Coming soon: The Widow
A few people have asked for proof that I’m actually working on comic scripts and not just running my mouth on the internet. (You know who you are, you vicious bastards.) In the spirit of full-disclosure, here: Have the first four pages of a comic in the works called The Widow. A slice from my admitted Tales From The Crypt phase, it’s the story of a young widow whose budding romance with a handsome stranger could prove to be the death of her, to be illustrated by John David Brown. You might remember him from his work on our comic Ain’t No Grave.
Sound good?
Good.
PAGE 1
PANEL
1. A city sidewalk on a stormy night. KAREN is standing in the rain under an umbrella outside of FORTUNE TELLER’S SHOP. Karen is small and slender, in her early 30s, with shoulder-length dark hair, a round face and large, guileless eyes.
2. CLOSE-UP of Karen under umbrella, looking up at sign.
3. CLOSE-UP of store sign.
4. Overhead view of shop interior. Cluttered, claustrophobic little store with stuff nearly falling from the overstuffed shelves. Lots of thick books, human bones and weird trinkets. Karen is sitting at a table across from FORTUNE TELLER, having her palm read.
5. CLOSE-UP of Fortune Teller. Middle-aged woman in a long dress and shawl with heavy jewelry. Lots of laughter lines and long, loosely curled hair. She carefully studies Karen’s hand.
FORTUNE TELLER: You’re very worried about something. It’s keeping you up at night, making you distracted and distant from those around you. Is it your work? Your family?
6. Karen looks down at the table, meek, her shoulders bunched.
KAREN: It’s what you told me before, it’s happening. Just as you said it would.
FORTUNE TELLER (off-panel): Oh?
KAREN: Yeah. I met someone else.
PAGE 2
PANEL
1. FLASHBACK. At a quiet city park, Karen is sitting on a bench by a pond. She’s feeding scraps of bread to the ducks swimming nearby.
2. CLOSE-UP of Karen. A man-shaped shadow falls over her.
3. Same shot, Karen looking up to see who is standing so close.
4. A MAN (JAKE) is standing against the sun, mostly blacked out.
5. Same shot, except this time it’s a CLOSE-UP of CRAIG, Karen’s husband. Craig is good-looking, square-jawed, light hair, very clean-cut. He’s looking down on Karen, smiling in a quirk of his mouth.
6. Same shot again, this time of Jake speaking.
JAKE: I see you’re back again.
PAGE 3
PANEL
1. Karen holds up hand to block out the sun, squinting a little.
KAREN: I-I’m sorry, do I know you?
2. Jake sits down beside Karen on the bench. He’s tall and broad with neat dark hair and fine features.
JAKE: No, but I see you here a lot, while I’m out jogging. Sorry, I don’t mean to scare you.
3. Jake smiles softly, extending hand.
JAKE: I’m Jake, by the way.
4. Karen looks at the hand, hesitant.
5. Karen finally smiles, taking his hand to shake it.
KAREN: I’m Karen.
PAGE 4
PANEL
1. Real time again. An interior shot of Karen’s bedroom later that night. Small, comfortable, lots of knick-knacks and photos on the dresser and walls.
2. Karen sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, her back to the viewer. The floor rug is pushed back and she’s lifting a trap door.
3. Karen’s pulling out a steamer trunk from underneath the floor.
4. CLOSE-UP of Karen hugging herself to the trunk’s side, looking peaceful and contented.
KAREN: He’ll never replace you.
Coming soon to your face.
