Red Hood – Behind the Red Hoodlum! – MK Stangeland Jr.

(This is set within the AMALGAM universe, where DARK CLAW (LOGAN WAYNE) has finally caught up with the mysterious RED HOODLUM (RED HOOD/DAKEN), who has been terrorizing NEW GOTHAM.)

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: DARK CLAW pulls off RED HOODLUM’s mask to reveal his identity as TODD DAKEN, formerly the second SPARROW.

DARK CLAW: (Continued from previous page) …Todd Daken?!

Panel 2: DARK CLAW steps back in surprise and shock. RED HOODLUM reaches for his crowbar.

DARK CLAW: But you…

RED HOODLUM (1): Died?

RED HOODLUM (2): No, I didn’t die, you idiot!

Panel 3: RED HOODLUM swings at DARK CLAW with his crowbar. DARK CLAW steps back and dodges the swing.

RED HOODLUM: Healing factor, remember?

Panel 4: RED HOODLUM brings his crowbar up above his head and prepares to swing it down on DARK CLAW. DARK CLAW brings his claws out.

RED HOODLUM: But noooo, you didn’t even bother to remember!

SFX: sNikT!

Panel 5: RED HOODLUM swings down at DARK CLAW. DARK CLAW holds his claws up above him to block the crowbar and cut through it as it comes down.

RED HOODLUM: You’re so eager to angst and brood you ran off without trying to figure out if I was still alive!

Panel 6: RED HOODLUM throws what’s left of the crowbar away and pops his own claws.

RED HOODLUM: Well now I’m really going to give you something to angst and brood about.

(END PAGE)

Amalgam Comics presents Speed Demon #2: "ReVerse" - Ray Wonsowsk¡

Layout:
123
444
444

CAPTION (top of page):  "Gone, gone, the form of man - and rise, the demon, Etrigan!"  With these words, Merlin bound daredevil BLAZE ALLEN to a soul that travelled the velocity of the damned.  Now he races against heaven and hell as...The SPEED DEMON!"

Panel 1 - SPEED DEMON races across the tops of the Rocky Mountains, orange hellfire trailing behind him.  In the valley below, we see Salt Lake City, Utah in the distance.  An indistinct purple and blue figure streaks behind him by a quarter mile.

CAPTION:  And so the Speed Demon, he raced 'cross the mountains -
                     Away from the city of the Great Salt Lake -
                     

Panel 2 - Zoom in tighter on SPEED DEMON as we see the indigo blur close the distance as they race across the snow and ice.

CAPTION:  For he knew of Eobard Worthington III -
                     And the deal he made - and the vengeance he'd take.


Panel 3 - Zoom in tighter as we now see SPEED DEMON hit from behind by a blue and purple fist in a Simonson-esque gauntlet coming from out of the violet blur.

CAPTION:  So gone be the man that the Lord God knows so well...


Panel 4 - the bottom 2/3 of the page:  Foreground, SPEED DEMON trying to push himself up from the snowy ground, dazed from the blow he received from behind.  Background, standing over him, holding a flaming sword is the Archangel of the Eagle Host, with wings of razors and knives, in blue and purple armor, his face serious behind a blue helmet connected to a blue chest plate reminiscent of the Pollux costume from the Flash TV series:


CAPTION:  And kneel before his Archangel... Zum-Zauriel!!!

Amalgam: Hawk Arrow - Niel Jacoby

Panel 1: We see from below as Hawk Arrow, a blond, short-haired younger man dressed in a green and purple vest, looks off the edge of a building, his bow in his hand. Maybe it's raining, maybe it's just dark.

Caption: I'M OLIVER CLINTON, FORMER DEVELOPER FOR A SECRET GOVERNMENT ARMS COMPANY.

Panel 2: A bedraggled Oliver fires arrows at stacked milk bottles on a deserted island as a troupe of carnies wearing makeshift island clothes watches on.

Caption: ON ASSIGNMENT WITH A CIRCUS TROUPE THAT OPERATED EXCLUSIVELY ON A DESERTED ISLAND, I HAD TO LEARN HOW TO SURVIVE, AND HOW TO TRICK RUBES INTO PARTING WITH THEIR DOUGH FOR CHEAP CHINESE-MADE TRINKETS.

Panel 3: In a hammock, we see Oliver staring into the sunset, pensive.

Caption: DURING THIS ORDEAL, I HAD TO LOOK DEEP INTO MY SOUL, AND WHAT I SAW WAS THAT I WAS THE REAL RUBE, BEING TRICKED BY THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX INTO SERVING THEIR INTERESTS.

Panel 4: An old photograph of Oliver in front of the Sher-hawk-wood Flor-eye-st storefront with Black Widowcanary.

Caption: SO I MOVED TO SEATTLE AND BECAME A FLORIST, WHILE ALSO GETTING ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH A RUSSIAN SPY.

Caption: WHO ALSO HAD SUPERSONIC SCREAM POWERS.

Caption: A LITTLE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE FOR SPYING, BUT I'M NO IAN FLEMING.

Panel 5: The viewpoint moves behind Oliver and we see that he's watching a drug deal, and has nocked a microphone arrow into his bow.

Caption: NOW, AS A MEMBER OF AVENGING JUSTICE, I PATROL THE STREETS OF SEATTLE, AND ON THE WEEKENDS FIGHT MUTANT/ALIEN/SUPERCRIMINAL MENACES FROM DIMENSION M.


Caption: AND WHEN I HAVE TIME, I KEEP THE DAY JOB GOING...

Panel 6: Oliver face-first in a flower arrangement at Sher-hawk-wood Flor-eye-st.

SFX:ZZZZ

Caption: WHEN I CAN STAY AWAKE, THAT IS.

Amalgam Comics – Juliet & John – Shaun Richens.

PAGE TWO & PAGE THREE DOUBLE PAGE SPLASH – 9 PANELS

Layout

112 333

112 333

456 789

1. INT. A dingy bar New York City. DOCTOR JOHN STRANGE (John Constantine/Doctor Strange) sits at the bar drinking water from a whiskey glass. He has blonde hair with graying sides, he has a blonde version of Doctor Strange’s facial hair. He wears a white vest with an open Hawaiian shirt over the top, the shirt is blue, red and yellow. Over the shirt he wears Constantine’s signature trench coat. An old CRT Television hangs on the wall of the bar. We can’t see the screen. A balding barman GRANT stands behind the bar facing JOHN. Apart from JOHN and GRANT the place is empty.

         GRANT:

Everyday you’re in here John, and everyday you just have water. It’s not like I’m rushed off my feet in here so buy a damn drink will ya.

         JOHN:

         Booze is bad for my line of work.

         REPORTER (Coming from TV)

         This is your afternoon bulletin…

2. Close up on JOHN.

         JOHN:

         Hey turn that up Grant.

3. Frame filled by the old CRT Television. The picture is grainy. A young female NEWS REPORTER sits behind a desk, the New York skyline is the image behind her. A logo along the bottom of the screen reads DAILY FRONTLINE.

        

         REPORTER 1:

Welcome to Daily Frontline, channel six one six’s leading news outlet.

         (Link)

         REPORTER 2:

Earlier reports of a crash in the Hudson River have since been cleared up by local climate agencies as a downed weather balloon.

(Link)

REPORTER 3:

A clean up team is currently on site. In other news….

4. Cut back to close up on JOHN. A smirk on his face and an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

         JOHN 1:

         Bollocks was that a downed weather balloon.

         (LINK)

         JOHN 2:

         Hey you mind if I smoke in here?

5. Cut to close up on GRANT. He hangs his head slightly as if giving up on JOHN.

         GRANT:

         Sure, wouldn’t matter if I said no anyway.

6. Close up on JOHN’s hand, he holds his thumb and middle finger together ready to click them.

         SFX (Around his thumb.)

         Klik

7. Same as 6. However now a small blue flame has sprung into life in between his thumb and middle finger.

         NO COPY.

8. Same as 7. However JOHN now holds his cigarette in his other hand and lights it on the blue flame he holds.

NO COPY.

9. JOHN is taking a drag on his cigarette; he is looking down at the bar. A shadowy figure stands behind him. The shadowy figure rests a hand on JOHN's shoulder. 

         SHADOWY FIGURE:

         You really do need to quit Doctor Strange.

         JOHN 1:

         I wondered when you’d turn up.

         (Link)

         JOHN 2:

         A weather balloon? That the best you boys got 
         these days?

Amalgam Comics – NEXTsquad: Agents of B.O.L.T. – MK Stangeland Jr.

NEXTWAVE has a baby with Thunderbolts and Suicide Squad as Director AMANDA “GREENWALL” OSBORN (Amanda Waller/Norman Osborn) of the Black Ops Liberty Team deploys supposedly unstable misfits on what are supposed to be missions of certain death and then gets upset when they continue to succeed without anyone dying. Making up the team of misfits who are far more alive than they should be are:

CAPTAIN POWERBIRD/Luke McCabe (Luke Cage/Songbird/Vixen/Monica Rambeau): Inadvertent leader who didn’t know what he was signing up for, responsible for the near impossible task of keeping everyone in line and capable of generating sonic animal constructs around himself and accessing powers relevant to those animals by doing so.

X-SHOT/Floyd Stack (Deadshot/Aaron Stack): A trigger-happy killer cyborg with targeting systems more advanced than the most advanced targeting systems known to man and more weapons built into his body than you can shake a cattle prod at.

COUNTESS BLOODMOON/Karla Bloodmoon (Count Vertigo/Elsa Bloodstone/Karla Sofen): The manipulative, self-centered member of royalty from a minor European kingdom who possesses her nations prized Bloodmoon Gem, granting her mysterious mystical powers.

CAPTAIN SHARK (King Shark/The Captain): The super-strong, super hungry team muscle who’s temperamental, short-sighted, and kind of stupid.

Q-BOOM!/Dr. Tabitha Harleen Jenkins (Tabitha Smith/Harley Quinn/Abner Jenkins): An intelligent but easily distracted young woman who enjoys using her degree in engineering and her powered battle suit to make stuff blow up good.

AND

PHANTOM/Mr. Gordon (Barbara Gordon/Ghost): Technically the guy giving the team their mission information, but serves as their ‘guardian angel’ by manipulating events to ensure they survive – but whether it’s out of the goodness of his heart or to serve his own secret agenda is yet to be seen.

(8 Panels)

Panel 1: CAPTAIN POWERBIRD, X-SHOT, CAPTAIN SHARK, and Q-BOOM! are standing around a radio communications device that’s sitting on a table. COUNTESS BLOODMOON is off nearby being COUNTESS BLOODMOON.

AMANDA OSBORN: (Through the communicator device) How do they all keep surviving?! What is the point of a suicide mission if nobody dies!?

AMANDA OSBORN (2): (Through the communicator device) Wait…is this thing on? PHANTOM! I thought I said…

Panel 2: Everyone reacts as CAPTAIN SHARK slams his face down on top of the communicator device in a way that would put it directly into his mouth. CAPTAIN POWERBIRD has a look of shock, X-SHOT drops his head into his hand in a ‘I’m surrounded by idiots sort of way’, while Q-BOOM! looks excited by the random act of destruction.

SFX: (Following the trail CAPTAIN SHARK’s head traveled to get to the communication device.) RAAAAAHHHHW!

SFX: (From CAPTAIN SHARK’s face impacting the table) WAM

CAPTAIN SHARK: eet et afh!

Panel 3: CAPTAIN SHARK is standing up again and trying to chew on the communication device as it hangs half-way out of his mouth. CAPTAIN POWERBIRD has his hands out in front of him as he shouts at CAPTAIN SHARK.

SFX: (From CAPTAIN SHARK chewing on the device) krnk krk krnk

CAPTAIN SHARK: ohm nom nom nom nom!

CAPTAIN POWERBIRD: SHARK!

CAPTAIN POWERBIRD (2): We needed that!

CAPTAIN POWERBIRD (3): Osborn’s a jerk, yeah, but still!

Panel 4: Beat Panel. CAPTAIN SHARK stands with the device sticking halfway out of his mouth. His eyes are tilted to look at an angry CAPTAIN POWERBIRD.

Panel 5: CAPTAIN SHARK spits the device back out onto the table. CAPTAIN POWERBIRD reacts with a touch of disgust.

SFX: (From CAPTAIN SHARK spitting the device back out) Blegh!

CAPTAIN SHARK: Sorry

CAPTAIN POWERBIRD: ugh

Panel 6: Q-BOOM! takes a close look at the chewed on device. CAPTAIN POWERBIRD looks at her skeptically.

Q-BOOM!: It doesn’t look that bad. I should be able to fix it easy!

CAPTAIN POWERBIRD: Fix it fix it? Or make a bomb out of it fix it?

Panel 7: Beat Panel. Everyone looks at CAPTAIN POWERBIRD.

Panel 8: CAPTAIN POWERBIRD lowers his head into his hand in frustration.

CAPTAIN POWERBIRD: That was a stupid question, wasn’t it?

CAPTAIN POWERBIRD (2): Silly me.

(END PAGE)

Amalgam Comics -This Subconscious Ain't Big Enough For The Four Of Us -Dan Hill

Apologies for the lateness of this. I had it sitting as a draft still. Doh!

PAGE TWENTY TWO

22.1
1/12 PANEL: ON BRUCE WAYNE (AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D) as he stands in a small, dark, concrete room. He’s wearing the usual SHIELD suit and gun holsters. He looks anxious.

1 BRUCE WAYNE Okay Al, give me a sitrep.

22.2
1/12 PANEL: ON ALFRED DUGAN (this universe’s version of Alfred and Dum Dum Dugan). He has the thin and refined look of his DC counterpart but wears a bowler hat, SHIELD combat suit and has a cigar clenched between his teeth.

2 ALFRED A S.H.I.E.L.D assault team pulled him out of a HYDRA detention facility in Uzbekistan last night. We have no idea how long he’s been there.

22.3
WIDE PANEL: From Dugan and Bruce’s POV we are looking through a pane of one way glass and into an interrogation room. In the room is a metal table and a set of chairs either end, all bolted to the concrete floor.

Sitting in one of the chairs is DICK GRAYSON (or as he’s also known in this universe, Moonwing). He’s wearing an all in one orange jumpsuit, the kind you might see on detainees at Guantanamo. 

3 ALFRED (O.P) Signs of torture, physical scarring and so on. He’s unresponsive. Won’t answer to Grayson, Drake or Spector. 

4 CAP Grayson had a sense of humour. Drake was all business. And Spector?

22.4
On Bruce. He speaks into his wrist communicator. 

5 CAP Well, Spector was a maniac.

6 BRUCE I’ll take it from here, Al.

7 BRUCE Moonwing...

22.5
ANGLE on Dick. His head is bowed still. He doesn’t seem to be responding at all. 

8 BRUCE (RADIO) ...can you hear me?

9 CAP Okay. Heh. Stop me if you’ve heard this one...

22.6
CUT TO a TWO SHOT on Dugan and Bruce. Both are taken aback.

10 DICK (O.P) ...Br-Bruce?

22.7
CUT TO Dick. He's turned towards us/the mirror. The slightest of smiles plays across his lips. It’s hard to tell whether it’s relief or something more sinister.

11 DICK Is that really you?

12 CAP Three split personalities walk into a bar...

Amalgam Comics - Garish - Grant McLaughlin

1 - The interior of a warehouse.  Late at night.  Four supervillains sit glumly among the boxes ("super" might be a bit strong).  They look tired, both physically and mentally, with their costumes showing signs of wear and tear from some recent tussles.  On the left hand side of the panel, sitting on a box, we have Fiddler on the Roof (Fiddler / Stilt-Man).  He wears a bright green suit jacket with coat tails and his long legs form an arch up and then down to the ground.  Rainbow Spot (Rainbow Raider / The Spot) is towards the right hand side of the panel, leaning against a large pile of boxes.  Rainbow looks like the Spot, but more colourful (imagine he's wearing a Twister board).  On top of that pile of boxes is The Hooded Quilt (Crazy Quilt / The Hood).  She wears regular street clothes, but has a pretty tacky hood made out of a multicoloured quilt.  Finally, we have Killer Shock (Killer Moth / Shocker) standing in the middle of them all.  Think the worst mixture of the two's costume you can come up with and that's about right.  He's talking to the rest of the group, trying to reason things through.  Again, everybody looks pretty down, somewhere between sad and frustrated.

KILLER SHOCK (1): That's the fourth bank job this month that we've botched.

KILLER SHOCK (2): How do people keep spotting us?

2 - Repeat panel.  Fiddler on the Roof leans forward to look at Rainbow Spot and Hooded Quilt.  Killer Shock also looks in their direction.  Rainbow Spot and Hooded Quilt look at each other.

NO COPY

3 - Repeat panel.  Fiddler on the Roof looks at Killer Shock.  Rainbow Spot and Hooded Quilt look towards Fiddler on the Roof.  Killer Shock looks his way, too.

NO COPY

4 - Repeat panel.  Further disheartened, all four villains look down at themselves.  Maybe throw in some face palming or heads in hands.

KILLER SHOCK: Right.

Amalgam Comics - Deathpool - Ben Rosenthal

1.  The DC Earth and Marvel Earth colliding in space, showing that the two worlds are amalgamating.

CAPTION (Narrator)

To prevent two Brothers from tearing apart the very fabric of reality a new universe was created.

2. Superman and Captain America are in mid-amalgamation, becoming the Super-Soldier.

CAPTION (Narrator)

A universe combining the greatest heroes of each realm with each other—

3.  Dark Claw is sitting on a rooftop at night.

CAPTION (Narrator)

--creating new and exciting heroes and villains alike.  This would usher in a new era of peace and acceptance throughout all realities.

4. Deadpool and Deathstroke have been amalgamated.  The new character, Deathpool is dressed in Deathstroke’s costume, however the red half is Deadpool’s costume.  Both Deadpool and Deathstroke have voices due to Wade’s insanity, as shown by different coloured speech balloons.   

CAPTION (Narrator)

If it weren't for the combination of two-

DEATHPOOL

So we’re pretty much the same character, right?

Yep.

Amalgam Comics - Blackest Siege - J.D. Coughlan

Panel 1: This whole page should be in the style of TV screens, with the NMCN (New Metro City News) logo in the corner of each panel. Reporter Lois Carter (Lois Lane/Sharon Carter) provides voiceover.

In this first screen, we see the Rock of Asgard (Rock of Eternity/Asgard) hovering above farmland in Oklahoma, with an army of the undead assaulting it.

LOIS (CAP): If you're just joining us -- as insane as it sounds -- Director of C.H.E.C.K.M.A.T.E. Harvey Osborn has used the Norn Rings to summon the dead to attack the Rock of Asgard!

Panel 2: Close-up of the battle. The Justice Avengers (JLA/Avengers) fighting the dead, and not doing well. Present are Super-Soldier (Superman/Captain America), Dark Claw (Batman/Wolverine), Amazon (Wonder Woman/Storm), Iron Lantern (Green Lantern/Iron Man) and any others you can fit in.

LOIS (CAP): The Justice Avengers are fighting the undead army, but it is not going well for them, even with the recently returned Super-Soldier leading them.

Panel 3: Same as Panel 2, but now there is a bright flash of white light from behind the Justice Avengers.  They turn to it and shield their eyes. The undead appear to be physically hurt by the light.

LOIS (CAP): This could be the end of--

LOIS (CAP): Wait! There's... something happening... It looks like...

Panel 4: Larger panel. Captain Thunder (Shazam/Thor) has appeared from the light. Not a pre-established Amalgam character, so all new. His costume should be a mash-up of Shazam's and Thor's. Armour, like Thor, but coloured like Shazam. The thunderbolt should also be on his chest. His hair is long, like Thor's, but black, like Shazam. He has a long cape coloured like Shazam's. He holds his hammer aloft, lightning striking it.

LOIS (CAP): Yes! Captain Thunder has entered the fight!

END OF PAGE

Why Amalgam Comics?

In 1996, DC and Marvel locked horns in the battle royale crossover imaginatively titled Marvel vs. DC. Heroes fought heroes for a poor reason, in the ultimate epitome of mainstream 90s comics. It was, essentially, just a punch-fest. But then something unexpected happened.

The universes merged, creating the Amalgam Universe. Characters fused together to create new ones -- e.g. Superman and Captain America became Super-Solider, Batman and Wolverine became Dark Claw. For one month, Marvel and DC ceased regular publishing to produce these amalgamated issues.

While fun was had with this concept -- finding all sorts of ways to combine various elements -- I always felt that it still had so much untapped potential. While it is highly unlikely we will ever see Amalgam Comics start up again in this day and age, we here at Thought Balloons (and you at home, in the comments below) can play around with this new, yet familiar, world.

A complete list of Amalgam characters can be found here (and a more extensive list, covering objects, places and other miscellanea, here), but do not feel confined only to what has come before. If you have another idea for two characters you'd like to see become one, go for it. Maybe you'll tell just a straight up adventure, or combine two classic origin stories, or maybe even try and fuse two big comic book events. Whatever scale you go for, this is sure to be a fun writing challenge.

For more inspiration, I highly recommend . He keeps the spirit of Amalgam Comics alive by creating interesting new combinations.