The Question - A Bizarre Statement - Matt Duarte

The Question in “A Bizarre Statement” by Matt Duarte

This page is to be set in four panels. Three long vertical ones in the first half of the page, and the bottom one a big one that takes up the other half of the page.

Panel 1

Description: We are seeing this from inside Renee Montoya’s apartment, she is climbing through the window, only to find a guest in there. We can only see a blue outfit with a red cape, as Superman stands in front of her.

QUESTION (Caption): It’s not the first time I’ve met him, but he always freaks me out. All that power. I can’t help but think the worst from people sometimes.

QUESTION (Caption): Though I did take a bit of pride when he said he had trouble tracking me down.

Panel 2

Description: From the same angle as before, Superman is now standing next to her by the window, he is pointing to the right as they both look out.

QUESTION (Caption): Turns out he just came to warn me about a copycat of some sorts, from what I understand.

QUESTION (Caption): He said I better see it for myself, three blocks down the road, the alley on the right.

Panel 3

Description: Seen from inside the alley, with two imposing walls on the side. The Question is entering an alley, with a small blue blip flying overhead.

QUESTION (Caption): I would never say it to his face, but I hate being involved with them. I feel so out of my element.

Panel 4

Description: The Question walks into the end of the alleyway, while Superman lands next to her. Up on the wall, there is a big graffiti that looks like this one from the cover of 52 (reference here). The only difference is that the text underneath reads “EXCLAMATE THE STATEMENT”

QUESTION (Caption): I mean, how the $#%& am I supposed to know what “Bizarro World” is?

Next: Mondo Bizarro!

The Question - A Question Of Doubt - Ryan K Lindsay

1. A young girl, maybe about 14 but mature for her age, stands at the mouth of an alley. She has her hands in the pockets of her almost baggy pants. Her hooded sweatshirt is open, her hair is back in a pony tail. She is the tomboy who wants to be pretty, or the pretty girl who wants to be a tomboy. Her name is Liz.

Caption: No one understands the guys they see in spandex doing what they can only dream about.

2. The girl is walking down the alley with her head down.

Caption: They’re pegged as role models but most guys know they can’t do that sort of thing. Unless you’re born with a jaw you could set your watch to it’s a bit much to ask.

3. The girl is looking across to her right, we are watching her from behind still.

Caption: So I just assumed I wouldn’t really mean anything to anyone either.
Caption: Who would want to follow the path I’ve travelled?

4. The girl is crouched down and looking into a pile of trash and bins and junk.

Caption: But I’ve been blind, everyone is someone’s role model; it’s silly to think otherwise.

5. We are looking over Liz’s shoulder at Renee Montoya’s face, bruised, battered, and only partially covered by the mask of the Question.

Caption: Just me being here will inspire this girl to become something she had never dreamed of.
Caption: Because of me she’ll be dead in the next 36 hours. And I’ll have only one clue to find her killer.

The Question - Kids Play - Simon McDonald

1. We're in one of the lavish Wayne Enterprises boardrooms. Bound in chain, back-to-back is Renee Montoya - outfitted in her Question attire - and Damian Wayne, clad in civillian gear.

THE QUESTION

Don't be scared, kid.

We're going to be okay.

I can get us out of this.

DAMIAN WAYNE

I'm not scared.

2. The Question struggles against their binds. Behind her, Damian sits patiently.

THE QUESTION

I've ... nfff ... been in worse jams than this.

I've ... rrrgh ... faced off against Batman's entire rogue's gallery.

Arrrrrh....

I just need ... thirty ... seconds ...

DAMIAN WAYNE

Mm-hmm.

3. On Damian; rolling his eyes as, behind him, The Question continues to struggle.

THE QUESTION

Just ... a little ... more time ...

C'mon you son of a bitch...

C'mon...!

DAMIAN WAYNE

Sigh.

If I may?

4. On The Question; even masked, we can tell she's shocked to hear a metallic click.

SFX

CLICK!

5. The Question and Damian are standing now, free of the chain. Damian is shrugging out of his jacket; ready to kick some ass.

DAMIAN WAYNE

And so the rescuee becomes the rescuer.

The ineptitude of this city's crime-fighting community doesn't surprise me at all.

Have you met Red Robin?

6. Damian's assessing Renee, not entirely impressed.

DAMIAN WAYNE

I suppose you'll make do as my subordinate for this evening.

No doubt you'll come in handy, should I require a distraction.

Come on. They'll be in the vault by now.

7. The Question watches Damian dash ahead.

THE QUESTION

Kids.

END

Renee Montoya - Noir As Heck - Max Barnard

The Premise:.... I like noir stuff. I like Renee Montoya. Noir has clichés. Renee Montoya is a lesbian... That is all.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page One - 7 Panels

1-- Renee (in a tank top, trilby, cargo shorts and sizeable boots) is sitting at a desk in a very cliché P.I.'s office, with her booted feet up on the desk. I'm talking the works, old style wood panelling in a sparse, cheap, small room, with basic lamps in some corners, and blinds on the windows. If you need any reference check just about any classic hard-boiled detective film made more than... let's say... 30 years ago. I'm not kidding, it's always the same. Heck, I think the detective's office in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" had that typical look. Anyway, the desk (and subsequently Renee) is facing the door, which is slightly ajar as a long leg draped in the lower parts of a glittering red dress is making its way through the gap. If the connected foot fits into the shot we should see some ruby-red stilettos with a very long (but not ridiculous) pointed heel.

NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - I knew as soon as she entered my office that she was nothing but trouble. The kind of trouble that can never lead to anything good...


2-- The woman (who for the sake of scripting will be referred to as "Lady In Red"), a redhead with skin as white as ivory and made excessively tall and leggy by the aforementioned heels, has entered the office, leaning in a sultry pose against the doorframe, with one arm raised to her head, holding a wide-brimmed floppy red hat, with a large ribbon trailing off of it down her body. As for said body, it is covered by the previously alluded to long ruby-red sparkling dress, with a chest cut from the shoulders straight down to the navel. At that point there is another extravagant ribbon, that trails down to her heels. Her eyes are obscured by oval sunglasses with -what else- deep red lenses. Her lips are a bright red pout, alluring yet revealing nothing of her emotions. In the hand not leant against her head is a small (RED) handbag/purse dealio. A hell of a design job, but drop-dead gorgeous and *ahem* Noir As Heck.

NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - Not that trouble has ever stopped women like these being worth every second in front of your eyes.


3-- We're now looking at Renee's face, trilby raised, surprised and ever-so slightly slack-jawed expression on her face.

NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - I mean DAYUM!


4-- Renee is now leaning back in her chair again, trilby covering her eyes as she tries to maintain a blank expression. This, however, doesn't distract from the facts that her cheeks are now quite red.

SPEECH BUBBLE/RENEE MONTOYA - Dayum...


5-- We're now viewing Renee at her desk from the doorway, with the legs and arse of the Lady In Red in view as she struts sexily towards the desk.

SPEECH BUBBLE/LADY IN RED - Oh Ms. Detective, I've come to you with quite the dilemma, a real pulava, a what-to-do and a great big mess I need you for.


6-- Viewing the scene now from just over Renee's shoulder, the Lady In Red is now leaning over the desk towards Renee, back curved so that her rear is raised above the curve itself, thrusting her cleavage at Renee's face with no real subtlety, yet still maintaining a pose by pushing her breasts together with her arms, which themselves are pushed against the desk.

SPEECH BUBBLE/RENEE MONTOYA - Whuff. A problem, you're saying? Well I'm the right person for the job, toots. And it's Renee, by the way.


7-- A close-up of the Lady In Red's face, wherein she is perching her sunglasses on the edge of her nose, looking up through her carefully shaped eyebrows at Renee with -again, what else- red irises. She is now slyly grinning.

SPEECH BUBBLE/LADY IN RED - Oh wonderful, I'd hoped ever so much that you'd be just the person I was looking for. Let me tell you about what's causing such a stir in me, making me all a-twitter, all flustered and bothered...

NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - Some Dames are worth all the trouble in the world and this one... Well, she could cause three world's worth of trouble and I'd still be putty in her hands.



[author's note: this is my FAVOURITE script I've ever written, and probably the most specific I've ever been with a script. Partly because I was going for a strong theme for "Lady In Red"'s style (hint: it's red!) (also points for anyone who can tell who she's an analogue for), and even more so because I'm bloody mad for clothing on ladies. It can be magical stuff. This first page is a Wednesday Comics/Elseworlds combo in my mind, something that would bridge out to Renee dealing with L.I.R.'s problems and encountering other characters in this strange universe who are themselves analogues of other DC characters. I WILL return to this in the future (i hope!) simply because I've wowed myself on this one. Which for any long-term readers/close online friends will know is pretty impossible.]

The Question - Face Off - Rol Hirst

Panel One.

Close on a corpse lying in a grimy back alley somewhere in Gotham City. The corpse has no face. All its facial features are gone, leaving smooth skin. Like the mask The Question herself wears, the face has just the shape of a nose, mouth and eyes, but no actual features.

Off-panel, Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya (as The Question) discuss the gruesome discovery.

BULLOCK: So you can see why I called you back from Hub… thought maybe this was one of yours.

Panel Two.

Pull out to reveal the full scene. The Question and Bullock standing over the body. Crime scene tape and CSI officers fill out the alley.

THE QUESTION: You know me better than that, Harvey.

BULLOCK: Hey, you supertypes, you’re always coming up with nutty new powers and $%*@ - whaddo I know?

Panel Three.

Close on The Question.

THE QUESTION: What do you know?

BULLOCK: (off-panel) Press has already dubbed him ‘The Identity Thief’. See, he doesn’t just take their faces and fingerprints...

Panel Four.

Close on Harvey, scratching his head.

BULLOCK: ...but it’s impossible for us to identify them from their DNA too.

BULLOCK: Official cause of death is suffocation, but there’s obviously way more to it than that.

Panel Five.

Renee crouches to examine the body. One faceless figure examining another.

THE QUESTION: What about the Bat?

BULLOCK: I guess he’s all over it – but I still thought maybe you’d be interested – in case this guy’s infringing your copyright or something.

Panel Six.

Change of scene. A Gotham City hotel room. Not too plush, but hardly a fleapit. Just the basics – a bed, a TV, a dressing table, a wardrobe - all Renee can afford. The Question enters through a window from the fire escape, reaching down to activate the device on her belt buckle which seals and unseals the mask to her face. A cloud of gas / smoke surrounds her.

CAPTION (RENEE): Not sure I’ve ever seen Harvey Bullock so freaked. He was hiding it… but this case is really getting to him.

Panel Seven.

The Question sits at the dressing table mirror, surrounded by the smoke from the belt device. She begins to peel away her mask.

CAPTION: To have your whole identity stripped away like that… that’s enough to frighten even someone who takes her face off every single…

Panel Eight.

As the mask comes away, Renee discovers with horror that underneath… her face is still completely blank. She stares at her faceless reflection as behind her a shadowy figure steps in from the fire escape.

CAPTION: …night!?

The Question - ? - Ben Rosenthal

This page is once again a 3 lined grid. The first panel is a landscape shot, and as such takes up the length of the page. The second line on the grid has panels 2 and 3, both of which are of the same size. Panels 4 and 5 are on the last line of the grid, and are again of the same size.

The following takes place at the end of the battle between Wonder Woman’s team of super heroes (of which Batgirl and The Question are a part of), and aliens whom attacked Washington DC.


1. The front lawn of the White House, although there is very little green left. Where there was once a large expansive lawn now lays a scene from a war. Machinery, both alien and local, is strewn from one end of the gates surrounding the White House to the other. There are still many small fires burning.
In the middle, baring the marks of a hard fought victory are Wonder Woman, Batgirl and The Question (Renee Montoya). All have their respective costumes torn and singed in places.

WONDER WOMAN
We have won.

2. Closer in on the group of three. Wonder Woman is standing tall, with Batgirl crouched beside her, exhausted. The Question is on the other side of Wonder Woman, slightly slumped shouldered but still standing.

WONDER WOMAN
The battle fierce, and the cost great, but we won. We proved ourselves as champions.

3. The same panel as before, however now Wonder Woman has turned to The Question to address her. She has placed one hand on The Question’s shoulder.

WONDER WOMAN
For one so new to this world of ours, you have shown supreme courage. Attending to hurt civilians with no question for your own safety was admirable.

WONDER WOMAN
I for one, would have you as my partner any day, place or time.

4. Same scene, with Wonder Woman’s hand still on The Question’s shoulder. Although we cannot see her face, Renee’s body language tells us that she is uncomfortable.


5. Same panel as above.

THE QUESTION
I.....I’m seeing someone.....

The Question - About Face - James McNeill

It's been business as usual in Gotham. One night, Renee encounters someone she's been hoping not to see for a while.


1. Renee stands with her back to us, looking down a dark alleyway. The only light comes from a dim streetlight, off-panel, to her left.

MYSTERIOUS SPEAKER: Renee Montoya.

2. Same angle, lower down; Renee reaches for her gun. In the background to the right of the panel, the speaker leans against the brick wall at the end of the alleyway. We can't see anything of him but a silhouette, only dimly lit on one side by the streetlight -- not enough to identify him.

MYSTERIOUS SPEAKER: You had a face last time.

3. Renee draws her gun and aims it at the mysterious speaker. We now see her face, which is completely blank, hat drawn low over where her eyes would be.

RENEE: How do you know who I am?

4. The mysterious speaker's lit side. He's wearing a nice suit and tie from what we can see.

MYSTERIOUS SPEAKER: You'll need to hide more than your face to hide from me.

5. Large panel. Part of the mysterious speaker's face can be seen, dimly lit from the streetlight side. His face is handsome enough, and he's smiling. The real clue to his identity is his two-tone tie, and the faintest suggestion of a wide eye and no lips on the shadowy side of his face.

TWO-FACE: I know about changing faces.


(Subsequently Two-Face reveals he's been having her followed. He makes her an offer she'd normally refuse, but would give her a singular chance to infiltrate his crime ring. But will she end up in over her head?)

--

And as a sort of bonus... Whenever I write script, I first sketch out what the page will look like, as it's much easier to visually describe what I see than what I'm thinking. Usually I do this on scratch paper, but this time I did it digitally, and thought I'd upload it to show you lot a bit of my process. Click the preview for a larger image, if you're interested.

Why The Question?

Choice by James McNeill

We at Thoughtballoons tend to have a great love for the street heroes, the rough and gritty. The Question has definitely got that aspect covered, trawling the streets of Gotham City with no powers but the ability to conceal her face. And yes, I said "her" -- I'm talking about Renee Montoya, the second Question, originally of the Gotham City Police Department.

See, Renee's not just badass, she's good at her job. She worked with the GCPD for a long time, showing up in various Bat-comics long before she ever got her own comic. She was the only one who ever managed to get through to Two-Face (by means of Harvey Dent). She served a long time before the fateful day her partner in the force was killed, and then managed to rise from her despair (with a little help from Vic Sage, the original Question) to play an integral part in the events of 52, eventually taking up the mantle after Vic's death. She's got History with a capital H with Kate Kane, also known as Batwoman; though they're no longer involved, the sexual tension between them is all kinds of crazy. Renee's had as much of a struggle fighting her inner demons as the outer ones, but that's what makes her such an interesting character.

I know I've had a blast writing her, and I just hope the rest of you have as well.