Clockwork Angels: Comic Script (10 page)

PAGE 1

PANEL 1

Full page with insets. A high shot, viewed from above: in Chronos Square with the carnival, the angry crowd presses closer to an astonished and helpless-looking Owen Hardy. He stands holding the detonator in his hand.

CAPTION

The mob moves like demons possessed.

CAPTION

Quick to judge

CAPTION

Quick to anger

CROWD MEMBER

It’s the Anarchist!

CROWD MEMBER 2

He’s got a detonator—watch out!

OWEN

No, not me. I’m not the Anarchist. I stopped him! I saved everyone.

INSET 1

Owen holds the broken detonator in his hands, watchface loose, springs popping out.

OWEN

I stopped the detonator. We’re safe now!

INSET 2

Snarling, angry faces in the crowd as they rush forward.

MAN

Get the Anarchist! Don’t let him slip away!

PAGE 2

PANEL 1

Uniformed regulators march forward, raising their nasty-looking coldfire-tipped nightsticks (which we introduced in issue 2)

REGULATOR

Halt! In the name of the Watchmaker!

PANEL 2

Owen drops the detonator and runs away from the crowd, racing toward the Cathedral of the Timekeepers, across which is strung the ALL IS FOR THE BEST banner, with honeybee symbol, which Nick so cleverly planted in the previous issue.

OWEN (MUTTERS)

Right now, all is NOT for the best!

PANEL 3

At the side of the ornate Cathedral building, Owen grabs a dangling rope and swings himself up, climbing the stone wall.

PANEL 4

He reaches the top of the banner, stepping on the fabric which makes the honeybee symbol wrinkle, stretching his arm up toward the top of the roof. A thrown rock clacks against the wall near him.

PANEL 5

Below, the faces in the crowd howl and shout. Some people are throwing stones. Regulators raise their glowing nightsticks.

CROWD MEMBER

Get him!

REGULATOR CAPTAIN

To the rooftop, men. Cut him off!

PANEL 6

From across the square in front of the Watchmaker’s tower, Francesca is standing on her own high tightrope in her leotard and cape. But no one is paying attention to her now. She gazes across the square where the crowd has surged toward Owen. She can see his tiny figure climbing to the top of the Cathedral roof.

FRANCESCA

Oh, Owen …

PANEL 7

The Anarchist, lounging against a wall, watches the commotion, looks toward Owen with an evil smile on his face.

ANARCHIST

Better pray to get away, Owen Hardy.

ANARCHIST

Is this what you were brought up to believe?

PAGE 3

PANEL 1

Owen swings himself up onto the roof of the Cathedral, gasping, sweating. He holds his hat on his head.

PANEL 2

Getting to his feet, Owen stares forlornly at the colorful lights of the carnival and the gleaming Watchmaker’s Tower on the other side of the square.

PANEL 3

A side door in the roof bursts open and a group of Regulators comes rushing out.

REGULATOR

There he is!

REGULATOR 2

Halt, Anarchist!

PANEL 4

Owen runs, slides down a sloping roof with tin shingles down toward a gutter.

PANEL 5

Balanced on the gutter at a corner of the roof, Owen looks at a thick black newsgraph cable (like a telephone wire) that connects the Cathedral roof with another roof outside the square. Down below, FAR below, in the streets, he can see armies of red-uniformed and blue-uniformed Regulators rushing toward Chronos Square.

PANEL 6

On the roof above and behind him, the pursuing Regulators appear, pointing at him. Owen is poised, at the edge.

REGULATOR

He’s trapped now, no place to go!

OWEN

*gulp*

PANEL 7

Close-up of Owen’s foot as he tentatively steps out on the cable.

PAGE 4

PANEL 1

Owen walks the cable like a tightrope, arms extended, shaky and terrified. (Nick, pick an angle that makes this look as terrifying as possible.)

PANEL 2

Owen sweating profusely, looking down. Perhaps choose an angle that allows us to see the horrible gulf beneath him.

OWEN

If only Francesca could see me … She makes this look so easy.

PANEL 3

Owen finally reaches the opposite rooftop and collapses on his hands and knees (as if he’s ready to kiss the solid footing). Behind him, on the far Cathedral rooftop, connected by the thin wire, the Regulators are waving and shouting.

PANEL 4

Small panel, he dashes to a rooftop door, his back to us, running away.

PANEL 5

Owen emerges from a doorway onto the street, pulling his porkpie hat down on his head to disguise himself.

OWEN

Safe … if I can just get away from the Square.

PANEL 6

Big panel. Owen walks off into the big nighttime city, as crowds stream in the other direction, including uniformed regulators

OWEN

 … and Crown City.

PAGE 5

PANEL 1

Owen reaches the docks at the port of the Winding Pinion River (which we saw in the previous issue). It’s nighttime now, though, and the ships, docks, equipment are lit with eerie coldfire. Behind him, we see buildings of the city, tall clocktowers, and SFX letters around some of them indicate that all the alarm bells are ringing.

SFX

Bong! Bong! Bong!

OWEN

All those alarm bells … but the dock workers won’t know what it’s all about.

PANEL 2

A big steamer at the dock, sailors working at the gangplank, one man pulling a big hawser from a stanchion. Blue-tinged steam is curling out of the smokestack. Owen sees it.

SAILOR

Ready to shove off!

SAILOR 2

Off to the open sea, Atlantis, and Poseidon City!

OWEN

 … anywhere but here!

PANEL 3

Owen runs up to the gangplank, bounding toward the steamer. The sailors are startled. One man on the dock turns to yell up to the deck.

OWEN

Wait! I need to get aboard! Wait!

SAILOR

One more to come aboard, Captain Lochs!

PANEL 4

Gasping, Owen reaches the deck where he faces Captain Lochs, a kindly looking older man, possibly with a big mustache or muttonchop whiskers. (Nick, this is a recurring character, so we may want to see a character design ahead of time.)

CAPTAIN LOCHS

And what have we here?

OWEN

I’ve come from Chronos Square and the Clockwork Angels …

OWEN

I’m supposed to be here.

PANEL 5

Big panel, the steamer sails off down the widening river, away from Crown City. (Think of London and the Thames.)

CAPTAIN LOCHS (CONT’D FROM PREVIOUS)

Then all is for the best.

PAGE 6

PANEL 1

The steamer churns along on the high seas, choppy waves. Curls of blue-tinged steam curl up out of the fanciful smokestacks.

CAPTION (OWEN)

Adventure on the high seas …

CAPTION (OWEN)

I’ve dreamed about this ever since I was a boy …

PANEL 2

Sailors are working on the deck, looking cheery

CAPTION (OWEN)

Back in Barrel Arbor, I would read my mother’s books about far-off lands unknown. Atlantis! Poseidon City, far across the sea.

PANEL 3

Owen, utterly miserable, hunched over a bucket, obviously puking.

CAPTION (OWEN)

I never thought it would be so miserable …

PANEL 4

Owen on deck, shaky, near the rail. He looks up as Captain Lochs comes down the outside stairs from the bridge deck. The captain is grinning.

OWEN

I’d like to help, Captain, sir. For my passage. I can do chores.

CAPTAIN LOCHS

But you’re on a mission for the Watchmaker, Mr. Hardy. I have a full crew—not to worry.

PANEL 5

Owen rushes to the rail, bends over, vomiting overboard into the sea. The captain is amused but seems to commiserate.

CAPTAIN LOCHS

Though maybe the Watchmaker should have chosen someone less inclined to seasickness, eh?

PAGE 7

PANEL 1

Large panel. On the steamer’s bridge deck, which should have all sorts of cool steampunky gears and valves and pistons, as well as an ornate captain’s wheel—we will spend more time here in issue 5 before the Wreckers appear, so it’s worth putting some thought into the design. Captain Lochs stands at the wheel. Owen stands, bracing his hand against a bulkhead. Two other sailors (probably first mate and a mid-rank officer) sit at a table playing chess, looking up at Owen.

CAPTION (OWEN)

Five days … Five … long … days

CAPTION (OWEN)

The sea never stops swaying, rising, falling, lurching …

CAPTION )OWEN)

Captain Lochs calls it “smooth sailing.”

FIRST MATE

You’ll get your sea legs soon enough, Owen Hardy.

PANEL 2

The captain at the wheel looks at Owen who has come to stand by him, looking out at the endless open sea.

CAPTAIN LOCHS

I’ve been on this steamer run from Albion to Atlantis for years. Bringing coldfire and gold to the port of Poseidon City, bringing cargo loads of rare alchemical substances back for the Watchmaker.

CAPTAIN LOCHS

Always the same, always different. Like life. It’s a great adventure … but it doesn’t always seem that way.

PANEL 3

Owen close-up, pondering.

OWEN

Back in my little town, I couldn’t stop thinking big. I dreamed about Crown City, the Watchmaker, the Clockwork Angels … I prayed to see it all.

PANEL 4

Large montage of images from previous panels: Barrel Arbor, Lavinia, the carnival, the detonator, the Anarchist, Francesca, all surrounding the image of Owen smiling, tossing the apple in the air. (Concept drawing, and from cover of special web edition.)

CAPTION (OWEN)

Sometimes the Angels punish us by answering our prayers …

CAPTION (OWEN)

Maybe Atlantis and Poseidon City will be different.

PAGE 8

PANEL 1

Owen and Captain Lochs looking out the front bridge window of the steamer, where we can see the distant coast of Atlantis and a big city rising from the port.

CAPTAIN LOCHS

Oh, Poseidon City will be
different
, all right!

PANEL 2

Big panel: the steamer pulls into the port of Poseidon City. Poseidon is on a completely different continent and should have a very different feel than either Barrel Arbor or Crown City. I’m thinking the difference between New York and Shanghai. Poseidon should have a different cultural basis, feel crowded, dingy, ramshackle. This is your chance to be gritty, Nick.

CAPTION (OWEN)

I’ve read about the wonders of this city. A magical, exotic place where distant alchemy mines produce the elements the Watchmaker needs.

PANEL 3

Poseidon City workers grab ropes, tie the steamer up to the docks. These are surly-looking men with different clothes from what we saw in Albion. We don’t want the people to have a particular ethnicity (these are not admirable folks). This is a port city with a melting pot of races. Owen and Captain Lochs are standing on deck, looking down at all the activity.

OWEN

It’ll be good to have my feet on dry land again, Captain. Thanks for all your kindness.

PANEL 4

With a concerned, heartfelt look on his face, the Captain hands Owen some coins.

CAPTAIN LOCHS

Consider these coins a gift. Take care of yourself, Owen Hardy. Poseidon is a rough-and-tumble town. Be cautious.

PANEL 5

Owen walks down the gangplank onto the dock, with the looming, mysterious Poseidon City ahead of him. Some of the dockworkers give him a dark look, but Owen is happy, full of optimism.

OWEN

I’ll be fine. Atlantis is a land of legends! I can’t wait to see it. And it’s got to be better than spending days at sea!

CAPTION (OWEN)

In fact, Poseidon City was far worse than anything I had imagined …

PAGE 9

PANEL 1

The Anarchist section: open with graphic element (I suggest we use the “Precipitate” alchemy symbol here, the one tattooed on the Anarchist’s hand.) Panels will be dark bordered, not necessarily perfect rectangles to add chaos and disarray.

Big opening panel. The Anarchist in his usual outfit walks down a Crown City street heading toward the impressive Alchemy College. The big building looms there, filling much of the view. See Hugh’s painting on p. 179 of the novel for the building, but choose a different view; Nick, you will be redoing much of the p. 179 painting on page 12 of this issue. The Anarchist carries a briefcase.

CAPTION (ANARCHIST)

The Watchmaker’s Alchemy College. Good times.

CAPTION (ANARCHIST)

Bad times.

PANEL 2

Small inset panel showing the Anarchist’s burned, scarred hand clutching the handle of the valise.

CAPTION (ANARCHIST)

They left a permanent mark.