FOE KILLER JONES AND THE VORTEX OF DOOM

“Foe Killer” Jones and the Vortex of Discovery.

© Danny Nolan 2015

A 5 Page comic for RETRO SCI FI

NOTE: The same scene is basically repeated over for the entire comic.

PAGE ONE

Panel One

Page layout 4x1

Setting the scene:

Arthur Caruthers- a  scientist- is working/standing at a bench in his lab, It goes without saying he is in a grey coat white shirt with tie. He looks like your average 1930s dad bespectacled with brylcreemed hair and clean shaven. His bench is covered in pieces of metal and standard tools like pliers, screwdrivers, a hammer and a hacksaw behind his bench  is a plethora of copper and brass tubes lashings of glass beakers, test tubes and filters with the odd porcelain insulators sticking out.

He is holding a rifle, not just any rifle; this is a thing of beauty. It has a large Aluminium stock and a long shiny barrel. On top of the chamber either side of the barrel are two long chambers and from these chambers are spun metal tubing that winds its way into the body of the stock to feed the barrel which ends at the muzzle in a  wide fluted end much like a blunderbuss. The barrel itself has wide rings progressing up its length. There is no mistaking this for anything other than a ray gun. (see reference)

The scientist is holding it in his hand admiring his handy work.

Panel 2

Enter Lieutenant Robert “Foe-Killer” Jones.  A dashing government agency sponsored mercenary who would be probably digging ditches if it wasn’t for his outrageous luck , fearless demeanour and his ability to never question a superior’s order no matter how daft. There is more than an air of English upper class twit about him. He’s in his mid-twenties good looking clean shaven with a strong jaw and a barrel chest . He could be mistaken for Buster Crabbe. He is dressed in the uniform of the elite Earth Space Rangers (which looks suspiciously like the reference supplied with gun) Nestled on his forehead (for no good reason)are a pair of goggles.

The scientist is not happy to see him.

JONES:  Ah, Caruthers. Working on a new prototype I see.

CARUTHERS:  Well no…

Panel 3

Jones snatches the rifle out of Caruthers’ hands and looks at it. Caruthers is annoyed but knows his place.

JONES:  What do we have here? What a beauty. Let me guess. An anti-Zeppelin gun . No,no,no. I know. A molecular scrambler for destroying stone battlements?

CARUTHERS:  Um,  no. Please…

Panel 4

Jones holds up the gun and looks down the barrel. Caruthers looks very nervous and has his hands up to try and take the gun back.

JONES:  How about a dismember ray for taking out 

Floating Bull Whales in the air oceans of Venus ?

CARUTHERS:  You see if….

TITLE AND CREDITS

PAGE TWO

Panel 1

Jones is now holding it like a rifle should be held and is aiming it at a point off panel. Caruthers is now very panicky waving his arms.

 JONES:  Oh I give up Caruthers tell me while a take a shot out the window at the tree in the park outside.

CARUTHERS:  eek!

Panel 2

Jones fires the gun and is hit with massive recoil. Caruthers is holding his hands over his mouth his eyes are wide with shock and fear.

SFX: WHOOOOSH!

Panel 3

Jones is sitting on this backside from the recoil; Caruthers is still standing in the same position. Before them is a swirling circle- a vortex floating before them. The vortex is about the same height and diameter as a man , maybe a tad smaller as it will grow in the course of the story. (If possible can it appear to swirl and throb.)

Panel 4

Jones has jumped up with a big smile on his face. Caruthers is still standing except one hand has dropped to his side; the other is still over his mouth. His eyes still wide open in shock and fear.

JONES:  Good Lord Caruthers, this is fantastic. What have you created?

CARUTHERS:  Eeep!

Panel 5

A large series of large jungle vines covered in tropical plants extend from the vortex along with a small (baby) pterosaur flying among them. Caruthers has also fallen on his backside while Jones looks on in fascinated wonder.

SFX:  Flloooop!

BABY PTEROSAUR: (small) Squawk!

PAGE THREE

Panel layout

2x1, 1x2,2x1

Panel 1

The foliage retracts back into the vortex.  Caruthers is getting back up from the floor looking up with a fearful look on his face at the baby pterosaur that has remained and is perched on some lab equipment. Jones is talking to him excitedly.

JONES: Caruthers, a dimensional shift gun, you’ve been earning your shekels in the lab old man.

CARUTHERS :  But…..

Panel 2

Caruthers is up on his feet now and looking at Jones with a look of disbelief. His arms are raised and he is shaking his hands. Jones has pulled out his handgun and is pointing to the vortex whilst talking at Caruthers.

JONES: Stay here and tell High Command that “Foe Killer” Jones is on an unplanned unspecific mission for the greater good.

CARUTHERS :  Wait, you can’t be…..

Panel 3

Pull in and Caruthers hands have dropped to his side. He still has the same look of disbelief on his face. The baby pterosaur is just in panel.

JONES: (off)  For Science and Country.

CARUTHERS: ..serious.

Panel 4

Caruthers is still standing staring at the vortex; the look of disbelief has left his face and has been replaced with one of confusion which he directs at the baby pterosaur.

BABY PTEROSAUR: (small) sqwark!

Panel 5

Caruthers bends down to pick up the dropped ray gun. This time he has a  look of concern on his face. Meanwhile the baby pterosaur flies down and lands on the bench. The vortex is still floating in the room but he seems to ignore it even though it has grown slightly larger. Otherwise he would’ve noticed Jones’ head sticking out of it.

CARUTHERS: Well that was unexpected, my equations and research regarding    X-rays is well off the mark.

Panel 6

Jones (now with a three day growth) has emerged from the vortex so that he’s visible from the waist up , as he talks he is turning to look back into the vortex. A long decorated spear has passed through the vortex missing him by a fair distance The spear has embedded itself above Caruthers’ head, It may have been fatal if Caruthers wasn’t knocked back on his bum in surprise from seeing Jones. . The ray gun across his lap.  The baby pterosaur has hovered above the bench in flight due to the excitement.

JONES:  Caruthers, be a good man and tell High Command that I may be away a bit, I found myself in the middle of an uprising on the planet Dali V.

SFX (Spear) Donk!

PAGE FOUR

Panel layout 5x1

Panel 1

Same scene but Jones’ head has disappeared back into the vortex. Caruthers is staring up at the spear above his head. The baby pterosaur is now perched on it.

CARUTHERS:  Oh?

BABY PTEROSAUR: (small) squawk!

Panel 2

Caruthers is back on his feet looking at the ray gun. He absently-mildly shoos away the baby pterosaur that flutters its wings but goes nowhere.

CARUTHERS:  Hmmm, I must see how I calibrated this to be so far off my intended specifications.

Panel 3

Caruthers back at his bench, the ray gun is lying upon it. He turns in mild surprise to the voice of Jones as he appears once more from the vortex His beard is now at full face. The baby pterosaur still on the spear is also looking at Jones who is wrestling with a large serpent. The vortex has grown slightly wider again. (NOTE: this will be a common occurrence every time he appears so allow for this in panel placement).

JONES:  Caruthers, it looks like I may be a tad longer, there seems to be a damned plague of serpents infesting the city.

CARUTHERS:  What happened to the uprising?

JONES:  Keep up man that was months ago. Be a good man and let High Command know.

Panel 4

Jones’ head once again disappears. Caruthers looks unconcerned. The baby pterosaur is now on Caruthers’s shoulder. He doesn’t seem to care.

CARUTHERS:  Hmmp! Now where did I put that screwdriver?

Panel 5

Caruthers is holding a piece of the ray gun and a screwdriver the baby pterosaur on his shoulders looks on with interest when Jones reappears again, this time he is wearing a large ornate crown on his head and holding a long sceptre. He is sporting a very regal handlebar moustache (Note: The spear is still in the wall.)

JONES:  Caruthers, an update. They made me King!

link

Oh and by the way. I’m getting married.

PAGE FIVE

Page layout: 1x2, 4x1

Panel 1

Jones once again disappears and Caruthers looks more annoyed because he is being constantly interrupted. The baby pterosaur seems to echo Caruthers’s emotions and has an annoyed demeanour about it.

Panel 2

Caruthers is working on the ray gun at his bench, he is still ignoring the vortex which is now quite large. The baby pterosaur still on Caruthers’ shoulder has a spanner in its long beak.

Panel 3

Caruthers is holding the repaired ray gun in his hands as Jones once again reappears in the vortex. This time he is dressed in regal robes , has a crown on his head and is clean shaven again, he is riding a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Strapped to its side are suitcases, wrapped around the beasts neck is a banner reading “Bon Voyage” streamers also seem to be thrown from inside the vortex. The baby pterosaur has lifted off Caruthers shoulder flapping at all the excitement.

JONES:  Caruthers! All’s clear, cleaned up this mess and will be bringing the new family through shortly.

Link

On our new Stegosaurus’

link

 Tell the boys at High Command to break out the barrel.

Panel 4

Jones disappears into the vortex as Caruthers aims the ray gun at it. Which now has the baby pterosaur perched on the barrel.

Panel 5

Caruthers shoots the vortex. The recoil puts him on his bum again but the gun is still in the air held up by the flying baby pterosaur.

SFW: HSOOOHW!

Panel 6 

The vortex has disappeared and Caruthers looks content. The baby pterosaur dropping the ray gun into his lap.

CARUTHERS:  A disaster narrowly averted. I’ll just tell them it was still in the experimental stage.

link

An unfortunate lab accident.

FIN. DN

Art samples