Golden Age Chapter 1

Golden Age, Issue 1 � Michael Nevada 1

MICHAEL NEVADA [email protected] PAGE ONE (4 panels) Panel 1. Cars driving in downtown San Francisco. A fisherman’s wharf is visible in the background. Panel 2. In the wharf the water ripples as if something is emerging from the depths of the ocean. Panel 3. A small mechanical tentacle peers out from the water. It appears there's a camera at the end of it. Panel 4. We are seeing from the point of view of the camera. We see the many cars in San Francisco. CAP (As if in a computer screen): Location: San Francisco, Downtown Population: 39, 445 CAP (Computer caption again): Course of action?


PAGE TWO (1 panel) Panel 1. A giant squid-like contraption is in the middle of San Francisco flailing cars around. It is mayhem. The driver is visible in the cockpit. It is an old Mr. Chemistry. You can see him breathing through a contraption that goes up his nose. This is where we put the credits (at the bottom). MR. CHEMISTRY: Destroy! CREDITS: Golden Age Chapter 1: Before I Sleep


PAGE THREE (4 panels) Panel 1. A close-up of Major Alpha's costume on a bench. Alph's shadow is right beside it as if he's just staring at his costume (you don't see his face because he is off panel) CAP: Another day at the job he tells himself. Panel 2. A close-up of Alph's feet. He's strapping his boots on. CAP: But it isn't a job. Job's are for normal people. Panel 3. Close-up of Alph's right hand as he puts his glove on. CAP: People who bleed, grow and die. CAP (Have this caption place at the bottom right of the panel): The indestructible man envies them. They don't carry the burden he carries. The weight of the world is always on his shoulders. Panel 4. Close-up of his cape (don't show his face) CAP: He distracts himself remembering a poem he read the day before.


PAGE FOUR (4 panels) Panel 1. Alpha walking away from what looks like a locker area (make it look futuristic, like something the Justice league would have). Again you don't see his face just his long flowing cape as he walks away, opening the door to the leave the locker room. CAP: But not for long, he has promises to keep. CAP (place on the bottom corner): Major Alpha Real Name: None Years Active: 40 Powers: Flight, Invulnerability, Superstrength Panel 2. Major Alpha walking into a docking bay. Waiting for him is Living Light who is leaning on the Alpha Jet. Siliniez is speaking to Madame Mystery. It's as if Siliniez (scratching his head) said something funny because Madame Mystery is laughing. Galahad is in the background checking the main computer for information. CAP: And miles to go before he sleeps. MAJOR ALPHA: Whattawe got? Panel 3. Close-up of Living Light. He's smirking as he speaks to Alph. LIVING LIGHT: Mr. Chemistry's terrorizing the city using that squid-machine thingamabob...again. He's getting unoriginal. GALAHAD (off panel): The man is insane-- CAP: Living Light Real Name: Dave Sanders Powers: Flight, Energy Manipulation Years Active: 20


Spouse: Janet Smith Sanders Panel 4. Galahad, arms crossed still far away in the computer. He points his finger at all of them. Madame Mystery now beside the computer speaking to him arms in her side talking happily but also reasoning with the dark hero. GALAHAD: --If it were up to me we would have broken every bone in his body years ago. CAP: Galahad Real Name: Unknown Powers: None Years Active: 5 MADAME MYSTERY: That's not how we do things here. Just like Alph always says. We don't punish, we protect. CAP: Madame Mystery Real Name: Janet Smith Sanders Powers: Empathic, Force Field Creation Years Active: 15


PAGE FIVE (5 panels) Panel 1. Galahad points aggressively at Madame Mystery (who at this point is furious). Siliniez is in the middle breaking them apart. GALAHAD: It's a rule we should change MADAME MYSTERY: Hey I don't mind breaking a few bones when I need to. I just don't enjoy it like you do, you sadistic... SILINIEZ: Calm down. Both of you. Violence is never the answer. We are all children of this Earth; let's treat each other as such. CAP: Siliniez Real Name: None Powers: Superstrength Years Active: 38 Panel 2. Alph, talking to all of them. He becomes stern and more confident. His shoulders go up into a heroic pose. All stop and listen to him. ALPHA: Stop it. Let's leave the bickering till AFTER we stop Chemistry ok? Panel 3. Living Light walking towards the jet. He looks back at the team teasing them to go into the jet. LIVING LIGHT: You heard the Boy Scout. Let's do the whole superhero thing. Panel 4. Cool superhero shot of all the heroes walking together in unison up the ramp of the jet. MADAME MYSTERY: Lets.


Panel 5. A shot of the Jet flying away from the Alpha Lair. The building should look stunning, bright colors and oddly shaped. I'm thinking of the Sydney Opera House in imagery. CAP: Oh wait shhhhhh, he's coming...


PAGE SIX (4 panels) Panel 1. A medium shot of a party. It's not extravagant in any way. Simple paper plates and cups. A banner saying Happy Birthday in the background. Maybe 15-16 people recently surprising Marty (in his late 40's). The house isn’t too big, just an average joe’s house. CAP: Today is Marty's Birthday-- CROWD: Suprise! Panel 2. A medium close-up of Marty. He doesn't look surprised. He smiles as he scratches his head. Only a small but forced smile comes out of his face. CAP: --he is 48 years old. Panel 3. Marty submerges into the party. He looks hesitant. He puts on a fake smile; he is not enjoying himself. He distances himself from everyone. Maybe have him be alone in the center. Almost everyone has their backs facing him talking to someone else in the party. He's alone yet trapped in the middle of the crowd. Maybe even have Marty loosen his collar in a Rodney Dangerfield fashion. CAP: Marty is somewhat of a legend here in his hometown. Panel 4. A shot of a (sepia) picture frame on one of the side tables. In the picture is a young boy 8 years old smiling beside a large heroic man (Major Alpha). He should look like the most typical Superhero, with cape and should have qualities similar to Superman. The picture was taken 40 years ago so it should look aged. There's a date on the bottom of the photo (This is a clue to the mystery behind Alpha's past, make the date obvious, It's April 6th, 1969) CAP: He was born in an age of marvels and wonders--


PAGE SEVEN (6 panels) Panel 1. A medium shot of Marty sitting down in a corner of the party staring at a framed photo. He's sitting beside his collection of all the adventures he's had. CAP: --A New Age Panel 2. A close-up of the photo he's been holding. It's Marty and Carol recently wed. They look happy. Marty's hand slowly touches the photo. He caresses Carol's face. Panel 3. Marty is still sitting by the memorabilia, but this time make an emphasis on the memorabilia. We look at his wall and it shows all the adventures he's had being the best friend of a superhero. Take special attention and show a drawing of Major Alpha drawn by an 8 year old boy. Marty's name in messy writing is on the bottom right. On the bottom left of the drawing is another date (again another clue). The date is March 8, 1968. CAP: Marty was the first person saved by these superheroes. It changed how the world worked. PARTY ATTENDEE (Off-screen): Oh my God! Quick! Turn the volume up Panel 4. A shot of the TV. The Alpha League are fighting the squid. The squid-like tentacles wrap Siliniez. Mystery is holding a forcefield as Light shoots lasers and Major Alpha punches the contraption. CAP: He always felt safe because his friends were protecting him. Panel 5. We're no longer watching from the TV. We're downtown as Major Alpha does the final blow that knocks the contraption down. Chemistry is screaming maniaclly CAP: Marty watches his old friend on the TV and knows--


CHEMISTRY: No!!!!!!! Panel 6. Close-up shot of Major Alpha and the Alpha League in front of many cameras as the cops bring Chemistry in a cop car. Galahad is helping with the cops. Living Light and Mystery speak to the press. Alpha is on top of the destroyed machine (in a big heroic pose) CAP: --even the world's greatest superheroes can't save us from what's coming.


PAGE EIGHT (4 panels) Panel 1. The Alpha League reforming. Have Alpha maybe clapping the dust from his hands. Galahad's arms are crossed MAJOR ALPHA: Well done. No casualties and... Panel 2. Same as 8.1 except everything is blurry. Maybe have Light and Galahad lose their balance and fall. Panel 3. Madame Mystery holding up Living Light. Galahad picks himself up. MADAME MYSTERY: Another earthquake! That's 3 times this month! Panel 4. Close-up of Major Alpha looking worried as he looks around at the devastation MAJOR ALPHA: This can't be happening again.


PAGE NINE (5 panels) Panel 1. An aerial view of Marty’s house. (it’s night time) SUB (bottom left corner): Marty's House, San Jose 10 pm Panel 2. Marty cleaning up the mess the party made, as there’s a knock on the door. SFX: Knock. MARTY: Coming, hold your horses. Panel 3. Alph at the door. He's holding a tupperware. The guests in the background are all looking at him as if he's a celebrity. It's late so there's much less people. GUEST #1: Is that really him? GUEST #2: He's taller in person ALPHA: Happy Birthday old man. Panel 4. Alph gives Marty a handshake. He has a warm smile while doing it. MARTY: Thanks. MAJOR ALPHA: Sorry the guys couldn’t make it. We've been really busy lately. Dave and Janet send their best wishes. Panel 5. Alph inside. Marty staring at the tupperware looking disgusted by it. He looks like a little kid staring at a bug in a jar.


ALPHA: Oh and Sil made you this. MARTY: Uh...thanks. What is it? ALPHA: Grilled Portabello mushrooms. Grew them on his back for 2 weeks. It doesn't taste bad if you don't think about it. MARTY: Right...umm...I'll just save this for later. I'm not in the mood for Siliniez fungus right now.


PAGE TEN (5 panels) Panel 1. Marty and Alph on the porch drinking what's in there paper cups. Alph stares at the street. The inside of the house looks empty. Everyone in the party has already left. MARTY: Quit making yourself out to be the villain. There's no possible way you can save everyone. MAJOR ALPHA: Yah I know. All these years I've been trying to connect all the dots. But still I can't put them together. I just feel like I'm not working hard enough. Natural disasters are rising and I can't explain why. Panel 2. Now a medium close up of Marty and Alph. MARTY: No one has all the answers Alph. You can't know everything. MAJOR ALPHA: It's not just that. Maybe it’s the answer to those questions I've been wondering about my entire life. Panel 3. Close up of Major's face MAJOR ALPHA: Remember the day we first met? I felt as if I came out of nowhere, like I just blinked into existence. I had no idea who I was or why I had these powers. Panel 4. Close-up of Marty. He frowns when he hears what Alpha has to say ALPHA: Dan and Janet think I'm crazy. Delusions of grandeur they call it. But something big is going to happen, I can feel it. Maybe this is why I'm here. To stop this one thing. Panel 5. Same as 10.4 except Marty looks up looking angry and a little tipsy as he sips more from his cup. MARTY:


You can't save everyone. Hell, some people don't deserve to be saved. Some deserve to die.


PAGE ELEVEN (5 panels) Panel 1. Alpha standing up as if looking down on Marty. ALPHA: You don't mean that. Noone deserves to die. MARTY: Even Chemistry? ALPHA: Marty listen, you've had a lot to drink... Panel 2. Marty standing up screaming at Alpha, pointing and holding his shirt MARTY: No! You listen to me! You think you're all high and mighty with your god damn morals, but you let creeps like Chemistry go on the street over and over again. Carol's dead cuz of this guy, remember!?! My wife is fucking dead. Panel 3. Alph looking down as if he’s ashamed. ALPHA: I know, and I'm sorry I couldn't save her. But there's a line we don't cross, ever. It's what keeps us being human. MARTY: Ha. Human. Panel 4. Marty walking towards the front door. MARTY: I know why you don't wear a mask. You're afraid people might hate you if they knew what you really are. ALPHA: And what's that?


Panel 5. Same as 11.4 except Marty's head is tilted to speak to Alph. MARTY: I don't know. You recite your morals like some kind of robot. You don't understand because you'll never be like us. You're nothing. And good, honest people like Carol die because of it. MARTY (This is supposed to signify a long pause): Now leave.


PAGE TWELVE (5 panels) Panel 1. Alpha scratching his neck. Slouching. It's a medium shot of Alph out on the porch. Something in Alpha's belt rings. He is grabbing it. It's a communicator, a disc looking contraption SFX (Off Panel): Slam! SFX (From the communicator): Ring! Panel 2: From the center of the disc comes a holographic projection of the Living Light. MAJOR ALPHA (off panel): What's the problem? LIVING LIGHT: Looks like your cracked up theory isn't so crazy after all, big guy. Panel 3. A medium shot of Alpha looking at the holographic image. MAJOR ALPHA: What do you mean? THE LIVING LIGHT: Galahad has gotten reports from New York City. Slight showers...oh and lava spewing from Time Square. Just your regular day in the superhero biz. Panel 4. Marty standing, head down inside the house. Door already closed. You can see Alpha speaking to his communicator outside (through a window close to the door). MAJOR ALPHA: Call the president for an evac team. I'll be there as soon as I can. Get everyone on the jet and meet me there THE LIVING LIGHT Ok.


Panel 5. Close-up of Marty's face. His eyes are teary. His head finally up. His nose sort of wrinkled as if he's determined and decided on something. MARTY: Goodbye, old friend.


PAGE THIRTEEN (3 panels) Panel 1. Establishing shot of New York City. Lava spewing everywhere. People running everywhere. It is mayhem. SUB (bottom left corner): Downtown, Manhattan Panel 2. The Alpha League doing what they do best. Siliniez redirecting lava flow towards water. Living Light is flyingaround as he looks for more people. Galahad seems to be looking at a small machine, an iPad type contraption, looking at reports. Madame mystery isn’t in this panel. A few bodies on the floor are badly burnt. Panel 3. Major Alpha flies down to where the team is.


PAGE FOURTEEN (4 panels) Panel 1. Medium shot of Alpha talking to Galahad. His face is serious MAJOR ALPHA: What's happened here Galahad? GALAHAD: You're late. Everythings been taken care of. A few casualties but it could've been worse. Panel 2. Alpha giving Galahad a stern look. MAJOR ALPHA: Where are all the survivors? Panel 3. Medium shot of Galahad's face, GALAHAD: We put them all on transports, getting them all to Jersey. Panel 4. Galahad's belt rings.


PAGE FIFTEEN (4 panels) Panel 1. Galahad pulls out a communicator similar to Alpha's. In the hologram is Madame Mystery. GALAHAD: Galahad here. MADAME MYSTERY: It's Madame Mystery. I'm with the transports. We thought the highways would be safe. We were wrong. Get Alpha here right away. Panel 2. Galahad putting his communicator back on his belt. GALAHAD: Looks like your going to..... Panel 3. Galahad looking around to see that Alpha has already left Panel 4. Close-up of Galahad looking pissed off. GALAHAD Typical.


PAGE SIXTEEN (4 panels) Panel 1. Marty sitting on the couch at his home. He's holding a tv remote watching the TV. SUB (Bottom left corner): San Jose, California 11:30 pm CAP: Today is Marty's birthday-- TV NEW ANCHOR (on TV): Downtown New York is now evacuated. 19 casualties so far, but it could've been worse if the Alpha League weren't around to evacuate all the survivors. Panel 2. A straight shot of the TV and the news anchor outside of the rubble. She hears news from her ear piece. TV NEWS ANCHOR (ON TELEVISION): I've just recently gotten info that the bus full of survivors from the New York incident has reportedly been trapped in the highway because of the lava. Panel 3. Same as panel 16.1 except Marty's face has grown serious. CAP: He thinks about what’s happening in his life-- Panel 4. Focus on the TV, Marty's legs pass the TV, he's going somewhere else. CAP: --the people who've been lost--


PAGE SEVENTEEN (4 Panels) Panel 1. Marty goes to the bathroom to wash his face. His head is looking down on the sink. CAP: --he knows where this is all going. Panel 2. A shot of Marty's face staring at the mirror. A face of hatred and sadness falls on him. CAP: He stares at his reflection. The white hair and wrinkles tell him that he's getting tired. Panel 3. He dries his face with a towel. CAP: Tired of all the deaths, the aging, not being man enough-- Panel 4. A close up of Marty's eyes. His eyes look determined and serious. CAP: --to do what needs to be done.


PAGE EIGHTEEN (1 panel) Panel 1. A giant page of Alpha carrying the bus. He's saved all of them. There's a huge crowd cheering on the superhero. There is some sadness because some people have been lost . But at the moment there is a quiet relief. Show a bit of static so it seems like a TV. TV NEWS ANCHOR (ON TELEVISION): The Alpha League has saved the bus full of survivors. A moment of relief in this day of tragedy...


PAGE NINETEEN (5 panels) Panel 1. A side-view of Marty in the bathroom again. He's contemplating something. Something horrible. TV NEWS ANCHOR (ON TELEVISION): The survivors of the New York tragedy owe all their debt and lives to these five great heroes....oh and here's Major Alpha himself. Mr. Alpha, might we have a word with you? MAJOR ALPHA: Sure. Panel 2. A shot of the TV. Alpha stands beside the female reporter looking more heroic than ever. TV NEWS ANCHOR: A lot of people have been noticing a rise in natural disasters, not just here in the United States, but throughout the entire globe. Do you know anything about what's been happening? MAJOR ALPHA: Well this new disaster here in New York just proves that something's coming. Something that isn't natural. Panel 3. Marty walks out of the bathroom MAJOR ALPHA: The evidence is right here. There's never been any volcanic activity in the city of New York. Something....strange is happening to our Earth. And the Alpha League intends to find out what that is. Panel 4. Same as 19.2 TV NEWS ANCHOR: Do you have a message to all our viewers at home who don't feel safe at this time? MAJOR ALPHA: Yes--


Panel 5. Marty going inside his bedroom MAJOR ALPHA (Off screen): --There's nothing to worry about as long as we take the proper precautions. The incidents so far have been in random areas on the globe so everyone must be prepared. Try to inquire about bomb shelters and the nearest fire exits in any buildings that you regularly visit.


PAGE TWENTY (5 panels) Panel 1. A close-up of a drawer. Marty's hands are visible trying to open it. MAJOR ALPHA (Off Screen): As for the actual natural disasters-- Panel 2. Same as panel 21.1 except the drawer is open. In it we find a rope with a noose and an Alpha Communicator. MAJOR ALPHA (Off Screen): The United States Government and the Alpha League are going to make this issue our number one priority. Once we find a suitable plan, we will present it immediately to the UN. Panel 3. Close up of Marty's eyes. In it we see the fear he has. He doesn't know what he's doing, he's confused Panel 4. The drawer is now closed. You see Marty's shadow. It's ambiguous whether or not he took the rope. On the top of the drawer the Alpha communicator now has a red light on it.


PAGE TWENTY-ONE (4 panels) Panel 1. The end of a rope is tied to a horizontal pole on the ceiling. MAJOR ALPHA(Off Screen): Please don't panic.... Panel 2. Someone standing on a wooden chair. A close up of just the legs. The background is familiar. It's Marty's living room. You can see the TV still playing in the background. MAJOR ALPHA(Off Screen): Everything will be fine. Panel 3. Same as 21.2 except now the TV is off. You can see Marty's reflection on the screen he has the noose around his neck and is standing on top of the chair. MARTY It's better this way, Carol. Better not to know what I am. Panel 4. A close-up of Marty's feet kicking the chair he's standing on.


PAGE TWENTY-TWO (4 panels) Panel 1. This panel should fill the half top of the page. All 5 Alpha League members in the center while legions of reporters surround them. CAP: Today is Marty's Birthday-- CROWD: Siliniez can you answer some questions for us? Madame Mystery and The Living Light, are you developing any type of research to detect these natural disasters? Major Alpha, is the world ending? Panel 2. A shot of Marty's house, through his window you see a silhouette of his body. He had just hung himself. He is dead. CAP: --he is 48 years old. Panel 3. A long shot of San Jose. Marty's house is still visible but seems minuscule compared to the houses surrounding him. Panel 4. Another shot of the city. This time as if we were thousands of miles up in the sky. The house is no longer visible. It is a speck in this very big world.

Golden Age Chapter 1

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