Monday 30 August 2010

In Perspective

Steve's currently working on a Futurequake strip called SAM, from a script by Mark Woodland.

Here are some preparatory sketches:







I trust the artists amongst you will understand.

Sunday 22 August 2010

In Living Colour

The Crusader: Spoonful of Honey has now been coloured by the esteemable Richmond Clements*.



We're delighted with the results!

Look for the strip within the pages of Massacre For Boys: Back In Action, which is, in common with at least two new Alan Moore works, a 2011 release.

*And, lest you forget, the script is by me and the art by Bolt-01.

Saturday 7 August 2010

I Hate It When A Plan Doesn't Come Together

The Squeam plan

Page 1

Panel 1

League of Planets HQ.

Caption: We cannot imagine it now, but there was a time before our own Great Galactic Peace.

Statue of Tudor J Gates, saluting, chest puffed out, in full dress uniform and with lots of medals.

Panel 2

Caption: The League’s Peacekeepers brought this wondrous contentment to all the known peoples, and the greatest peacekeeper of them all was Tudor J Gates.

Close on the statue’s proud face.

Panel 3

An establishing shot of a battle-scarred planet.

Caption: Posted with the “Bluehats” to the hellworld of Karnsmite, unwilling conscript Private Gates’ greatness was far from apparent.

Panel 4

Tudor is no patrol in a thorny forest with Corporal Elder.

Caption: “In a time when all medical treatments were non-invasive and Health and Safety perfection had been achieved, the sight of blood or gore was rare indeed.”

Elder: “Try not to get in the way, Gates!”

Panel 5

Elder scratches himself on a thorn, Gates’ is appalled.

Caption: “Some conscripts were unable to cope with even the faintest hint of bodily life-fluid. This made them worthless in battle and there were strict rules ensuring that no platoon had more than one such soldier.”

Panel 6

Tudor is sick into his helmet.

Caption: “They were supposed to be known as the Peacekeeping Community Support Operative (PCSO) but were most usually called…

The Squeam

Page 2

Panel 1

The Emperor of the Pyrotines vidcalls to say the peacekeepers must leave or die.

Panel 2

Major Fine-Style, the leader of the bluehats, offers to go back to the negotiating table.

The Emperor replies we will negotiate with your next of kin. They will offer us more favourable terms once they receive your ground up entrails in a shoebox.

Panel 3

Major Fine-Style is looking forward to some proper action at last. He demands sharper spikes and deeper ramparts because The Pyrotine GeneGiants are twelve-feet tall with hides like tarmac.

Panels 4 and 5

Tudor is taking around a tray of tea when the GeneGiants strike.

Panels 6 and 7

They storm the walls and one grabs hold of Elder and bares his giant teeth.


Page 3


Panel 1

Tudor jumps on the giant’s back and stabs him with al Laz-knife.

Panel 2

Crying out in pain, the Giant slashes at Tudor’s face.

Panel 3

Elder takes the opportunity to give the giant both barrels of a Laz-shotgun.


Panel 4

Elder thanks Tudor. “You’re alright, kid.”

Panel 5

Tudor smiles happily. Then looks at his hands, which are covered in his own blood.

Panel 6

Tudor collapses.


Page 4

Panel 1

Tudor wakes from his coma. He is alone.

Panel 2

Tudor sits up.

Tudor: “Hello? Hello? Anyone there?”

Panel 3

He wanders down a dark deserted corridor.

Panel 4

In the main hall he sees that the platoon have been ripped apart and left to rot, some weeks ago.

Panel 5

Close on Tudor’s horrified face.

Page 5

Panel 1

Tudor vidcalls league of Planet’s HQ. As the only survivor they make him ambassador.

The Emperor of the Pyrotines is now prepared to negotiate.

Panels 2 & 3

The Snearing Emperor arrives with body guards. Tudor kills them all.


Panel 4

When the new Emperor arrives, Tudor is bathing in the blood of his predecessor a tap has been fitted to his corpse, which hangs suspended over the bath.

New Emperor: “uh, yes, we would be happy to accepyt your terms, oh great one.”

Panel 5

Back to the League of Planets HQ.

Caption “And having established that peace can only be one by acts of horrific blood-thirsty violence, Tudor went on to bring “peace” to galaxy.””

Panel 6

We can see the statue of Tudor again, but this time we can also read the plaque beneath it. It says

Marshall Tudor J Gates.
“Must Kill More Babies”

Sunday 1 August 2010

Abandoned Futureshock

THE SQUEAM
By Chris Denton

PAGE ONE


1) We open with a medium shot showing the upper part of a large marble statue depicting TUDOR J GATES, quite a short and thin looking man, somewhere in his mid to late twenties. He is wearing a full military dress uniform (think Prince Charles on Remembrance Day) and saluting, his chest puffed out, covered in medals. The expression on the statue’s face is one of pride mixed with confidence.

Behind the statue is the night sky, full of stars and perhaps even a comet or two.

CAPTION: LEAGUE OF PLANETS HQ.

CAPTION: WE CANNOT IMAGINE IT NOW, BUT THERE WAS A TIME BEFORE OUR OWN GREAT GALACTIC CALM.

2) Close on the face of the statue, exactly as proud and confident as before, as you would expect.

CAPTION: THE LEAGUE’S PEACEKEEPERS BROUGHT ABOUT THIS WONDROUS CONTENTMENT, AND THE GREATEST PEACEKEEPER OF ALL WAS TUDOR J GATES.

CAPTION: THIS IS HIS STORY.

3) This is a very, very wide shot. In fact, it depicts about half of a planet.

We can see the surface of Karnsmite, from space so it is curved. The planet is primarily an unhealthy grey, with many patches of poisonous smog and two or three mushroom clouds poking through.

CAPTION: INITIALLY POSTED TO THE HELLWORLD OF KARNSMITE, THE ABILITIES OF UNWILLING CONSCRIPT P.C.S.O. GATES WERE FAR FROM APPARENT.

4) Now we’re in a petrified forest. The actual flesh and blood Tudor is advancing stealthily in the company of another peacekeeper, CORPORAL ELDER. They are both wearing conventional day-to-day military uniforms and holding vaguely futuristic laser-blasters. Their heads are protected by bright-blue helmets, as is usually the case with peacekeepers. Each man has his surname displayed on his chest.

Elder is a much bigger and broader man than Gates, and older too. He’s clearly a grizzled and experienced campaigner.

The densely-packed forest itself is lifeless and threatening. There are no leaves on the trees, just bare branches and long, sharp thorns.

CAPTION: THIS WAS BECAUSE IN A TIME WHEN HEALTH AND SAFETY PERFECTION HAD BEEN ACHIEVED, THE SIGHT OF BLOOD OR GORE WAS RARE INDEED.

ELDER: TRY NOT TO GET IN THE WAY, GATES!

5) Medium shot of Elder, determinedly pushing through some thorny branches. His left hand is cut open by a particularly nasty looking thorn. Tudor is just behind him, completely pale, looking appalled.

CAPTION: CONSCRIPTS LIKE TUDOR WERE UNABLE TO COPE WITH EVEN A HINT OF BODILY LIFE-FLUID. THERE WERE STRICT RULES ENSURING THAT NO PLATOON HAD MORE THAN ONE SUCH SOLDIER

GATES: ELDER, YOUR HAND!!

6) Close on Tudor, kneeling on the ground, throwing up into his helmet.

CAPTION: THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE KNOWN AS THE PEACEKEEPING COMMUNITY SUPPORT OPERATIVE (PCSO) BUT WERE MOST USUALLY CALLED

CAPTION: THE SQUEAM

FX: BLEURRRGH!!

PAGE TWO

1) This panel depicts a large vidcall screen displaying the upper body of the EMPEROR OF THE PYROTINES. Pyrotines are a vaguely humanoid race, but with a broader frame, bigger eyes and no apparent noses. They are also purplish in their complexion. The Emperor himself looks very angry and aggressive. I suspect a clenched fist is being waved. He is wearing a very impressive Imperial costume, with lots of gold chains, a crown and a flowing cape.

CAPTION: AN UNPROMISING START, CERTAINLY, BUT EVENTS WERE ABOUT TO THRUST GREATNESS UPON TUDOR…

EMPEROR: THIS INVASION BY THE LEAGUE OF PLANETS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. YOU MUST LEAVE OR DIE.

2) This is a wider shot revealing that the Emperor is talking to MAJOR FINE-STYLE, the leader of the Peacekeeepers. Fine-Style sits in front of the vid-screen, wearing the officers’ version of the uniform (eg a blue peaked cap in place of the helmet) and trying to look placatory.

This is a small vid-conferencing room, part of the Peacekeepers base on Karnsmite.

FINE-STYLE: WE ARE ONLY HERE TO POLICE THE CEASEFIRE, AS YOUR WORSHIP KNOWS. SURELY WE CAN NEGOTIATE TERMS?

EMPEROR: PYROTINES DO NOT NEGOTIATE. PREPARE TO BE SLAUGHTERED!!

3) Outside the base, Major Fine Style stands in front of Corporal Elder, surveying the defences with a critical eye. Behind them are a row of large spikes and part of a tall metal building beyond.

CAPTION: WITH WAR DECLARED, EVERYONE READIED THEMSELVES FOR BATTLE.

FINE-STYLE: THEY HAVE GENE-GIANTS, ELDER. TWELVE FEET TALL WITH HIDES LIKE TARMAC.

ELDER: WE’LL SHARPEN THE SPIKES, SIR!

4) The same location, a little later. Tudor is carrying a large, round a large tray, upon which there are many mugs of tea. He is offering the tray to Elder.

CAPTION: WELL, NEARLY EVERYONE.

TUDOR: TEA, ELDER?

ELDER: THANKS, SQUEAM.