Spider-Island – Sinister Syndicate – MK Stangeland Jr.

(6 Panels)

PANEL 1: The setting is inside the base lounge of the newest incarnation of the SINISTER SYNDICATE. It’s a pretty run-down place, as they’ve only recently come together and haven’t had much opportunity to get a better location. There’s a TV in the room currently, and in spite of not having great reception, may be turned to some obscure channel.

Seen present are MYSTERIO (DANIEL BERKHART), who’s seated at a table with his helmet off and working on a number of trinkets; SPEED DEMON, who’s lounging about on an old couch; STILT-MAN (MICHAEL WATTS), who’s sitting on another couch watching the TV; SQUID (DON CALLAHAN), who’s in a chair reading a newspaper; POLESTAR (PATRICK TRETTEL), who’s sitting next to STILT-MAN; and SCREAM (DONNA DIEGO), who is seen hanging upside down from the ceiling and appears to be deep in thought.

While the others are lounging around, BEETLE (CHOI HANEUL – this is the BEETLE that previously showed up in CAPTAIN AMERICA #607 and 608 but who we didn’t learn anything about beyond her existence, so beyond her armor she’s essentially a new character. Assume she was one of the RAFT criminals who escaped during FEAR ITSELF) enters the room, and carries her helmet under her arm.

BEETLE: Boss, you remember that suggestion I made about branching out and moving to a new market?

STILT-MAN: You mean the one we all rejected?

MYSTERIO: (Off-handedly) I thought the idea had merit.

SPEED DEMON: Nobody cares!

PANEL 2: Panel is close-up on SCREAM and BEETLE. SCREAM lowers down from the ceiling so that she’s at eye level with BEETLE, but still remains in more or less the same position.

SCREAM: What about it? I thought I told you to drop the idea.

BEETLE: Change the channel and perhaps you’ll all change your minds.

PANEL 3: PANEL has focus on POLESTAR and STILT-MAN. POLESTAR pulls the TV remote out of STILT-MAN’s hands with his magnetic gauntlet and changes the channel. STILT-MAN attempts a futile effort to stop POLESTAR.

POLESTAR: Might as well. This show’s lousy anyway.

SFX: *click*click*click*click*

STILT-MAN: Hey! I was watching that!

PANEL 4: Everyone gathers around the TV as they hear the words coming out of it.

TV (1): …confirmed reports that the number of civilians with powers mimicking that of Spider-Man continues to increase. And with it, so has the chaos as these civilians have taken to the streets and begun making full use of their powers.

TV (2): While there is yet no word on what is the cause of this phenomenon, authorities are requesting that…

SPEED DEMON: $#*^! You gotta be kidding me!

PANEL 5: Everyone turns to look at SCREAM.

TV: (In the background) mumblemumblesomethingsomethingblahblahblah

(END PAGE)

(And then the following panel would have them deciding to leave NEW YORK and take their operation to a new city that DOESN’T have a Wall-Crawler running around. Or, for that matter, about a million other superheroes and supervillains in it already.)

Spider-Island - No "I" in Team - Grant McLaughlin

Two rows.  The first row takes up a third of the page and contains three equal-sized panels.  The second row is one large panel.

1 – A professional basketball team locker room. I haven't actually encountered Marvel's fictional sports teams (if they have any), but this would be the fictional counterpart to the Knicks. Dustin (new character, no reference) is hastily getting into his uniform. He is wearing boxers and socks, but little else. He is in the process of putting on his shorts. No one else is in the room.

DUSTIN (thought balloon): I can't believe I'm late for practice because I've been web flinging around town.

2 – Shorts on, Dustin starts putting on his shoes. In his rush, he's trying to do it while standing. On one foot, his is hunched over trying to tie the shoe of his raised and bent leg. He is hopping out of the locker room door into the hallway. He wears a slightly pensive look, considering an aside for a moment. His shirt is draped over his shoulder.

DUSTIN (thought balloon): “Web flinging”? Is that right?

DUSTIN (2) (thought balloon): Sounds a little off.

3 – Dustin is racing down the hallway, his shirt over his head as he puts it on. He is almost at the court.

DUSTIN (thought balloon): Either way, everyone is going to be crazy jealous of my new moves.

4 – Two third of the page splash, Dustin stands alone on the court. He is wearing a sly and knowing grin. However, unbeknownst to him, the rest of the team is swinging all around the court and rafters, leaping great distances, letting out yelps of delight, and generally doing whatever a spider can. Go big on this one.

DUSTIN (thought balloon): I can't wait to see their faces.

Spider-Island - Longing - Danial Carroll

PANEL ONE, WIDE
Close up on the lower half of a pretty woman’s face. She is talking into a cellphone.

WOMAN: Hey, it’s, umm…
WOMAN: It’s me.
WOMAN: I…
WOMAN: ->sigh<-


PANEL TWO, WIDE
From behind, we see that the woman--a blonde--is sitting on a sofa in a large living room. Over her shoulder, a large-screen TV displays a News Anchor. In the upper corner of the screen is an image of Spider-Man with the label “Spider-Island” clearly visible. In the lower corner of the screen it says "Mute".

WOMAN: Have you heard about Manhattan?
WOMAN: They’re calling it “Spider-Island”.
WOMAN: They could probably use your help.

WOMAN: If you do come up, I’d…


PANEL THREE
Close on a white-gloved hand holding a cellphone. Upon its screen reads “Voicemail” and below that, it says “Speaker: On”.

PHONE/WOMAN: I’d like to see you.


PANEL FOUR
Marc Spector is crouched upon a rooftop. He is wearing his Moon Knight gear, but has the hood pulled back so we can see his face. He is holding a cellphone in his hand. He looks sad, almost teary.

PHONE/WOMAN: I miss you, Marc.

Spider-Island - Talent Imitates, Genius Steals - Rol Hirst

Panel One.

Extreme close-up on Norman Osborn’s mad eye. Not that he only has one mad eye, both his eyes are quite mad, obviously. We’re only focused on one in this panel though.

NORMAN: Miles Warren was always a poseur.

Panel Two.

Pull out to a head & shoulders shot of Norman, power-suited and grinning sinisterly. Behind him we see Gwen Stacy in flashback: smiling, laughing, wearing some ridiculously kitsch 60s Romita outfit.

NORMAN: A petty, vain, inadequate little man of limited intellect… he always envied what I had.

Panel Three.

Pull out further to show more of Norman’s surroundings. He’s standing on a penthouse balcony high above Manhattan, looking out across a town that’s crawling with Spider-People. It’s a hazy day: New York smog.

NORMAN: The difference was, I actually had it… he had to make do with crude, synthetic copies.

Panel Four.

Even wider shot, showing more of the Spider-People swinging, wall-crawling, fighting, doing whatever a spider can. Norman continues to watch from his balcony in the distance.

NORMAN: But lack of genius is not Miles Warren’s greatest crime… that is lack of vision.

Panel Five.

Go back in towards Norman slightly but keep the shot wide. In the distance behind Norman’s penthouse, shapes begin to form in the haze. Lots of them. Approaching.

NORMAN: This town should never… could never… will never be a Spider-Island.

Panel Six.

The shapes take form as they approach Norman’s building like an army coming towards their general – hundreds of everyday New Yorkers riding Goblin Gliders, wearing Goblin masks.

NORMAN: I think ‘Goblin Island’ has a much better ring to it… don’t you?

Spider-Island – Too Many Dollars, Not Enough Spider-Sense – Ryan K Lindsay

PAGE 1 - 4 PANELS

1. New York, and it’s going Spider-Bananas. This panel is about a third of the page so feel free to drop a few Spider-Heroes/Villains into the mix as you deem fit. Seems pretty obvious to me Man-Thing would have the power and would just be hanging out on a wall doing nothing.

Caption: All my life I had everything.

Caption: Everything.

2. We see a little rich boy walking down a New York street. He’s a smaller lad but snooty looking. He wears a scarf and his haircut is expensive.

Caption: Envy of everyone. Fast cars. Flashy games. Rare food.

Caption: Turn down service daily.

3. The kid is looking behind him as if he either thinks he’s missing something cool or he’s about to get mugged.

Caption: All that stuff won’t buy me wall crawling powers. Or crazy web hands.

4. The kid is back to walking forward, he doesn’t see a piano above him about to crush him. This could be a very funny panel told from a flat side position.

Caption: Or this Spider-Sense I keep hearing about.

Spider-Island – Disgusting - Ben Rosenthal

1. Philip Porter (new character), an overweight middle aged New Yorker is swinging just above the streets of New York City. Like many of his fellow citizens, Philip has awoken with powers similar to The Amazing Spider-Man. His face shows a mix of exhilaration and joy, as organic webbing shoots from his wrist as he swings through the city.

2. A close up of Philip’s face, showing the joy he is feeling.

3. A wide panel showing Philip’s silhouette, surrounded by yellow electricity that has hit him from seemingly nowhere.

4. A close up of Philip’s face as he lies on the ground. He is alive, but in pain. A single foot is on the side of his head, pinning it to the road.

5. This panel shows the identity of the man who is standing on Philip’s head. He is also the person responsible for shooting Philip down. It is Norman Osborn, a look of disgust on his face. In the background we can see other New Yorker’s swinging around. A sickening KRACK sound effect is seen in the background as Norman squishes Philip’s head with his foot off panel.

SFX: KRAAAACK

Why Spider-Island?

Really? I have to spell this one out for you?

You have never wanted Spider-Man’s powers? You have never mimed getting up out of a chair by shooting a web from your wrist and pulling yourself up by it?

Or is that just me?

So, Spider-Island! What’s it all about? Put simply, the Jackal (yeah, that clone saga guy) has returned to the land of the living and has promptly released bio-engineered bugs which when bite people, give them the powers of our favourite friendly neighbourhood Webslinger.

Spider-Island gives both our tenured writers and you at home a huge range of options and possibilities. One could focus on Peter’s thoughts on living in a city full of similarly powered civilians, or on one of those civilians themselves. You could look at how the other heroes feel about having to battle usually common placed thugs who now have the proportionate strength of a spider, or how Mayor Jameson will put a positive spin on the situation. See what I did there?

Whichever way you go, just remember – they are teasing a Ben Reilly return..

P.S Dan Slott is one of the best Spidey writers in modern history. Read his stuff. Now. No, NOW!