Sidekicks--"Hipster Caped Crusaders"--David Press.

PAGE ONE.

1.1:

            A black panel or screen with nothing to show. The caption can hang near the bottom of the panel. When suddenly…

1. CAPTION:                            I gave up being a crime fighter about a year ago.

1.2:     

            A SPOTLIGHT shines down to show a stage and there stands a band. The band is Batman as the lead singer, flanked on either side by Nightwing and Red Robin on lead guitar, Red Hood on Bass and Batwoman playing drums.  

2. CAPTION:                            Instead I opened up to love and started a band.

1.3-7:

            A series of panels spotlighting each one of them and their attire. Try to stretch these panels across the second tier. Since it’s a tight space, let’s just have five skinny panels featuring the characters from the chest up.

I’m thinking what might work is Batman is wearing a blue cardigan with a black shirt and grey tie. Nightwing is wearing a hoody with his Nightwing symbol on it and has his hair done up in a man-bun. Robin is dressed in a Letterman’s Cardigan (those things that people received in the 1950s before they got their Letterman’s Varsity Jacket because Robin is still in high school. Red Hood is wearing a leather jacket and a red ski mask—he looks a little bit like a Snowboarder, and Batwoman is wearing the same mask as she usually does with a side cape and fingerless gloves as she drums hard on the kit.

            I think we can stretch the caption across the bottom of this tier. I’m probably pushing it here, but I’d rather take the gamble and see what I can learn from it than play it safe.

3. CAPTION:                            There’s one catch about opening the Bat Cave as a rock club: you have to keep it secret still.

1.8 CUT TO:

            Alfred standing outside of the Batcave. He’s the bouncer—he’s holding the rope out to get into the Bat Cave, which is the old style Bat Cave entrance from Batman ’66. He’s checking DEATH CERTIFICATES. A sullen TEENAGER stands next to him. The kid looks like he hasn’t slept in weeks.

4. ALFRED:                              When did your parents die?

5. KID:                                      Sob. Two months ago.

Sidekicks – In A Name – MK Stangeland Jr.

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: An office, the headquarters of DIAMOND JIM, a detective superhero. It’s a room that’s largely in disarray.

In the midst of it all, hard at work trying to organize things, is ‘SIDEKICK BOY’, a teenager whose dressed in a spiffy, workplace friendly outfit.

SIDEKICK: (Downplayed) *grumble*grumble*

Panel 2: DIAMOND JIM enters the office from an adjacent room.

JIM: Keeping up the good work, kid?

SIDEKICK (1): Yeah, about that, sir?

SIDEKICK (2): When do I actually get to see some action?

Panel 3: JIM stops and looks at SIDEKICK BOY.

JIM: ‘Action’?

SIDEKICK: Yeah, when do I get to go out into the field with you and do some real superheroing?

Panel 4: SIDEKICK BOY is noticeably surprised with annoyed disappointed as JIM offhandedly answers him.

JIM (1): Ha, ha; ho, ho; no. No, no, no.

JIM (2): Taking a minor out with me when I do the most dangerous part of the job?

JIM (3): What kind of irresponsible superhero do you think I am? Batman?

Panel 5: SIDEKICK BOY questions DIAMOND JIM with indignation.

SIDEKICK (1): What?!

SIDEKICK (2): Then just what kind of sidekick am I?

JIM (1): Technically, you’re more an intern than a sidekick.

JIM (2): You did read through the entire application, right?

Panel 6: SIDEKICK BOY, deadfaced.

SIDEKICK: …

DIAMOND JIM (1): Well, consider that your first major lesson.

DIAMOND JIM (2): You know, alongside all the other lessons you’re learning just by doing all this very much non-dangerous work for me.

(END)

Sidekicks - On the Nose - Grant McLaughlin

1 - Jimmy Olsen sits in his apartment living room, moping.  He holds a handwritten note in his hands and seems to be looking at it (although he could also be staring off into space, unfocused).  His apartment and person are both kind of a mess - it's clear he's been in this funk for a bit of a while and hasn't been taking care of much.  A coffeetable sits in front of him, a pot of food with a fork in it and a phone on its surface.  Maybe have some Superman decorations around, or a picture of Superman and Jimmy together, with Supes kind of looming over Jimmy (due to size, more than anything).

CAPTION (JIMMY): Do you ever get the feeling that the universe is trying to tell you something?

2 - From Jimmy's perspective.  The note is in his hands, although only the last bit is really visible.  It reads:
"need to think about what you want to be. Call me when you know.
XO
Chloe"
That said, the focus of the panel is the pot of noodles that Jimmy is eating from, with a rumpled and empty Sidekicks flavour pack next to it.  Off-panel, Jimmy's phone starts to vibrate with an incoming call.

SFX (phone): bzzt! bzzt!

3 - On Jimmy's phone as he reaches for it.  It vibrates and lights up with the incoming call.  It is a T-Mobile Sidekick (because of course it is).

SFX (phone): bzzt! bzzt!

4 - On Jimmy, talking on his phone.  He looks about as down and dour as he did in panel 1.

JIMMY: Hey, now's not really a great time, Dick.

CAPTION (JIMMY): Yeah, me neither.

Sidekicks - Lucky Bird - Perry Kent

Panel 1

Interior, night. Damian Wayne, in the Robin outfit, assumes a fighting stance. Ringing him are five unsavory types in clown makeup and ratty clown costumes. Some of the villains have knifes and one behind Damian has a pipe. They are in a warehouse filled with boxes.

1. DAMIAN: I'm sick of you clowns. But I'll ask again: where's your boss?

Panel 2

A pipe smacks Damian in the back of the head, knocking him forward.

2. SFX (pipe): CRACK!

Panel 3

Note: The art should be doubled and offset, as though Damian has severe double vision.

Damian lurches around avoiding a swing from a villian. A dark, unseen figure (Batgirl) pulls two villians out of the panel.

[NO COPY]

Panel 4

Note: The art should still be doubled and offset, but less than the last panel.

Damian smacks one of the villians in the face with a haphard punch. A dark, unseen figure (Batgirl) kicks another guy in the background.

3. SFX (punch): SMACK!

Panel 5

Note: His vision is mostly clear, but there should be some double-vision doubling still.

A figure in a dark cape (Batgirl) walks towards Damian, though the figure is still mostly cloaked in shadows. The reader should be lead to believe that this is Batman, come to rescue Damian.

4. DAMIAN: I know... You told me not to go after them alone. But I had to.

Panel 6

Note: His vision is totally clear now.

Batgirl steps into the light of the warehouse, revealing that it was not who Damian thought. Damian looks surprised to see her.

5. BATGIRL: Not listening to the big guy, huh? Been there.

6. BATGIRL: Next time, try a bit more more stealth. Less likely to get suckered by a pipe.

- END -

Why Sidekicks?

Once upon a time, the sidekick was an unsung hero (or villian). Just a tacked-on entity that occassionally popped up to help. Nowadays, the sidekick enjoys many perks, including individual fanbases, promotions to full fledged heroes, and even their own syndicated TV shows. They've come into their own.

But writing a sidekick is no walk in the park. They need to embody the essence of their mentor while at the same time giving them support. They are their own person but pursuing a similar goal as their mentor, for their own individual reasons. Often this causes a clash with said mentor. That can be challenging to write. You need friction and conflict, but at the end of the day they still need to be able to reconcile.

Chances are if you write a hero at some point you'll have the difficult duty of writing their sidekick. This week, pick a sidekick and explore their role in the story.