The North Pole – Luke Cage’s Sweet Christmas Page 3 – MK Stangeland Jr.

(7 Panels)

Panel 1: LUKE CAGE stands in the snow and holds his arm in front of his face as a blizzard suddenly starts to blow.

CAPTION: Just when seemed his Christmas just might be ruined

LUKE CAGE: Now I have to deal with a blizzard that’s blowin?

Panel 2: LUKE CAGE begins to walk through the snow. The snow of the blizzard is thick now.

LUKE CAGE: I swear if I freeze to death, that fat man’s getting a poundin!

Panel 3: The blizzard begins to dissipate. The Avengers Mansion can be seen in the background through the snow.

CAPTION (1): But Santa had certainly not forgotten the hero,

CAPTION (2): He saw to it that Luke was whisked back so quickly, he said

LUKE CAGE: Woah!

Panel 4: LUKE CAGE runs back into the Avengers Mansion.

CAPTION: When inside he did run to get out of the cold, just what wondrous thing did his eyes then behold?

Panel 5: LUKE CAGE enters the room of the Avengers Mansion that has the Christmas Tree in it. Underneath the tree are a buttload of presents. Standing nearby are JESSICA JONES, who’s holding a sleeping DANIELLE in her arms. She looks surprised, but happy, to see LUKE CAGE. A fireplace nearby is lit up, providing the room with warmth and an ambient light source.

CAPTION (1): A reward from Santa, a huge bundle of gifts.

CAPTION (2): And waiting nearby were his sweetheart and his kid.

Panel 6: LUKE CAGE stands next to JESSICA JONES. He has his arm around her and holds her close. LUKE CAGE happily looks at the presents under the tree while JESSICA has turned to give her husband a kiss on the check.

CAPTION (1): As he stood with his family, holding them tight

CAPTION (2): Cage thought that he heard something from outside in the night

Panel 7: Outside shot of the Avengers Mansion. It’s a picturesque Christmas scene, with the area covered in white and a light snowfall. Santa’s silhouette can be seen flying across the moon.

CAPTION (1): It was a blessing from Santa, as he flew into the west:

SANTA: A good night to all, and to all a SWEET CHRISTMAS!

END

(And with the final THOUGHT BALLOONS scripts of 2011, I’d like to take the time to thank everyone who read and/or participated at all this year, wish you all a belated Sweet Merry Christmas, and give you blessed tidings for a wonderful New Year!

Here’s to 2012!)

The North Pole - Luke Cage's Sweet Christmas Page 2 - Rol Hirst

Panel One.

From behind, we see Luke and the elf staring ahead towards Santa’s Grotto. It’s a ramshackle log cabin with Christmas decorations, twinkling lights and a huge fir tree outside. There’s a pack of reindeer standing to one side, looking grumpy. The door to the shack is opening…

The elf hands Luke a handkerchief. The snow has stopped but Luke is still shivering.

Elf: Your payment must wait, saving Santa’s the issue…
You’ll have to make do with this snotty old tissue.

Panel Two.

From out of the shack come a gang of supervillains, charging towards Luke, itching for a fight. (I'll tell you who they are in the next two panels, just play along, will you?) We don't need to see them all in this panel though.

Cap: Then faster than Quicksilver, the villains they came
And Luke, he did struggle to remember their names…

Panel Three.

Close on Luke, wracking his brains to identify the villains in the previous panel. He’s fighting while he does this, but we’re too close to see much of the action.

Luke: Erm… Trapster, and… Cancer? The Answer, and… Vixen?

Panel Four.

The four villains Luke has just named are laid out on the snow while Luke tackles another four in one big fight scrum. One of the villains is a famous film director, the rest are regular Marvel badguys.

Luke: Now, Batroc and Carnage, Richard Donner and… Blizzard?

Cap: That last one didn’t rhyme, but Luke didn’t care
He was just glad to get them out of his hair

Panel Five.

From behind, we see Luke standing outside Santa’s grotto. In the foreground, a pile of villains lay defeated. The elf runs past Luke towards Santa who’s tied up with tinsel and locked in cage just inside the shack’s doorway. Santa also has a bauble taped into his mouth like a ball gag.

Cap: So Santa was rescued, set free from his cage
And Luke, he did wonder what to buy with his wage


Panel Six.

Luke watches as Santa and the Elf zoom off on the sleigh (now loaded with presents), pulled by the reindeer. The Elf waves back at Luke from the sleigh, looking slightly embarrassed. The snow is falling again and Luke is left huddled and shivering, contemplating a long journey home.

Cap: But the old man was late, with no time to pay,
He just jumped on his sleigh and flew off on his way

Elf: Sorry!

Cap: …waved the Elf…

Elf: I guess that’s just snow business!

Cap: Leaving Luke to walk home, a’grumbling…

Luke: SWEET CHRISTMAS!

The North Pole - Luke Cage's Sweet Christmas Page 1 - Ben Rosenthal

When writing the following dialogue, those parts labelled CAPTION should be in the usual caption boxes, and the speech by the characters in a word balloon from the corresponding characters.

1. Luke cage is sits in a rocking chair in the nursery at the Avengers Mansion. He is facing a crib, a book in hand as he reads to Danielle as she falls asleep. The window behind him shows that it is snowing.

CAPTION:

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung –

2. Same as Panel 1. However we can see two small hands appearing from underneath the cot. Luke Cage is standing, book in one hand while his other hand is gripped firmly on the back of the rocking chair.

LUKE CAGE

“By Jiminy, who’s there?

Show yourself now, or you’ll be eatin’ this chair.”

3. A small elf is standing in front of the cot now. His head is bowed, hat in hands as he addresses Luke Cage. Luke has relaxed somewhat, as if he knows who this elf is (Pretty sure Luke has met one of Santa’s elves before).

CAPTION

His child sleeping all snug in her bed,

When out from under it came an elf with bowed head.

ELF

“Forgive me Luke Cage, I was looking for Cap,

It seems that dear Santa has fallen into a trap.”

4. Luke Cage has his hand on the elf’s shoulder, showing compassion as he talks.

LUKE CAGE

“I’ll help little guy,”

CAPTION

Luke Cage he did say,

LUKE CAGE

“You just have to make sure that Santa can pay”.

CAPTION

The elf looked confused, and then asked

ELF

“what?”

CAPTION

Luke Cage looked down and said

LUKE CAGE

“The Avengers pay squat.”

5. This frame should go the length of the page, as it shows the two teleporting from the Mansion to the North Pole. The elf has his eyes closed as it casts a teleportation spell. The background is in a transition of being the Avenger’s nursery room, and the barren arctic tundra.

CAPTION

The elf closed his eyes, and whispered a spell of old

Next thing he knew, Cage was at the North Pole!

6. A close up of Luke Cage’s face as he shivers in the cold. A string of snot dangles from his nose.

CAPTION

Luke was freezing, his nose all runny,

His teeth chattered loudly as he asked

LUKE CAGE

”Where’s my money, honey?”