The Attache - Summerville - R.A. Wonsowski

Splash page - P.O.V. from above.  Strapped down on a make-shift gurney, like you would find in a mental hospital, there is a SURGEON.  He is still dressed in his scrubs, but his head, hands, and feet are uncovered.  He is completely strapped down at every possible joint or extremity, and he has a leather ball gag in his mouth.  His eyes are bloodshot, tears stream down his face.  We also see that every one of his fingers and toes have been shot off.  There are gunshot wounds at the elbows and knees, ankles and wrists, shoulders and hips, and blood is pooling at the crotch.  One ear has also been sheared off by a bullet.  Walking around the gurney is a Hispanic woman, BLANCA, 45 years of age, slightly overweight, long salt-and-peeper hair, dressed in the uniform of a fast-food worker; she is slamming the clip back into the gun with the heel of her hand.  In one area of the panel, we see a folding card table, the open attache case upon it, with a photo of the SURGEON and an open box of untraceable ammo.

Captions are laid out in the same positions as the pockets of a billiard table.

CAPTION 1:  My first-born was supposed to be a routine C-section.

CAPTION 2:  Mi hijo, strangling itself with the umbilical cord.

CAPTION 3:  In his haste, the doctor nicked my gall bladder, my abdomen filling with shit.  Little Angél, his brain so long without air, dead by the end of the month.

CAPTION 4:  The doctor and his nurses hurried to clean me out.  In a rush to avoid malpractice, put me back together all wrong.

CAPTION 5:  I can never bear anymore children.  And now, ten years later, my body weakens from the core and out.

CAPTION 6:  But my resolve is strong.  I have 65 more bullets.  They will not be enough.

The Attache Case - Closure - Niel Jacoby

1: Agent Graves is sitting across a diner booth from a man in his mid-thirties. The man is casually dressed and relaxed as he takes a sip of his cola, as his burger sits in front of him.

Man: SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT YOU'RE GIVING ME THIS CASE, WITH A GUN AND 100 UNTRACEABLE BULLETS...

2: The man, looking vaguely quizzical, has pulled a photograph out of the case, and is showing it to the man. It's from the late eighties, showing a young, 20-something man playing bass with a rock band.

Man: ...SO I CAN KILL THIS GUY?
(link)
IF I SO CHOOSE, OF COURSE.

Graves(off-panel): WHY WOULDN'T YOU? HE ABANDONED YOUR FAMILY FOR THE ROCKSTAR LIFE, PAYING NO HEED TO THE NEEDS OR WANTS OF YOU AND YOUR MOTHER.

3: The man is wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Graves(op): HAVEN'T YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO CATCH UP TO HIM? MAKE HIM OWN UP TO WHAT HE DID TO YOU AND YOUR MOTHER?

4: The man is wiping his hands with the napkin.

Man: SEEMS YOU'RE A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT ON THIS ONE, OLD MAN.

5: Flashback to the tearful reunion between the man and his father. The father has really taken a toll from his years on the road, he's obviously picked up a few addictions on the way.

Man(Caption): HE'S BEEN DOWN ON HIS LUCK SINCE THE BAND DISSOLVED. A DOCUMENTARY CREW ARRANGED A REUNION, AND WE'VE ARRANGED TO GET HIM INTO REHAB. Y'KNOW, ALL THAT LOVEY-DOVEY HAPPY ENDING CRAP.

6: The man is leaving the diner, his head turned to Graves and the case in his hand.

Man: BUT HEY, 100 UNTRACEABLE BULLETS? PRETTY FUN WEEKEND, WOULDN'T YOU AGREE?

7: Graves stares, stonefaced, as the man walks out the door.
Inset: Closeup on Graves' mouth, as a small smile begins to form.

The Attaché - Straight to the Top - J.D. Coughlan

Panel 1: Close up of a mirror in a couple's bedroom. The room (and rest of the house) is quite posh but not lavish. We see the reflection of Jim Summers; an athletic man in his late 30s, close-cropped hair. He is in a white shirt and is tying a black tie. He has a very concerned expression on his face as he watches his wife, in the mirror, get dressed behind him.

SUMMERS (CAP): A lot of people blame politicians for their problems.

Panel 2: Summers stands in his home's hallway, looking into the living room where his wife plays with his two children, a boy and a girl, aged between 5 and 10. He is in a full black suit now with an ID badge over his left breast, and is actively holding back tears.

SUMMERS (CAP): Most of the time, they're just blowing off steam, but sometimes they're right, yet they can do nothing about it.

Panel 3: Summers enters the living room, putting on a smiling face as he says goodbye to his family.

SUMMERS (CAP): But I've been put in a... unique situation where I can take revenge on the powerful man who ruined my life.

Panel 4: Summers going out the front door, waving to the wife and kids, still putting on his smile.

SUMMERS (CAP): My position has always provided me with the opportunity, I just needed an extra push...

Inset: Close-up of Summers' ID badge. It has his name, picture, and the words "SECRET SERVICE".

NO DIALOGUE

Panel 5: Back in Summers' bedroom. The Attache case lies open on the bed. The gun is gone, as are some bullets, but there is a photograph of Barack Obama clearly visible.

SUMMERS (CAP): Now I have it.

END OF PAGE

The Attaché - Not Enough - Shaun Richens.

PAGE ONE – 4 PANELS

1.1

ED, a frail elderly bald man with large thick-rimmed glasses sits behind a large steel desk. A single light bulb hangs from the ceiling. The bright light shines off his baldhead and shows every wrinkle in his face. The light is so bright we cant see his eyes as his glasses reflect the light, also the light has made the room so hot ED is sweating right through his white collar shirt.

ED: Untraceable…

1.2

We pull away from Ed to the other side of the desk; we are in the empty seat opposite him.

ED: … That’s what they told me.

ED: I shouldn’t be here.

1.3

Pulling back even more. We are now looking at ED in his small holding cell from the other side of a one-way glass window.

ED has started to cry, tears roll down under his glasses and down his sagging cheeks.

ED (Small): Who’s going to feed Mittens while I’m here?

1.4

Now we look through the glass at ED over the shoulders of two detectives. We can’t see much of them as they are in shadow.

DETECTIVE: What pushes an old timer like him to do something like that?

DETECTIVE: What’s a guy got to have done to make you wanna shoot him a hundred and thirty seven times?

The Attaché – Turnabout Game – MK Stangeland Jr.

(6 Panels)

In a cheap diner – but not the kind that lets itself LOOK cheap – are two men. They are JOHN McCOY, who has an overall scruffy look to him and wears a combination of blue jeans, a basic button-up shirt, a jacket, etc, and THOMAS HAMMERSTONE, who’s wearing a well-kept business suit and has an appearance suggesting he’s a man of power and makes sure to look the part.

Panel 1: Panel is now positioned next to the booth the two men are sitting at so that we can see JOHN sitting across from THOMAS and looking at him.

JOHN (1): A few weeks ago, a man approached me. He gave me a suitcase with this gun, this envelope, and 100 untraceable bullets.

JOHN (2): He said that you were responsible for ruining my life. The envelope contains the evidence proving that claim. And then he said I could kill you with no repercussions.

Panel 2: Close up of THOMAS’ face. He shows little sign of fear – not only is he not the kind to beg for his life, but he can tell that JOHN has something bigger on his mind.

THOMAS (1): Why are you telling me this, Mr. McCoy?

THOMAS (2): Are you here to kill me?

Panel 3: JOHN slides the envelope over the gun as he temporarily looks away from THOMAS.

JOHN (1): No.

JOHN (2): Once I would have said ‘yes’. After this man approached me, I eagerly tried to find you so that I could do just that.

JOHN (3): Except the most curious thing happened. I got hit by a car.

Panel 4: JOHN returns his focus to THOMAS and looks him square in the face. THOMAS is listening closely.

JOHN (1): Survived relatively unscathed. Little more than a couple weeks in the hospital.

JOHN (2): But it gave me time to think.

JOHN (3): I could go on for hours about the lightbulbs and questions that found their way into my head, but the short version is I realized that there was something wrong with the entire premise.

Panel 5: THOMAS continues to calmly sit as he presses forwards to the point of their discussion.

THOMAS: If you’re not here to kill me, then what does this have to do with me?

JOHN: I want your help.

THOMAS: My help?

Panel 6: JOHN reaches his arm across the table to point at THOMAS.

JOHN (1): Yes. You’re a man of resources. You have wealth and power.

JOHN (2): I have a gun with 100 untraceable bullets.

JOHN (3): Bullets that I was given with the intent they would be used on you.

JOHN (4): I want to find out what’s really going on.

JOHN (5): And want you, the man whose life I am sparing, to help me.

(END PAGE)

The Attache -Limits- Dan Hill

Page One (Five Panels)

Panel One

In the foreground, sitting at a wooden table, is Natalya. The attache case sits on the table in front of her. Natalya has dirty blonde hair and wears clothes that look like they were bought at the Salvation Army. Behind her, lurking in the shadows like a devil on her shoulder is Agent Graves. A single lightbulb dangles from the ceiling.

NATALYA: Mr Graves, you do not understand.

Panel Two

A shot of Natalya wearing a cheap evening dress as she sits in the back of a limousine. Sitting next to her is a boisterous looking politician wearing an ill fitting suit.

He’s passing a wad of cash to a patrolman who’s leaning in through the window. Both of them are laughing. Natalya isn’t.

NATALYA (CAPTION): I have seen your police look the other way.

Panel Three

Close up on the top of a shipping container sitting on the docks. A few holes have been drilled and cut into the top of the container. One of the larger of these holes is in the foreground of the panel, three fingers protruding from it, pathetically reaching for the light or trying to get someone’s attention.

From off panel a workman’s boot is about to stomp on the fingers.

NATALYA (CAPTION): Decency ignored for a promise of money.

Panel Four

A group of hard craggy-looking men in black military gear drag a screaming Natalya from her bed as a young child stands in the corner screaming its heart out.

NATALYA (CAPTION): And monsters calling themselves men.

Panel Five

Back in the basement. A shot of Natalya as she turns to look at Graves/us.

NATALYA: A hundred bullets is not enough.

The Ataché - Gunshy - Grant McLaughlin

1 - Shot of an apartment door.  It is closed, and while there's not much more to see, it's evident that the apartment is pretty run down.

SFX: KRACK!

2 - Same shot of the door.

SFX: WHUMP!

3 - Same shot of the door, but some blood appears to be pooling out from under it into the hallway.

SFX: WHUMP!

SFX 2: WHUMP!

SFX 3: WHUMP!

4 - Same shot of the door, but the blood is pooling out even more.

CAPTION: Untraceable bullets...

5 - The door is now open.  A figure exits.  His head is not visible, cut off by the top of the panel.  He holds one of the magic guns in his hand.  The gun, his hand, and a good portion of his forearm are drenched in blood.  There are also speckles and splashes on the rest of his body.  Those are the only details we have of the figure, as the rest of him is rendered in shadowy silhouette, making the crimson red stand out even more.  The apartment interior is appropriately rundown and shabby, and the legs of a (now dead) man are visible lying in the pool of blood (the rest of him is cut off by the doorway).

CAPTION: Fuck that noise.  When you've shit to settle, you do it up close and personal.

The Attache - Realisation - Ben Rosenthal

1.  A middle aged man sits in a bar booth.  He is by himself and because the booth is out of site of the main bar area nobody bothers him.  He is scruffy looking - he is down on his luck.  On the table sits the attache case just to the right of the man.  It is open.  He is looking at a picture in his hands, eyes wide.

CAPTION (Man)
For years I have blaming everyone else for the way my life has turned out.

Julia left me for another guy.


2.  The man is looking over at the case with the photo still in his hands.

CAPTION (Man)
Fired after ten years with the company.  All because they couldn't handle my criticisms of their bad science.

Now this.  One hundred bullets to kill the man responsible for my life of misery.


3.  A view from behind the man so we can see the photo that he is looking at.  It is a picture of himself, looking much cleaner and arrogant.

CAPTION (Man)
I only think I'll need one.

The Attaché – The Black Spot – Brian Manton

1.
Inside a small private bar. The bar is at basement level, we can see the stairs up to street level through the window at the back. The door has been left open. The bar's name is written on a blue neon sign behind the bar (panel right) - "The Black Spot". The "O" in spot is a fully black circle with blue glow from behind. The bar is lit with harsh blue lighting. Most of the details are to be rendered in black silhouette, including a man, LENNY, dragging a body across the floor in the foreground. We see his eyes in relief from the silhouette, and the tears running down his face. The bar is otherwise deserted.

LENNY (singing - include broken musical notes to show he is singing badly):  Ten Dead Men on a...

2.
We can now see that Lenny is wearing a tattered old suit. His face is in shadow. Lenny walks backwards, dragging the body by the arms over to a mass of bodies in the corner of the room. Eight other suited men lie dead, piled atop eachother. Each body (except the one Lenny is dragging) is wearing an eye patch. There is an overturned table and broken bottles and glasses. We can just about make out the open attaché case underneath the bodies. We can maybe see some of its contents - some paperwork, an open and half empty (no optimism here!) box of ammo and a gun.

LENNY (singing):  Bottle of rum, on a...

3.
Lenny has laid the body over the case so we can't see it anymore. He is putting an eye patch on this last body.

LENNY (singing):  Yo ho ho, on a...

4.
Low angle shot. In the FG we see the feet of one of the dead men. Lenny is grabbing a stool at the bar. His head is cropped from shot.

LENNY (singing):  Ten dead...

5.
Front view of Lenny sitting at the bar. We see that he has a cleft palate. His eyes are distant. He looks confused, absent. Tears continue to run down his face. He is reaching into his inside suit jacket pocket.

LENNY (singing):  Ten dead men on a...

6.
OTS shot of Lenny. We can see a gaping hole in the back left hand side of his head, brain mangled and exposed. He is holding a photo of a group of children.

LENNY (singing):  Ten dead men...

7.
Close on the faded and creased photo. Ten children, around 8 years old, dressed in 70s clothes. One holds a toy parrot, two wear pirates hats, a few have eye patches and some hold swords. Lenny is one of the ten, to the right of the picture - we recognise him from the cleft palate. He is tied up in rope.

LENNY (singing, OP):  yo ho ho.

Why The Attaché?

With 100 Bullets, Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Rizzo (with beautiful covers by Dave Johnson) crafted a crime fiction masterpiece. Over 100 issues we saw lives dismantled, rebuilt and blown away all over again. We were shown stories of redemption and damnation, geed and love, hope and desperation. Azzarello has been praised for the realistic use of regional accents and slang in his pulp noir opus and Rizzo's dynamic art confidently rotates around complex scenes, building a believable landscape for their violence to unfold.

Bearer of the Attaché is the mysterious Agent Graves. He approaches an individual who has suffered some terrible wrong. He offers them the Attaché containing irrefutable evidence of those responsible for this misdeed, a handgun, and 100 untraceable rounds of ammunition. Any investigation which returns this ammunition will cease immediately but once revenge has been attained, the remaining bullets become as traceable as any other.

Graves is an agent of The Trust, a clandestine organisation with power greater than that of any government or head of state. There are larger motives at play as the Attaché moves from chess piece to chess piece - no one sure if they are a knight or a pawn.

You don't know any of this.

All you know is that you have been given an attaché case, and inside you have found a gun, 100 rounds of untraceable ammunition and a photo of the person who ruined your life. It doesn't seem real. You don't want to believe it... but all the evidence has been provided for you. It's true... They ruined your life.

Your move.