A Trio of Photos - A Meeting - P. A. Nolte

1/ The exterior of an abandoned cathedral in a small European metropolis.

Caption (Younger): Why must we continue meeting in these... places, uncle?  I do not understand your fascination.

Caption (Elder): Ah, irony is lost on the young.

2/ Inside the decrepit building, standing amidst the remnants of what was once an elaborate chancel but is now a mass of splintered planks and fallen plaster are two men.  The elder is admiring the lone statue of a robed woman, presumably Mary Magdalene, though we cannot see her face.  The younger is pacing nervously.

Elder: The clergyman of this establishment was so very keen to appeal to the masses, he began to misconstrue the messages of his own beliefs so that he might retain his ever tenuous grasp on his congregation, and found it lost regardless.

3/ The elder grins at his disciple, shrugging in a very human fashion.

Elder: Oh, well.

4/ The younger man rolls his eyes.

Younger: You avoid my question, uncle.

5/ The elder has turned to face the younger.  He stretches out his arms wide, gesturing proudly towards the dilapidation surrounding them.

Elder: Do I?

Elder: What lesson have I tried to impart time and time again?

Younger: "The safest road to Hell is the gradual one-- the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

Elder: Indeed.

Elder: Come.  We shall further your education over a meal.

Trio of Photos - ...coming soon... - Ray Wonsowski

Working on a future multi-chapter story slash proposal that's been rummaging about in my head...

Have you or your neighbors experienced back door sacrificial body part transplants?
Has your food been possessed by the restless spirits of ancient Mayan priests?
1-877-STRANGE

Does your armoire lead to otherworlds and Dark Dimensions?
Does your class or study group use the Darkhold as a textbook?
You need Doctor Strange.

Are your business packages being couriered by a Voodoo delivery service?
Does your husband's severed head keep you awake at night with dreamspeak?
Call Doctor CLEA STRANGE.

...a NEW Doctor is in...more on this coming soon!

A Trio of Photos – Life Finds a Way – MK Stangeland Jr.

(9 Panels)

Panel 1: A small, quaint village in Europe, in ye olden medieval days. It should appear to be a very recent development, having hardly had an opportunity to really establish itself yet. The SUN and MOON are positioned overhead in a way that lines up with future panels to gives the impression of the passage of a great deal of time.

Panel 2: The same village, having matured into a small town. Included is a stone church building featured at the center, with a city square in front of it. It is a small, but booming community. SUN and MOON overhead line up to show the continued passage of time.

Panel 3: Disaster Strikes! – the town has been hit by the BLACK PLAGUE, and hard. It is a town that is falling apart and on life support, but not quite dead yet.

The SUN and MOON continue to pass overhead as time keeps going.

Panel 4: Years later – the town has stabilized from the PLAGUE, and shows the earliest signs of recovery.

The SUN and MOON continue to pass overhead as time keeps going.

Panel 5: The RENAISSANCE has arrived – the town has not only recovered from the PLAGUE, it has grown well beyond its pre-PLAUGE size, into a small city.

The SUN and MOON, of course, continue to pass overhead.

Panel 6: The near future – the community is now a city of significant size, and shows touches of futuristic elements.

The SUN and MOON continue on their way.

Panel 7: Once again, Disaster Strikes. Off in the distance, we see a mushroom cloud form as the city is hit by a nuclear explosion, unleashing total destruction.

The SUN and MOON pay this no mind, continuing to pass overhead.

Panel 8: The former city, in a post-apocalyptic state. It is a wasteland of devastation, with ruined buildings and no signs of life. By all accounts, the place looks completely dead.

The SUN and MOON keep moving.

Panel 9: A town reborn! A small post-apocalyptic survivor community, on par with the size present in PANEL 1, has set up in the ruins of the old world, though it’s difficult to tell their actual size given the remains that still stand. Signs of new plant and animal life are present as well, but should be minor touches indicating that it’s a very new, very recent development.

The SUN and the MOON continue to move as they have since the beginning.

(END PAGE)

A Trio of Photos - Best Laid Schemes - Grant McLaughlin

1 - Owen stands at the foot of a bed in a small, dingy apartment / hotel.  He holds his hands to his head in fear / frustration.  An open briefcase sits on the bed.  It's filled with what look to be ledgers, papers, and the like.

CAPTION (OWEN): Jules said the case would be stuffed with cash.

OWEN (quiet): fuck

2 - Now on one knee Owen is rifling through the briefcase's contents in a panic, maybe throwing things out here and there.

CAPTION (OWEN): Instead, it's filled with Mr. B's books.

OWEN: Fuck.

3 - Owen picks up the suitcase and throws it across the room into a wall.  Its contents spill and fly out - books, ledgers, and papers going everywhere.  If desired, an old revolver can also be seen coming out, although it doesn't have to be obvious.

CAPTION (OWEN): Every detail of his operations.  Money spent.  Crimes committed.  Lives ruined.

OWEN (loud): FUCK!

4 - Owen stands surveying the mess he's made.  Books, ledgers, and papers are all over the places.  There's also that aforementioned revolver, which is near the door.

CAPTION (OWEN): It's all here.

Owen (quiet): ...what?

5 - Owen is down on his hands and knees, picking up and examining the revolver.  A knock is visible at the door.

CAPTION (OWEN): And I'm the dumbfuck who took it.

SFX: KNOK! KNOK!

6 - Owen looks up towards the door, holding the gun in front of his face so his mouth is covered and one eye looks through the trigger guard.  While his expression is partially masked, it's clear that he's scared out of his mind (as per the third photo from Shaun's prompt).

OWEN (quiet): fuck

A Trio of Photos - Finch & Ruiz - Shaun Richens

PAGE ONE - 6 PANELS.

1.1

Open on a close up of DETECTIVE FINCH, he’s middle aged, lean, his hair rests in a widows peak - he wears a suit that is functional not fashionable. His face wears the look of disgust.

FINCH:

Fuck.

1.2

Cut to. We are looking down an escalator coming up out of a busy tube station. DETECTIVE RUIZ is the focus as she nears the top of the escalator. She holds her phone to her ear. She’s young, but tough looking. She’s hard edged and cynical. She wears a dark grey suit, no tie, her dark hair cut short. Her badge hooked on her belt.

RUIZ:

Finch? What is it? I’ve had like twenty missed calls. I was underground.

1.3

Reveal shot. Looking over Finch’s shoulder into an abandoned church, he’s still on the phone to Ruiz. Light spills in through the cracked stained glass window. Light pools around a chair in the centre of the room, the corpse of a young boy hangs from the ceiling. A few police officers in uniform are putting police warning tape up around the scene. 

FINCH:

It’s him Ruiz. We’ve got another kid. Same m.o. as the others.

1.4

Cut back to Ruiz. She is now on street level, walking through a busy downtown main street in a large urban city.

RUIZ:

You sure it’s him? We’ve had copycats before.

1.5

Cut to a close up on a photo pinned up to a corkboard. The photo is grainy, but the face of a man can be made out. He is middle aged, short dark hair. He holds a pistol in his hand, the weapon obscures most of his face.

CAPTION FINCH:

Trust me. It’s him, it’s Preston Bishop. Our goddamn ghost in the wind.

1.6

Pull back - we reveal the whole of the cork board. It’s massive. The photo from the last panel sits in the centre. All around it are other photos, gangs of men, weapons, maps with locations circled, a few evidence photos from murder scenes. A few hand written notes (we can’t make out what they say.)

CAPTION FINCH:

Three years and all we’ve got is a grainy photo of this psycho.

Why A Trio of Photos? - Shaun Richens

The old adage says that a picture's worth a thousand words, well this week I want to see what three pictures can do for our words and what our words can do with them.

Comics is truly unique medium in the way pictures and words are used in combination. We can tell layered narratives interweaving both the visuals and the written word in ways that novels and movies just can’t.

We will be taking inspiration from the three black and white photos gathered here.

We can use them directly as panels for the script, maybe even trying to link all three into one story. Or maybe you’ll decide to focus just on one photo, perhaps as a location for a confrontation? Or the meeting point for a love affair. Maybe your character is on the run from one of these places.

One of the images might inspire a character for you to toy around with. A fully fleshed out person for you to push and pull to get to the heart of what makes them tick.

Your page could be about the person who took the photos, are they for a school project? Maybe they are the only photos on a roll of film found on a murder victim? Do the photos have sentimental value? Do they put someone in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Or maybe you hate the photos? That’s ok too. Go and find a photo that brings a story to life for you. All I ask is that you share it along with your story, so we can see where it takes us.

I want us to explore the hidden stories that live in these still moments in time. I want us to collect all the tales that are conjured up for each and everyone of us.

As always, myself and all the writers at Thoughtballoons would love to have people at home come and share stories with us too.