Just Imagine – IN A FLASH – Derek Adnams

Page 1 – (6 Panels)

1.1:  Interior, an interstellar science lab floating through space.  Mercury Man, our Stan Lee re-Imagined version of the Flash, is running on his Cosmic Treadmill.  His costume is still red, but now his entire face is covered and there are thin lightning bolts radiating out from the larger one in the center of his chest, calling to mind a slightly Spider-Manish look and feel.  There are the beginnings of Kirby Krackle forming around the treads of the Cosmic Treadmill, Mercury Man’s legs a blur.

Caption:  Hold on tight, True Believers!  The Mercury Man is on his Cosmic Treadmill - - who knows where his super-speed will send him sailing!

1.2:  Mercury Man running even faster on the Cosmic Treadmill, reality opening before him.  We can see the New York Skyline of the 1960’s through the Kirby Krackle-lined hole.

Caption:  Behold!  His tertiary tramplings have torn a tear through time!

1.3:  Mercury Man running through the hole in reality as seen from the ground in 1960’s New York City.  He’s approaching through the sky, heading toward a crowded street lined with pedestrians in stereotypical 1960’s garb.  There are a lot of hats.

Caption:  The fabric of space ripped open, the Scarlet Speedster hurls himself through, into the chilly autumn night of New York City!

1.4:  Mercury Man standing on the street, hunched as he’s in the process of standing, while people gather around and a police officer approaches.  Steam rises from the Mercury Man, the remnants of his journey through dimensions.

Caption:  Little do the denizens of this downtown den of democracy know that the Mercury Man moves not of his own accord, but at the behest of his master. 

1.5:  Mercury Man standing, easily a head taller than everyone around him.  The hole that he travelled through is larger now, and, having just passed through it, is our “Just Imagine” universe version of the world eater Galactus.

Caption:  For he is a herald of the New God . . .

1.6:  Galaktus standing above the New York skyline, his helmet removed, revealing the face of Darkseid!!!!

 

Caption:  GALAKTUS!!!!

 

Armor - The Fault in Our Stars, 3rd Excerpt - Ray Wonsowski

(ok, I promise to make this the last double-pager...well, for a while at least...but I wanted to wrap this up in a big way)

Layout:  ...bear with me, this'll be unusual:

NOTE:  In panels 3 through 6, ARMOR will be holding an umbilical line.  This umbilical should wind its way from panel to panel and vary in size smoothly as the action shifts in pov, almost as a freely shot cable would as it unspooled in the vacuum of space.  More on that in a second...

Panel 1 - Bird's-eye-view.  Background is the deck of a Cathedral-ship.  A number of robed faithful of the Universal Church of Truth are fighting a small group of women holding their own against them.  They are small from our perspective, but we can pick out the figures of MANTIS, HELLCAT, CRYSTAL, and VALKYRIE fighting hand to hand.  In the midground, we see CAPTAIN MARVEL (Carol Danvers) delivering a winning blast of energy into the reeling MAGUS.  Foreground, the Cancerverse ADAM WARLOCK has turned his head, his attention drawn.  He is looking directly at Panel 3, but is pointing up at us, as if we were the orbiting Quinjet.

Cancerverse ADAM WARLOCK:  ...damn it all, it was a diversion...

Cancerverse ADAM WARLOCK:  NOOO!!!


Panel 2 - Close-up, the head and hands of CLEA.  She is gesturing, her fingers aglow with dark magic.  Her hair is blowing wildly, but her face burns with the Faltine Flames, just like her father, Dormammu.

CLEA:  Aim well, Kate Bishop, it must be...NOW!!!


Panel 3 - The airlock of the Quinjet.  Behind what looks like a harpoon cannon with an oversized rifle scope attached that looks like it was designed by Kirby, we see KATE BISHOP, one eye to the scope, firing the huge gun.  From out the front, an umbilical unspools into Panel 4.  CLEA stands behind KATE, siphoning her magic into the umbilical.

KATE BISHOP:  Shark cage away!

CAPTION:  A haiku.  For Logan, my teacher...


Panel 4 - Foreground, ARMOR, in her space suit, flying out of Panel 3, gritting her teeth and holding tight to the umbilical, magic flowing into her hand.  In the background, Cancerverse ADAM WARLOCK is kept from giving chase by STARDUST and the SILVER SURFER, who restrain his arms.  The umbilical continues to flow into Panel 5.

CAPTION:  I won't fear, master...


Panel 5 - Still holding the umbilical, ARMOR flies right at us, upside down and arms wide, her free hand open toward us as if to grab something.  Through the faceplate of her helmet, we see her face grimace as she braces for impact.  The umbilical recedes as it unspools into Panel 6.

CAPTION:  ...I'll honor my ancestors...


Panel 6 - From a distance, we see ARMOR slam into the chest plate of GALACTUS.  An inset shows two eyes (we are not sure if they are hers or CLEA's) wide with the Flames of Faltine.

CAPTION:  *hh*


Panel 7 - Background, at the top of the panel, the stars.  Foreground, GALACTUS, now magically fed by the umbilical that ARMOR carried, is rejuvenated, aware, and very angry.  Though ARMOR is too small to see from this pov, we do see the umbilical, leading off to the unseen Quinjet, surging with energy into his chest plate.  He is surrounded by ARMOR's orange protective aura, which, though completely surrounding the form of GALACTUS, has taken on the features of Japanese samurai armour, making GALACTUS appear more monstrous and fearsome than ever.

CAPTION:  ...I will save us all...

CAPTION:  ...your Hisako.

...to be concluded!

Galactus – Irrecoverable – Brian Manton

1.

In a student-looking sitting room, two twenty-somethings pay no attention to each other as they stare at screens.  Mike is at his PC desk with his back to us and Jane is sitting on the couch cross-legged, staring into the laptop on her lap - the screen reflected in her glasses.

SFX (from Mike's PC):  BLING

MIKE:  Jane, why are you emailing me?

2.

We see Mike's computer screen logged into his gmail account, with a focus on the attachment in the email Jane sent - "herald.exe". The mouse pointer is over the attachment.

Jane (OP):  It's cool, check it out.

SFX:  click

3.

Still on Mike's screen. Mike's hand, raised in shock and confusion is also in shot.

A dialogue box has popped up on screen.  At the top there is a progress bar, already at 48%. Beneath this is a scrolling details field which reads:

The folder "Stories from Nebulon Prime" has been deleted.

The folder "The Adventures of Kazdor the Great" has been deleted.

The folder "The Black Necromancer and the White Donkey" has been deleted.

The folder "Confessions of an Orcslayer" has been deleted.

The folder "Down and Out on Planet Isotania" has been deleted.

Mike:  No no no no no no no no--

4.

Still on Mike's screen. He has opened a browser and gone to “runscanner.net” to look up what herald.exe is.

URL - http://www.runscanner.net/lib/herald.exe.html

The website screen reads:

What is Herald.exe?

*red warning symbol* MALWARE

File description:

Herald.exe is a virus that has been designed to detect and delete amateur SciFi and Fantasy fiction.

The program runs once and does not install itself on your system but the files it deletes are irrecoverable.

Mike: What the hell?!

5.

Jane is standing on the couch, her arms raised in victory. Her laptop is flipped upside-down beside her.

Mike has spun around in his chair and stares at her incredulously.

Jane:  I AM GALACTUS - DESTROYER OF WORLDS!!!

Galactus - Dinner In The Hands of a Hungry God - Niel Jacoby

Panel 1: A ragged man in a glittery silver overcoat rants on a street corner. He has a handful of pamphlets.

Ragged Man: MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE TERROR OF THE COMING OF GALACTUS!

Panel 2: Closer in on the ragged man, and we can see his inhuman features(no ears, cloudy eyes) and chrome-tinged face, as if he were huffing paint, but across his whole face.

Ragged Man: I HAVE SEEN OUR PLANET A COSMIC BUFFET, TO BE SUPPED FROM AT HIS LEISURE!

Panel 3: We see the ragged man shouting at the sky, tears streaking down his chrome face.

Ragged Man: MAKE PEACE NOW, BEFORE THE FINAL SEASONING! MAKE PEACE, I BEG YOU!

Panel 4: We see the ragged man fall to his knees, sobbing.

NO COPY

Credits: The cover of one of the ragged man's pamphlets, a Chick Tract-esque cover, with the title/credits on one side, and a monochrome picture of Galactus holding Earth like a burger, in purple, black and white.

Galactus - The Message - J.D. Coughlan

Panel 1: A sophisticated science lab on an alien world. Everything should indicate a late-20th century level of development. There is communication equipment everywhere, as well as star charts. On a large wall monitor, there is a display of what we know is Taa II, Galactus' ship. One scientist, Kran, is hunched over what looks like a radio receiver. Another, Steen, enters, looking fearfully excited.

STEEN: The media is already beginning to speculate! We can't keep this secret forever!

Panel 2: Close on Kran. He has not looked up from the radio.

KRAN: Keep what secret? We don't know what it is either.

Panel 3: Steen looks up at the display of Taa II.

STEEN: Just that it's massive and heading this way.

STEEN: By the gods, it could knock the outer planets out of orbit...

Panel 4: Again, Kran remains hunched over, but Steen turns round in alarm at his words.

KRAN: The message is clearer.

STEEN: What!?

Panel 5: Now Steen joins Kran by the radio. Steen is like a child, full of wonder. Kran is grim.

STEEN: Our first message from beyond the stars...

STEEN: Let me hear it! Let me hear proof that we are not alone; that someone else out there seeks the same answers we do!

Panel 6: Close up of the radio. Kran's hand adjusts a control.

RADIO: I... HUNGER... I... HUNGER... I... HUNGER... I... HUNGER...

END OF PAGE

Galactus – War and Feast – Shaun Richens.

PAGE ONE – 4 PANELS

1.1

We open on the scared and burning ruins of a once great and majestic futuristic cityscape. Three moons orbit the sun that hangs low in the sky.

Kree and Skrull bodies line the streets of this forgotten city. No one survived this battle.

CAPTION:

Wars can ravage entire species. Wipe cities from the history books.

1.2

Row upon row of HYDRA SOLDIERS lines the streets. They all stand perfectly to attention as RED SKULL paces in front of them his arms folded behind his back.

CAPTION:

Monsters can raise whole nations to their cause. They can try to change the world with hatred.

1.3

A well-dressed female news anchor sits behind a smart modern steel news desk as she goes live across the world. Cyclops wearing his marvel now costume, is the main image for an on screen box out that sits in the top right of the panel. Underneath him reads WANTED.

CAPTION:

A hero can live long enough to become the villain in his own story.

1.4

The massive gloved hand of GALACTUS reaches out across the vast blackness of space past hundreds of stars and cups EARTH between his mighty fingers.

CAPTION:

It is all insignificant when the rumble is heard.

CAPTION:

None of it matters when the hunger comes.

CAPTION:

When Galactus needs to feast.

Galactus – Unpaid Advertisement – MK Stangeland Jr.

(7 Panels)

Panel 1: Large panel stretching across the top of the page.

GALACTUS stands in the middle of NEW YORK CITY. Around his feet lay the defeated bodies of assorted heroes from any number of superhero teams, from THE AVENGERS to the FANTASTIC FOUR to THE DEFENDERS, etc.

GALACTUS: Now that I have swept aside its champions, I may finally feast on this wretched planet.

DEADPOOL: (Off-Panel) Not so fast, big guy!

Panel 2: DEADPOOL stands next to a colossal-sized SNICKERS bar, one that’s bigger than a large semi-trailer, complete with a giant wrapper.

DEADPOOL: Before you eat the planet, try eating this first!

Panel 3: GALACTUS curiously picks up the giant SNICKERS bar.

GALACTUS: What trickery is this?

DEADPOOL: No tricks, just treats.

DEADPOOL: (Yellow Box) Happy Halloween!

Panel 4: GALACTUS is chewing on a bite of the giant SNICKERS bar.

GALACTUS (1): …

GALACTUS (2): For the first time since I can remember…

Panel 5: GALACTUS holds what’s left of the SNICKERS bar in his hand, but his face is an unusual sight for GALACTUS – he’s smiling, happy as can be.

GALACTUS: Galactus no longer hungers!

Panel 6: Long panel stretching across the bottom of the page. Landscape shot of Galactus sitting down in the middle of NEW YORK CITY as he happily finishes off the colossal-sized SNICKERS bar.

FLOATING WORDS (1): Hungry?

FLOATING WORDS (2): Grab a [Snickers Logo]

Panel 7: Small, circular panel set inside Panel 6 off to the right side. DEADPOOL sticks out of it from the waist up in a way where he may even stretch out into PANEL 6 a little.

DEADPOOL is smiling as best he can through his mask with a cheesy spokesman grin, and holds a giant 3-foot long SNICKERS BAR.

DEADPOOL (1): Now available in COSMIC FIESTA size!

DEADPOOL (2): (Yellow Box) For a limited time only at participating stores!

(END PAGE)

Galactus -Fantastic Voyage -Dan Hill

Page 1

Panel 1: A wide establishing shot of the FANTASTIC FOUR all buckled into seats inside a small submersible type craft. REED is at the controls, SUE sits next to him in the co-pilot’s chair. BEN and JOHNNY fool around in a pair of chairs behind them.

1. REED (caption):        A lot of people tell me I’m tightly wound.

2. REED:                       Knock it off back there!

3. JOHNNY:                  Confined spaces and Ben’s new high fibre diet are not agreeing with me.

4. BEN:                         Yeah? Shut yer yap, Eau du Brimstone.

5. REED (caption):        That I seek out challenges and stressful situations.

Panel 2: On REED, tense and serious.

6. REED (caption):        They’d be right.

7. REED:                       Look!

8. REED (caption):        But I exercise regularly. I eat well.

Panel 3: Large panel, the craft the group are in (something like this /images_3/AQUA_submersible_side_large.webp)  floats through a cosmic void. Kirby crackle sparks and misfires all around them and the craft is heading for a unnaturally red, pulsing star in the centre of the panel, far far in the background.

9. REED (caption):        The same can’t be said for Galactus.

10. REED (caption):        He eats anything.

11. REED (caption):        And now the supernova he calls a heart is about to go critical.

11. REED (caption):        This would be a very bad thing.

Panel 4: Inset panel in the upper left of Panel 3, a close up on SUE.

13. SUE:            It’s beautiful.

Panel 5: Inset panel on the bottom left of Panel 3, a close up on REED.

14. REED:            Magnificent.

Panel 6: Inset panel on the top right of Panel 3, a close up on JOHNNY.

15. JOHNNY:            Wait, that’s his heart?

Panel 7: Inset panel on the bottom right of Panel 3, a close up on (yep, you guessed it) BEN.

16. BEN:            I don’t like this. I don’t like any of this.  

Panel 8: Wide panel, the pulsating red star fills the frame.

17. REED (caption):        Surgery on a demi-god?

18. REED (caption):        Just another challenge. Just another stressful situation.

Galactus - Feast or Famine - Grant McLaughlin

The majority of the panels should be done in classic Silver Age style.  The exception would be the last panel, which should retain some of those elements, but be rendered in a Skottie Young or Gurihiru-esque manner.

1 - A small, thin panel of the Silver Surfer surfing the galaxy, a determined look on his face.e

CAPTION: The herald scours the cosmos in search for planets that can sustain his dread lord

2 - The biggest panel of the page, this is a big ol' shot of Galactus in space.  To give some idea of the scale, maybe have some galactic debris floating by, dwarfed by his size.  Also of note: the name Galactus in the 4th caption box should be written all big and title-y, like in those comics where someone's name is being said for the first time.

CAPTION (1): Devourer of worlds

CAPTION (2): The hunger that does not cease

CAPTION (3): God

CAPTION (4): These are but some words used to describe the eternal being that is GALACTUS!

3 - Galactus has both his hands around a planet - which is obviously tiny in his gargantuan grip - preparing to take a bite out of it.

CAPTION: And while his appetite can never be sated for long, he has found a meal that will do - for now.

4 - Similar shot to panel 3, but Galactus looks around to find the source of the interjection, a look of surprised confusion on his face.

TAILLESS WORD BALLOON: "Are you sure this is healthy?"

5 - Big scene switch here.  Instead of the depths of space, we're in a suburban home.  A young family of three sits at the kitchen table.  The father (who was the one speaking in the last panel) looks worriedly across the table towards the mother.  The mother looks resignedly towards their son who sits between them.  The son doesn't look at either of his parents, as he is too busy ruthlessly devouring an apple that he holds to his mouth (ala panel 3).  Also worth noting, the son's clothing should retain the Galactus colour scheme.

MOTHER: If it gets him eating his fruits and vegetables, I'll take it.

SON (quietly): ...for his hunger must be satisfied...

Galactus - Memories - Ben Rosenthal

1.  Galactus stands, looming large and imposing on the planet Earth.  He is looking down at The Silver Surfer who is facing him (his back to the reader).

SILVER SURFER

I have finally figured you out.

You like to think that you’re a God.  You’re not a God. 

You’re a parasite.

2.  A close up of the Silver Surfer’s face.  He features are stern.  He is not intimidated. 

SILVER SURFER

You don’t feed on just planets.  You feed on its life, on its inhabitants.  On their memories of love and loss and birth and death and freedom and joy and sorrow.

3.  A montage of the people Silver Surfer has encountered during his life on Earth – battling alongside the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and even Spidey.  Also images of Shalla-Bel and others he holds close to him.  This all show in separate fragments.

SILVER SURFER

You want memories? I have seen things you wouldn't believe and lost things you could not hope to comprehend. 

4.  A close up of Galactus' face reacting to his former herald’s tirade.  He is unimpressed.

SILVER SURFER (off panel)

I know secrets that can never be told and knowledge that can never be shared.  Knowledge that would make parasitic Gods flee.

5.  Looking down at the Surfer as he ascends.  He is moving so that he is face to face with Galactus.

SILVER SURFER

So take it!  Take all MY memories.

6.  A side on view of Galactus staring intently at The Silver Surfer who is floating in front of his face so that he may look at him right in his eyes.

SILVER SURFER

I hope you are hungry. 

I have lived a very long life.

Galactus - The Fault in our Stars, 2nd Excerpt - R.A. Wonsowski

(This may be a bit of a cheat, but Galactus kind of inspires bigger layouts...)

Double page spread:

111|111
111|111
222|223

Panel 1 - We are "slightly above" the spinning Milky Way galaxy.  There is a cosmic "tear" in spacetime; this is the new Fault.  The Fault is being held open by the faith-engines of the Cathedral-ships of the Universal Church of Truth, and something - tentacled, many-eyed, cancer-black, and pustules oozing - is seeping and clawing its way from the other side into our universe.
     To the left of the panel, lending their energies to tear open the Fault further, is the MAGUS and the Cancerverse version of ADAM WARLOCK.  They are surrounded by magically glowing sigils, written in alien script, over geometric shapes and turns.  They seem to be in a trance-like rapture, and the MAGUS is definitely the one in control.  Their magic seems to act as a conduit between the Cathedral-ships and the Fault.
     To the right of the panel, GALACTUS has built his Great Engine, linked to his worldship, Taa II, and is currently feeding on the closest Cathedral-ship as tendrils from his apparatus seek out a second.  He bats away a third with his free arm, a look of annoyance on his face.  As GALACTUS feeds, his current heralds, STARDUST and PRAETER, as well as the SILVER SURFER, attack the horror emerging from the Fault, wielding their Power Cosmic.  GALACTUS, however, appears a bit gaunt, as if he is slowly being drained.
     In the foreground, we see an Avengers Quinjet, burners off.

MAGUS & CANCERVERSE ADAM WARLOCK:  F´thagn!  F´thagn!  F´thagn!!!

GALACTUS:  ...MORE...noo...


Panel 2 - Looking out the windshield are our heroes.  CAPTAIN MARVEL (Carol Danvers) is in the pilot's seat, MONICA RAMBEAU (in her Nextwave outfit) is copilot.  Behind them, standing left to right are CRYSTAL (Inhuman wife to Ronan the Accuser), STORM and ARMOR of the X-Men, HELLCAT, CLEA, MANTIS, KATE BISHOP, ELSA BLOODSTONE and BOOM BOOM (also of Nextwave), GAMORA, and VALKYRIE.  Their faces (except for CLEA, who is smirking) all reveal the realization that they may be out of their depth; BOOM BOOM has dropped her 32 oz. coffee.  Reflected in windshield glass is the soundless screaming mouth of GALACTUS.

STORM:   By the goddess...

HELLCAT:  Ladies, I am SO buying the first round next Wednesday.

CLEA:  Kate, Hisako, you're with me...


Panel 3:  Close-up on CLEA's face, a knowing smile.  Her hair is swept back, to show us that her face is beginning to take on the Faltine features of her father, the dread Dormammu.  Magic sparks from her eyes.

CLEA:  ...I have a plan.

...to be continued...

Why Galactus?

...seriously?!?...

A hero, any hero, is measured by the challenges and threats they face, and none with a capital NONE get any bigger than Galactus.

Galactus was born when the previous universe "crunched" and produced the Big Bang.  He gestated in a kind of egg until an intergalactic war woke him up.  His long hibernation had produced a hunger so great, he devoured both sides.  From the remains of the planetary system, he created his worldship, and began traveling the universe searching for worlds to consume.

Eventually, his travels led him to the world of Zenn-La, where Norrin Radd offered himself to act as his herald, to search out appropriate planets for Galactus, if Galactus would spare his world.  Galactus agreed, and since then, has always had a herald working with him.

A herald is born...

Each herald is given a portion of the Power Cosmic, a sliver of the vast energies within Galactus himself.  Galactus must feed on life-rich worlds to convert into life-rich Power Cosmic to ensure what he has termed as the Great Balance.  Basically, his actions make sure that neither Eternity nor Death gains too great a fingerhold on our universe; a world must die so that others may live.

Of course, Stan and Jack's immortal Fantastic Four 48-50 brought Galactus to our world, and Earth was now one of a select few worlds that stayed his hand.  Galactus has continued to devour worlds since then, and is a source of terror to all sentient beings.

Devourer of Worlds

Now, as a result of the recent Age of Ultron event, Galactus has the Ultimate Marvel universe to feed on.  But with no Galactus in our universe, there is no more balance between Eternity and Death.  Now two universes are in peril, and that tale is being told in the new mini-series, HUNGER, followed by CATACLYSM.

By the way, to all of you visitors to our site, we hope that you will play along too.  Just write your best one-pager of script in the reply section right under this Why.  And everyone can share that appetite for destruction...

...my god, it's full of beans...