COMIC SHOP ROMANCE
By MATTHEW CRAIG
mattscrew@hotmail.com

PAGE ONE
 
Panel One  
 
Establishing shot. Mid-afternoon. A long street, with brick paving, lined with shops on either side. The buildings are mostly two storeys, with shops on the ground floor, and flats above them. The shops are a mixture of bakeries, charity shops, small electrical outlets and clothes stores.
 
All except for one.  
 
Halfway along the row of shops, between a shoe shop and a pawnbrokers, we see the premises of I. REED COMICS. The shop front is small, compared to the larger bakery and electrical store, with one large window on the left of shot, and an open door on the right. In the window, we can see videos, books, action figures and a poster for an upcoming comic: BLIND MOON CHRONICLES (a real comic series that I must get around to, someday: I have the poster image as and when it’s needed). 

Panel Two   
  
In the shop now. Shot as if standing in the doorway, looking in. The till is just inside the door (on the right), partially hidden by a tall cardboard cutout of an American astronaut, and is on top of a glass counter. Let’s make this the Platonic Ideal of comic shops: there’s action figures and crap, sure, but along the left hand wall, let’s have a lovely big graphic novel section, labelled as such. Along the back wall, left to right, there’s a display of upcoming comics and promotional stuff (we probably won’t see this, but hey: a man can dream, right?), and a door marked “Staff Only.” Along the right-hand wall, all the way down to the till, are the new and recent comics.

There are more trades and graphic novels on a table in the middle of the floor, set in a display that bears the legends "COMING SOON" and "LOCAL AUTHOR." One stack is of books titled "BLIND MOON CHRONICLES," all with covers resembling the poster from Panel One. Feel free to put your own dream project on the second pile, as long as isn’t some copyrighted thing like Spidey, or whatever.

There are a few shoppers: two young boys, rifling through the trades. One patron is nervously eyeing the adult-erotic comics on the top shelf of the comics section. The last shopper is a tall GOTH-type, probably buying a load of Sailor Moon books to enjoy with his girlfriend. He has a big bag of comics and the like, and is forking over a credit card to an off-panel assistant, hidden behind the till and the cardboard astronaut.  

 
Panel Three  
 
The GOTH, weighed down by his purchases, accidentally knocks shoulders with a shorter man, MATT, as he exits through the door of the shop. He makes to apologize, but MATT (who we see from behind, dressed in a long black wool coat), waves him on.  
 
1. GOTH:	WHOOPS! SORRY. 
2. MATT:	HEY. NO WORRIES.   

Panel Four  
 
MATT, who we still see from behind, moves to the counter, rubbing his shoulder. All we can see is that he is white, average height, with dark red hair. We now see the concealed assistant, named TESSA: unfortunately, she is kneeling down to tie her shoelaces. All we see is a mop of brown curly hair, peeking over the counter top.  
 
3. MATT:	HELLO? 
4. TESSA:	BE WITH YOU IN A SECOND! 
5. MATT:	THAT’S OKAY: I’VE JUST COME IN TO PICK UP MY STANDING ORDER 
6. TESSA:	OKAY, SURE. WHAT'S THE NAME, PLEASE?   

 

PAGE TWO
 
Splash Page.  
 
Reverse angle of the shot in Page One, Panel Two. Inside the shop, looking at the till from the other side. Full-length shot of MATT and TESSA, separated by the counter, framed so all we can see are the customer, the assistant, and the counter. Behind TESSA, on the wall under the window, are two three-drawer filing cabinets.  
 
MATT is smiling warmly. TESSA is still smiling, too, and is leaning just a little bit on the counter top with both hands.  
 
It's not an earth-shatteringly romantic moment, or love at first sight or anything, but MATT has met the woman of his dreams. He conceals it well...(yeah, right). We’re holding the gaze a moment.
 
MATT wears a long black wool coat, almost like a sailor might wear. He's also in his mid-twenties, average-looking with sideburns to just above the line of his chin, which bears two days stubble. Under the coat, we can just see a plain green t-shirt with a v-neck. He's wearing slightly baggy blue jeans, because he's a little overweight, and scuffed black shoes, the sort of cheap lace-ups a schoolteacher might wear. We can't see it yet, but there’s a half-inch scar on the top of his right hand, in the centre.

TESSA is of average height and weight (about the same height as MATT); white, in her early twenties, with long, curly brown hair and soft blue eyes. She's quite pretty, and has a bit of a beaky nose (not too big, mind), and full lips (in a friendly smile in this panel). She's wearing (incidentally) a navy blue vest top, blue jeans and Doctor Marten boots.

1. MATT:	IT'S MATT. 
2. MATT:	MATTHEW CRAIG. 
3. MATT:	C-R-A-I-G. 
4. CAPTION (bottom right of the panel):	I HAVE TWO RULES WHEN IT COMES TO COMICS: NEVER SPEND MORE THAN I CAN AFFORD, AND NEVER GO TO THE SHOP MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK. 
5. CAPTION (under the first one):	HAVING MORTGAGED A KIDNEY TO PAY FOR BREAKING RULE NUMBER ONE, I THINK I'M ABOUT TO START BREAKING RULE NUMBER TWO.  
 
TITLE:	COMIC SHOP ROMANCE 
CREDITS:	MATTHEW CRAIG - WRITER. 
ARTIST NAME - ARTIST
CAPTION (under CREDITS):	THIS STORY IS TRUE, EXCEPT FOR THE BITS THAT I'VE MADE UP - THE AUTHOR.  

PAGE THREE
 
Panel One  
 
MATT'S POV, as TESSA moves to her left (camera right, natch), and pulls open the filing cabinet. Make it the top drawer.  
 
1. CAPTION:	IT'S FUNNY. BUT NOW THAT I COME TO THINK ABOUT IT, I CAN'T REMEMBER HOW SHE SMELLED.  

Panel Two  
 
Pull back, so that we can see MATT’s upper half, as he looks to his left. The nervous customer from Page One, Panel Two, has plucked up the courage to pick one of the adult-erotic comics off the top shelf, and is sweating profusely as he casts his eye over the cover (which we can't see, but probably features a naked girl with unfeasible breasts, and a title like "SILK WYRM").  
 
2. CAPTION:	IT’S FUNNY, BECAUSE I CAN REMEMBER EVERYTHING ELSE.  

Panel Three  
 
Closer shot on TESSA. As she stands on her tiptoes to reach into the cabinet for MATT'S comics, we can see her bosom in profile. Which is nice. Don't make it gratuitous. She has breasts. MATT is trying not to look at them, so centre the shot on her...shoulder. That'll fool the reader. Ahem. 
 
3. CAPTION:	I CAN REMEMBER THE CLOTHES SHE WORE WHEN WE FIRST MET.
4. TESSA:	"CRAIG," WAS IT?  

Panel Four  
 
MATT is roused from his reverie. Raised eyebrows (in a wide-eyed, Stan Laurel-style) indicate that his thoughts, and indeed his gaze, had been elsewhere. TESSA looks up from the cabinet.  
 
5. MATT:	YEP. MATTHEW CRAIG. 
6. TESSA:	OKAY.  
7. CAPTION:	THE LITTLE INKSTAINS ON HER FINGERS, FROM A LEAKY BIRO.

Panel Five  
 
TESSA pulls out a handful of comics, and lays them out in front of MATT, who studies them carefully.  
 
8. MATT:	I'M JUST GOING TO HAVE A LOOK ON THE SHELVES. IS THAT OKAY? 
9. TESSA:	SURE. GO AHEAD.  
10. CAPTION:	NOT THAT I GO AROUND SNIFFING WOMEN, YOU UNDERSTAND.

Panel Six  
 
Long panel, across the bottom of the page. The nervous nudey-book buyer makes to pay for his selections. TESSA rings them up on the till, while MATT studies both her and the comics in front of him.  

11. CAPTION:	BUT I CAN REMEMBER EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT HER, THOUGH. EVEN IF HER SCENT ELUDES ME.

PAGE FOUR
 
NOTE: CAPTIONS should go at the bottom of the panel on this page: I'm going for a running commentary effect.  
 
Panel One  
 
MATT'S POV again, looking down towards the door. A step or three back from the shot on Page Two. The nervous buyer is leaving the shop, his bag of illicit goodies tucked under his arm. TESSA is smiling wryly as she watches him leave. The two boys from Page One, Panel Two, have turned their attention to the action figures, and appear to be waist-deep in Variant Edition Lorraine Kelly figures (with the plunging neckline and Karate Chop Action).  
 
1. CAPTION:	I REMEMBER THE SUBTLE DETAILS, AS WELL AS THE MORE OBVIOUS THINGS.

Panel Two  
 
Close shot on TESSA now, still smiling, and scrutinising the fingernails on her left hand.  
 
2. CAPTION:	I REMEMBER THE WAY THAT SMILE UNFURLED ACROSS HER FACE, LIKE THE FIRST FLOWER OF SPRING OPENING ITS PETALS.

Panel Three  
 
MATT places two comics on the counter next to the small pile already there. TESSA looks up, while MATT nervously looks down at the comics and grins.
 
3. TESSA:	IS THAT IT? 
4. MATT:	UH-HUH. 
5. CAPTION:	THE WAY HER T-SHIRT HAD RIDDEN UP JUST A LITTLE, EXPOSING HER BELLY BUTTON...  

Panel Four  
 
TESSA punches numbers into the till, while MATT bends over a little to write out a cheque in a ratty old chequebook he pulls from his pocket.  
 
6. TESSA:		THAT'S JUST TWELVE POUNDS EXACTLY, PLEASE. 
7. MATT (sotto voce):	JUST?! 
8. CAPTION:		THOSE EYES, WARM AND BLUE...  

Panel Five  
 
MATT hands the cheque over to TESSA. Their eyes meet as the cheque passes between them.  
 
9. MATT:		PAYABLE TO "I. REED COMICS," RIGHT? 
10. TESSA:		YEP. 
11. CAPTION:	…THAT WORLD-CLASS ASS.  

Panel Six  
 
MATT smiles warmly at TESSA as he makes to leave, large bag of comics in hand. As she comes around the counter to chivvy away the action figure urchins, she returns the smile.  
 
12. MATT:	WELL, I'LL SEE YA NEXT WEEK. 
13. TESSA:	OKAY. 'BYE. 
14. CAPTION:	BUT THE THING I REMEMBER MOST VIVIDLY ABOUT THAT FIRST MEETING...  

PAGE FIVE
 
Panel One  
 
MATT, walking slowly down the street away from the store, reading a comic from the bag (he supports the comic in his left hand, while flicking through the pages with his right thumb: no bending the pages back).  
 
1. CAPTION:	...THE THING THAT STOLE MY HEART THAT DAY, AND KEPT ME COMING BACK EVERY THURSDAY, FOR OVER TWO YEARS...  

Panel Two  
 
MATT stops suddenly, in the middle of the street, as if he's realized something important.  
 
2. MATT:	HANG ON...  

Panel Three  
 
MATT rifles though the bag, counting under his breath.  
 
3. MATT:	I WAS RIGHT...  

Panel Four  
 
MATT takes a receipt out of the bag, smirking at it.  
 
4. MATT:	SHE'S UNDERCHARGED ME. 
5. CAPTION:	...SHE COULDN'T COUNT.  

Panel Five  
 
MATT looks just off-camera, pleasantly surprised.  
 
6. MATT:	I THINK I'M IN LOVE! 
7. CAPTION:	IT WAS THAT SIMPLE... 
8. LEGEND:	END.

END

Script, characters and situations © Matthew Craig.