PAGE
1
PANEL:
CONNOR
O'BRIAN, ALEX WEST, AND MICKY MOORE are in the foreground in a school
hallway during passing time, looking towards BRENDAN CARLLYL as he
shoots them a glare as he walks by with books under his arm.
VO
BOX
In
the week leading up to the rumble, the aggression between The Wolves
and The Hellhounds ran fierce. It was like we were inmates apart of
the same crime, forced to congregate in prison. And in a sense...
PANEL:
A
shot of the Ellisville Grant High School.
VO
BOX
...We
were.
PANEL:
DON
CLIFTON notices the person he's about to pass in the hallway, who we
don't see. DON still sports a bandage on his head from where HUNTER
COLLINS hit him in the beginning of the first issue.
VO
BOX
Be
friends.
PANEL:
It's
revealed to be HUNTER who's passing by DON. HUNTER has a smile on
his face and taps his own head in the spot where DON has his bandage.
VO
BOX
Make
nice.
PANEL:
DON
shoots an angry face to HUNTER who's off-panel.
VO
BOX
Smile.
PANEL:
TODD
McCORMICK sits across from Hank Phillips at a classroom table as they
both do their homework, looking down at their papers. The teacher
has her back to the two boys as TODD kicks HANK in the shin from
under the table.
VO
BOX
Don't
let the teachers catch you give a finger or a “Fuck you” to your
lab partner.
PAGE
2
PANEL:
LEO
THOMPSON looks over his shoulder without any reason for warning as he
gets books out of his locker in an empty hallway. He has a tap on
the shoulder from an arm reaching from off-panel.
VO
BOX
Both
parties agreed to a truce until the day of the big fight...
PANEL:
In
the same shot, LEO is shoved into his locker by arms coming from
off-panel.
PANEL:
Again,
in the same shot, an off-panel arm throws a punch into the locker and
where LEO's head would be.
PANEL:
JON
AND PRESTON ALLEN smile and bump their fists together high in the air
as limp arms and legs hang out of the locker LEO is in.
VO
BOX
...But
that could only tighten the leash for so long.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
CARLLYL, BILL PRITCHARD, OLIVER SMITH, RICK GRANT, TODD McCORMICK and
STUMPS eat lunch in the cafeteria as JAMES BRENNAN begins to sit down
with his tray.
RICK
What
did Mrs. Harper want with you?
JAMES
Ah,
dumb bitch thought my shiner was from me and my pops fightin' again.
RICK
Who
was it really?
JAMES
Micky
“The Mick” Moore.
RICK
What
a dickhead.
PAGE
3
PANEL:
JAMES
and STUMPS smile as they speak to each other.
STUMPS
What
did you tell her it was?
JAMES
Baseball.
PANEL:
JAMES
points over to OLIVER, with his scuffed face. JAMES smiles but
OLIVER doesn't.
JAMES
What
about you, Oliver? Saw you talkin' with Mr. Jessup--
OLIVER
Thought
I got into a fight. I mean, I did. It was with Sammy Hernandez, but
that's not what I let on.
JAMES
What
did you tell him?
OLIVER
Got
hit by a pop-fly playing baseball last night.
JAMES
Heh.
PANEL:
HUNTER
walks up to the table, setting his tray down. He has a scuffed face.
TODD
Hey,
Hunter. What--
HUNTER
Baseball.
PANEL:
We
see the kids look towards the viewer as the panel focuses down their
lunch table. JAMES is pointing towards the viewer's direction as the
OTHER WOLVES look.
PANEL:
CONNOR
O'BRIAN, HANK PHILLIPS, RYAN HILL, CLAYTON LEWIS, and GEORGE REUBEN
walk past some tables holding their lunch trays, badly bruised and
beaten.
JAMES
[OFF-PANEL]
What'dya
figure happened to them?
PANEL:
A
silent panel of ED ST. JOHN battling silhouetted figures, five in
all, with his baseball bat. ED doesn't need to raise a heartbeat to
better these thugs. He doesn't even break a sweat. He has the
upper-hand.
PANEL:
A
close-up shot of ED, who smiles as he focuses on giving a beating.
TODD
[VO
BOX]
“Ed
happened.”
PANEL:
BRENDAN
begins to walk away from the group with his empty tray of food,
getting up from the table.
BRENDAN
Alright,
I'm out. Gotta go copy my homework from someone.
BILL
Brendan.
Remember,
we're supposed to stick together.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
turns around to meet BILL's glare.
VO
BOX
Remember,
you're not our leader.
BRENDAN
It's
fine, Bill. School is neutral ground...
PANEL:
BRENDAN
bumps the corner of his tray into the head of MICKY MOORE at a nearby
table.
BRENDAN
[OFF-PANEL]
...Remember?
PAGE
4
PANEL:
BRENDAN
walks outside the side of the cafeteria, near the school's main
building.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
turns around with a nervous look on his face.
SUSIE
[OFF-PANEL]
Nice
face.
PANEL:
THE
GIRLS (about five in all, all cute in their own respects,) lean up
against the wall of the school, except SUSIE, who speaks to BRENDAN
with hands on her hips and a wry smile, and her slut friend CAROL,
who just smiles at the situation.
VO
BOX
Oh,
shit.
The
Girls.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
smiles at her stupidly, trying to pay it cool.
BRENDAN
You...
Too...
Um.
PANEL:
SUSIE
tantalizes BRENDAN with a smile.
SUSIE
How'd
you get those bruises, Brendan Carllyl?
PAGE
5
PANEL:
BRENDAN
tries to pull off a cool demeanor while the scab on his lip has given
way and a small bit of blood makes its way to the bottom of his chin.
VO
BOX
Holy
shit, Susie Quinn knows who I am.
BRENDAN
Uh,
hey it's nothing. Just got into a scrap with--
PANEL:
From
off-panel, SUSIE brings a tissue up to BRENDAN'S lips, as BRENDAN
gets noticeably more nervous.
BRENDAN
Uh--
PANEL:
SUSIE
doesn't smile, but looks down at BRENDAN over her nose.
SUSIE
Don't
go playing cowboy so fast you mess up that face too much, got it?
PANEL:
BRENDAN
looks down, bashfully, holding the tissue to his lip.
BRENDAN
Yeah,
got it...
I
gotta...
PANEL:
BRENDAN
walks away from the group.
BRENDAN
See
ya.
VO
BOX
Idiot.
So uncool.
PANEL:
CAROL
and SUSIE talk as they watch BRENDAN walk away.
CAROL
Why
are you bothering with some delinquent like Brendan Carllyl?
SUSIE
Hey,
maybe I'm into bad boys.
CAROL
Then
why not go after a Hellhound?
SUSIE
What,
those bunch of rich pussies? Gimme a break, Carol. And besides...
PANEL:
A
shot of BRENDAN as he walks away.
SUSIE
He
has a cute butt.
PAGE
6
PANEL:
ED
ST. JOHN lights a cigarette, leaning up against a road sign.
PANEL:
With
a puff of smoke, ED looks off-panel towards the crew coming to meet
him.
ED
'Bout
fucking time.
PANEL:
BILL
leads BRENDAN, HUNTER, and OLIVER across a street to meet ED on the
other side. There're houses spread out quite a bit along the road
from the side the rest of the WOLVES come from, but nothing but trees
from where ED stands.
BILL
What
do you want? The rest of us go to school, ya mook.
PANEL:
ED
gives a stern look to BILL as he walks up to the woods.
ED
You
haven't even told us why we're here.
PANEL:
BILL
passes ED with a smile.
BILL
Don't
worry about it. I have a plan. Something that's going to win us
this rumble.
PANEL:
ED
blows smoke and shoots an unhappy look towards BRENDAN.
VO
BOX
Ed
doesn't even need to say it. He knows I'm thinking the exact same
thing.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
gives ED the same look.
VO
BOX
Bill
has now stopped taking votes altogether.
PAGE
7
PANEL:
A
shot of THE WOLVES as they trek up a path in the woods.
VO
BOX
This
was his gang now.
PANEL:
A
FIGURE steps from behind a tree, a rock clenched in his hand at the
top of the hill, silhouetted by the sunlight.
FIGURE
That's
far enough, Wolf.
PANEL:
BILL
squints with one hand over his forehead to block out the light,
smiling. THE REST OF THE GANG have looks of surprise behind him.
BILL
Vinnie
Castro.
BRENDAN
Vi—The
Lumbers?!
VO
BOX
The
one other gang besides The Wolves and Hellhounds, The one group who
never bothered either of us. So why the hell are we bothering them?
PANEL:
HUNTER
yells at BILL, who just turns towards him with a smile. As they have
this exchange, other LUMBERS start coming from behind trees near
VINNIE. About six in all.
HUNTER
Bill,
you brought us to a fucking rival gang?!
BILL
Chill.
We're not here as soldiers.
We're
here as consulates.
PANEL:
VINNIE
looks down to THE WOLVES with the same stern look on his face.
VINNIE
What
the hell do you want?
PANEL:
BILL
speaks to VINNIE with open arms, explaining his decree.
BILL
We
have a rumble this Sunday after Finals Week with The Hellhounds. We
want you guys to join the fight. Even out the numbers. Help us kick
them to the gutters once and for all!
PAGE
8
PANEL:
VINNIE
looks down at the rock in his hand.
PANEL:
VINNIE
looks back up to BILL.
VINNIE
You
never wanted nothin' out of us boys before. Why now?
PANEL:
Again,
BILL speaks to VINNIE with a friendly demeanor. THE WOLVES behind
him are passing worried looks to THE LUMBERS near them. ED has his
bat in one hand, and face-palming the other.
BILL
Well
we would have sooner, but it's hard to get ahold of you guys. I
mean, it's not like I can speak to any of you at school, seeing as
how you're all home-schooled.
ED
God
damn it, Bill.
PANEL:
VINNIE
cuts a pissed look to BILL, one that would burn the forest down if he
had laser-vision.
PANEL:
VINNIE
starts trotting down the hill towards BILL.
VINNIE
So
you want us to join your little scrap, huh?
Well
what the hell are we gonna get out of it?
BILL
Are
you kidding me? You guys have always wanted this! You can finally
be apart of something!
PAGE
9
PANEL:
VINNIE
is right up in BILL's face.
VINNIE
You
get the fuck off our turf. And don't bother coming back to bury the
hatchet with any Lumbers because the next time I'm going to bury it
in your fucking head.
PANEL:
BILL
points his finger at VINNIE's back while ED has his hand on BILL's
shoulder.
BILL
This
was your chance to be apart of something in this town, you dumb wop!
And you just--
ED
Bill!
PANEL:
VINNIE
turns and spits nonchalantly at BILL.
PANEL:
The
spit hits BILL in his face, as he swings his limbs around wildly with
a hand on his face. ED is throwing BILL's balance off by pulling him
back.
BILL
Fuckin'--!
ED
That's
enough!
PANEL:
A
close-up shot of ED's face.
ED
We're
done here.
PAGE
10
PANEL:
Cut
to THE WOLVES walking back home down a road in town, with BILL
leading the pack, about ten feet away from the rest, looking
pissed-off. The sun is starting to go down and an orange glow wraps
around the town.
VO
BOX
We
didn't know how to process everything that had just happened.
Bill
walked half the gang into danger.
Made
plans for the rumble and didn't consult anyone.
Almost
started another war with another gang.
We
didn't know what to say, so we didn't say anything.
PANEL:
HUNTER
points excitedly across the street, catching the attention of the
rest of the gang.
VO
BOX
Until...
HUNTER
Holy
shit! Is that who I think it is?!
PANEL:
ALEX
WEST is looking at a shop window down a side street.
PANEL:
A
close-up of ALEX not paying attention.
HUNTER
[OFF-PANEL]
That's
Alex West!
PAGE
11
PANEL:
HUNTER
is still pointing down the side street, as ALEX walks away from them
from about 100 ft away. HUNTER is talking excitedly at the rest of
the group.
HUNTER
What
the fuck is the second-in-command for the Hounds doing on our side?
PANEL:
BILL,
with a face that says he's ready for action, begins walking off the
sidewalk towards ALEX's direction.
BILL
Dunno.
Maybe his mind wandered. Time to teach him he took a wrong
God-damned turn from Main.
Wolves.
On me.
PANEL:
ED
puts his hand on BILL's shoulder. BILL is still focused on his
target ahead of him.
ED
Gee,
I'm thinkin' different, Bill. Maybe I got a headache. Don't feel
much like boppin'. I say we let him scamper.
BILL
Then
why don't you sit this one out, Ed? Collect all your tampons
together?
PANEL:
ED
gets in front of BILL and up close to his face.
ED
How
about we vote on it instead?
THE
MAN IN BLACK
[OFF-PANEL]
I
vote you kill him.
PAGE
12
PANEL:
THE
WOLVES look down the sidewalk they're on and see THE MAN IN BLACK
walking towards them 15 ft away with two other men of similar age and
also donning black. They all smile. THE MAN IN BLACK has an unlit
cigarette in his fingers.
THE
MAN IN BLACK
I
mean, from what I can gather, he isn't one of you, right?
A
Wolf, I mean.
PANEL:
ED
has a look of shock and fear on his face.
THE
MAN IN BLACK
[OFF-PANEL]
Or
do you kids not play that rough?
PANEL:
ED's
foot takes a step back from where he stands.
BILL
[OFF-PANEL]
I—I'm
sorry, do we know you?
PANEL:
THE
WOLVES look at these MEN IN BLACK with a little bit of fear in an
“Oh, shit. Are we in trouble?” sort of way. BILL is speaking in
the front of the group. ED is still back-pedaling away from the
situation.
BILL
Or...
should we?
THE
MAN IN BLACK
[OFF-PANEL]
What's
that phrase you Americans use?
PAGE
13
PANEL:
THE
MAN IN BLACK smiles down at the group.
MAN
IN BLACK
Don't
go talking to strangers?
Well...
PANEL:
THE
MAN IN BLACK extends a hand towards THE WOLVES.
THE
MAN IN BLACK
I'm
Piotr.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
has a look of realization on his face.
VO
BOX
I
know this guy. He was at the theater the night we attacked The
Hellhounds at their HQ.
And
the day before that...
PANEL:
BRENDAN
looks behind him.
VO
BOX
Have
they been following us?
PANEL:
ED
looks down at the ground about 30 ft behind the group, from BRENDAN's
perspective, with a scared look.
VO
BOX
And
is Ed...
PANEL:
AN
up-close shot of ED as he looks up towards the reader with the same
worried look.
VO
BOX
...Is
Ed scared of them?
PAGE
14
PANEL:
BRENDAN
whips back around as a figure in black breaks the foreground of the
panel.
PIOTR
[OFF-PANEL]
Hey.
PANEL:
PIOTR
looks down at BRENDAN with a smile.
PIOTR
You're
the Carllyl kid, ain'tcha?
PANEL:
BRENDAN
shoves past PIOTR as he watches BRENDAN leave across the street with
THE OTHER WOLVES in tow. ED crosses diagonally from where he was to
meet with the others.
BRENDAN
Come
on, guys.
PANEL:
PIOTR
watches the kids leave with a smirk as he takes a drag on his
cigarette.
BRENDAN
[OFF-PANEL]
Let's
ditch these whack-jobs. We got shit to do.
PAGE
15
PANEL:
Cut
to a shot of a black shirt on a mannequin in a shop window.
PANEL:
From
a perspective inside the shop window, BRENDAN looks up at the shirt.
A hand rests on BRENDAN's shoulder.
TODD
[OFF-PANEL]
Hey,
it was just a suggestion, man.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
turns towards TODD as they begin walking down the street. We see the
shop they were looking into was a second-hand clothing store.
BRENDAN
No,
I like it. It's going to make us look like a real gang. I mean, you
never see Marlon Brando ride his motorcycle without his symbol, do
you?
TODD
Yeah!
It's like Bill said. If we can't get the cash to get them
ourselves, we'll just have Stumpy steal 'em.
BRENDAN
You
know damn well Stumpy probably already did.
PANEL:
TODD
and BRENDAN stop at a street corner.
BRENDAN
I'm
headin' over to Ed's.
TODD
Alright,
this is where we split then. I gotta go get the Allen Kids and
pressure 'em to start their final projects. We don't want anyone to
miss out on the rumble 'cause they got grounded over something stupid
like not graduating. Watch your back, Brendan.
BRENDAN
Sure.
PAGE
16
PANEL:
Only
the back of ED ST. JOHN is shown. His garage is open, he sits
cross-legged on the floor, half a car radio in his lap, or hanging
off his knees. His lit cigarette lays on top of the toolbox. He's
bent over his legs trying to get something to work as the sun hits
his black shirt from behind.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
walks up from behind ED with his hands in his pockets, blocking ED's
light.
BRENDAN
Hey,
Ed. Where were you? Didn't you hear there was a meet?
ED
I
heard.
BRENDAN
Did
you hear we might wear Wolf colors to the brawl? We'd be lookin'
like a real gang!
ED
I
heard.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
sort of kicks at the dust, almost embarrassed at how uncool he is in
comparison.
VO
BOX
What
am I doing here? Like Ed needs help. He's a pack all on his own.
He doesn't need no escort.
BRENDAN
Sooo
Bill thinks we should travel in packs. No neutral ground between us
and the Hellhounds for a while it looks like. Spreading the word to
the rest of the Wolves.
PANEL:
ED
is still intent on fixing the radio, never batting an eye or a speck
of attention away from his work. A close-up on his face as he
tinkers from the side.
ED
So
why aren't you with anybody right now?
BRENDAN
I--I
thought I oughta come tell you if, y'know, you hadn't...
...heard.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
just watches ED's back as he speaks.
ED
I'm
fine.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
looks down ED's driveway towards the road.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
looks back to ED. He's reaching for his cigarette.
VO
BOX
Damn,
this is awkward. Say something. You're so not cool.
BRENDAN
So,
those radios.
Did
Stumps nick those?
ED
Nope.
Bought 'em for cheap from the pawn shop. Stumps is probably the one
who nicked them in the first place, though. Wanted to see if I could
fix 'em.
PAGE
17
PANEL:
ED
has his right hand hidden behind his face, taking a drag.
BRENDAN
Oh
yeah?
PANEL:
ED
puts the cigarette back on top of the tool box. The panel is silent.
PANEL:
ED
goes back to tinkering with the radio. Smoke rises from somewhere in
front of him.
ED
Yeah.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
looks back down ED's driveway with an embarrassed look.
VO
BOX
Idiot.
So uncool.
ED
Brendan.
PANEL:
ED
is in the foreground, the reader facing him as he stops working on
the radio altogether. BRENDAN is staring at the back of his head.
ED
Those
guys from yesterday.
They
keep comin' around here. Talking with my parents at weird hours. I
dunno what they want, but they...
PANEL:
A
close-up shot of ED from the side.
ED
...Brendan,
those guys are trouble.
PANEL:
BRENDAN
takes a step closer to ED, his hands up inquiringly.
BRENDAN
Who
are they? Cops?
ED
No.
PANEL:
The
same close-up of ED from before.
ED
They're
definitely not cops.
PAGE
18
PANEL:
BRENDAN
closes the door of The Wolf Den behind him as he walks inside.
JAMES
[OFF-PANEL]
Brendan!
What's your size?
BRENDAN
For
what?
PANEL:
BRENDAN
walks up to the table in the middle of The Den. A stack of black
shirts sits in a pile and a bucket of red paint next to it. ALL THE
WOLVES BESIDES ED stand in a circle around the table and smile.
JAMES
Check
it out!
PANEL:
BRENDAN
looks down at the stack with a look of surprise, but we don't see
what he sees.
BRENDAN
Oh,
man.
PANEL:
A
black shirt gets tossed in BRENDAN's face.
JAMES
[OFF-PANEL]
Try
it on! The paint just dried!
PANEL:
BRENDAN
holds up a plain black shirt in front of his face, looking at the
back. Again, the viewer can't see what he's focusing on. TODD looks
at him amused nearby.
BRENDAN
Where
did you guys get all these?
TODD
Remember
that thing you said about Stumps probably nicking all those threads?
PANEL:
STUMPS
stands smugly above the pile of shirts.
STUMPS
Ain't
no “probably”.
PAGE
19
PANEL:
BRENDAN
holds the shirt a bit limper in his hands, looking to STUMPS, who
just smirks back.
BRENDAN
How
do you not get caught?
STUMPS
Trade
secret.
PANEL:
BILL
stands up from his seat wearing one of the black shirts.
BILL
Doesn't
matter how the guy with one arm manages to split with enough prizes
better than the man with two! It's official!
PANEL:
BILL
stands in the foreground looking at the rest of the boys, taking up
the majority of the panel, as THE OTHER WOLVES look at his from
either side, smiling. We see the to-be-determined symbol for The
Wolves drawn on his back in red paint.
BILL
The
Wolves are gonna rumble in style!
TO
BE CONTINUED...
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