Clockwork Angels: Comic Script (2 page)

PAGE 1

PANEL 1

These first two pages all have a sepia tint to differentiate that this is a frame story, introducing our character who is telling the tale.

Big panel: Stone angel in the foreground, a garden ornament, weathered, covered with moss, seen from behind (throughout this series, we will NOT show the angels’ faces). It is on the edge of a garden; there are flowers in bloom, vegetables in rows in the garden, orchard trees all around, with APPLES, bright red, hanging from the branches. (Apples will be a metaphor throughout the story.)

Mid-ground, the real focus, is an old man, old OWEN HARDY, in a chair with a book on his lap, a journal, and a pen in his hand.

NOTE: Owen Hardy is an old man here, but he is NON-ETHNICALLY SPECIFIC … should have darker/olive skin, dark eyes, dark hair, could be Hispanic, Greek, Filipino, light-skinned black. Who can tell? This is an Everyman, worldwide.

CAPTION

Adventuring is for the young …

CAPTION

Remembering is for the old.

CAPTION

But in order to remember, one must have done the things in the first place.

CAPTION

Too many people forget that.

PANEL 2

Close-up of open book, blank page, hand holding pen, as Owen ponders.

CAPTION

It seems like a lifetime ago—which, of course, it was … all that and more. A good life, too, though it didn’t always feel that way.

CAPTION

How do I tell that?

PANEL 3

Three children go running through the garden, wild and rowdy, a girl pulling the string of a kite, a boy with a makeshift wooden sword, and ALAIN, a blond, freckle-faced kid.

SWORD BOY

You’ll never get me! I’m the Anarchist!

GIRL

You’re not smart enough … or
evil
enough!

PANEL 4

Alain stops and turns to face Owen, who is watching the wild kids with a trace of amusement.

ALAIN

Grandpa Owen, could you tell us a story?

OWEN

My stories are for everyone … but only those who want to listen.

PANEL 5

Sword boy and the kite girl tease Alain.

KITE GIRL

Come on, Alain! Do you want to sit around, or do you want to PLAY?

PANEL 5

The boy goes bounding off with his friends.

CAPTION

“And no one can listen all the time …”

PAGE 2

PANEL 1

A MONTAGE of images, like scattered photographs—use Hugh Syme’s paintings from the published novel, scattered images of memories, teasers of the story to come. Intersperse captions among them

CAPTION

From the very start, I had stability, measurable happiness, a perfect life.

CAPTION

Everything had its place, and every place had its thing.

CAPTION

I knew my role in the world. What more could anyone want?

CAPTION

I wanted more. And I got more … so much more.

PANEL 2

Birds-eye shot of the sprawling, colorful landscape, circus tents, striped and colorful practice pavilions.

CAPTION

Pirates, anarchists, alchemy, lost cities, treachery, explosions, adventure …

PANEL 3

Owen in his garden.

CAPTION

Adventuring is for the young … I wish that I could live it all again.

PANEL 4

Close-up of hand writing these words: “The best place to start an adventure is with a quiet, perfect life … and someone who realizes that it can’t possibly be enough.”

PANEL 5

Owen looks up at the sky.

PAGE 3

PANEL 1

Small panel, an echo of previous panel, but this time a young Owen, staring into the sky, same position.

OWEN

That one, there … it looks like a dragon.

PANEL 2

Owen is sitting under an apple tree on a hill. His back is against the trunk, feet sprawled out in front of him as he looks up at a big cloud in the sky. This panel is right out of the Rush song “The Analog Kid” on the
Signals
album. He is looking up at a big cloud in the sky, gray and puffy, but it is shaped just like the dragon from the cover of the
Rush in Rio
album.

OWEN

See its wings, the head, Lavinia?

PANEL 3

Pull back a little to show that Lavinia is standing next to Owen; she is a teenaged girl, brown hair, and everything about her reeks of No Nonsense. She has a basket of apples in one hand. In this panel, though it is almost exactly the same as
Panel 2
, the cloud looks like just a cloud.

LAVINIA

Owen Hardy, why do you always see shapes in the clouds?

OWEN

I wonder why I’m the only one who does …

PANEL 4

Owen picks an apple from a branch above his head.

OWEN

I like to dream of what’s out there in the wide world. The Watchmaker, Crown City, the Alchemy College … the Clockwork Angels!

OWEN

I can’t stop thinking big.

PANEL 5

Lavinia puts the apple in her basket; her expression is somewhat annoyed.

LAVINIA

I’d rather you spent more time thinking about being the assistant apple orchard manager and the town business of Barrel Arbor. We’re on the schedule to be married soon.

LAVINIA

That’s the Watchmaker’s plan. All is for the best.

PANEL 6

Owen stands, excited, on top of the hill, shading his eyes to look down in the sweeping valley below, where a STEAMLINER is passing by, like a bizarre steampunk caravan/freight train of zeppelin balloons, rail cars, gondolas with wheels, following a glowing blue line on the ground, like a magical rail. This is in the distance and we can just barely see how exotic it is. [We will get a full-scale look at it on page 12.]

OWEN

Ah, someday, to hop a steamliner, head off to see all of Albion …

PANEL 7

Lavinia stares at a pocketwatch in her hand.

LAVINIA

But not today. The Watchmaker has a rainstorm scheduled in thirteen minutes. We’ll have to run.

PAGE 4

PANEL 1

Hand in hand, with Owen carrying the basket of apples, the two run down the hill path toward the town. If possible, they run past a stone angel as a sort of marker at a crossroads (but the angel’s face is averted from us)

OWEN (LAUGHING)

Plenty of time!

PANEL 2

Running down the main street. The town of Barrel Arbor is a quaint, steampunk, almost medieval little British-style town, half-timbered houses, thatched roofs, fieldstone walls, a water wheel and a mill (just to give a feel … these don’t all have to be depicted.) ALSO NOTE, the symbol of the Watchmaker is the honeybee (see CLOCKWORK ANGELS novel for design). The honeybee symbol will appear as a detail on buildings, signs, etc., wherever Nick can slip it in.

As Owen and Lavinia run past, a shopkeeper or baker is inside his shop, leaning out the window and pulling the shutters closed. He calls to the two.

SHOPKEEPER

Hurry, you two, or you’ll be caught in the downpour. The Watchmaker is never late.

PANEL 3

Owen looks up at the town’s clocktower, a square stone tower, taller than any other building in town (but not huge) with a clock face on every side. The clock face shows 3:05.

OWEN

Six more minutes …

PANEL 4

Owen and Lavinia stop at a small brick shop, like a telegraph office. A hanging wooden placard outside the door says “NEWSGRAPH OFFICE, P. Paquette, Prop.” (There is a honeybee symbol on the sign.)

LAVINIA

I have to get inside and help my father. Take your apples to the cider house—and don’t be late.

PANEL 5

Owen close-up (possibly Owen and Lavinia two-shot). Owen has a longing look on his face.

OWEN

Wait! We’re going to be married soon enough—we should do something exciting. Meet me up on Orchard Hill at midnight.

OWEN

We’ll have a kiss in the moonlight … and watch the late-night steamliner heading toward Crown City.

OWEN

Please?
Just this once …

PANEL 6

Lavinia, exasperated, ducks into the Newsgraph Office.

LAVINIA

Someday you’ll be cured of all this nonsense, Owen Hardy …

PAGE 5

PANEL 1

Carrying the basket of apples, Owen shuffles along the town street without a care in the world, whistling. Note, the figure’s position is just like the kid on the cover of the
Roll the Bones
album.

OWEN

What’s a little rain?

PANEL 2

Big dramatic panel. Owen, his back to us, encounters THE PEDLAR on the otherwise empty town street. He has matted and tangled gray hair, a stovepipe hat, an eyepatch. And he is standing by a remarkable, heavily loaded steampunk-style cart. [See full description in the novel.]

OWEN

OH! Where did you come from?

OWEN

A pedlar won’t have much luck selling his wares now. The town’s closed, on account of the scheduled rain …

PANEL 3

Close-up of the Pedlar, his eyepatch, hat, tangled gray hair. [Note, we will see by the end of this issue that the Pedlar is really the Watchmaker in disguise.]

PEDLAR

And what about you, young man?

PEDLAR

What do you lack?

PAGE 6

PANEL 1

Small panel, Owen’s face shows puzzlement. He’s never thought about this before.

OWEN

Ummm … what do I lack?

PANEL 2

Big panel. The Pedlar tinkers with his amazing steampunk cart, adjusting packages. THROUGHOUT: the steampunk alchemy in this world runs on
coldfire
, a pale blue glowing energy source, so most manifestations of technology will have a pale blue glow about them.

PEDLAR

No rush. I’ll give you time to answer.

PANEL 3

Owen crosses his arms, as if giving a memorized answer from school.

OWEN

We have food, we have coldfire for warmth and energy, we have our jobs, we have happiness. Everything has its place and every place has its thing. There has been no chaos in Albion for centuries.

OWEN

Our loving Watchmaker takes care of our every need. All is for the best.

PANEL 4

Small panel, close on Owen. He lifts his chin.

OWEN

I lack for nothing, sir.

PANEL 5

Extreme close-up of the Pedlar’s narrow, intense eyes. They seem to have a bit of blue coldfire glow, too.

PEDLAR

That is the best answer a person can give.

PANEL 6

The Pedlar follows his cart as it begins to chug down the street. Blue-tinted steam boils out of a narrow exhaust stack. The Pedlar calls over his shoulder.

PEDLAR

Although such consistent prosperity certainly makes my profession a difficult one.

PAGE 7

PANEL 1

With a concerned expression, Owen looks at the town clocktower. Ominous gray clouds are gathering. But the clock shows 3:16.

OWEN

The rain is late …

PANEL 2

Owen holds out his hand, palm up. (Can be just a close-up of his outstretched hand.)

PANEL 3

Large panel, Owen watches the Pedlar, who is far down the street now, his cart entering the forest at the edge of Barrel Arbor. (For ref, see Hugh Syme’s painting of the Pedlar and his cart in the woods.)

PANEL 4

Small panel, a couple of raindrops spatter the ground.

PANEL 5

As rain begins to pour, Owen goes running down the street toward a fieldstone cider house, carrying the apples in one hand, holding down his cap with the other. (Put a cap on him in previous panels).

PANEL 6

Owen stands in the doorway of the cider house, panting, looking out at the sheeting rain. His father is in the interior shadows.

OWEN’S FATHER

You’re late, son.

OWEN

So is the rain …

PANEL 7

Owen’s father wipes his hand on a towel. Interior of the cider house has barrels and barrels of apples, an apple press, jugs stacked in the corners.

OWEN’S FATHER

There was a newsgraph update an hour ago, delaying the rain by eight minutes. All is for the best.

OWEN’S FATHER

Now let’s have an early supper. They’ll be expecting us at the tavern later.

PAGE 8

PANEL 1

A wooden sign hanging outside a British-style pub. The TICK TOCK TAVERN

PANEL 2

Interior of the pub, very pleasant and homey, something out of every quaint fairytale; technology level is steampunkish, around the end of the 19
^th
century. Villagers sit around tables, talking, drinking tankards, everybody having a good time. Owen’s father makes an announcement as he hands a big tankard to young Owen, who is sitting at one of the tables.

OWEN’S FATHER

A mug of real hard cider for my son Owen, who’ll be a man soon. He’s already received his congratulations card from the Watchmaker.

PANEL 3

Owen accepts the mug, looking intimidated; maybe show him taking a nervous sip. If there’s room in the panel, other tavern customers cheer for him.

OWEN

Th-thanks. I guess I’ll have to learn to drink hard cider now …