Adventure Time – Without Us – Brian Manton

1.

Finn and Jake at home.

Jake is building a house of cards. The cards have arms, legs and faces and are suffering severe anxiety from being used in architecture.

Finn is lying on his bed in the background, holding his sword lazily in the air.

Finn:  Feels like we haven't had an adventure in centuries. No, millennia.

Jake:  Yeah. It's just been... *time*.

2.

Finn beams with excited realisation – a jagged edge yellow circle behind him.

Jake peers from behind the jagged edge circle as if it is a physical object. One arm holds on to the edge of the circle, another arm gives a thumbs up and one arm holds a roll of toilet paper.

Finn:  Let’s go T.P. the Ice King’s palace!

Jake:  Oh I'm all over that buddy.

3.

Wide panel with no border and white bkg (same as gutter)

Jake’s legs stretch from the left edge of the page (bleed) toward the right as Jake speeds forward with Finn on his back waving his sword. Position them over two thirds of the way across the frame. Tiny in the distance, on the far right hand side of the panel is Ice King's palace. Mountains stretch off to panel right (bleed).

NO COPY

4.

Inside Ice King's Palace.
We see Finn & Jake peering in a window at the bkg.

Beemo sits on Treetrunk’s back. Treetrunk brandishes a tiny cardboard sword in her trunk, pointing it at Ice King. Ice King is backed against a wall with his hands in the air. Lumpy Space Princess floats in a cage with a nonplussed expression on her face.

LSP: You, like, totally saved me or something.

5.

Finn is inside the room with them now. Jake is climbing through the window. They all look ashamed, including Ice King but not LSP who still looks nonplussed. Finn looks upset.

Finn:  Heyyyyyyyyy, you guys are adventuring...

Ice King:  No, no, we... we were just—

Treetrunks:  Spring cleaning.

Bemo (overlap with previous balloon):  Doing our tax returns.

LSP:  Just, like, join in or whatever.

6.

Finn looks totally defeated and heartbroken.  Jake folds two arms and puts an extra one around Finn in solidarity with his friend. He peers at them disapprovingly.

Finn:  No. I'm cool. I guess we'll just go back to T.P.ing the palace.

7.

Everyone (again, save for LSP) looking totally guilt ridden and rosy cheeked. They look to each other.

Ice King (small):  We... we could go for some T.P.ing, right guys?

Beemo (small):  yeah

Treetrunks (small):  yes

8.

Outside the palace. Everyone is T.P.ing. Jake smiling and enjoying himself. Finn angry and taking out his frustration in overly strong throws. Ice King raises an eyebrow and throws T.P. over a really low icicle. Treetrunks and Beemo are still rosy cheeked and embarrassed as they throw the T.P. LSP's limp throw lets the TP fall short of the palace and roll out on the ground.

NO COPY

Adventure Time - ...gone HOR-ribly WRONG! - R.A. Wonsowski

Layout:
1122
3344
5566
7777

Panel 1 - Through their window we see FINN and JAKE happily fist-bump.

FINN & JAKE:  Yeah!!


Panel 2 - The "Adventure Time" title card, with FINN and JAKE holding the banner that reads "with Finn and Jake" with wings on their backs.

CAPTION (with musical notes):  Adventure Time! C'mon, grab your friends...


Panel 3 - FINN riding JAKE through the icy mountains at night, a full moon in the sky.

CAPTION (with musical notes):  We'll go to very distant lands...


Panel 4 - Floating heads of FINN and JAKE against an orange background.

CAPTION (with musical notes):  Jake the Dog, and Finn the Human...


Panel 5 - In a rainbow-laden garden of lollipops, FINN and JAKE are being brutally and savagely attacked by MILK & CHEESE, Dairy Products Gone Bad!  MILK is slashing away at JAKE with a broken whiskey bottle, and CHEESE is blathering FINN with a cast-iron skillet from behind, blood flying everywhere.  In the sky, LADY RAINICORN looks on in horror, weeping.

CAPTION (with musical notes):  ...are killed by Milk and Cheese...

LADY RAINICORN:  공포!


Panel 6 - Atop a mountain of corpses, all characters of adventure time, MILK and CHEESE raise their fists into the stormy sky, the Adventure Time logo written in the same font as any random German heavy metal band.  Among the corpses are FINN, JAKE, MARCELINE, the ICE KING, and the PRINCESS.  In an inset panel to the lower right, DEADPOOL winks at us, giving the thumbs-up.

CAPTION (with musical notes):  It's Adventure Time!

DEADPOOL:  Now DEADPOOL Approved!  Yeah!!


Panel 7 - In a conference room at ThoughtBalloons Headquarters (we know it's their HQ because the blog logo is on the wall), BEN, BRIAN, DAN, GRANT, J.D., MK, NIEL, RYAN, and SHAUN look at RAY, who is wearing a Deadpool mask, bowling shirt, jeans, and POUCHES!, in looks ranging from disapproval, to nausea and disgust, to angry disappointment.  RYAN has a "BLEAGH" look on his face, while MK and J.D. look at each other with worried concern.  GRANT has answered the phone, and cups the mouthpiece while he looks on with a smoldering fury.  RAY-slash-Deadpool has his arms wide, enthusiastically stumping for the new opening credits.  A large screen TV behind him has MILK and CHEESE running and carrying torches.

RAY/DEADPOOL:  ...oh, c'mon! It's like PRINTING money...

BRIAN (to DAN):  It's "Writer's Block Week" again, isn't it?

GRANT:  Ray, Pendleton Ward would like a word with you...

Adventure Time - Not So Regular - Niel Jacoby

Panel 1: Jake and Finn in a crazy time vortex of some sort.

Caption: WHEN WE LAST SAW OUR HEROES*, THE ICE KING HAD, THROUGH A COMBINATION OF SPITE AND INCOMPETENCE, SENT THEM THROUGH A PORTAL INTO A STRANGE AND UNFAMILIAR UNIVERSE!

Caption: *JUST GO WITH ME ON THIS ONE, DUDE.

Panel 2: Jake and Finn are being ejected out of the portal as it closes behind them. It's not clear where they are in this panel, but they're in the house from Regular Show.

Finn: WHOA!

Jake: UAAAA!

Panel 3: Jake and Finn are standing in the house from Regular Show. We can't see the couch, but they're near it. Jake and Finn are confused.

Jake: WHAT IS THIS PLACE, FINN?

Finn: I DUNNO, JAKE, BUT I CAN'T SAY I'VE SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.

Panel 4: Same POV, but Jake is running his paws on the walls and Finn is looking around. Both are intrigued.

Jake: MATHEMATICAL, JAKE! WHEREVER WE ARE, IT MUST BE FULL OF STRANGE NEW THINGS TO EXPLORE!

Finn: THE PERFECT PLACE FOR...

Jake: FOR...?

Panel 5: Jake and Finn have jumped up for the high five, and the background is what it is on the show's title still.

Jake/Finn in unison(logo): ADVENTURE TI-(this is where it's cut off by the next speech bubble)

Mordecai(OP): UHHHH, HELLO?

Panel 6: We see Mordecai and Rigby on the couch, obviously confused by these guys just appearing in their living room. They'd been playing video games.

Rigby: THE PARK IS OUT THERE DUDES. THIS IS OUR HOUSE.

Mordecai: YOU DO KNOW WHAT A HOUSE IS... RIGHT?

Adventure Time - Misadventure - J.D. Coughlan

Four wide horizontal panels.

Panel 1: Finn and Jake's kitchen. Finn is pouring himself a bowl of boring, sensible cereal while Jake sits at the table reading a newspaper.

JAKE: You see this? Public transport tax is going up.

FINN: Tch. Terrible.

Panel 2: Jake lowers the paper slightly as Finn sits at the table with his cereal.

JAKE: And what are they gonna do to improve the conditions of buses and trains? Nothing, of course.

FINN: Hmm.

Panel 3: Finn casually takes a spoonful of cereal as Jake looks off into the distance thoughtfully.

FINN: Anyway, have you given any more thought about what colour to paint the den?

JAKE: Oh, uh... Burnt amber? Although I am fond of the butterscotch.

Panel 4: A more photorealistic style. The writers of Adventure Time, including creator Pendleton Ward, sit in front of a TV displaying the previous scene. They all look bored.

WARD: Yeah, we should only write this while high.

END OF PAGE

The author wishes to express that he is in no way condoning drug use as a creative aid, regardless of the thousands of examples of classics produced under the influence. Please write responsibly, no matter how boring it is. Or whatever, man, I ain't gonna tell you what to do.

Adventure Time – A Critical Hit To Our Friendship - Shaun Richens.

PAGE ONE – 6 PANELS

1.1

Inside an ice cavern. FINN is dressed up as a knight. He is opening a large and impressive looking treasure chest.  

FINN:

Man I hope this is something radical.

SFX (Around the lid of the opening chest)

DUN DA DA DA DAAAAA

1.2

Shoot from inside the chest looking up at Finn who looks scared.

FINN:

Oh glob. It’s got teeth.

1.3

Wide panel. Finn has turned his back on the chest and stands with his hands on his hips facing JAKE, who is wearing a fake beard on and has an axe on his back, MARCELINE, who is wearing a long cloak and carries a bag over her shoulder that reads SWAG and PRINCESS BUBBLEGUM, who holds a tall and beautiful pink magic staff. The princess is also blowing on a pink pipe that blows bubbles.

The chest has grown a set of large arms and legs and now shows its huge fangs that line its lid.

ICE KING: (Off Panel)

Too bad Finn you fool you didn’t see my nifty trap.

FINN:

This is bogus. Master thief Marceline totally checked for traps. What gives?

1.4

Finn, Jake, Marceline and Princess Bubblegum, all now dressed in their normal outfits (bar Jake who still wears his fake beard), sit around the table in Finn and Jake’s tree house. At the head of the table, sat behind a dungeon masters screen is THE ICE KING.

Snacks, drinks and loads of oddly shaped die lie scattered on the tabletop.

ICE KING:

Um… Marceline can’t detect magic traps yet.

BUBBLEGUM:

You wouldn’t just trick us to win would you?

JAKE:

Yea, ‘cus I would not be happy about that kind of arrangement.

1.5

Close up on The Ice king, his eyes have gone huge and sad, he looks adorable.

ICE KING:

I would never try and trick you guys.

1.6

Another close up on the Ice king. This time he is looking sideways over his shoulder, a big grin on his faces as he winks at us, the reader.

FINN: (Off panel)

Who you winking at?

Adventure Time – Time for ADVENTURE! With the King of Ice and Gunter – MK Stangeland Jr.

(7 Panels)

Panel 1: KING OF ICE - a heroic mirror universe version of the ICE KING, who looks mostly like his counterpart aside from having a far more clean-cut beard - is standing atop a wall of his ice fortress. He’s currently rolling his eyes.

Standing next to him, and looking about the same, is GUNTER the penguine.

KING OF ICE (1): Ah cripes. It’s you two again.

KING OF ICE (2): What do you want…

Panel 2: Standing outside the KING OF ICE’s fortress are SINISTER FINN and BAD DOG JAKE, the evil mirror universe versions of FINN the HUMAN and JAKE the DOG. The most notable features that distinguish them from their heroic counterparts are that FINN has an evil looking mustache (naturally) and scar while JAKE has an evil looking goatee (also naturally) and wears an eye-patch. Not because he needs the eye-patch, mind you, but because it looks cool and he thinks it makes him look kind of evil.

KING OF ICE: (From off panel, continued from PANEL 1. Should be enlarged for emphasis.) …SINISTER FINN and BAD DOG JAKE?

Panel 3: SINISTER FINN, holding his sword, points up at the KING OF ICE. BAD DOG JAKE shakes his fist at him.

SINISTER FINN: We heard you’re giving refuge to a princess!

BAD DOG JAKE: So we came to kidnap her!

Panel 4: KING OF ICE gives an offhanded wave of dismissal.

KING OF ICE (1): Bah!

KING OF ICE (2): I don’t know what you’re talking about!

Panel 5: KING OF ICE leans down to whisper in GUNTER’s ear.

KING OF ICE: Show our guest out through the back exit, and make sure she gets there safely.

Panel 6: BAD DOG JAKE points up at KING OF ICE and shouts angrily.

BAD DOG JAKE: I heard that!

KING OF ICE (1): I don’t care what you heard!

KING OF ICE (2): Now bug off or else I make you bug off!

Panel 7: SINISTER FINN charges at KING OF ICE’s castle with his sword up and at the ready. BAD DOG JAKE runs right behind him.

SINISTER FINN (1): NO!

SINISTER FINN (2): HYAAAA!

(END PAGE)

Adventure Time -Lazy Snack -Dan Hill

I've only seen a handful of episodes of the show and as such my handle on the characters is extremely limited. In the grand traditions of the 'exquisite corpse' storytelling techniques employed on some episodes, I used this generator to come up with the bones for this one. Behold:

"The tepid terror slothfully probed the indigestible mermaids"

I'm sorry.

PAGE ONE

This is structured to be presented in one row of four panels like an old newspaper strip.

Panel 1

JAKE, wearing bits of a skeleton Halloween costume lies on a beach of a desert island somewhere out in the middle of the ocean. He looks exhausted and lazily crawls along the beach on all fours.

NO COPY

Panel 2

JAKE is further along the beach, approaching some rocks. We can see the tail of what looks like a LARGE FISH coming from the edge of the panel on the right.

NO COPY

Panel 3

JAKE is slumped over the rocks, lazily trying to sink his teeth into the fishes tail.

1. VOICE/off:            Quit it.

Panel 4

We pan right slightly to see that the tail belongs to a MERMAID. She looks annoyingly at a drained JAKE who continues to try and eat the Mermaid’s tail.

2. MERMAID:            Quit it.

3. JAKE:            Stop moving.

Adventure Time - Science Good - Ben Rosenthal

1.  Finn is standing with Jake and Princess Bubblegum.  She is in her scientist coat with goggles on.  She is talking to Finn and Jake, instructing them to be cautious around her new invention.  Finn and Jake are too busy staring at the invention (off panel) – their eyes bulging, drool coming from their mouths and limbs limp.  They really, REALLY want to get their hands on the Princess’ new invention.

PRINCESS BUBBLEGUM

This is a very sophisticated piece of science.  Don’t.  Touch. It.

FINN

Soooo…pretty….

JAKE

I want to marry science.

2.  Reveal of a giant robot-mech-dinosaur.  This is what Princess Bubblegum has built.  We can see the three standing at the base of the machine.  Finn is transfixed on it – he just needs to touch it.

PRINCESS BUBBLEGUM

I mean it Finn!  It’s not finished yet.

JAKE

Then why show it to us now?

PRINCESS BUBBLEGUM

Because reasons.

FINN

Precious…..

3.  Princess Bubblegum is being stern now.  Jake is saluting her, snapping to attention.

PRINCESS BUBBLEGUM

FINN!

FINN

Don’t worry Princess.  You can count on us!

JAKE

Absatively!

4.  Out in the open of a grassy field.  There has clearly been a small time jump.  Finn is in the Robot Dinosaur Mecha, with a look of pure joy on his face.  He is controlling the Mecha which is wrestling Jake who has made himself as big as the MechaSaur.    He too is having the time for his life.

CAPTION

Five minutes and thirty four seconds later….

Adventure Time - Presents of Mind - Grant McLaughlin

1 - Establishing shot.  Princess Bubblegum's royal court.  There's a big ol' party going down in honour of Jake's birthday.  There's a banner that aptly reads "Happy Birthday, Jake!" and a smaller one off the side that reads "Awesome".  Pretty much all the relevant characters are reveling and cavorting, including Jake, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, and various Candy Kingdom citizens.  Conspicuously absent from the festivities is Finn the Human.  Realizing his bestie isn't there, Jake has stopped partying, asking BMO if it knows where Finn may be.

JAKE: BMO, do you know where Finn's at?

BMO: I do not, Jake.  He said he had "to go get something totally unrelated to Jake's present," and I haven't seen him since.

2 - Inset panel.  Close-up on Jake and BMO.  BMO looks naively unsure; Jake is suspicious.

JAKE: Hmmm....

3 - Outside shot of Finn and Jake's treehouse.  Word balloon coming from within.

CAPTION: And so.

JAKE (within treehouse): Hey, Finn!  Why aren't you at my totally sweet birthd--

4 - Interior.  Finn is in the main room, surrounded by piles and piles of stuff.  Feel free to include as many references to previous adventures as you'd like in that pile.  The important thing is that Finn sits on the ground, hands around his knees, crying.  Jake is just coming into the room and is shocked by seeing his friend so sad.

JAKE: Ohmyglob!  What's up, broheim?

FINN: Everything's up, Jake!

5 - Closer in on Finn, with Jake having come closer so that he's also in the panel.  Finn throws his arms wide in frustration as he explains what's up.

FINN (1): I wanted to get you the perfect encapsulation of the math importance I place on our friendship - you know, in gift-form - but I can't figure what that is!

FINN (2): I'm totes the worst best friend forever ever!

6 - Jake puts a reassuring hand on Finn's shoulder.  Jake wears a serious expression.  Finn is feeling a little better.

JAKE (1): No way, Finn!

JAKE (2): We both know that gifts are awesome --

FINN (interrupting): Way awesome.

JAKE (continuing): -- but what's way awesomer is spending time with your bestie.

7 - Finn and Jake hug, both with happy smiles on their faces.

JAKE: The only thing I want on my special day is to share it with my specialest friend.

Why Adventure Time?

I'll be honest with you, I'm not a big fan of the Adventure Time show.  I did not get into it when it first hit airwaves, and while I've taken in a smattering of episodes from various seasons, they just don't seem to resonate with me in any significant way.

So why would I choose Adventure Time for my week's pick?  Because of the brilliant comic book

adaptation, of course!

I was nonplussed when I heard that Boom! had snagged the Adventure Time comic book license, but I was thrilled when I discovered that Ryan North (of Dinosaur Comics fame [among much else]) would be writing it.  North is easily one of my favourite writers, with his six-panel Dinosaur Comics never ceasing to impress me and bring a smile to my face.  So knowing that he'd be writing an ongoing series was a great surprise and something I had high hopes for, despite my disinterest in the actual property.

And then that first issue hit.

It was a brilliant combination of North's comedic sensibilities, artists Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb's excellent storytelling instincts, and the general wackiness that is all things Adventure Time.  I mean, there's a reason the series just won the Eisner for Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12) (congratulations, by the way).

I fell in love with the ongoing adventures of Finn the Human and Jake the Dog.  I could go on about how great the Adventure Time comics are (and there's a lot to cover, including the awesome backups you can find in every issue or the fantastic miniseries Boom! has been releasing), but I'll spare you my gushing.  Suffice it to say that Adventure Time is one of those books that I'm always excited to read, so I wanted to share some of that excitement with all of you.

I know I'll be taking inspiration from the comics, but feel free to draw from whichever sources you please.

So do you know what time it is?