Paneling Draft 1...
Chapter 1: The New RevolutionNarrative: In the year 2013, in Russia, people are preparing for an election, in which Vladimir Putin will succeed Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
Scene: Showing Political Demonstrations in Red Square, in which someone is making a speech in front of thousands of supporters. At a closer look, this person appears to be our main character, who is shouting a speech into a microphone about the corruption in the government. Thousands of people are shouting in agreement, chanting something in Russian.
Narrative: Although many are going to vote, many more will boycott voting and protest the elections.
Scene: The man leading the demonstrations has just gotten home to his apartment in Moscow, a few blocks away from Red Square. There is a mob around the bottom floor of his 6 story apartment building. Chants in Russian sound from the windows. Diplomas on the walls of his apartment recognize him as Mikhail Komarov.
Narrative: Medvedev is slightly worried about the protest going on everywhere in his city.
Scene: Medvedev sits in his office with several advisors and his successor, Vladimir Putin. The office has several photos of Medvedev and Putin, and it has one poster of the rock band Deep Purple. It is a nice office, with a view of the entire city. In the distant Red Square, thousands of people can be seen demonstrating. Faint chanting drifts in from the windows
Medvedev: “What are they saying?”
Advisor: “they are chanting ‘DOWN WITH THE REGIME!’”
Medvedev: “Get the police there now. I want to see those people out of there at once.”
Narrative: Election Day: Polls show that Vladimir Putin has won the election. People around Russia are protesting, western news outlets are calling the election a fake, and the Russian government is trying to get the people to calm down.
Scene: More than a hundred thousand people gather in Red Square in a massive political demonstration, protesting the corruption in the Russian Government.
Scene: Our main character, Mikhail Komarov, is shouting an inspirational speech through the microphone. A sea of people is gathered around him. He is slightly distorted so that it looks like he looms over the crowd.
Dialogue: The dialogue for this scene will consist of snippets of Komarov’s speech, separated by triple commas.
Narrative: however, the people of Russia were tired of being deceived. Angry mobs flooded the streets of every major city in Russia, in what was to be known as “The New Revolution.”
Scene: thousands of people with signs line the streets
Dialogue: chanting: “Down with the regime,” [or something along those lines]
Narrative: Soon, the demonstrations become massive; the Russian Government can no longer control them. Hundreds of thousands march on the Russian Parliament and other government buildings.
Scene: A mob carrying Putin out of his house
Narrative: Komarov instantly became a symbol over the people’s triumph over corruption. He is soon appointed by the public to be their leader.
Scene: Komarov, being held up by a crowd, with flags bearing his visage in the background
[Split panel; there will be one narrative box and four separate boxes]
Narrative: Komarov does very well as dictator, doing a number of good things for his country
Scene 1: Komarov giving money to an orphanage
Scene 2: Komarov overseeing the construction of new roads
Scene 3: Komarov giving Christmas presents to children
Scene 4: Komarov at the ribbon cutting for a new hospital
Narrative: However, Komarov also increases his country’s morale by using negative tactics and blame. He begins showing propaganda that hates on the western world.
Scene: Komarov shouting into a microphone
Narrative: 2 years later…
Scene: Komarov and an advisor are sitting in his office. Lining the walls are images of Komarov. The office is the one that appeared in the beginning of the story, except now it is Komarov’s.
Dialogue
Komarov: I don’t care how many jobs they provide!
Advisor: But sir, if we ban McDonald’s, we will lose thousands of jobs!
Komarov takes a long drag from his cigarette
Komarov (in an “ending conversation” tone): They are a symbol of western decadence! I want them TORN DOWN, BURNED!
Advisor: Right away sir. We’d better get ready for your speech.
Scene: Komarov is seen giving a speech to thousands in Red Square, in front of thousands of people. There are huge loudspeakers booming his voice. There is an uncountable amount of people in the square.
Dialogue:
Komarov: When I was young, around the year 1988, I remember Moscow before the end of the cold war…
Chapter 2: The History
*scene transitions to Komarov’s young life in Moscow. Komarov’s more prominent features are more childish, but we can still tell it is him. There will be thought bubbles transitioning from the audience’s head, forming the next scene. Komarov’s voice becomes the narration. The whole flashback is in black & white, and details the changes from the cold war to the present day.
Narrative: I remember the demonstrations.
Scene: A man, whom we can assume is Komarov’s father, is talking. We do not see his face, only his legs, with the young Komarov at his ankles. Anything his father says will be in the form of speech bubbles coming from the top of the scene.
Dialogue:
Komarov: “Daddy are you going to the demonstration?”
Father: “Yes son, I have to do my part and voice my opinion like every man in Russia should.”
Narration: I’d always had an interest in protesting. I was brought up by my father to question; to inquire; I had a mind of my own, and no government could control it.
Scene: Same scene as before
Dialogue:
Komarov: “Daddy can I go? Please? Please? PLEASE?
Father: “I don’t think it would be a smart idea, you might get hurt.”
Narrative: A few months later, the U.S.S.R. was dissolved. Chaos prevailed, and the economy collapsed. Our living conditions got worse.
Scene: Komarov standing at his father’s ankles with a small house in the background
Dialogue
Komarov: “Why are we moving?
Father: “My job with the government was cut; we can’t afford the house anywhere. Don’t worry, things will be better where we’re going.
Komarov: *sigh*
*in this panel, the audience is taken back to Komarov at the podium.
Scene: Komarov at the podium, with a far away look on his face, taking a drink of vodka from a flask.
*back to Komarov’s young life.
Narrative: We moved to a small apartment in a poor area of the city.
Scene: picture of a small car driving to a large, dark, looming city
Narrative: Times were hard. Then, one day, my father got sick. He began coughing and coughing. Our apartment had no heat, and in the winter of 1989, he died of tuberculosis.
Scene: father on his bed coughing.
Narrative: I was too poor to afford a casket for my father, so I built one myself and buried him in a quiet place by a lake in Krachnovid.
Scene: Komarov driving his car in a rural setting.
Narrative: After my father died, I was able to get a good paying job at the KGB. Things turned around, and I was able to do well for myself.
Scene: Komarov, with large sunglasses and a large coat.
Narrative: Although the job paid well, I soon grew tired of the work. I realized that the government that I was working for was corrupt, and that I could no longer serve in the KGB.
Scene: Komarov presenting his badge to the KGB and resigning.
Narrative: I had enough money to live for life, but I knew that I was not done; I soon joined the underground Russian Liberation Organization, which was the secret group that was formed to topple Vladimir Putin before Dmitri Medvedev succeeded him.
Scene: Men with obscure faces creep in the dark in Moscow.
Narration: I had charisma and was smart, and I moved up the ranks quickly. I was able to easily rally much more people into the organization, and by the time Medvedev was in office, I was rallying the people for the New Revolution.
Scene: Komarov giving a speech in front of a modest crowd.
Narration: Every day, I was organizing, planning, clandestinely holding meetings and furtively making calls. I was conceiving the New Revolution.
Dialogue:
Komarov: We will rally all of the honest people of Russia and storm into the Parliament building on Election Day. We will carry Putin out of his mansion in the capitol and make our own Russia!
Audience: [Cheers]
Narration: By the year 2012, I had become the leader and mastermind of the Russian Liberation Organization. We had agents in every city in Russia, waiting for the call to make the move. On Election Day, I gave a speech in front of hundreds of thousands of people, just as I am today, and the New Revolution began.
Chapter 3: The Spiral
Narration: After Komarov’s speech, hundreds of thousands of people cheered, and millions more shouted in their homes. People forgot about the security cameras, and the taxes, and the police, as they were enthralled by Komarov’s miraculous charisma.
Scene: [Split panel]
Scene 1: hundreds of thousands send a resounding cheer throughout Moscow.
Scene 2: millions send a resounding cheer throughout Russia.
Dialogue: Cheers.
Narrative: However, Komarov still continued to work behind the scenes at attaining absolute control as the people of Russia were captivated by his public appearance and propaganda. Komarov was a god in Russia.
Scene: Komarov standing on Russia on a globe, with his body reaching to the clouds.
Narrative: Those that did not agree with him, however, were not enthralled with his charisma. They were not happy that the police force was so strong, or that there were cameras everywhere. Anyone, at anytime, was being watched, identified, and scrutinized.
Scene: a person (audience assumes is a political dissident) being dragged through and alley with propaganda posters in the background.
Dialogue: I only said “hamburger”
Narrative: Thousands toiled in labor camps. The worst offenders were simply killed. However, millions of people were blissfully unaware of what was going on in their own country.
Scene: A labor camp in someone’s backyard to show an analogy of what was going on.
Narrative: One day, a large protest broke out in Moscow. People were marching through the streets, shouting at the government to lower taxes.
Scene: people in the street picketing
Narrative: The protest didn’t last long. Everyone involved was immediately arrested within hours. Everyone who took photos were arrested, their photos burned.
Scene: people being hauled away in handcuffs.
Narrative: No newspapers dared publish anything about the incident. Soon, the entire city forgot.
Scene: [hmmm…]
Narrative: Years passed, and control tightened on everyone in the country.
Scene: a person with a bunch of security cameras pointed at them from all directions.
Narrative: Everyone’s phone was bugged. People were being herded like sheep.
Scene: Split telephone scene, with normal people, except with a third panel with a person in a coat and glasses listening in on the conversation.
Chapter 4: The Tipping Point
Narrative: things stayed as they were, for a long time. People got used to being watched, and most did not fight the changes.
Scene: Russian Family, watching propaganda on their T.V. with a security cam in the background.
Narrative: Komarov, however, was beginning to get paranoid. He had his top advisors and generals fired, and sent to labor camps; he thought everyone around him would try and take his power.
Scene: Komarov, with a paranoid look on his face, with his advisors gathered around him in a menacing way.
Narration: One day, however, an event would transpire that would change Russian history books forever. Komarov had received shady word that U.S. and European forces were gathering supplies and preparing for an attack on the southern peninsula near the black sea.
Scene: A courier delivering a very important letter to the parliament building in Moscow.
Narration: Komarov ordered a top-secret meeting to discuss the course of action for the Russian Military.
Scene: Komarov in a room, at the head of a large table with very important looking people at the table.
Dialogue:
Komarov: We will rally all of our troops and barricade St. Petersburg. Then, Friday of this week, we will take the borders and trample all the Americans stationed there!
General: We should wait and see if this information is valid, and then make our move; this could be a trap.
Next panel, same scene.
Dialogue:
Komarov: You do not know! We have a top of the line military satellite that can see an ant from space! My military is the most powerful military in the world! I WILL TRAMPLE ANY AMERICANS WHO GET IN MY WAY
General: BUT SIR! This could be a grave mistake! You need to think clearly before making decisions! You are INSANE to think that YOU can simply march YOUR armies anywhere YOU please!
Scene: Komarov’s eyes have a spark of insanity in them. Although he is calm and maintains his composure, his eyes convey that his thoughts are completely crazy.
Komarov: Ferapont, give me your pistol.
General: what for?
Komarov: Ferapont, GIVE ME YOUR PISTOL!
Scene: Ferapont cautiously handing over the pistol as the rest of Komarov’s leaders look on anxiously. Komarov’s intense stare suggests that he has completely lost his mind.
Scene: Komarov putting the pistol on the table. Everyone in the room is relieved. Komarov takes a swig of vodka from his flask.
Scene: Komarov lights a cigarette
Scene: Komarov picks up the pistol, takes a long drag from his cigarette.
Scene: with fiery eyes, Komarov aims the pistol right at Ferapont’s head, from about 3 feet away. Ferapont having a look of complete and absolute fright on his face, like a “what have I done I have awoken a monster” type of fright. View is form behind Komarov, who stands taller than Ferapont by about 6 inches.
Scene: Camera is facing Komarov now. He looks completely insane and absorbed in his power. He has completely lost his mind. His eyes do not appear to be his; instead, they are of a fiery anger unmatched only by their insanity. He has a very intense look on his face
Dialogue:
Komarov (almost calmly): I am the greatest man the world has ever seen. This is not a democracy. This is a state in which I am the ONLY and ABSOLUTE leader. ANYONE who thinks they can rule this country, PLEASE, get in line with Mr. Ferapont here. I AM MIKHAIL KOMAROV!
Scene: Komarov, with the same aforementioned look, shoots Ferapont in the head. ***I am not sure how I will convey this scene, as it is a bit graphic and crazy, but I feel as though it is a necessary part of the story, and that it must be included.
Dialogue:
Ferapont: Mr. Komarov—
Scene: The other people in the room look on with absolute horror. Komarov stands calmly with his cigarette, with the smoke drifting through the air. Ferapont’s body lies on the ground, with a pool of blood. Komarov’s expression has lost some of the craziness of the previous scenes, although it is still there, quietly smoldering. This will be a large scene, maybe taking up a page or so.
Chapter 5
Narrative: The next day, troops barricaded St. Petersburg. That Friday, troops reached the southern borders. When they arrived, there was nobody there.
Scene: Troops in a small village, standing next to their trucks.
Dialogue:
Soldier 1: There’s nobody here!
Soldier 2: I know! What a waste of time! They even took me off leave to drive over here! Can you believe it!?
Narrative: meanwhile…
Scene: American military launching a massive flood of aircraft and ground combat, with helicopters shooting buildings, and the whole procession clearly moving forward.
Narrative: The Americans quickly took control of western Russia. Although they haven’t taken Moscow yet, they are preparing to.
Scene: a map of Russia, with a red mass surrounding Moscow.
Scene: Komarov, once again giving a speech in front of millions in Red Square.
Dialogue: I have seen the poverty; I have seen the destruction, the suffering.
Scene: Close up of Komarov, with a look of complete sadness in his eyes.
Scene: again, the far away of Komarov amid the sea of thousands of people.
Dialogue: I regret my decisions, and I am deeply sorry for the damage I have caused to the Russian Government, The Russian Reputation, and The Russian People. This is a transgression of epic proportions, and I lament the fact that my reign as dictator had to end this way.
Narration: Komarov contemplated fleeing the country, but Americans surrounded him on all sides.
Scene: Komarov being cornered on all sides by Americans on all sides, in a dark corner. [figurative]
Scene: Komarov, sitting in his office in downtown Moscow. His advisors accompany him., and he has a look of sadness in his eyes.
Dialogue:
Komarov(to one of his advisors): Nikolai, give me your pistol.
Scene: Nikolai, with a look of fright on his face, handing over the pistol.
Scene: Komarov, sitting in his office, looking at the pistol with a faraway look in his eyes.
Dialogue:
Komarov: Everyone, out. I need some time by myself.
Scene: Advisors are gone, Komarov, sitting in chair, facing away from the window, pointing the pistol in between his eyes.
Scene: view from outside the parliament building, Komarov’s window, clearly the largest one, is completely red.
Mike Sutherland
Labels: Graphic Novel Project