Black Manta – The One Where Black Manta Almost Took Over the World – MK Stangeland Jr.

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: AQUAMAN tries to use his aquatic telepathy to summon allies.

SFX: Wum-wum-wum-wum-wum

Panel 2: BLACK MANTA is riding on the back of a shark like it’s a horse and wearing some kind of additional pieces of armor beyond his normal suit. The suit emits anti-waves that interfere with AQUAMAN’s telepathy.

BLACK MANTA: I don’t think so.

SFX: Muw-muw-muw-muw-muw

Panel 3: AQUAMAN is knocked backwards, feeling pain from the feedback loop caused by BLACK MANTA’s device.

AQUAMAN: AUGH!

Panel 4: AQUAMAN tries to recover as BLACK MANTA pushes a button on his helmet.

BLACK MANTA: My turn.

Panel 5: A version of AQUAMAN’s telepathic waves emit from BLACK MANTA’s helmet.

SFX: Wum-wum-wum-wum-wum-

Panel 6: Distance shot of AQUAMAN and BLACK MANTA as the waves continue to emit from BLACK MANTA’s helmet. We can start to see various sealife enter the panel as BLACK MANTA summons them to do his bidding.

SFX: -wum-wum-wum-wum-wum-wum-wum…

(END PAGE)

Aquaman - Benthos - Matt Duarte

Aquaman in “Benthos” by Matt Duarte

This page is to be set into four different panels, two by two grid. It is not set in any specific time. The font should in a typewriter-looking style, as it is an official log of events.

Panel 1

Description: Aquaman is diving into the ocean from a medium sized research boat. He is wearing a small headpiece and a belt with some equipment on it. Looking from the boat are several other people, not sailor-types, but rather scientists and navy officials.

Caption: August 14th, 1997

Caption: After two days of travel, we have reached the approximate point where the mysterious sound that our scientists heard earlier this month seems to have originated. Codenamed “The Bloop”, we were sent to investigate it’s origin hundreds of kilometers off the southeast coast of Chile. Because of concerns it might be other worldly in nature, we requested a liaison from the Justice League of America to approach the site first.

Panel 2

Description: Aquaman is diving straight down deep into the ocean, passing a giant squid.

Caption: Aquaman traveled with us in the boat to maintain his strength for the deep dive once we reached our destination. Even for someone of his strength, going thousands of meters down into a low oxygen zone is a dangerous enterprise. We tried to outfit him with the latest localization and communication tools at our disposal, but he said he brought some of his own.

Panel 3

Description: Aquaman is investigating a deep trench, which is noticeably darker than the rest of the ocean floor, he is about to go in there.

Caption: Communications held nicely throughout the descent. The low temperatures and high pressure made the communication crystal clear, at least until Aquaman descended into the trench he found somewhere around the 5000 meter mark . We had no topographical maps or any kind of previous information about it, which suggests it might have been recently formed.

Panel 4

Description: Aquaman is in complete and total darkness, with the exception of a ball of light, roughly the size of a beach ball, floating directly in front of him. He is extending his hand, as if to touch it. Behind him, we can see a faint outline of giant set of jaws, with sharp and long teeth, opening, as if about to swallow him whole.

Caption: We lost communications with Aquaman two hours ago. At first we thought it might have been a simple glitch in the communicators, but as more time passed the whole crew grew concerned. We are now preparing the bathyscaphe for the biggest dive it has done so far. Let us hope that we find Aquaman safe and sound.

Caption: And let us hope that we don’t find whatever it was that made the mysterious sound.

To be continued!

Aquaman - It's A Pun, You Sea - Max Barnard

Premise: Aquaman is looking for some Whales. He has arrived at a location he got a tip-off about and is now at some docks. WARNING! Some sentences may translate poorly or incorrectly. Deal with it!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page Two - 4 Panels


1-- Aquaman is standing at the edge of some fog-laden docks, talking to a heavily bearded man in full fishing regalia. He is gesturing towards the ocean wildly.

SPEECH BUBBLE/AQUAMAN - WHALES! DO.... YOU HAVE... WHALES?!

SPEECH BUBBLE/FISHERMAN - 'ch re yn sefyll ynddi, boyo!


2-- Aquaman is now looming over the man, yelling louder, in the vain hope that this crosses the language barrier.

SPEECH BUBBLE/AQUAMAN - BIG SPURTY THINGS! SING BEAUTIFUL SONGS! WHALES!

SPEECH BUBBLE/FISHERMAN - dawelu i lawr, boyo!


3-- Aquaman is now 'facepalming', shoulders slumped slightly in failure. The Fisherman is now walking away.

SPEECH BUBBLE/FISHERMAN - idiot bysgota ddyn

SPEECH BUBBLE/AQUAMAN - *sigh*... Never mind...


4-- Aquaman is now swimming past the Severn Bridge some time later, having given up and deciding to leave. There is a prominent sign at the end of the bridge that says "Welcome to Wales", with "Croeso i Cymru" just below it on the sign. Ah, Bilingualism!

SPEECH BUBBLE/AQUAMAN - I can't believe the tip-off I got was wrong...

TEXT BOX - FIN!*

TEXT BOX/EDITOR - AHA! ANOTHER PUN!

Aquaman - In Deepest Doodoo - Rol Hirst

Panel One.

The bottom of the ocean. Aquaman sits on a coral reef, chin resting in his hands, sulking. A large fish swims towards him.

FISH: Hey, Aquaman.

FISH: Aquaman, hey!

Panel Two.

Aquaman ignores the fish. The fish shouts louder.

FISH: AQUAMAN!

Panel Three.

Disgusted at being ignored by the King of the Seas, the fish swims away.

FISH: How rude…

Panel Four.

Mera swims towards Aquaman, looking worried. Aquaman continues to sulk.

MERA: Orin… what is it?

AQUAMAN: I’m fed up, Mera. Everyone treats me like a joke.

Panel Five.

Mera sits on the rock and tries to comfort her husband. He’s not easily consoled.

MERA: They don’t treat you like a joke.

AQUAMAN: Yes, they do. I’m just the guy who talks to the fish. I can’t turn on the TV without someone making an Aquaman gag. Seinfeld, The Simpsons, South Park – even the Barenaked Ladies did that song about me summoning fish to the dish – I’m sick of it!

Panel Six.

Close on Mera, a caring expression on her face.

MERA: Come on, Orin… it could be worse.

Panel Seven.

Close on Aquaman, incredulous.

AQUAMAN: Yeah? How!?

Panel Eight.

Aquaman and Mera are still sitting on the coral reef, but we see them from behind in this panel. Mera puts her arm around her husband. They haven’t noticed yet, but a rotting shark carcass is swimming towards them.

MERA: Imagine if you could only talk to dead fish…

CAPTION: TO BE CONTINUED – IN 'BRIGHTEST' DAY…

Aquaman – The Duality of Duality – Ryan K Lindsay

1. We see an underwater town. It’s like an Atlantean wild west town, and there’s no one around.

Caption: Some horrors leave their imprints on the earth.
Caption: You see the soil after a battle and it is ripped apart with the anguish of souls and minds.

2. Aquaman is walking through the ‘main street’ of the town. We only see part of his body in this panel but we can clearly see that he has a harpoon instead of a left hand. There is a red light coming from down the street on the right between two huts.

Caption: There is a change that violence makes on the world and it can rarely be undone.
Caption: What is destroyed cannot so easily be replaced by something new.

3. Aquaman is walking towards the red light coming from down the street. We can see the determination on his bearded face.

Caption: The scar is forever. The reminder is eternal.
Caption: What would be the opposite of violence? Creation? I doubt it.

4. Aquaman walks up to the structure that is emitting the red light. It is a massive red coral structure that’s part Cronenbergian mess and part Dali-esque children’s play equipment

Caption: One man’s black will always be another’s white. Duality is what makes the world work; yin and yang, night and day, air and water …

5. While bearded Aquaman looks at the red structure another Aquaman, a clean shaven and more pure Aquaman comes walking around from the side of the structure. He seems to have a strange cruelty in his eyes, even though he’s smiling.

Caption: It’s by having differences that we forge the world.
Caption: Even if that difference is good and evil. It’s a breeding ground for heroes and villains, the myths we learn from. The legends we become, and destroy.

Bearded Aquaman: Hey, stranger.
Caption: Because one side will always have a time of dominance. The vacuum of peace is only the brief interlude between more struggle. That is the truth, and the lie.

Aquaman - Problems - Ben Rosenthal

This is again a 3 line grid structure. The first two panels are on the first line of the grid, and are of the same size. Panels 3 – 5 are on the second line, and are of the same size. Panel 6 is on the last line of the grid, and takes up the width of the page.

The following takes place in current continuity, shortly after the happenings of Blackest Night.

1. Close up of Aquaman’s non-bearded face. So close, that we can only see the beginnings of his hair line at the edge of the panel. He is looking straight ahead, a look of worry on his face.

CAPTION: “I have a problem.”

2. A wider shot of Aquaman now. We can see his whole body, and he is standing in a sandy place. They are in a desert in Texas. We can see that Aquaman has his back to a stalagmite, with his arms tied behind his back. He is being held in place by a large, metallic device.

CAPTION: “I’m trapped, 50 miles away from the nearest body of water...”

3. This panel is shown from behind Aquaman. We can see the side of the back of his head, as well as the stalagmite he is tied to, at the left of the panel. Taking up a majority of the panel is the man who has tied Aquaman up - Captain Demo (Captain Demo is a villain who dresses as a pirate and has a hook for a hand. You can see a confusing image of him here). Captain Demo is holding his hooked hand up high, with an evil smirk of triumph on his face.

CAPTION: “...meaning I cannot use my powers to call on any sea creatures to help me.”

CAPTAIN DEMO
I have you now, Aquaman.

4. Same panel as above, however the smirk has gone from Captain Demo’s face. He is looking around confused. The ground is shaking, as if there is an earthquake

SFX: Grrrrrrrrrrrrumble

CAPTION: “But that’s not my problem.”

5. A simple panel showing a close up of Captain Demo’s feet. There are cracks in the earth between them.


SFX: GRRRRRRRRRRRRRUMBLEEEEEEEE

CAPTION: “My powers...”

6. The largest panel of the page. It shows the fossilised skeleton of a plesiosaur bursting through the ground. In its teeth is the screaming Captain Demo, blood seeping from his mid section from where the teeth of the ancient dinosaur have sunk in. It should be a jarring and horrific scene.

CAPTAIN DEMO
ARGHHHHHHHHHH

CAPTION: “...they’re my problem.”


*Editor’s Note – Plesiosaur fossils have been found in Texas. Researchin’ Rosenthal.

Aquaman - Accountability - Simon McDonald

1. Aquaman, swimming at maximum speed, heading down, into the depths of the ocean, unadulterated fear playing across his face. The water is dark; murky, unnaturally so - and chunks of debris are drifting with the currents. 

CAPTION

(BATMAN)

- - Superman averted a global catastrophe yesterday when he demolished asteroid 2010 XF14 from colliding with Earth.

2. Cut to the JLA Watchtower - FLASHBACK (consider alternate color palette). Batman is standing, speaking in front of Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman - who looks rather disinterested, stifling a yawn.

BATMAN

On a related note, NASA has detected over a sixteen NEO's* within nine lunar distances or less over the last last twelve months - but the misses are getting nearer. These aren't armageddon-level threats, but it's worth noting that an asteroid of just 140 meters could deliver an impact energy of 300 megatons of TNT; more than enough to wipe out a major city.

*EDITORS NOTE: NEO = NEAR-EARTH OBJECT

3. Batman's still talking, but Aquaman has risen from his seat. 

BATMAN

We've no idea what's caused the surge in NEO's, but Superman and Green Lantern have agreed to monitor the situation carefully, and will be our prime defense against - -

SUPERMAN 

Arthur? 

The meeting hasn't been adjourned.

4. On Aquaman; he's not looking antagonistic, but there's a sternness to his expression.

AQUAMAN

I have a kingdom to oversee. That is my primary concern.

You look after the skies, Superman. I'll manage the waters.

That's always been the strength of the league, after all.

We each have our specific roles to play - - 

5. Cut back to the present - Aquaman's stopped swimming, he's just floating, looking down at something we can't yet see, in a state of shock, horrified at the sight.

CAPTION

(AQUAMAN)

- - and as long as we do so, we'll keep the world and all of its inhabitants safe.

6. Tight on Aquaman; he's angry, snarling.

AQUAMAN

Traitors.

This page would be followed by a double-page-spread of Atlantis in ruins; the consequence of an NEO.

Why Aquaman?

Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, Aquaman debuted in More Fun Comics #73 - and boy have a lot of people had fun with him. He's been mocked and ridiculed throughout all facets of pop culture; because of the supposed 'uselessness' of his powers? Because of his 'lame' costume? I'm not entirely sure why. All I know is, he's an easy target; for example, my initial script idea involved a splash page of Aquaman predicting the Netherlands to win the World Cup - contradicting 'Paul the psychic Octopus' prediction of a Spanish win (if you don't know what I'm referring to, Google it). 

I still chuckle when I envision that page, Aquaman face-palming himself because he's contradicted Paul; but I decided not to go ahead with it, simply because mocking Aquaman is easy. Everybody does it. What nobody's done, however - for me, anyway - is scribe an Aquaman tale I've actually had an interest in reading. The only Aquaman I've ever enjoyed were his appearances in Grant Morrison's JLA; I've tried reading his solo series, picked up the available trades - but nothing's ever held my interest. That's why I selected Aquaman as this week's character. I want to love Aquaman. He's a DC character; he's a member of the Justice League! (Or at least he was - who knows what the current roster of that team is...) 

The character has so much potential - he's the king of Atlantis! And I don't care what you say about his powers, I wouldn't say no to telepathic abilities combined with superhuman strength and durability. I believe Arthur Curry - aka Aquaman - can be so much more than he is. He can be an A-lister. He just needs a writer to come up with a brilliant idea for him.

Perhaps that writer will be posting his or her one page script during the week.

Or if not - if the writer goes for a humorous take - at least we're gonna chuckle!

Aquaman is a character owned by DC Comics.