Crisis Weekly #21

PAGE ONE

Panel 1

El Dorado mid-disappearing, in the office of the president at Los Pinos.

Panel 2

El Dorado mid-appearing, his arms around Bloodwynd and Doomsday, in the wreckage of Washington. 

Panel 3

Close-up of Bloodwynd and El Dorado sharing a look.

Panel 4

El Dorado mid-disappearing with the two combatants.

Panel 5

El Dorado mid-appearing with the two combatants in space.

Panel 6

El Dorado letting go and mid-disappearing as the combatants grapple each other in space.

Panel 7

Close-up of Bloodwynd, his face stoic.

Panel 8

A giant explosion, nothing else visible, including bodies.

Panel 9

El Dorado mid-appearing, looking up at the sky at the explosion in space.

PAGE TWO

Panel 1

Rachel Rogerson standing in front of Wesley Dodds High School.

CAPTION: I was there.  I was there when it happened.

Panel 2

Rachel reluctantly entering the building.  Other students around her don’t seem to notice Rachel.  It seems to be just another ordinary day.

CAPTION: But I’ll never really be able to talk about it.

Panel 3

Rachel is passing Guy Gardner, now a clean-shaven security officer at the school.  He nods his head at her. 

CAPTION: It sucks, having something like that as a part of you.

Panel 4

In the foreground, Rachel continues walking.  In the background Guy is exchanging words with a black youth, Joe Gary.

GUY GARDNER: Good morning.  New to the school?

JOE GARY: Yeah.  Just transferred.

JOE GARY: Gary.  Joe Gary.

Panel 5

In the foreground, Rachel continues walking.  Farther in the background now are Guy and Joe Gary.

GUY GARDNER: Hey, you know what?  You look strangely familiar.

JOE GARY: I’m just a kid.

GUY GARDNER: Maybe I know your old man?

JOE GARY: Then you’d be better off in that regard than me.  Gotta get to class, sir.

Panel 6

Rachel continues walking in the foreground, while in the far background are Guy and Joe Gary.

GUY GARDNER: Hey, call me Guy.

GUY GARDNER: Look, I don’t mean to bug you, but it’s gonna nag me all day.

JOE GARY: I don’t know what to say.

JOE GARY: Maybe you saw him on TV?  Whatever, man.  Gotta go.

Panel 7

Rachel is running into Marty Kirby in the foreground, completely startled.  Guy is alone in the background, but we’re still listening in on him.

GUY GARDNER: Sonovabitch!

GUY GARDNER: He had a son!  He had a son!

GUY GARDNER: Rest in peace, my friend…

PAGE THREE

Panel 1

Now Rachel and Marty are squarely our focus.

RACHEL ROGERSON: Marty!  Didn’t expect to see you again!

MARTY KIRBY: Yeah.  Almost didn’t come back. 

MARTY KIRBY: Really surprised to see you here, too.

Panel 2

Rachel and Marty continue walking the halls.

RACHEL ROGERSON: My other plans didn’t really work out.  I didn’t know where else to go.

MARTY KIRBY: I know what you mean. 

MARTY KIRBY: I made a real mess of things.  But I think I ended on a good note.  I’d like to think so, anyway.

Panel 3

Rachel and Marty are standing in front of the door to a classroom.  We can see Ray Palmer inside, writing something on the chalkboard.

RACHEL ROGERSON: Don’t really want to go in there.

MARTY KIRBY: They managed to make it look like nothing ever happened, didn’t they?

Panel 4

Marty has walked in, while Rachel continues to hesitate.

CAPTION: As much as I didn’t want to go inside that classroom, I desperately needed to get out of my own head.  I needed a distraction, and somehow, even there seemed like a viable option.

PAGE FOUR

Panel 1

Rachel, seated at a desk in the back of the classroom.

CAPTION: Listening to Mister Palmer talking about science for a change wasn’t such a bad thing.  The man clearly had a passion for it, undiminished.  Used to use it to create gadgets as a superhero.  Now taught robotics.  Maybe the clockwork functions of a robot explained how he could be standing there as if nothing had happened.

Panel 2

Ray Palmer is standing in front of Rachel now, addressing her to see if she was paying attention.

RAY PALMER: Earth to Rachel.  Anyone home?

RACHEL: Uh, yeah.  Yes, Mister Palmer.

Panel 3

Rachel is staring ahead with a little more attentiveness, but she’s once again alone.

CAPTION: “Earth to Rachel.”  Interesting choice of words.  “Anyone home?”  Hard to say.

Panel 4

Rachel has leaned down toward her desk.  She has begun writing in a notebook.

CAPTION: Let’s try to understand all this.  Let’s try to make sense of it.

PAGE FIVE

Panel 1

Now Rachel is in the cafeteria, sitting alone, with a tray of food, untouched, in front of her, and she’s still bent down scribbling in a notebook.

CAPTION: I found out something about myself, something important.

Panel 2

Rachel is now sitting outside, leaning against a tree.  We can see Wesley Dodds High School in the background.

CAPTION: The invulnerability turned out to be the less interesting discovery.  I found out how I got it.

Panel 3

A car has pulled up near Rachel.  The driver is Ezrah.  Rachel doesn’t look up.  She continues to write in her notebook.

CAPTION: Turns out it wasn’t just a random thing.  I didn’t get it from some freak accident.  I was born with it.

Panel 4

Rachel is now inside Ezrah’s car.  Ezrah is looking at her, worried, as he continues to drive.  Rachel is still writing in her notebook.

CAPTION: Turns out I’m a White Martian.

PAGE SIX

Panel 1

Ezrah and Rachel are on the hood on his car, in a field.  Ezrah is sprawled out, looking at Rachel, who is of course sitting writing in her notebook.  It’s nighttime.

CAPTION: There was a call, a telepathic one, sent out by the Martian Manhunter, to all White Martians.  President Reilly held a press conference announcing it.  They wanted their cooperation, for them to join the fight.

Panel 2

Ezrah and Rachel are back in his car.  This time Ezrah is looking straight ahead, a sad expression on his face.

CAPTION: The moment I heard the Manhunter’s voice in my head, I knew.  And suddenly it all made sense.

Panel 3

Ezrah and Rachel are standing in front of her doorstep.

EZRAH: Listen, I get it.  I’ll give you space. 

Panel 4

Rachel is in her bedroom.  In stark contrast to how we saw it way back in Crisis Weekly #3, the walls are now bare.  She doesn’t have the energy to follow boy bands anymore.  We can see her Bulletproof costume crumpled on the floor.  Rachel is sitting on her bed writing in that notebook.

CAPTION: So, yeah. 

PAGE SEVEN

Panel 1

Rachel is reacting to a sound she hears at her window.

Panel 2

Rachel has opened the window and is looking out.

Panel 3

Rachel is looking at the Russian Centaur, who has a bare, ripped chest.

Panel 4

The Russian Centaur, Yuri, is motioning for Rachel to come out and join him.

PAGE EIGHT

Panel 1

Rachel is climbing out her window as Yuri watches.

Panel 2

Rachel is now standing in front of Yuri.  They’re staring at each other.

Panel 3

Rachel is now staring at her feet, embarrassed.  Yuri is looking warmly at her.

YURI: I suspect we have much in common, Rachel Rogerson.

YURI: My name is Yuri.

Panel 4

Rachel is riding Yuri’s back, clutching her arms around him, leaning her head.  They head off down the street, away from us.

YURI: We have much to talk about. 

YURI: Fortunately we have all night.

TITLE: “My Own Worst Enemy”

WRITER: Tony Laplume

FIN