RKL - Into The Sunset - Ray Wonsowski (the American Zombie)

Panel 1 - The Old West.  An prairie lined by a wooden fence.  Fire orange and pink sky, wispy cotton clouds a pastel blue.  Open wooden gate with a wrought iron arch, a stylized brand of "TB" at the top.  A brown and white horse with a blanket and saddle with bags tied to a fencepost by the reins.  A cowboy slides a shotgun into the blankets.  His face is shadowed by his wide-brimmed black hat.  He is wearing an Indian poncho over his denim shirt, jeans, and boots, Colt revolver on his hip, and smoking a cheroot in his teeth.

NO COPY

Panel 2 - P.O.V. over the cowboy's shoulder, as he grabs the pommel of the saddle to mount his horse.  He's looking at a little boy in tattered work clothes, his long-ish hair blowing in the afternoon breeze.  He is holding a tattered issue of a pulp adventure in his hands: Adventures of the Squared Circle Gang.

KID:  Mister?

KID:  Think you'll ever come back someday?

Panel 3 - From the Kid's P.O.V., looking up into the face of the cowboy on his horse.  It's RYAN K. LINDSAY, adjusting his hat over his eyes, squinting like Eastwood, cheroot still in his teeth, a knowing smile on his face.

RYAN K.:  I don't know, kid.  Ranch is in good hands, I reckon.  Maybe someday.

RYAN K.:  But if and when I do...

Panel 4 - Foreground, we see the Kid sitting on the fence, pulp adventure rolledup and in his back pocket, waving goodbye to our hero.  RYAN K. is framed by the ranch gate, riding away, silhouetted by the setting sun, sitting tall in the saddle.

RYAN K.:  I'm bringing all Hell riding with me.

CAPTION:  Vaya Con Dios, Amigo.  Gracias.

El Fin

Ryan K. Lindsay - Thought Balloons Central - J.D. Coughlan

Imagine it drawn in the style of Michael Lark.


Panel 1: Ryan's office in Thought Balloons HQ. Ryan sits behind his desk, stern expression on his face, fingers steepled. JD sits across from him, still the cocky new hotshot.

RYAN: As you know, Coughlan, I announced my early retirement recently...

JD: A tragic loss to us all, sir.

Panel 2: Small. Close on Ryan. No-nonsense.

RYAN: Can the ass-kissing, kid.

Panel 3: On JD. His facade slipping a little, showing the nervousness underneath.

RYAN (OP): You'll be among the last batch of new recruits I personally hand-picked for this unit.

Panel 4: Over JD's shoulder. Ryan leans forward intensely.

RYAN: There is a reason for that.

Panel 5: Outside Ryan's office, the "bullpen" area. The other Thought Ballooners work frantically at their desks. We can still see Ryan and JD's silhouettes through the glass. Ryan is gesturing to the others.

RYAN: (Through the glass) I need you to keep an eye on my boys and report back to me, in secret...

Panel 6: Small. Very close on JD. He is stunned, completely breaking his facade.

RYAN (OP): One of them is not who he appears to be...

END OF PAGE

Ryan K Lindsay – The Secret History of ThoughtBalloons OR ThoughtBalloons: Year One – MK Stangeland Jr.

(6 Panels)

(All panels should be done as if from a first-person perspective of the individual that the captions are coming from.)

Panel 1: A door is open just a crack.

CAPTION: I thought I locked this door.

Panel 2: A dimly lit writing room, complete with a single lit desk lamp sitting on a desk at the far end. The desk’s chair is turned so the back is to the reader, and while it is clear that there is SOMEONE sitting in it, we are unable to tell that the individual in the chair is RYAN K LINDSAY.

CAPTION: Hello?

RYAN: I hear you’re a writer. A good one, too.

Panel 3: Same basic panel, but with the POV closer to the desk.

CAPTION: What’s the meaning of this? What’s going on here?

RYAN: More importantly to me, I hear you’re a fan of comics, would like to write for them yourself, and committed to the cause.

Panel 4: POV is standing near the desk. The chair has turned so that RYAN is facing the reader, but he lighting of the room obscures his face so that we can’t yet tell who it is.

CAPTION: Who do you think you are and what do you think you’re doing breaking into my house?!

Panel 5: RYAN reaches out and turns the angle of the lamp so that the light passes by his face, revealing his identity. We see that he’s also wearing some kind of fancy-looking high-tech eyepiece over one eye.

RYAN: Ryan K Lindsay, operator of the Weekly Crisis.*

SFX: (From the lamp) *rrEeIe*

Panel 6: RYAN has stood up, but in such a way were the light still make it so that his identity is visible.

RYAN: I’m here to talk to you about the ThoughtBalloons initiative.

(END PAGE)

*(Important Writers Note: Normally, I prefer not to edit scripts after they have gone live. However, in this case I've made an exception since this line originally said "Ryan K Lindsay, founder of the Weekly Crisis", which is was written based on an incorrect assumption. The line has since been changed in order to prevent this incorrect presumption being passed on to others.)

RKL - With Friend's Like These - Simon McDonald

PANEL ONE

A twelve-year-old Simon is standing awkwardly in front of his class, blushing slightly, posed awkwardly. He doesn’t like the attention. Doesn’t like being in the limelight. It shows. Gawkiness radiates off him. He’s clasping a wiro-bound 100-plus paged booklet in his hands. We can just about read the text on its title page: DSA. The students watching Simon are sitting cross-legged. Some are attentive; most are busying themselves with more important matters; like staring at their fingers, or the carpet. The students of the crowd are unimpressed. The teacher is smiling patronisingly; he’s thinking Sure, Kid. Of course you are.

CAPTION: When Simon was twelve years old, he made an announcement to the world:

SIMON: I wanna be a writer.

CAPTION : It was not met with rapturous applause.

PANEL TWO

Impossibly, Simon is blushing even more. His grasp has tightened around his ‘novel.’ He’s trying – and failing miserably – to salvage his presentation.

SIMON: I, uh,  wrote this. Um … the Dependable Spy Agency.

SIMON: The DSA!

SIMON: Uh.

PANEL THREE

Similar panel to above, angled to view an older Simon, now a teenager, standing in front of his parents, another stapled document in his hands. Again, we can just about read the name of the novel: ‘Prey.’ Simon’s more confident now, compared to his younger self. His parents are smiling, warmly, but there is uncertainty in their eyes. They love Simon’s passion, but believe it should possibly be redirected into something else; something more tangible.

SIMON: - - not actually a monster, but something that escaped from captivity - -

SIMON: A lion!

CAPTION: He got used to it, over time.

CAPTION: The contemptuous smiles on the people he told.

CAPTION: The well-wishes from those who in actuality had no faith.

PANEL FOUR

Simon, older again, is sitting with RKL in a pub-setting. There are two pints on the table in front of them.  There is no disdain on Ryan’s face. He’s genuinely interested.

CAPTION: They say writing can be an isolating pastime and profession.

SIMON: - - about a House at the end of time.

SIMON: The House of Endtimes!

CAPTION: Simon didn’t know it could be different.

PANEL FIVE

On RKL, smiling amiably.

RKL: Cool.

CAPTION: But now that he knows it can be?

PANEL SIX

Simon, in the present day, sitting at his desk, clacking on his keyboard. The image of the original Thought-Balloons crew Danial illustrated years ago is prominent, stuck to the wall beside Simon so too an image of the ACT COMICS MEET ‘BEGINNINGS’ anthology cover. His face is contorted in concentration. He’s in the zone. This is bliss.

CAPTION: The writing's gotten easier.

CAPTION: And better.

RKL - Nothing, Again - Matt Duarte

Ryan K. Lindsay in “Nothing, Again” by Matt Duarte

This page is a classic 9 panel grid.

Panel 1

Description: RKL is sitting in front of his desktop computer. He is hunched over and looking at the screen intensely. The computer screen clearly reads “Comics Publisher Does Something Different!” and underneath “People react violently to it”.

RKL (thought balloon): Again?

Panel 2

Description: Same as above. This time the computer screen reads “Long and Thoughtful Piece about Comic Publisher Doing Something Different by RKL” and underneath we can see in a smaller font “0 Comments”.

RKL (thought balloon): Nothing?

Panel 3

Description: Same as previous. This time, the computer screen reads simply “by Ben Rosenthal” and underneath a little set of symbols, with three out of 5 stars highlighted.

RKL (thought balloon): Yet again...

Panel 4

Description: Same as previous. This time the computer screen looks clearly like Google, and in the search bar we can see “Duane Swierczynski home sex tape” and underneath “0 Results found”

RKL (thought balloon): Nothing...yet.

Panel 5

Description: Same angle as before. A set of black crows, venomous snakes and giant spiders (who all share the same creepy red eyes) are crawling from inside the computer screen, attacking RKL, who is valiantly fighting back against them with his bare hands and feet. He is clearly struggling to save his own life.

RKL (thought balloon): Not again!

Panel 6

Description: RKL is sitting again where he was before, calmly using his computer. The screen reads “Time Management for Stay-at-Home Dads”. His clothes have numerous shreds and rips, and he is featuring several scarlet slashes across his body, but they don't seem to bother him.

(OFF-PANEL): Honey, I'm home!

Panel 7

Description: Jessica (Ryan's wife) has come in to the room, holding Parker (Ryan's son) in her hands. RKL has turned around with open arms, wanting to grab Parker. We can now clearly see that his shirt is barely holding together (revealing some of that Prime Australian Beefcake).

JESSICA: Did you do anything interesting today?

RKL: Oh, you know... nothing.

Panel 8

Description: RKL is now holding on to Parker, playing with him. Meanwhile, Jessica has bend down to pick something from the floor.

RKL (to Parker): Good to see you again, little buddy.

JESSICA: Hey! What's this?

Panel 9

Description: Jessica is now holding what is clearly a dead crow. RKL looks a bit of embarrassed and worried.

JESSICA: Have you been fighting with the Fifth-Dimensional Mind Beasts again?!

RKL: ...maybe.

JESSICA: Well, you better clean your office. It's filthy!

RKL: Again?!

The End

RKL - Golden - Brandon Whaley

  

This page is a bit tight, I'll admit, but I think if done in the style of a 70s Marvel comic it could be done. Thanks Ryan, for ever thinking of me when you started this place! Good luck in your future ventures. I'll be watching for greatness.

Panel 1: An aerial view of Hell's Kitchen. Not too far up, because we can make out two men running along the top of a building.

Panel 2: We zoom in on the two men running toward us in the panel. On the right, Daredevil, the Man Without Fear. On the left, RKL, grinning like a fool.

Panel 3: We see the two men leap an alleyway onto an adjacent building, startling some pigeons in the process.

Panel 4: One of those old-school Spider-Man style montage panels, showing DD and RKL performing various acrobatics across the rooftops in afterimage.

Panel 5: DD leaps into an alleyway from the rooftop as RKL zips down a fire escape.

Panel 6: RKL is opening the door to a coffee shop. DD is right behind him.

Panel 7: Cut to inside the coffee shop. Danny Rand, in full Iron Fist regalia, is sitting a table smiling with a steaming cup o' joe raised in greeting.

Panel 8: All black panel with the word “Wha-?” in a wavy balloon.

Panel 9: Cut to RKL in bed. Jess, his wife, is standing over him with a cup of coffee in hand.

JESS: Good morning! How did you sleep? Good dreams?

Panel 10: A close up of RKL's smiling face.

RKL: Golden.

Why RKL? (Ryan K Lindsay)

A little over two year ago I received an email.  I’m sure I received many emails, but this one was significant.  Although I did not know it at the time, this email would change the course of my life forever!

Unfortunately the Prince of Nigeria didn’t hold up his end of the bargain. 

However, under that email was another from a chap whom I had been annoying on twitter – Mr Ryan K Lindsay.  From memory, Ryan mealy said he wanted to assemble a team of writers for a project, and was I in.  I said yes...obviously.

Fast forward two and a bit years later, and I am writing as to why we have chosen Ryan ‘Moneyshot’ Lindsay as our character for this week.  Purely and simply – this site would not be here without him.

Many of you would not know of the efforts Mr Lindsay puts into his writing.  He works a regular 9-5 (plus some) job, and in the time I have known him he has gotten married, stolen my daughter’s name and placed it on his son.  He wakes up at 5am every morning to cram in as much writing as possible.  He openly offers advice to those who ask for it, and works harder for his craft more than any person I know.

But alas, something had to give.  This Why? Is one that I hoped I had never had to write, but it is one that I had also hoped I would have to.

‘Moneyshot’ is leaving us as he has many exciting projects coming up – career advancing projects. Projects that have a very high possibility of propelling him into the comic creator stratosphere, like some thing that is propelled.  Not a propeller though.  If you are not familiar with his name, you will be soon.  Trust me on that.

So I present to you all, the tenured writer’s send off to our leader.  May he kick all kinds of ass, and thumb us a couple of bucks as he drives past us on his way to writing godhood.

Ryan, from ALL of us here at Thought Balloons, both past and future – thank you for bringing us together.  Thank you for our knowledge and friendship, and thank you for helping us all become better writers.

And thanks for the protein chain around my neck.

Ben.

P.S – Ryan and I were at a war to see who would be the first to drop a week at Thought Balloons.  As such, I will not be posting this week so that we may both be losers together. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

MONEYSHOT!