Black Manta - The Man Comes Around - Dan Hill

Page One

Three small-ish panels run across the top of the page with the rest taken up by a single, large image (Panel 1.4).

1.1
CLOSE UP on BLACK MANTA. He’s somewhere deep underwater, bubbles trailing behind him. The red eyepieces on his mask glow, cutting a swathe through the murky depths.

BLACK MANTA CAPTION: Perfect, mechanical death.

1.2
CUT TO a TIGHT SHOT on an ATLANTEAN GUARD somewhere on the fringes of Atlantean territory.

He peers towards CAMERA, into the distance.

What is that?

BLACK MANTA CAPTION: Ancient and untouched.

1.3
FIXED PANEL. Bubbles shoot from the guards mouth as he cries out in shock.

BLACK MANTA CAPTION: They will not bend to your will.

1.4
LARGE PANEL. From the guards POV we can see a seventy foot Megalodon approaching (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalodon), it’s jaws open, an abyss of terror and pain. Sitting atop it is Black Manta, his red eyepieces still glowing.

Behind the Megalodon, through the murk, we can make out more dark shapes approaching.

BLACK MANTA CAPTION: You are not the master of all you survey.

BLACK MANTA CAPTION: King of Atlantis, son of Arthur Curry, we are coming for you.

Black Manta - Branding – Ryan K Lindsay

5 PANELS

1. Black Manta sits in a corporate board room. He is wearing his full regalia of helmet, etc, but he also has a suit and tie on over the top – and the tie is loosened and Manta looks kind of rumpled.. He is watching a corporate slideshow but we don’t see any of that, we just see the man slumped in his chair, it is not going well.

Exec(op): As you can see, we use the already established colour tones and we make you the mystery man on the scene.

2. Cut to a smug exec standing in front of slideshow projected on the wall. Think Barney Stinson, if you must. On the projected image is an artist’s rendition of Manta looking like some sort of midnight Miami Vice throwback.

Exec: You’ll be B.Manta, the midnight ghost who doesn’t take any crap from anyone.

3. The exec now isn’t sure.

Exec: No? Okay, here’s the last one.

4. The biggest panel of the page. Exec stands in front of a new image, it’s one of those sweet GI Joe style box graphics – this one shows Manta riding on top of his aqua jeep that’s got all sorts of inappropriate gaudy colours and yellow torpedoes. Manta is on top firing the mounted massive machine gun. I’d research the actual gun if I had the energy.

Exec: How boss are those torpedoes?

5. Manta is walking out of the room, he is pulling his tie completely loose.

Exec(op): C’mon, Manta, it’s right downstairs. Let’s hit Cabo and see how it feels on you.

Black Manta - Long Live the King - Grant McLaughlin

Okay, I'm putting a lot in here, but the basic premise is that Black Manta defeated Aquaman and his forces years ago and then became the ruler of Atlantis. Surprising no one, he hasn't been a great king, and things have been pretty tense throughout his rule. However, there have been various random acts of violence of late, and things have reached a tipping point. The people are rioting and Black Manta is scrambling to figure out what to do.

The panel layout isn't super important, but the last panel should take up at least a third of the page, if not more.

1 - Outside shot of the palace. It has seen brighter days. The buildings are worn and dilapidated.  People are rioting all around. There are guards trying to hold them back.

UNDERLING (from inside palace): We're trying, King Manta!

2 - Inside the throne room.  Unlike the outside of the palace (and Atlantis as a whole), no expense has been spared here.  The room is filled with opulence and the like, showing where Black Manta's priorities are. Black Manta is helmetless, but he maintains his signature colours and appearance. He wears a crown that is jet black, with two blood red gemstones inset like eyes. He also happens to be holding Aquaman's trident.  Black Manta is yelling at the underling.  He is furious.  Spittle flies from his mouth.  The underling cowers pathetically.

BLACK MANTA (1): I don't want excuses, I want results!  When I put out an order to stop the rioting, the rioting better damn well be stopped!

BLACK MANTA (2): If people won't listen, then send out the death sqauds and make them listen!

3 - Similar shot to the last panel, but Black Manta's body language has completely changed.  He is rather shocked and it is clear that he is also a little scared by what he's hearing.  The underling continues to cower.

UNSEEN FIGURE (off-panel): Spoken like a true tyrant.

BLACK MANTA: That voice...

4 - Close up of Black Manata.  He is now looking towards the (still) unseen figure.  His shock is now replaced by pure terror.  A cold sweat is already beading on his brow.

BLACK MANTA: B-but that's impossible!  You're dead!  I killed you!

UNSEEN FIGURE (off-panel): You clearly didn't do a very good job of it.

5 – Jackson Hyde stands in the centre of the throne room. Like Black Manta, he is much older than the Jackson Hyde we are familiar with. He is now a grown man, sporting many scars and wounds. Of particular note is a large group of scars that covers most of his neck and part of his lower face. He wears an expression of calm fury. Hard water constructs form at his sides. He is ready for a throw down, and it's not going to be pretty.

JACKSON: You'll soon wish you had.

Black Manta - Don't Drink The Water - Rol Hirst

Panel One.

Close on Black Manta’s mask. We’re looking up at it – worm’s eye view. Is it grinning at us, or is that just a trick of the light?

Manta: How long can a man survive without water?


Panel Two.

Wider shot. We are in a dry and dusty dungeon. Manta stands in front of the open doorway, half turned away from us, reading from a handheld computer. He’s wearing a nefarious looking shoulder bag (ie. one that matches his evil outfit). We’re still looking up from down on the floor.

Manta: I googled it. Between 3 and 7 days, depending on a variety of different factors I won’t bore you with.

Manta: My research, however, was unable to find the answer to a more specific question…

Panel Three.

Switch the viewpoint. Now we’re looking from above and behind Manta, down towards where we were looking up from in the first two panels. Manta has put the computer away and is pulling a bottle of mineral water from his bag.

Down on the floor before him is a severely dehydrated Aquaman. He’s reaching up towards us, desperate for a drink, yet still defiant, refusing to be broken.

Manta: How long can an Aquaman survive without water?

Aquaman: I won’t… beg…

Panel Four.

Aquaman’s pov again. Manta has crouched down and is offering Aquaman the bottle of water, having removed the top. Drops glisten in the light.

Manta: Oh, Arthur, what sort of monster do you take me for…?

Panel Five.

Aquaman grabs the bottle and drinks greedily.

Manta stands watching, malevolent.

Panel Six.

Aquaman vomits the water back up. He can’t drink it.

Manta looks victorious.

Aquaman: Ahurrrghh!

Manta: …the kind who’d take my enemy’s native element… and make it anathema to him?

Black Manta - Slice of Life - Ben Rosenthal

1. Aquaman sits on a couch in his underwater home. He reads “The Daily Bite” newspaper in front of his fire place. In the background we can see his front door.

SFX: KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

2. Aquaman has opened the front door. From behind Aquaman, we see who was just knocking – it is Black Manta. However, he is wearing a white chef’s apron and a giant curly moustache to conceal his identity.

BLACK MANTA

Pizza for Mr Man.

3. Side shot of the two. Aquaman looks confused as he takes the pizza anyway.

AQUAMAN

I don’t recall ordering a pizza.

BLACK MANTA

Oh, it’s our new deal to promote our new Chilli Bomb Pizza – it will make your tastebuds ‘explode’.

Hehehe.

4. Outside of Aquaman’s house. Black Manta is in the foreground, visible from chest up. He covers his ears, awaiting a boom from the pizza bomp he just gave Aquaman. Through a window in Aquaman’s house we can see Aquaman enjoying a slice of pizza. He does not see Black Manta outside.

BLACK MANTA

Hope you enjoy my special dynamite topping, Aquaman.

What?

5. A pile of pizza boxes are on a motorcycle. The top one has “This one” written on it. Smoke is pouring out one of the pizza box’s side.

BLACK MANTA

I gave him the wrong-

6. A panel showing an explosion.

BOOM!

7. Same as Panel 4. Black Manta is charred black(er) from the explosion. He frowns. Through the window, Aquaman is rubbing his stomach with a wide grin on his face, oblivious to the explosion.

BLACK MANTA

-one.

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)

Why Black Manta?

You see that image to the right? Yeah, that one. The one with Black Manta surfing on the head of a shark that’s got a frikken LAZER BEAM attached to its head.

THAT’s why Black Manta.

Background information, for the uninformed. That image is of a miniature from a game called Heroclix. It’s a collectable miniatures game that’s largely focused on Superheroes (but Halo and Street Fighter and Lord of the Rings have made appearances as well) in which you put together teams of figures and have them fight other teams. That Black Manta piece is an actual, real figure in the game. And it’s sculpt is pretty much the most awesome sculpt in the whole game, if you ask me. I have one, and I keep it on my desk.

But here’s the problem - while Heroclix Black Manta gets to do stuff like surf around on sharks being a bad***, comics Black Manta…not so much. Sure, the adaptations have done a good job of making him a credible villain, like in Batman: The Brave and the Bold and the Justice League cartoon (even if it technically wasn’t Black Manta), but it hasn’t done a whole lot to improve his standing in the comics. All he’s really know for is ‘that guy who fights Aquaman’. That, and maybe that he’s the new Aqualad’s dad.

But as far as villains go, that’s a pretty pathetic track record. Hardly anything like what you’d expect from a character who gets a miniature where he’s riding around on top of a shark (which has a frikken LAZER BEAM attached to it’s head!)

Which is why I picked Black Manta. Because I want to see some scripts worthy of a man who can surf on the head of a shark.

Make it happen, people!