Just Imagine - Amethyst, Exile of Gemworld - P. A. Nolte

1/ A young woman looking cautiously over her shoulder as she walks down the street.  Behind her, not entirely visible, is a large man at an uncomfortable proximity and gaining.  It's no secret what happens to attractive blondes in bad parts of town at night, and it looks like it might happen again.

Amy (Cap): After the dreams stop, everything will go back to normal.

Amy (Cap): No more swords.  No more sorcery.  No more Gemworld.

2/ She ducks into a nearby alley.

Amy (Cap): At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

3/ The man follows, but is surprised to discover that the girl, Amy, has vanished.

Thug: Huh?

4/ Blocking the exit to the street is Amethyst.  She is no longer bundled up, but encased in a form-fitting stone armor.  Crystals jut out along her forearms and at her shoulders.  Her face is covered by a stone helmet, featureless save for the two gemstones where her eyes should be.  In her hand is a glowing sword hewn from the same unidentifiable mineral as the rest of her suit.  The image she projects is overwhelmingly powerful, and overwhelmingly purple.

Amethyst: You looked like the type.

Amy (Cap): But maybe it's time to admit--

Amy (Cap): I don't want to be normal again.

5/ She holds her sword up in front of her.  In the blade, we can see the true form of the thug, a hideous ogre, reflected back at him.

Amethyst: Let's dance.

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!!!!

 

Just Imagine - A Time to Reap - R.A. Wonsowski

Panel 1- Interior of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in NYC. Background, around and on top of the altar, numerous bodies covered in bloodied sheets. Foreground, two plainclothes detectives, HARVEY BULLOCK and JOHN JONES. BULLOCK is smoking his cigar inside the church, JONES is opening a file.

BULLOCK: Did I hear right?
JONES: Twenty-three bangers. Used to meet here 2 in the morning as a distribution point. All dead.
BULLOCK: Any suspects?

Panel 2- Over the detectives' shoulders, we see a surveillance photo from above. A big bruiser of a man, African-American with close-cropped hair, dressed all in black body armor, a hand-painted white question mark on his best front. He's carrying a large automatic machine gun with a belt feed.

JONES: 21st century, cameras everywhere. Victor Van Der Van. Ex-marine. Pregnant wife killed in a drive-by, no arrests.

Panel 3- Background, JONES still reading from the file, holding out a plastic evidence bag with a sheet of paper in it. Foreground, BULLOCK pulling back one of the sheets, ashing his cigar in the dead banger's face.

BULLOCK: He must've done that job last night on Lex. Same M.O.
JONES: Now he's leaving notes.

Panel 4- BULLOCK reading the note through the bag with an expression of distaste. JONES closes the file.

BULLOCK: "How do dirtbags get to Heaven? When they're hole-y." Wow, that's awful.
JONES: Media's already got hold of it. Some idiot on Facebook gave him a nickname and it stuck...

Panel 5- TV screen with Van Der Van's military photo, from a news broadcast. Banner across the bottom has local news logo, local weather, and reads: ST. PATRICK'S MASSACRE - Who is the Riddler?

Just Imagine - Wide-Eyed-Wonder - Charlotte Joyce Kidd

1 – A city street on Halloween night. It’s dark but light spills onto the sidewalk from the open door of a bar. As Wonder Woman walks by, a young woman dressed as Wonder Woman almost stumbles into her.

GIRL: Hey, we’re wearing the same costume!

WONDERWOMAN: Watch where you’re going.

2 – Wonder Woman walks away. She starts to pull her coat on.

WONDERWOMAN (thought): God, I hate Halloween. That get-up wasn’t even remotely accurate. Every year, these silly girls --

The thought is interrupted by a scream off-panel.

3 – Outside the bar again, a man has his arms wrapped around the girl.

GIRL: Get off me!

MAN: C’mon sweetie, you’re wearing the costume...

4 – WW drops her coat, runs back to the bar, and has thrown the attacker to the ground before he knows what’s happening.

5 – WW reaches out to help the girl up.

WONDERWOMAN: Are you okay?

GIRL: Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you so much.

WONDERWOMAN: Well, we’re wearing the same costume. What’s your name?

6 – The girl takes WW’s hand.

GIRL: I’m Diana. What’s yours?

WONDERWOMAN: Maria. Nice to meet you.

Just Imagine - Marvelous - Grant McLaughlin

1 - On the statue of Liberty.  Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel Jr. (also known as Billy Batson, Mary Batson, and Freddie Freeman) are sitting on the statue's crown, looking out over the water / city.  Longshot, with the focus more on the statue than the Marvels.

BILLY BATSON: "The Marvel Family in New York."

2 - On Captain Marvel and company sitting on the crown.  Closer in, we can see they're happy and relaxed, clearly pleased with themselves / the world.

BILLY BATSON (1): It sounded like a wacky idea.

BILLY BATSON (2): But now that we're here...

3 - On Captain Marvel.  Closer still, he grabs Mary and Freddie and hugs them close, the familial feeling strong.  They all smile broadly.

BILLY BATSON: It just feels right.

VOICE (off-panel): Sorry to burst your bubble...

4 - Switch angle.  On a good chunk of the Marvel Comics Captain Marvel family: Mar-Vell, Monica Rambeau, Genis-Vell, Phyla-Vell, Nor-Varr, Carol Danvers, and even Kamala Khan.  Carol is the de facto leader / is at the front of the group.  They look to be in various states of unhappy and unimpressed.  The Marvel Family's expressions probably can't be seen, but suffice it to say they are surprised.

CAROL DANVERS: But it's been done.

Just Imagine – Trial of the Martian Manhunter! – MK Stangeland Jr.

(A JUDICIAL ENFORCMENT & PURSUIT OFFICER MK-OMEGA UNIT, the nanobot android better known as the ‘MARTIAN MANHUNTER’ was sent to EARTH by a totalitarian regime on MARS to hunt down and eliminate remnants of rebels who have sought refuge on the planet.)

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: High atop an under construction skyscraper, where MARTIAN MANHUNTER has located the leader of the Martian Rebel Refugees, JONN ZONJ’JU.

ZONJ’JU: Do what you will. I’ll die before I’ll betray the others.

Panel 2: MARTIAN MANHUNTER’s arm is extended, pointed at ZONJ’JU. The hand at the end shifts in an angular, square-like pattern as to ‘create’ a space gun in his hand.

MARTIAN MANHUNTER: JONN ZONJ’JU…

Panel 3: The gun in MANHUNTER’s hand has rotated around as he offers the weapon to ZONJ’JU.

MARTIAN MANHUNTER: …I HEREBY PLACE MY FATE IN YOUR HANDS.

Panel 4: ZONJ’JU is left speechless as he looks at MANHUNTER.

Panel 5: MANHUNTER continues to look at ZONJ’JU as he holds the weapon out, free for ZONJ’JU to take at any time.

MANHUNTER (1): MY TIME ON THIS WORLD HAS BROUGHT NEW REALIZATION TO MY OWN EXISTANCE.

MANHUNTER (2): DESPITE MY VAST VISUAL CAPABILITIES, I HAVE BEEN BLIND TO MY OWN REALITY.

MANHUNTER (3): DESPITE MY UNPARALLELED CAPACITY FOR CALCULATIONS, I HAVE NEVER TRULY THOUGHT FOR MYSELF.

MANHUNTER (4): FOR THE FIRST TIME I NOW SEE AND CALCULATE MY OWN ERRORS.

Panel 6: ZONJ’JU has the gun in his hand, though it is unclear what is going through his mind.

MANHUNTER (1): I HEREBY LEAVE IT IN YOUR HANDS.

MANHUNTER (2): I ASK THAT YOU GRANT WHAT THESE EARTHBORN REFER TO AS ‘FORGIVENESS’, THAT I MAY ATTEMPT TO ATONE FOR MY CRIMES AGAINST LIFE.

MANHUNTER (3): BUT I TRUST THAT IN YOUR OWN CAPACITY FOR REASONING YOU WILL ARRIVE AT THE CORRECT CONCLUSION.

(END PAGE)

Why Just Imagine?

Because Stan Lee himself is too important a guy to waste on just any old pick.

It’s more true a statement than you might imagine. Because yeah, Stan Lee’s a big deal. And when I was considering who to pick this week, I was ready to settle on Stan Lee himself, in spite of second thoughts I had on using him just for any old week. And then an alternate option came up that allows for the spirit of Stan Lee while still saving Stan Lee himself for a more important occasion.

If you’re not familiar with it, the “Just Imagine Stan Lee” series is Stan Lee officially taking some of DC’s biggest characters and reimagining them in his own style. This, from the man who built the Marvel Universe, and it got its own special miniseries where his name takes precedent over the iconic characters he’s re-writing.

Because as comics go, Stan Lee actually is that big a deal.

Thus, your mission this week is as follows: Pick a Marvel or DC character, then – in the spirit of Stan Lee – re-imagine that character in the style of the other company. If you want to write about Spider-Man, tell us in a single page what you think he’s look like if he’d been created at DC. Interested in writing about Blue Beetle and Booster Gold? Just imagine how they might look as part of Marvel’s line up. Have a hankering to do something with the Fantastic Four? Show us what they’d look like as part of the DC universe.

Want to write about Deathstroke? Just write a Deadpool page.

I kid, I kid.

In all seriousness, though, if you’ve ever wondered what your favorite character might look like if they were a staple working for the other side, here’s your chance to show it off, live the dream, and just imagine like you’re Stan Lee - EXCELSIOR!