wordjedi

[wordjedi]

Aquaman - Sea Sick

“Years spent watching the throne. Protecting Atlantis and the foot-felt world. I’ve passed my knowledge down to my bloodlines. Watched the young grow. Watched them mold our armies. Seen them bond with sea life. When my time comes… when the crown gets lifted from my mine, I will not doubt that the next head will carry the burden high.”

He looks out of his palace with weathered eyes. Looking at the same shimmering blue world that once filled him with wonder. Now, it brings melancholy.

Much has changed since he was a youth swimming with whales. Learning their language, building their trust. Years spent providing shelter and safe harbor for marine life. Learning migration and weather patterns. Ensuring everything under his rule was given an opportunity to thrive. Until the chaos from above fractured the foundation and the tension below pulled it all apart. Yes… much has changed.

  Page 1 – Atlantis. Daytime. We see a figure is out, swimming in this quiet kingdom. It’s war torn; rubble, debris and shattered remnants create the landscape.

Panel 1: We see the silhouette this same figure, it looks like a creature with multiple shark fins on its back, swimming amongst the destroyed city.

Panel 2: From a top down view, we can see the figure swimming and get a greater scale of the damage and chaos that took place. It’s devastating.

Panel 3: He swims toward tower of one of the city buildings to get a better look at his ravaged kingdom. The tower looms and casts a large shadow in the sea. It is shaky but still standing.

Panel 4: He’s entered the tower and it’s dark. It’s a large structure with enough room for him to swim around in. He senses something isn’t right.

(CAP): I’m not alone…

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Page 2 – Splash Page – We see a giant octopus using multiple arms to pull the roof down. Sunlight is shooting through the holes it’s created and lighting up the whole scene. We see that our mystery figure is really Aquaman - aged with an eye patch, long hair and beard. He’s wearing armor made of shark skin, with multiple fins on his back.

Aquaman (CAP): How did it find it??

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Page 3 – The battle continues in the roofless and crumbling tower.

Panel 1: Aquaman is hunched over, showing his shark fin armor as an act of aggression to scare the octopus away. He’s pissed. The octopus hovers above him.

Aquaman (CAP): Have to scare it. Make it want to run. Make it fear me!

Panel 2: Aquaman pulls out his sword – it’s an old cutlass. We can see the octopus tentacles starting to reach for him. He tries to speak to the beast.

Aquaman (white text in black speech bubble): Back beast! This is my realm!

Panel 3: The massive octopus shoots its tentacles at Aquaman, slamming him through the remains of the tower wall.

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[wordjedi]

Lone Wolf

We interrupt with breaking news - reports are coming out of Alabama just now of an attack on an elementary school. There are multiple fatalities reported. Details are still forthcoming but it does not seem to be super power related. We’ve got a local rep-

He slams the radio off.

“Ugh. Another one. Goddamn people. If they aren’t trying to kill mutants, they’re continually trying to kill each other.  All the X-men and Avengers in the world can’t get ‘em to act right.”

He grabs the whiskey bottle and walks toward the doorway. Leaning and looking out toward the countryside he can’t help but wonder why he should even go back. He takes a swig from the bottle.

His mind wanders among the dandelions and trees. He thinks back to the early days, before the world moved so fast. When he’d show up with his six claws and make a statement. Now he wonders what good does it do? If people act like savages with greater threats looming, how can he make the world a better place? He knows a lot about being a savage - about not caring.

“I never thought I’d be more civilized than the world – but here we are.”

Another swig.

He turns back into the cabin, bottle in hand as he settles at the kitchen table. Sun rays slice the air around him. He taps the letter Ororo gave him as he was leaving. He knows what it says without having to read it. Ororo knows how to get to him. Always has.  

Another swig.

“Why did it have to be kids though? Ugh. I can’t fight that. None of us can. We can only show up 2 minutes too late.”

Another swig.

He taps the envelope on the table and rips the top half off. He pauses. He exhales loudly before pulling the note out.

“Okay, ‘Ro. Bring me back.”

 Logan,

The world still needs you. The man and the Wolverine. We still need you. Come home soon.

-Ororo

[wordjedi]

TMNT: Sword On Stone

He doesn’t come here often as it isn’t relatively close to the lair. But tonight he needs to clear his mind and the long walk, as well as the peace that this sanctuary brings, will help him do just that.

The candles remain on the sewer wall ledges and nooks where he last left them. He uses the water proof matches Donny gave him to illuminate the room. He sits below a highway of pipes that crisscross and reach into parts unknown. Age has allowed the contents to seep out, creating ambient noise as the droplets crash into puddles around him. He closes his eyes as the tunnel breeze blows his blue bandana off his shoulders.

The stresses of this world leave him and take him to another place.

He opens his eyes and he’s surrounded by falling water. He doesn’t know where it goes as the ground is dry, only that there’s no entrance or exit -just water. Along with him is a giant floating boulder. Below it, a hammer and chisel.

“I guess I’ve got some work to do.”

He puts his hand to the stone. It’s ice cold. He pulls his hand back swiftly, recalling the wisdom Master Splinter had shared with him as a youth; everything means something.

He picks up the hammer and chisel. They’re lighter than they look. He prepares to strike the stone and a voice floats past his ears.

“There will only be what you create and nothing more...”

“Who’s there!?” he says, on high alert.

The voice laughs softly. “Oh young turtle, you needn’t worry. I sensed your anguish and thought some guidance might help. I can leave if you’d like.”

Calmer, he replies “No. I could… I could use someone to talk to, I guess. Who are you? How is this happening?”

“There are so many ways to answer your questions. And each answer creates a path that leads somewhere new, doesn’t it? I’ve noticed that most people respond to inquiries using the answer that creates the least conflict regardless of how helpful or truthful it may be. It’s curious isn’t it? That in an attempt to protect the others feelings they are indirectly hurting their feelings by being deceitful. No one likes being lied to. And I won’t lie to you, Leonardo.

I’m communicating with you through telepathy. I’m telepathic and I felt your anguish as soon as you opened your mind. And as for who I am… well, I’m the first mutant.”

[wordjedi]

AR Update!

For the last month or so I’ve been putting together a small preview book of Armadillo Run. It’s got the first 5 pages, a synopsis and two pin ups by the awesome artists Joe Mulvey and Natasha Alterici. 

However, in my rush to get it together and sent to printing - I selected the sketch file for Natasha’s piece, not the final one below. It’s a bummer, but at least it wasn’t a selfie or a cat pic, ya know? 

All is not lost, these pieces will be used again for something some day - they’re too dope not to. 

Anyways, the Armadillo Run preview books are ready for their trip to ECCC where i’ll be sharing them with friends, creators and hopefully editors. I’m eager to introduce the world of comics to my comic. We’ll just have to see how it goes. 

Here is Natasha’s piece - It’s our main character, Billie, after she takes a bite of a gene leech and alters her DNA for the sake of humanity! 

And this is Joe Mulvey’s piece - It’s Thorn, who was once a brilliant scientist but was forced to bite a gene leech which turned him into a plant monster! He’s Billie’s only ally, but can he be trusted? 

[wordjedi]

The fire...

Growing up in the Great Divide is hard. The pens are overcrowded, dirty, cramped – but we’re close. We’re family. All in the same boat going nowhere. Telling and sharing stories passed down through generations about how it used to be different. The days before the rock from space crashed into our country and literally split it. Creating hope and wonder of better days passed to ignore the minutes of the present.

 I don’t know how much of it I believe, though. They seem so far-fetched compared to the life we live. Working as slaves for Delilah and her Armadillo army. Even if things were different – better – back then, how’d we get here? How’d we allow ourselves to be used as machines for a cause we don’t believe in? At some point…people stopped fighting. Why?

 Why accept this?

I won’t. I can’t anymore. For them. For me. Something has to change. Even if it means death. It isn’t like that’s a new concept. We’re all so close to it. Why not entice it? Force it to show its hand? Then look it in the eye and smile as it engulfs me.

 I will not live under the weight of the Armadillo any longer.

- Billie