Panel 1
(splash)
Doomsday and
Bloodwynd are clashing. This is during
the epic “Death of Superman” storyline, specifically the infamous Superman #75
itself. There’s devastated Metropolis
around them. This page evokes, funny
enough, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain America using both hands to hold back
Thanos’ one hand. I love that
image. I feel no compunction against
borrowing it. Bloodwynd has the same
determination and strain showing on his face as Cap, Doomsday as he was during
that whole storyline in full beast mode, roaring at him.
TITLE: “The
Man Comes Around”
WRITER: Tony
Laplume
PAGE TWO
Panel 1
Bloodwynd,
in his present-day civilian guise, sitting at a desk in a darkened office. He looks incredibly moody.
CAPTION:
What they never talk about is the aftereffects of the superhero life.
Panel 2
A figure
from behind about to open the door to this office. We see on the glass the words BLOODWYND
INVESTIGATIONS.
CAPTION: The
toll it takes on you. What it takes from
you.
Panel 3
We’re still
peering from behind the figure after he’s opened the door, and Bloodwynd is
rising to his feet, a grimace of pain on his face.
CAPTION: Put
another way, the names you’re most familiar with can be summed up thusly: they
are the survivors.
Panel 4
Bloodwynd is
offering his hand to the figure, whom we can see clearly for the first time,
and suddenly we see quite brilliantly, as he wears a superhero costume, a
bright gold one, a mask that covers his whole face (in the mode of Mister
Miracle or Batman Beyond, so we can still see his mouth, in whatever way
physics is supposed to explain that). He’s
got pearl white embellishments, including a belt, a plain circle on his chest,
gloves and boots. If you feel all this
ought to be reflected in the previous two panels, so be it.
CAPTION:
They’re the ones who have emerged relatively unscathed by this life. They were not maimed by the experience.
CAPTION: Not
all of us are so lucky.
BLOODWYND:
Zion.
PAGE THREE
Panel 1
(splash)
Like
Superman #75, the Doomsday pages are all splash pages. This also continues the alternating pattern
of Crisis Weekly #8, including the silent nature of the flashback pages. This page looks like the kind of action we’ve
seen before in Crisis Weekly; Bloodwynd is unleashing his eye-blast powers on
Doomsday.
PAGE FOUR
Panel 1
Present-day
Bloodwynd is gesturing for Zion to sit down.
CAPTION:
There are many obscure names I could recite, here, to give you an idea. I have no doubt I would be among them, were
someone else reflecting on this now.
BLOODWYND:
Have a seat.
Panel 2
Bloodwynd
and Zion are now seated in the office.
It remains darkened. This is
nighttime. Zion’s costume somewhat
adequately illuminates the panel.
CAPTION: But
there are names you will recognize, too.
BLOODWYND:
Naturally I was pleased when I learned you wanted to offer your assistance.
Panel 3
They
continue to sit conversing.
CAPTION:
There was a crisis that claimed two of our number, Ralph Dibney and Ray
Palmer. It was a complicated affair, but
suffice to say, neither was ever the same again.
BLOODWYND:
So few have wanted to talk with me about these matters.
Panel 4
They
continue to sit conversing (Zion will be talking soon, worry not).
CAPTION:
Dibney, the Elongated Man, was at one time known as one of the brightest of
us. Few enough of us know how his story
ended, but it did end. And it never
continued. This may sound like a
redundant statement. Sadly, it is not.
BLOODWYND:
We have allowed fear to dictate events.
Panel 5
They continue to sit conversing (it won’t be on this page, however).
CAPTION:
Palmer, the Atom, eventually was found, in the kind of microscopic reality he
had obviously claimed as sanctuary, but had previously been merely the realm he
was uniquely suited to explore. He had
walked away.
BLOODWYND:
And it has compromised my efforts. It has
compromised all of us.
Panel 6
They
continue to sit conversing.
CAPTION: He
emerged a few times, nurtured a successor at times. But he was never the same. Eventually he hung up the costume. But even that didn’t stop it from happening
again, and I fear that this time we will have lost him permanently.
BLOODWYND:
So again, I deeply appreciate your coming here tonight.
PAGE FIVE
Panel 1
(splash)
Doomsday is
unleashing one of his devastating concussive blows on Bloodwynd, sending him
flying. This was a monster that
decimated a Justice League with ease.
PAGE SIX
Panel 1
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: You
needn’t be so kind.
Panel 2
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: We
have all been compromised by the White Martians, and we haven’t even begun to
understand the scope.
Panel 3
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: Not
only in terms of who is secretly a White Martian, some of whom don’t even know
it yet, but those who have chosen to align with them.
Panel 4
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: I came
here tonight with some very specific intel that you’re going to find
interesting: the President of Mexico, the Caballero, is a collaborator.
Panel 5
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: And what’s
more, as El Dorado has been speculating, as I know he’s told you already, the
Caballero is directly responsible for the Man-Bat crisis.
Panel 6
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: So it
was no coincidence, the White Martian assault Martian Manhunter and President
Reilly endured at the Capitol, under the guise of Man-Bat acolytes.
Panel 7
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: I can
only speculate as to the identities of other White Martian infiltrators. Except one, and I’m sure you will find this
interesting as well.
Panel 8
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: You’re
sure you’re ready for a bombshell?
Panel 9
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: Karma.
ZION: The
so-called new champion of the world.
President Reilly’s so-called new best friend.
ZION: Yeah.
PAGE SEVEN
Panel 1
(splash)
Bloodwynd
looks on with horror, in a prone position from the last horrible blow we saw,
as Doomsday comes springing at him with both bone-protruding hands clasped together
ready to strike again. Crucially, we see
Bloodwynd attempting to protect himself by bringing his legs upward to his
chest.
PAGE EIGHT
Panel 1
Close-up of
Bloodwynd.
BLOODWYND: I
had suspected both of these things.
BLOODWYND: I
assume you have proof?
Panel 2
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: Of
course.
Panel 3
Close-up of
Bloodwynd.
BLOODWYND: I
was tasked with ending a crisis before it truly began. I haven’t been entirely successful. The assault at the Capitol, even shielded
from the media, is proof enough of that.
Eventually, even that will be known.
Panel 4
Close-up of
Bloodwynd.
BLOODWYND:
We have been on the defensive this whole time.
I am more than a little tired of this.
Panel 5
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: Even
superheroes can’t prevent bad things from happening.
Panel 6
Close-up of
Bloodwynd.
BLOODWYND:
By the very nature of our work. Some
confuse this point, and some are all too happy to exploit it. They fundamentally misunderstand…
Panel 7
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION:
Bloodwynd, I know. I know what this life
cost you. Why you now run your affairs
out of an office. Why you retired the
costume.
Panel 8
Close-up of
Bloodwynd.
BLOODWYND: I
don’t speak of that.
Panel 9
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION:
Relax. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m not going to expose you.
PAGE NINE
Panel 1
(splash)
Doomsday’s
blow has landed. Bloodwynd’s left leg
has been completely shattered, and we see him howling in pain.
PAGE TEN
Panel 1
Close-up of
Bloodwynd, who suddenly looks angry.
BLOODWYND:
Do not threaten me.
BLOODWYND: I know your secret, too, Zion.
Panel 2
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: Relax,
okay? I told you already, I am not
looking to hurt you.
Panel 3
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: That
has no relevance to these matters. You
can trust me. No one knows what I know,
what I don’t choose to tell them. I have
a great many secrets.
Panel 4
Close-up of
Bloodwynd. This is a silent panel. He doesn’t look entirely mollified.
Panel 5
Close-up of
Bloodwynd. He still has a scowl on his face.
BLOODWYND:
It was not necessary to bring it up in the first place.
Panel 6
Close-up of
Bloodwynd. He still looks angry.
BLOODWYND:
If you do not wish to threaten, please attempt to practice that discretion of
yours.
Panel 7
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: And
they say I don’t play well with others…
Panel 8
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: You
know, there’s a reason, other than the obvious, why you were never exactly
considered a team player.
Panel 9
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: And I’m
not talking about your brooding nature.
I know all about brooding.
Brooding doesn’t alone prevent fruitful partnerships.
PAGE ELEVEN
Panel 1
(splash)
The broken
Bloodwynd watches, in agony, from the ground as Superman slams into
Doomsday. The beauty of Superman #75 and
its all-splash page glory is that there’s plenty of room around the action for
moments like what we’ve been experiencing, Bloodwynd’s perspective on that
momentous occasion.
PAGE TWELVE
Panel 1
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: And
since we were already on the subject, it’s about trust, Bloodwynd.
Panel 2
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: From
the moment you emerged, your whole time with the Justice League, you kept up a
thick wall of silence.
Panel 3
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: You
never let anyone in. You kept everything
about yourself a big secret, a mystery.
Panel 4
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: And
listen, I know about keeping secrets.
That’s my whole gig. But that was
taking it just a little too far.
Panel 5
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: They
never even knew what else to call you, something other than “Bloodwynd”! Anything!
Panel 6
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: So don’t
sit there now and put on your wounded act and try to claim that it’s anything I
said or implied or brought up that’s causing you to once again build your wall
and isolate yourself, pal.
Panel 7
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION:
Because it’s not going to fly.
Panel 8
Close-up of
Zion. A silent panel.
Panel 9
Close-up of
Zion.
ZION: We
clear?
PAGE
THIRTEEN
Panel 1
(splash)
Bloodwynd,
grimacing all the more, is pulling himself up, clutching his leg. It’s clear he won’t be able to stand on it.
PAGE
FOURTEEN
Panel 1
Close-up of
Bloodwynd. He doesn’t look angry. He has reverted back to his usual passive
look. A silent panel.
Panel 2
Close-up of
Bloodwynd. Same expression.
BLOODWYND:
Thank you.
Panel 3
Close-up of
Bloodwynd.
BLOODWYND:
You have no idea how refreshing honesty is.
Panel 4
Close-up of
Bloodwynd.
BLOODWYND: I
needed to be sure I could trust you.
Panel 5
Close-up of
Bloodwynd.
BLOODWYND:
Rest assured, I would expect nothing less than what I have just endured from
someone I am willing to trust. It is,
perhaps, something I picked up from the Martian Manhunter.
Panel 6
Close-up of
Bloodwynd.
BLOODWYND: I
never…had a secret identity. My life has
been a complicated one.
Panel 7
Close-up of
Bloodwynd.
BLOODWYND:
Call me Joe.
Panel 8
Close-up of
Bloodwynd.
BLOODWYND:
What do I call you, other than “Zion”?
Panel 9
Close-up of
Zion, his mask peeled up above his mouth now.
We see that he has a brown mustache.
He’s flicking a match.
ZION:
Malone.
PAGE FIFTEEN
Panel 1
(splash)
The famous
final image from Superman #75, Lois cradling the dead Superman as Bloodwynd (he
really is there in that image, too) and others observe. We now catch no glimpse of pain on Bloodwynd’s
face. He once again has that steely
resolve, that passive look.
PAGE SIXTEEN
Panel 1
Zion is
leaving Bloodwynd’s office. Bloodwynd is
standing.
CAPTION:
There are scars that are a little more literal than the ones endured by Ralph
Dibney, by Ray Palmer.
Panel 2
Bloodwynd is
once again alone, and has seated himself back down.
CAPTION:
During the Doomsday crisis, I endured something terrible.
Panel 3
Bloodwynd is
still seated in darkness. His expression
has now settled on pain.
CAPTION: We
all did. Superman died. I understand this.
Panel 4
Bloodwynd is
reaching toward his left leg.
CAPTION: I
have carried the pain of that day with me ever since. I have never detected comparable residual
effects in anyone else who was there, not even Superman, who came back from the
experience apparently totally unscathed.
Not even Guy Gardner, whose face was smashed.
Panel 5
Bloodwynd is
now rolling up his pant-leg. We see his
prosthesis for the first time. It
attaches at his thigh.
CAPTION: I
don’t mean to suggest that I believe everyone else forgot, or that they don’t
suffer psychological scars.
Panel 6
Bloodwynd
has detached the prosthesis, and we see him staring at his stump, a blank
expression on his face.
CAPTION:
Anyway. The worst of it is that I know
what no one else knows. Doomsday’s
ultimate purpose. And that he is coming
back to finish what he started.
