Jubilee - Candidacy - Simon McDonald

Dear Imaginary Artist;

This page would be an absolute bitch to illustrate. Possibly quite a bore too; two people, sitting togther in a coffee shop, chatting. It's gonna be a packed page; word balloons galore.

Perhaps this is why I'm writing to an Imaginary Artist...

* * *

1. Magneto and Jubilee are sitting in a diner, clad in civilian gear. From afar I suppose it might look like a father and daughter sharing a coffee; but there’s none of that familial comfort here. Jubilee is clearly anxious, eager to have this meeting over with.

MAGNETO

Your powerlessness does not equate to uselessness.

JUBILEE

I’ve already had this pep talk. Months ago.
You missed the boat, Magnus.

2. Magneto brings his steaming cup of coffee to his lips, smiling.

MAGNETO

Yes, I’m sure Scott fed you his nonsense X-Man diatribe...

“It isn’t a requisite for an X-Man to possess a mutant gene, rather it requires a particular type of thinking... a certain self-belief and desire to protect the world and all of its species...”

Or maybe it was Logan.

The man might have zero tact and a panache for violence, but he’s actually quite the covert inspirational speaker, isn’t he...

Always had quite a knack for rallying the troops...

3. Jubilee makes a show of glimpsing at her watch; she wants to leave - now. Magneto’s arms are now crossed, coffee cup settled into place on the table.

JUBILEE

Y’know, I promised Pixie I’d meet her at the mall...

MAGNETO

Then allow me to finish.

You may no longer be a mutant –
- but you’ve become a far more powerful entity thanks to your impotency.

4. Tight on Jubilee, rather miffed at what she’s taken as a jibe.

JUBILEE
Hey!

5. Pull back; Magneto, arms still folded, talking. Jubilee, leaning forward.

MAGNETO (1)

I have a contact within the upper echelons of the United States Government.

He feeds me information from time to time in exchange for favours.

JUBILEE

Sexual?

MAGNETO (2)

Jubilation, you try my patience.

 6. Tight on Magneto, deadly serious. Jubilee’s taken aback by his words; visibly stunned.

MAGNETO
There is, very soon, going to be an opening within the newly founded Mutant Management Agency as Director of Human / Mutant relations.

I’d like my contact to put your name forward as a candidate.

And I believe, with your history  it is a position you’re highly likely to attain.

JUBILEE

Me?

7. Magneto’s expression softens. He’s being completely honest now.

MAGNETO

My time is passing, Jubilation.
And given my previous ... misdemeanours... I would not be accepted into the fold.

It’s time for a younger generation to speak out for mutants.

Someone who can bridge the gap between mutants and humans.

Who better than a young woman who has been both?

Will She?

Won't She?

To Be Continued!

Jubilee - Remember, Remember... - Rol Hirst

To fully appreciate this story, a certain knowledge of the cultural history of the United Kingdom is required. Being a tiny backwater little nation whose best years are about three centuries behind us, I’m never entirely sure how much the rest of the world knows – or cares – about out folklore. Anyone who’s read or watched V For Vendetta will know what I’m talking about, but if you’ve never heard of Guy Fawkes and The Gunpowder plot, you might want to click here for an intro. That’s all the help I’m giving you.



Panel One.

Splash page. A huge explosion fills the entire page. Perhaps it’s made up of many mini-explosions, like fireworks on the 4th of July (or November 5th for those of you who’ve clicked that link). An enormous sound effect crashes across the page too – I’m thinking John Workman lettering Walt Simonson.

SFX: KRAK-A-BANG-BOOM-BZANG!

CAPTION: WHAT IF JUBILEE AND BOOM-BOOM WERE SENT BACK IN TIME BY KANG THE CONQUEROR TO NOVEMBER 5th, 1605... TO DO BATTLE WITH NITRO, THE EXPLODING MAN AND BLASTARR, THE LIVING BOMB-BURST IN THE CELLARS BENEATH THE UK HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT?

Panel Two.

Inset over the bottom right corner of the explosion. Present day UK. A small girl in a duffel coat pushes a life-sized rag-doll effigy of Jubilee down a suburban street in a wheelbarrow.

CAPTION: FOUR HUNDRED YEARS LATER…

GIRL: Penny for the Jubilee, Penny for the Jubilee…

Jubilee - My Generation - Matt Duarte

Jubilee in “My Generation” by Matt Duarte

This story set in the early 90’s so, unless otherwise stated, everyone is wearing their Jim-Lee designed outfits from the Gold and Blue era of the X-Men, pouches everywhere, and all that. It is laid out in 5 panels, a 2 by 2 grid, and then a final big and wide panel at the bottom of the page.

Panel 1

Description: The X-Men are all in their briefing room, with members like Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, Jean Grey, Wolverine, etc. and at the front of the group is Jubilee, who is raising her hand. Separated from the group is Professor Xavier, who is in his awesome yellow hover-wheelchair. He is giving the briefing, looking calmly.

XAVIER: The plan therefore is to travel all the way to Asteroid M and confront Mag...

JUBILEE (interrupting): Professor Xavier! I have a question!

XAVIER: Yes, my child?

JUBILEE: Can I sit this one out? I promised my friend Melissa that we would go shopping together.

Panel 2

Description: Jubilee is now standing closer to Xavier, who looks frustrated.

XAVIER: Jubilation, this is a matter of utmost importance, we must stop Mag...

JUBILEE: Yes, but they are having a sale on all yellow raincoats at the mall! You know I only have six of those left!

XAVIER: The answer remains no, Jubilee! We need all the help we can get against Mag...

JUBILEE (interrupting): Aw, come on!

Panel 3

Description: Xavier is now visibly angry while Jubilee is looking inside one of her coat's pocket.

XAVIER: Child, the safety of the whole world hinges in all of us coming together and battling Mag...

SFX (interrupting): RING RING!

JUBILEE: Oh, that must be Melissa calling! Where did I put that cell phone again?

Panel 4

Description: Jubilee is now walking away, while talking on one of those ridiculously huge 90’s cell phones. Behind her, Xavier is now completely enrage, raising his arms and shouting!

JUBILEE (on phone): Yeah, Melissa, I’m heading there right now.

XAVIER: Miss Lee, if you walk away now, I will be demoting you!

JUBILEE (shouting): Whatevs!

JUBILEE (talking on the phone): I hope I die before I get old.

Panel 5

Description: Jubilee is now wearing her red Generation X outfit, surrounded by the other members of Generation X, such as Chamber, Skin, Husk, M, etc who are all looking at her. She is closing her eyes and screaming at the reader.

JUBILEE: Professor Xavier is a jerk!

The End!

Jubilee – Honey, You’re The Only Danger In The Room – Ryan K Lindsay

1. Jubilee stands over a bashed up Pixie. She has her wings broken and Jubilee has blood dripping off her clenched fists and a grimace an abyss deep.

Caption: It’s just not ever going to end.

2. Jubilee leans against the wall and wipes her face with the back of her hand. She’s exhausted.

Caption: Everywhere I turn they keep coming at me.
Caption: I’m not even getting a moment to breathe.

3. Jubilee looks up to her right, down into the alley. She has a look of concern on her face.

Caption: All I want is to get off this ride.

4. Jubilee now has a look of anger in her face.

Caption: I’ll do anything it wants me to do just to be free.

5. Big panel, Jubilee stands with hands splayed at her sides, slightly rising up. Sparks and flares shooting from her finger tips.

Caption: I’ll do anything.
Jubilee: Let’s see how you sneak up on me now when there aren’t any shadows, you bitch!

Title/Caption: Honey, You’re The Only Danger In The Room
Caption: Next week: Out Of The Shadows Comes The Cat

Jubilee - The Light That Never Goes Out - Ben Rosenthal

This page consists of 6 panels. The first panel take up half the page in length, and also half the width. Panels 2 and 3 are to the right of this panel, each taking up half the length of Panel 1, so that they are on top of each other. Panels 4 and 5 are identicle in size, as Panel 6 again takes up half of the full page's length and width.

(By pure coincidence, I too have used a song title for the title of this weeks script. A No-Prize to the first person to guess who sang it).


1. A wide panel looking down on a room. A large double bed is at the centre of the panel. Jubilee is lying in the bed, eyes closed as if asleep. However, she is clutching at the sheets, clearly looking uncomfortable.

TEXT BOX: “How many things can a 20 year old gal be?”


2. A closer shot of Jubilee, from the chest up. There are lines on her forehead as she frowns. It looks as if she is having a bad dream.

TEXT BOX: “Mallrat, Sidekick, Human, Vampire...”

TEXT BOX: “Like, I’ve had and lost powers more times than Magneto!”


3. Closer on Jubilee, now from the neck up. Sweat has begun to bead from Jubilee’s forehead. Her lip is curling back in pain. The colours in the panel have also gone slightly opaque, looking a few shades lighter.

TEXT BOX: “And that’s what it always comes down to – powers.”


4. Closer again, this time from the chin up. We can still see all of Jubilee’s head. The same panel as above, however Jubilee’s face is showing slightly more pain. The colours of the panel are whiter still.

TEXT BOX: “My powers are in my DNA. You can’t stop them any more than you can make my eyes blue or hair green.”


5. A tight shot on Jubilee’s face. A mostly white panel with the feint outline of Jubilee’s shocked and pain ridden face. Her eyes are open wide, and mouth gaping – wrestling with a scream which refuses to come.

TEXT BOX: “You can suppress them for a while, but eventually they will...”


6. A mostly white panel. We can see a faint outline of a female amongst the bright light. She is floating, composed entirely of light. She looks powerful, with light bursting from her, and at the same time being a part of her.

TEXT BOX: “...explode.”



Basically, Jubilee becomes an Omega powered mutant with powers similar to that of the Living Laser (but wayyyy cooler). She would be the first of some (or possibly all) of the depowered mutants to have her powers come back after laying dormant for so long.

This would lead to some of these said mutants, who would have similarly ramped up power levels, taking vengeance on those who they feel persecuted them. It would get us back to what makes the X-Men cool – people with ridiculous power fighting each other with it.

Jubilee - Who I Am Hates Who I'll Be - Max Barnard

The Premise: Despite the fact I'm a vocal hater of soapbox scripts, more than half of my material on here has had a whiff of the ole personal opinion shout-out to them. This is no exception, as Jubilation Lee has basically been horrifically destroyed by comic stories in the last few years, and I feel like complaining about it somehow. So here's a story where Gen-X era Jubilee is given a glimpse into what's to come for her. Enjoy.

(Also bonus points for anyone bright enough to know what band's song I've paraphrased for the title)

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

Page 1 - X Panels

1-- Gateway and Jubilee (in her Generation X uniform) have teleported into a dark cave, appearing in a misty swirl. Other than them and the teleport effect all that is visible is a fire and the dimly lit walls of the cavern. Jubilee appears surprised.

SFX/TELEPORT - FWOOP!!

SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - Wha?!


2-- The teleport effect is now gone and Gateway is seating himself in front of the fire. Jubilee is now appearing even more shocked, pointing at Gateway with her other hand to her mouth.

SMALL SPEECH BUBBLE/GATEWAY - ... sit

SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - YOU CAN SPEAK?!

SPEECH BUBBLE/GATEWAY - ... Sit. I must show you the horrors that are to come.


3-- Jubile is now seating herself in front of the fire as well, right next to Gateway. As she is doing this smoke is rising into a spherical shape.

SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - What's to come? Geez, you speak to me for the first time and it's that much of a downer? Something tells me we aren't going to get along that well, Gates.

SPEECH BUBBLE/GATEWAY - Silence. The future is forming before our eyes.


4-- We're now viewing the sphere of smoke from over the shoulders of Jubilee and Gateway. In the sphere we can see Jubilee in her Robert Kirkman days, where she gained huge slitty eyes and incredibly yellow skin.

SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - What the hell! How did I become such a charicature? I'm cute as a button dammit! And my *ahem* assets really stay this small? That sucks!

SPEECH BUBBLE/GATEWAY - We're only beginning Ms. Lee. Let us continue.


5-- The same view, with the image in the sphere changing to Jubilee in her New Warriors-era guise, where her breasts grew to be larger than her head.

SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - Now THIS is what I'm talking about, G! Though... Those are KINDA big... My back must hurt like hell!

SPEECH BUBBLE/GATEWAY - You've also lost your powers at this point.

SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - WAIT WHAT?!


6-- Same view, though Jubilee is now facing Gateway and yelling at him. The image in the sphere is now her in Gischler's X-Men, covered in blood from the vampiric suicide bomber.

SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - WHAT DO YOU MEAN I LOSE MY POWERS?!

SPEECH BUBBLE/GATEWAY - Hush, child. Observe the fate you are doomed to.

SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - WHY AM I COVERED IN BLOOD?!


7-- Jubilee is now holding Gateway by the shoulders, shaking him violently. The image in the sphere has changed to a scene from X-Men issue 2, namely the one where Jubilee says the truly awful line I'll be referencing in the speech.

SPEECH BUBBLE/SMOKE SPHERE - "--Like pure desire coursing through my veins. And I'm afraid. Afraid to touch the DARKNESS, but I can't stop myself."

SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - WHY AM I SAYING THAT?! IS THIS EVEN ME?! I'M LIKE A HAMMER HORROR REJECT! SHOW ME HOW TO CHANGE THIS, GATEWAY! SHOW ME OR I'LL END YOU RIGHT HERE!


8-- Gateway is pushing Jubilee away from him and is getting up from the fire. The sphere is dissipating back into ordinary smoke.

SPEECH BUBBLE/GATEWAY - There is no way. I just felt you ought to know. Now we shall leave.

SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION - NO! Don't do this to me, G! Please just do--

NARRATION BOX - And Jubilee was teleported back to her ordinary life with Generation X mid-sentence. Somehow she forgot all this by the time all the awful things happened to her, but isn't it nice to know that really, deep down, she saw it all coming? Lessens the pain some, yes?

NARRATION BOX - Fin (with apologies to years of comics history)

Why Jubilation Lee?

Honestly? Because I hate how she's treated now and am a HUGE Generation X fan. Like HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE. But I'll get to that. Let's talk about what makes Jubilee a great character for this week on Thought Balloons, shall we?

A name that can only bring celebrations to mind, Jubilee is probably known by most as the chilli-dog eating, fireworks spurting member of the X-Men from the absolutely stunning 90s cartoon (and if you don't know the cartoon you're either ancient or a toddler yourself), and I expect that side of her is what we'll see more of this week than anything else. But there's a fair bit more to her than that, as you'd expect almost two decades after the fact.

No, since those early X-Men days she became a core character of the "best team book ever", Generation X, where her powers were explored to greater effect, revealing that Jubilee's powers actually have the potential to detonate matter on the sub-atomic level. That basically makes her a fusion bomb generator. You can't ask for more power than that really. Throughout that series she formed close friendships with characters like Husk and Chamber (the BEST Marvel character of all time), and an almost-romance with fellow team member Skin. Oh and she pursued a Hollywood career, but that didn't go too well, with typecasting and sexual advances becoming too great a set of issues for her.

Of course since then the years haven't been kind to the girl with the nonsensical name, as she got depowered after House of M, opened a half-way house in Queens that she swiftly abandoned, joined the anti-registration New Warriors team, almost died multiple times, appeared in a short-lived and painfully awful Robert Kirkman comic and most recently became a shoddy Twilight stock character and got vamped up in Victor Gischler's new X-Men series.

But I implore you to ignore all the awkward stuff that's happened in those recent years. Instead just take a crack at a character that is the embodiment of 90s youth culture at its finest with a power set that carries a fair bit of potential.

ch'yeah, and an excuse to use hip 90s comics slang.


Find out more about Jubilee by going to:
Her Wikipedia Page
Her Marvel Wikia Page
The Generation X Marvel Wikia Page
Pre-Order Generation X Classic vol. 1 from Amazon.com (UK)



*Ahem* If you wish to contribute an entry to Thought Balloons using this character, enter your script into the comments on this post. You know you want to!