TRUE CRIME
By Matthew Craig
mattscrew@hotmail.com

PAGE ONE

Six panel page. It’s early morning, and the setup is this: long, straight street. Bank with an external ATM, accessible from a small flight of steps. The street is deserted: there are no other pedestrians or cars. On the opposite side of the street from the ATM is a bus stop. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Panel One

A MAN strolls up to the ATM from the street. He’s of average height and average weight, and is dressed casually. He has his wallet out, ready to accept his hard-earned greenbacks.

Panel Two

The MAN puts his cashcard into the slot. Oblivious to what’s about to happen, he smiles absently, perhaps recalling the memory of an old girlfriend, or the recent success of his favourite football team.

Panel Three

The MAN’s point of view, now. The MAN taps his PIN number into the keypad. We see the ATM display, with the MAN’s face almost reflected in it. His shadow falls across the cashpoint. Displayed on the screen: ENTER PIN, and ****.

Panel Four

Same POV as before. New display: CASH and £30.00

Panel Five

Same POV again. The MAN puts his card back in the wallet, while the machine disgorges the cash. Suddenly, a second shadow falls across the cashpoint. Maybe there’s even a second, faint reflection in the display.

Panel Six

The man whirls around, something startling him! - - 

PAGE TWO

Quick introduction to Pages Two to Six: the MAN slips into a daydream, where he imagines fighting off his mugger. If you want to change the panel borders, or employ some other clever visual cue to emphasize this, then by all means, do so. But back to Page Two.

Four panels. When I was working out how to write this page, I tried two different approaches. Both would be fine, although I lean towards Version One, as it has more impact. You’re the artist, however: it’s up to you.

Version One – Panel One to full bleed, with Panel Two inset and emphasized. Panel Three and Four overlaid on the bottom half of the page.

Version Two – Four regular panels.

Panel One

AAH! The MAN whirls around and discovers a MASKED MAN, looking over him. He’s bigger than the MAN by a good few inches. He’s wearing a puffer jacket, which makes him look meatier, too. A sweatshirt hood, sunglasses, and a bandana pulled up over his nose masks his face. His body language is aggressive.

Panel Two

Close in on the MASKED MAN’s face. If possible, he should be bristling with menace.

1.	MASKED MAN: Give us yer money.

Panel Three

The MAN steps back, aghast - -

Panel Four

- - and clenches his fist, whitening the knuckles.

PAGE THREE

Got a lot of frustration to take out on the world? This is the page for you, my friend. There are professional artists today who can’t draw a moment like this – working on superhero books, even! – so here’s a chance for you to show them what’s what.

Five panels. One big one across the top half of the page, to full bleed. Second panel across the middle of the page. Last three panels across the bottom of the page.

Panel One

Fucking POW. A thunderous left hook sends the MASKED MAN flying, towards us, out of the page. Exaggerate the punch, the camera angle, whatever. Just make our teeth rattle.

Panel Two

Wide, thin panel to emphasize just how far the MASKED MAN flies. And it’s a good long way. He arcs across the street, towards the bus stop, with its lovely, glass fittings.

Panel Three

And through he goes – smash! – landing, on his neck, on the other side of the bus stop. This should be very hard, and very, very final.

Panel Four

Triumphant, the MAN stands on the top step, surveying the carnage. His hands down by his sides, the fists clenched, he throws his head back, and laughs.

Panel Five

Close in on the MAN’s face, his eyes wild with madness. He laughs like he’s just heard the greatest joke ever told. He laughs until - - 

PAGE FOUR

Five panels. Two rows of two, with Panel Five isolated at the bottom.

Panel One

The MAN flips the MASKED MAN the bird, defiant in his obstinacy.

	1. MAN:	Kiss my arse.

Panel Two

The MASKED MAN pulls a knife.

Panel Three

Chuckling, the MAN reaches into his coat pocket - - 

	2. MAN:	Ha! That’s not a knife - -

Panel Four

- - and pulls out a double-barrelled shotgun. His eyes have gone all Christopher Walken.

	3. MAN:	This is a knife.

Panel Five

The MASKED MAN shites himself. His eyebrows lift above the rims of his shades, and the bandana drops from his face. He wasn’t expecting this.

PAGE FIVE

This is where it all goes wrong. Eight panels. Two rows of two, then the final four panels along the bottom third of the page. I’m going for a rapid-fire, staccato effect.

Panel One

As in Page Two, Panel One, our MAN takes a swing at the MASKED MAN with his left fist. This time, however, the MASKED MAN sidesteps the punch, and - -

Panel Two

- - and slugs the MAN, hard in the jaw, across the left side of his face. The MAN staggers under the blow, and spits teeth.

Panel Three

The MASKED MAN hits him again, and the MAN goes down, on all fours.

Panel Four

The MASKED MAN kicks the MAN in the side, hard. The MAN spits blood, and rolls onto his back.

Panel Five

The MASKED MAN stands over the MAN (we can’t see his face), and punches him--

Panel Six

- - and punches him again- - 

Panel Seven

- - and again - -

Panel Eight

- - and again…

PAGE SIX

Home straight, now. But this might be a hard page to draw, emotionally speaking. So I apologise in advance. The sainted mother blanched when she read this part of the plot. I write comics about my dog, normally. Anyway. On with the show.

Seven panels. Three across the top, one in the middle, to full bleed, and three across the bottom. The one in the middle is…well. You’ll see.

Panel One

A straight reproduction of Page Four, Panel One. The MAN flips the bird.

	1. MAN:	Kiss my arse.

Panel Two

The MASKED MAN pulls his knife again (cf. Page Four, Panel Two), but it should be in a much more threatening, and imminently deadly fashion.

Panel Three

Panicking, the MAN tries to fend off the advancing assailant, holding both arms outstretched. His wallet falls out of his pocket.

	2. MAN:	No! Please! No!

Panel Four.

And here it is. The MASKED MAN stabs our MAN in the belly, just under the ribs, driving up into the ribcage. This is full bleed, remember: we want to see the horror and disbelief on the MAN’s face. Tears should be welling up in his eyes.

Panel Five

The MAN drops to his knees, clutching his wound. Blood pours out between his fingers. The tears stream down his face. The MASKED MAN picks up the dropped wallet.

Panel Six

The MASKED MAN trots down the steps, putting the wallet in his pocket. The MAN watches him go, terrified beyond belief.

Panel Seven

The MASKED MAN sprints off into the distance, as the MAN collapses.

PAGE SEVEN

Last page. Back to reality. Eight panels (3-3-2). I can’t decide if this is a cop-out ending or not. Probably. Fuck it. Let’s go.

Panel One

The MAN, his instinct for self-preservation snapping him out of his daydream, steps aside, to allow the MASKED MAN access to the money.

Panel Two

The MASKED MAN grabs the money from out of the cashpoint.

Panel Three

The MAN watches his robber sprint down the steps, as he puts his wallet into his trouser pocket. This is important, as we’ll see in a moment.

Panel Four

The MAN wipes the sweat off his brow, and visibly sighs.

	1. MAN:	Oh well…

Panel Five

The MAN reaches into his inside jacket pocket…

	2. MAN:	…at least it wasn’t my money.

Panel Six

…and pulls out a second wallet.

Panel Seven

The MAN takes a second cashcard from this new wallet, and throwing a shiteating grin at the reader…

Panel Eight

…turns back to the cashpoint, ready to start all over again…

END

Script, characters and situation © Matthew Craig.