOOL, Charles.
6 MAGNETO/telepathic: They’re children of SAVAGES.
They’ll kill US if they ever have the CHANCE.
Page 8, panel three
Professor X turns around in the doorway
to watch Magneto leave as they continue their silent conversation. Behind
them, the kids become increasingly relieved and exuberant, no doubt planning
to celebrate their escape from certain doom with a soda and fries at Burger
King (which may be visible in the mall hallway if product placement becomes
a priority here).
Magneto is casting one last glare over
his shoulder at Professor X as he exits (and go ahead and have people in
the mall reacting to him as he passes -- he does look awfully strange and
intimidating)
7 PROF X/telepathic: That’s where you and
I DISAGREE.
8 MAGNETO/telepathic: Yes.
9 MAGNETO/telepathic: You with your HOPES for the
FUTURE....
Page 8, panel four
Close on Magneto as he turns away from
the Professor, frowning softly.
10 MAGNETO/telepathic: ...And ME with my
MEMORIES of the PAST....
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