Lex Luthor – Elseworlds: The Super-Man – MK Stangeland Jr.

In this alternate version of the DC Universe, KAL-EL was instead adopted by a childless JULES and ARLENE LUTHOR, who named him ALEXANDER – or LEX, for short.

(7 Panels)

Panel 1: LEX LUTHOR is in the sky over METROPOLIS - here he looks like SUPERMAN but with a somewhat ‘edgier’ and more technical look to his costume, as well as a different color scheme. The costume has much more of a red, white, and blue look as part of an attempt to play up a patriotic and American theme for publicity purposes, though there’s also a touch of yellow in the costume as well that should take on some kind of gold-colored tint.

In front of LUTHOR, being held out in front of him by the throat at arms length, is GENERAL ZOD. Both LUTHOR and ZOD look like they’ve taken a major beating, but ZOD looks far worse the wear.

LUTHOR: But above all else, Zod, you’ve exposed your greatest flaw to be a failure to think intellectually beyond destruction.

Panel 2: LUTHOR flies up into the sky, pulling ZOD alongside him – he’s secretly doing this so that he can continue to speak freely with him without worry of anyone accidentally overhearing him.

LUTHOR: If only your feeble mind had thought beyond that of conquest, you might have discovered there was a way to rule these people without lording over them. The way I do.

Panel 3: LUTHOR hovers in the sky about at the fringe of Earth’s atmosphere, where he’s as far away from the surface as possible without entering the actual vacuum of outer space. He hasn’t yet brought ZOD up from dragging him along behind.

LUTHOR (1): Without having to do anything, this planet welcomed me with open arms.

LUTHOR (2): And then I built a virtual empire through Luthor Innovations.

Panel 4: LUTHOR holds ZOD in front of him so that he can look ZOD in the face.

LUTHOR (1): If that wasn’t enough, these people practically worship me for ‘selflessly’ protecting them from dangers they could never withstand on their own.

LUTHOR (2): I could ask them for nearly anything and not only would they gladly give it to me, but they would thank me for giving them the opportunity to do it.

Panel 5: LUTHOR gives ZOD a piercing look in the face.

LUTHOR (1): I rule them, Zod, by making them want me.

LUTHOR (2): By making them need me.

LUTHOR (3): And you know what the best part is?

Panel 6: LUTHOR brings up ZOD in a backswing over his head as he prepares to throw ZOD back down towards Earth.

LUTHOR: Idiots like you only help to remind them just how much they need me in their frail, feeble little lives.

Panel 7: LUTHOR throws ZOD back down towards Earth’s surface with all his might.

LUTHOR: Thank you for that, by the way.

SFX: SUPER-THROW!

(END PAGE)

Gwen Stacy – What If…The Spectacular Spider-Woman?! – MK Stangeland Jr.

(6 Panels)

(This scene takes place in the “Spider-Web”, a ‘secret base’ that has been set up in part of an abandoned building away from where Gwen Stacy lives.)

Panel 1: GWEN STACY is sitting on a table wearing her SPIDER-WOMAN costume (which looks mostly like the normal SPIDER-MAN costume, but tailored to fit a woman rather than a man), except her mask is off and in her hand. Assorted SCIENCE(!) equipment is sitting on the table near her.

She’s looking to where PETER PARKER is seated in a chair nearby as he is carefully working on something. He looks very much in line with versions of PARKER we’ve seen from prior to when he got his SPIDER-BITE, including that he’s still wearing his glasses (since here, he still needs them)

TEXT BOX: Meanwhile…

PETER: Mr. Jameson called again today. Tried to change my mind again.

GWEN: You still told him ‘no’, right?

PETER: Of course I did.

Panel 2: PETER PARKER looks up from his work and faces GWEN STACY. GWEN as an ‘EW’ look on her face, complete with tightly closed eyes and her tongue sticking out.

GWEN (1): Good. As long as he wants to keep calling me names, he’s not allowed to have any of my pictures.

GWEN (2): Your pictures?

PETER (1): Our pictures?

PETER (2): It was tempting, though. Practically doubled his offer.

GWEN (3): Glad to know I can count on you, Petey.

Panel 3: PETER PARKER holds up a web-shooter for GWEN STACY. GWEN looks happy by what PETER is telling her.

PETER (1): Speaking of which, I think I’ve got the new design working.

PETER (2): This one has an automatic reloading system so you don’t have to manually change cartages as often.

Panel 4: GWEN STACY holds the web-shooter in her hands, she looks VERY pleased by the news. PETER PARKER is leaning into his hand and looking at GWEN with a dreamy-eyed look.

GWEN: Mr. Parker, have I ever told you what a godsend you are?

PETER: I’m just happy to help.

Panel 5: GWEN STACY looks at PETER PARKER and gives him one of those ‘don’t be so modest’ looks and hand-only waves. PETER is sitting up at attention.

GWEN (1): I’m serious, Peter.

GWEN (2): I may have figured out how to make the web fluid on my own, but between school, being a hero, sneaking away from daddy, trying to maintain some kind of social life, and everything else, I don’t think I ever would have had time to design the shooters, let alone build them.

Panel 6: GWEN STACY is giving both an eye roll.

PETER: It’s a miracle you manage to balance it all.

GWEN (1): UGH!

GWEN (2): Daddy is the worst of it. I can only imagine how he’d react if he knew his precious little girl and the infamous ‘Spider-Woman’ were the same person.

(END PAGE) 

What If…? – What If Matt Murdock Had Died? – Ryan K Lindsay

PAGE 4 - 6 PANELS

When a radioactive isotope smashes into your face, you’re probably going to die a horrible death. In this world, Matt Murdock last a few months in the hospital, blind, scared, sad, and then he passes away.

Jack Murdock struggles to go on, alone.

1. Fogwell’s Gym is relatively busy, there are plenty of people there, but Jack Murdock is alone amongst it all. You could show this with colour or an inset border. Make sure he’s isolated. He’s standing at a punching bag, perhaps have him on one side of it, and everyone else on the other side of it doing their thing.

NO COPY

2. Jack finishes the tape on his hands.

Caption: So I’m just gonna keep on punching?

3. Jack stands in front of the bag, we look at him from behind. He’s a hulk of a man but he looks defeated.

Caption: I’m gonna punch everything and that’s gonna fix somethin’?

4. Jack stands, ready to lay the first punch on, his fists up.

Caption: Even I’m smart enough to doubt that.

5. Jack punches the bag.

Caption: But not smart enough to know the other options.

6. Bare hands, small kid’s hands, grab the bag on the other side.

Lester: Need a spotter, mister?

What If Companies Cared About Good Comics and Not Just Good Sales? - Grant McLaughlin

A little late, but better that then never, right?

Four rows, each comprised of a single panel.

1 – The image for each panel will be relatively similar, being compose of three main elements: a comic book store, a newspaper box, and two comic book readers walking in the foreground of the panel. For simplicity's sake, let's call the store “Comic Books”. Picture your standard comic book store, and you've probably got a good idea as to what this one looks like. The headline of the newspaper reads “National Crime Rate Plummeting”.

CAPTION: Month 1.

COMIC BOOK READER: I still can't believe how awesome comics have been lately!

2 – Same store. Maybe have a few more cars in the parking lot, a few more bodies visible inside. Apart from that, virtually the same scene with two comic book readers coming out of the store. The newspaper headline now reads “World Hunger Solved!”

CAPTION: Month 3.

COMIC BOOK READER: Who would have known that giving creators so much freedom would have such positive results?

3 – The store has been expanded. It is now quite a bit bigger and the sign reads “Comic Books Plus” or something equally innocuous. The amount of cars in the parking lot and people inside has increased in a similar amount. The comic book readers walk along yet again. The newspaper headline now reads “All Diseases Cured!”

CAPTION: Month 6.

COMIC BOOK READER: In retrospect, it's crazy that this didn't happen sooner.

4 – The expanded store is still the same size, but its parking lot is overflowing and people are literally lined out the door. The comic book readers are once again in the process of exiting the store. The newspaper headline now reads “All Wars Ended Forever!”

CAPTION: Month 12.

COMIC BOOK READER: It truly is a perfect world.

What If Stan Lee Became A Plumber Instead Of A Comic Book Writer? - Rol Hirst

Panel One.

A computer screen shows an empty google search box.

Panel Two.

Fingers type on a computer keyboard.

Panel Three.

The google searchbox now displays the words "Thoughtalloons - One page of script a week. Every week brings a new character."

Panel Four.

A finger hits the return key on the keyboard.

Panel Five.

What If? - Harry Didn't Die - Ben Rosenthal

Back story – Harry never died. Yeah, I know that really happened. But in this tale, Harry wasn’t believed dead. Again taking on another familiar theme of his father, Harry slid in and out of the goblin persona as the drug which addled his system gave him a crude chemical amnesia. Probably a mistake....

1. Peter Parker is beaten. Badly. We are seeing him from behind, his head visible as he holds it up from the ground as he lay on his back. Hovering over him on his goblin glider is The Green Goblin – Harry Osborn. Goblin is crouched down, looking at Peter with cruel, mad eyes.

GOBLIN

Why? You want to know WHY?

Well Pete, it’s as simple as this.

2. Same as Panel 1. The Goblin is now standing tall on his glider as he talks to Peter.

GOBLIN

You took it from me.

My father was obsessed with you even before he found out you wore webs. Liz, Gwen, MJ – they all loved you. REALLY loved you.

3. The goblin has ripped off his mask. The madness in Harry’s eyes glistens as he leers as Peter.

GOBLIN/HARRY

You want to know why I hate you, Peter? I hate you because you already have too much love.

As an extra special bonus, I've decided to throw in the dialogue I was briefly working on before I wrote the above script. Was going for a slightly different angle, but the same idea.

HARRY

Peter, I envy you.

Powers, loved by friends and family. Loved, full stop.

I don’t think I’ve ever been loved by anyone Pete. Not my father. Not Liz or Lilly.

What’s it like Peter? How *cough*

How does it feel to have unconditional love?

What If…? – Newest Fantastic Four – MK Stangeland Jr.

(A sequel to probably the favorite ‘What If…?’ comic I own (though, granted I don’t actually own that many issues), Newer Fantastic Four, which in turn is a sequel to the ‘Mike Wieringo tribute’ version of the New Fantastic Four ‘What If…?’ issue.

In this scene, the current version of the four – SPIDER-MAN, WOLVERINE, IRON MAN, and SHE-HULK (having replaced her cousin following the events of Newer Fantastic Four) have infiltrated a Kree command center in order to stop the SUPREME INTELLIGENCE before the final pieces of his plan for OPERATION: GALACTIC STORM can come together.)

(4 Panels)

Panel 1: SHE-HULK stands just on the outside of the doorway as the now wrecked doors come to a rest on the floor. A Skrull soldier can be seen halfway sticking out from under one of the doors. IRON MAN flies through the doorway right above her and provides cover fire. SPIDER-MAN has a webline attached to IRON-MAN’s boots which allows him to be pulled into the room. WOLVERINE is about to charge into the room from behind where SHE-HULK is standing.

SHE-HULK & SPIDER-MAN: Knock, knock!

Panel 2: Skrull soldiers fire on the FANTASTIC FOUR members as the SUPREME INTELLIGENCE operates from behind a shielded control panel.

SPIDER-MAN: Hey, that was my line!

SUPREME INTELLIGENCE: STOP THEM. THEY MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO INTERFERE!

SHE-HULK: I was going to say it first!

Panel 3: IRON MAN unleashes his UNI-BEAM on the shielding protecting SUPREME INTELLIGENCE.

IRON MAN: Bad news, Intelligence. Your plan’s already been interfered with.

SFX: (UNI-BEAM) BZZEEW!

SFX: (Impact with shield) ptsfffff!

Panel 4: CUT to scene of CAPTAIN AMERICA’s Avengers team and the STARFORCE launching an attack on the skrulls guarding the NEGA-BOMB.

IRON MAN: (Voice Over) As we speak, our friends are ensuring your Nega-Bomb is neutralized permanently.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: Avengers, take ‘em down!

RONAN THE ACCUSER: STARFORCE, DESTROY THEM ALL!

(END PAGE)

Why “What If…?”…?

Because I love a good alternate reality tale. I love finding out about alternate possibilities, to see people asking what might have happened if things had gone just a little bit or a lot differently, and then hypothesizing about the different paths that history might have taken as a result. What if Napoleon hadn’t lost at Waterloo? What if Captain America hadn’t been assassinated and fought in World War Hulk? What if Thought Balloons didn’t exist? What I had decided to pick a different topic for this week?

And so I decided that, to go along with the month that Marvel had been using as it’s ‘What if’ month over the past few years (even if they seem to be skipping it this year), I’d take the opportunity to ask “What If Thought Balloons did a ‘What If…?’ Week?” and see what kind of scripts might result.

It should be noted that while the topic is ‘What If…?’, this doesn’t mean that you have to use a Marvel story. Just as acceptable are stories by DC, Image, Red 5, or any other comic publisher. Want to write about what you think would happen if J. Jonah Jameson thought Spider-Man wasn’t a menace? Go ahead. Have an itch to write about what if Guy Gardner had gotten Abin Sur's ring instead of Hal Jordan? That’s fair game, too. Think you’ve got a good idea what things might be like if Nikola Tesla died before he could hit Atomic Robo’s “ON” switch? Knock yourself out. Often find yourself imagining a world in which Invincible followed in his dads footsteps and turned evil? Here’s your chance to write about it. As long as it’s a property that can be tied into comics, consider this a week to let your imagination run wild.

So what if I stop writing this ‘Why…?’ post and let the tenured writers and guest posters put some scripts together? Now that’s a what if we can start answering right now!