Embers Of Change issue 1
Page 1
Panel 1: We see a black man, medium build, think Iron Fist, in all black attire, streamlined well fitted black jeans and black boots (Timberlands, keep it stylish) looking over the side of the roof. On one foot Captain Morgan style looking down with binoculars at a warehouse. Do the shot over the shoulder far off from the back. Side angle so we can see as much of Khado as possible.
Caption: I’ve been at this warehouse forever just looking in through a roof for signs of life.
SFX He sighs. Back to Caption: for the past eight hours. I wonder if any of the other great detectives started out this way.
Panel 2: Close up shot of floor by Khado. Show empty bags of chips or food wrappers. Signs he’s been here for awhile. Setting is night and place is Detroit, Michigan at 2am.
Caption: Maybe Sherlock Holmes passed out on his first case. Or the Hardy Boys over ate on a stakeout.
Panel 3: Show a shot of Khado from behind rubbing his wrists with a slight smirk on his face. From the nose down is fine
Caption: Even prison wasn’t that bad. I was nowhere near as bored. Doesn’t matter all that much now. I’m on a new fitness plan…
Page 2
Full shot splash page. We’re underneath Khado looking up as he dives head first towards us off the side of the roof, black jacket flapping like a cape revealing a fairly defined muscular dark skinned man, dark brown complexion. Make sure his dive is close to the building will be using that later.
Caption: Vengeance!!Burns calories and kicks all types of ass!
Also for this shot Khado is wearing two sais on each leg on the outside. They don’t necessarily have to be revealed but sowing a glint of steel is fine. Also add a sinister smirk to his face as he dives.
Page 3 All the caption is Khado’s self narration
Panel 1: It’s daylight and Khado is walking outside. He’s wearing a wife beater and blue jeans. Nothing significant. He is looking forward, determined; you can see it in his eyes. In the background are small houses, mom and pop stores, barbershops kids jumping rope. All the people are all or mostly black. Don’t forget Khado’s build is pretty noticeable, think Tyrese Beckford but at a 5’8 stature with a low/light afro and dark brown skin tone. Khado is being viewed from the front right side dominant in shot walking forward hurriedly.
Caption: I never cared about crimes. They’re really necessary evils. Who knows what craziness white people do without their drugs. It’s not like black people started that shit. Crack, cocaine, heroin, speed, Vicadent it never ends.
Panel 2: We’re close up to Khado’s face as he looks up to his left and see four little black girls playing double dutch. There is a unhideable grin on his face. Not elation but not a slight grin either but a genuine expression of joy. They’re about 10 yrs old with thin frames. They are singing a song while they play. Show two in the rope jumping together and two swinging the rope one on each side. The song is Ciara and Missy Elliot’s music make me lose control. The beat is playing on a boom box in the background.
Sfx. BRRRRRMMMM, BBBRRRMMMMM(MUSIC MAKES ME LOSE CONTROL!!)
Caption: Do you really need so much garbage in your system to look your daughter in the face and say everything is alright in the world. Like what I’m seeing right now. That’s beautiful.
Panel 3: Khado is running now and in the front on his right side we see a few black men pushing their hands into their jackets in a hurried fashion. The smile has now faded from Khado’s face and he shows the disdain of one who hates what he sees and knows there isn’t anything he can do to change this reality. Further up that street is a cop car barreling down the road.
Caption: Disgusting. I ain’t blind to the trash my people do for drugs. Gives dreamers the chance to keep dreaming. Gives dealers a reason to hit the streets. And gives pigs the chance to oink at us and kick us around like we lived in a sty. Alright, maybe the last part was too generous but their racist ways would be more apparent if we didn’t give them a chance to get at us. With a problem like that where do you look for the solution and who is really the problem.
Panel 4: Khado has just reached his destination and pushes the doors open with the same fervor and zest we saw him running with. The exhaust from running pales in comparison to the rage in his eyes and on his face. Muscles are tense and ready for action as well. This is a front shot. A few faces of people in the seats are staring afraid and tense while barbers step back. Shot isn’t too spread out but we’re in the middle of the barbershop lined up with the door seeing the barbers and the people there cutting on the right of the shot like a ballroom each barber and customer getting closer to us as the shot expands.
Sfx: BLLAAMM. CRASHHHH.
Barber 1: (the barber furthest away)Oh shit!!
Customer almost jumps out of chair from barber 2. Customer in barber 1’s chair flinches back.
Barber 2: Fuck man! Your scaring my customers!! Calm yourself. Don’t make me cut you!!
Caption: The real reason why I’m here is a bit selfish. I just found out my sister Rebecah was raped by a neighborhood dealer. AND I WANT ANSWERS!
Khado: JAAKKKKEEEEEEEEE!!!! GET THE FUCK OUT HERE!!!!
Page 4
Caption: Sometimes you don’t have to look too hard for your answers. Like if you want to know whats going on in the street talk to your barber.
Panel 1: Full shot Jake the barber is being lifted up off the floor and slammed against his mirror pane. Sfx: Whoomp and CRASSH for glass breaking from impact. Action happens quickly so show customer in barber chair flying out the way as if pushed. Jake is heavyset, dark, with a bald head.
Khado: You know why I’m here. TALK!!
Jake: Ahuh!! ( Air knocked out of him) He’s trying to pry Khado’s hands off his chest
Panel 2: Medium Shot of the barber spanning into a wide shot of outside the barbershop. Jake is struggling to point at a don’t walk sign. We see shirtless muscular black men doing pull-ups on the Don’t walk post. Khado’s eyes are filled with rage as his muscles tense up as he applies force to Jake’s chest.
Caption: Sometimes you can pick up the most random piece of information from them like if you want to be a male escort talk to a brother doing pull-ups on the street.
Khado: What was that? It seems your fat got in the way of your words. SPEAK UP!! Where are they?
Jake: (Struggling) IIIII DDDDDON’T KNNOOWWWWWW! Talk to him! He’s got your answers!
Panel 3: Long Shot here. We can see Jake isn’t pointing at any of the guys doing pull-ups but at a guy laying on the floor in shoddy clothes. Basically it’s a reprise of the previous shot just longer so we can clearly see the man Jake is pointing at. Khado has loosened his grip to run down the guys at the Don’t walk post.
Jake: Not him man, HIM!!
Panel 4
Close up shot of the strewn out man. Panel can be the smallest on page but make sure details are visible so we can notice features of the man. He is light skinned, handsome, if it weren’t for the chunk of flesh missing from his left cheek. He has very hairy unkempt cornrows. For some reason has little hair on his face except for a light mustache and goatee.
Caption: And sometimes when it comes to crime you have to know a criminal or in this case a crackhead to get what you need. Thankfully I grew up under this one.
Page 5
Wide panel shot of Khado in front of Nick standing looking down. This is multi shot panel as in while we’re looking down at Nick with Khado we see images from left to right in the behind Nick. On the left is a six year old Khado looking up at Nick for the first time. Make sure there is some curiosity on his face. Then in the center of this panel draw Khado standing facing forward with his arm being used to wipe his tears and Nick with a hand on his shoulders as if to comfort him. Nick is smiling bent over looking at him. On the far right for the final background shot draw Khado with a broken glass bottle in his right hand holding up his pants with his left hand tears flowing down his face and Nick is on one knee holding his left cheek bleeding profusely. Khado is seven here and at an average kids height and weight. These illustrations don’t need to be in color but they must be clear in regards to action.
Caption: Nick was the older brother I never wanted. Nick was there while I had lived on the streets. He was there when I needed a friend to talk to. He was there when I made a decision to take care of myself. No matter what.
Khado: NICK!!!
Panel 2
Medium shot of Khado picking up Nick off the floor. He is still looking groggy almost between highs. In Khado’s face we see anger mixed with pity. Make this a wide enough shot to show Khado in the background as a little boy sitting with a little girl at a table reading. Faces don’t need to be that clear but should show that they’re no older than 10 in this shot. Also no color or faded colors to illustrate this is a past memory.
Caption: That’s how I lived until I was almost eight. Seems like forever. Back then I knew nothing else. Then I met Rebekah and my whole life changed and yet here I am with a crackhead.
Khado: Nick, I know what you need and you’ll get it if I get what I want. Get me?
Nick: Yeah?! What do I need? Huh boy? What’s that?
Panel 3: Medium shot of Khado snatching a chain off of Nick’s neck.
Caption: I know him all too well and he has always been careless. Carrying his supply like it was a crucifix. Hard to tell in this state what reaction I’ll get from him.
Nick:???OH NOT That!! Where did you find that? I need that. Please don’t do me that way! Give that back!! Hmmmm Please?
Caption: Exactly what I hoped for. He’s a walking invalid now. He’ll sell me his mother when he’s like this. Thankfully he only has to tell me who I have to hunt down and where they’re going to be and I’ll take of the rest myself.
Panel 4:
Close up shot of Khado’s mouth showing a sly grin.
Caption: I’ll take care of the rest pal.
Panel 5: Full shot Khado running off the side of the building he jumped down at the beginning of the book.
Caption: Now I have to do things I’d rather not be doing. Like walking around with sais. And jumping off of rooftops. Threaten Nick with the possibility of losing his drug supply. And getting arrested for spitting on a cop. While that might be assault I’ll never see the inside of a cell. My abilities guarantee it.
Page 6
Wide shot of a warehouse from page 2 on the side. We see a small black car pull up to the front of that building, windows of the car tinted to hide the people inside. There’s another car, black convertible, that is already parked with two men coming out of the doors. One of these men is wearing an all black suit with a feather in a black felt hat and the other is wearing a black doo rag and a black wife beater exposing his muscles. Both men are black and the muscular guy is dark skinned smooth face and the man in the suit has well shaped mustache with permed straight hair in a pony tail visible on his black suit and purple suit. Sfx: Screech!! Car has dust in the back as it pulls in. Khado is running towards the building from the back end out of the car’s vision. His coat is flapping in the wind like a cape.
Caption: I almost wish I could hear what their saying. At least I know their names thanks to Nick. The guys who should be getting out of the car now are Moe and Curly. Easy pickings from what I’ve heard. The man with the peacock feather in his hat is Marky Rothschild, one of the worst dealer/pimps in Detroit. And there is my guy with a bald head to show off his tribal skull tattoo Charlie Wetum. From what I heard and seen no one knows his real last name but I can say firsthand how he got it. I guess anyone else could to if they found anyone who has ever opposed him. Yeah that’s right he doesn’t have anyone; no one who’s alive.
Panel 2:
Long shot as we close in to side of the warehouse. Khado is on the side of the warehouse spying from behind a crate and Moe and Curly come out of the parked car. Moe is shorthand for Mohammed and he is a huge man of 6’5, all muscle, with two guns under shoulder in a holster. He is wearing a wife beater for easy access to his guns. Curly is shorthand for Cole Lewis. He has curly permed hair and brown skin and brown eyes. He is 5’9 in height, wearing a black leather jacket and black jeans and black and grey boots. He doesn’t look too muscular.
Caption: Nick’s descriptions were on point. They both must be Moe and Curly meaning everyone who Nick said would be here is here. Guess I should thank him later. Nah!
Panel 3:
Full shot we see everyone who has just arrived walking inside while Khado is spying through a window while trying to avoid being spotted.
Caption: Looks like everyone’s on the move. I best go do my thing.
Page 7-8
Panel 1:
Huge double page full wide angle shot spanning the top half of both pages. We are seeing in the warehouse now in a wide angle full shot showing all the players who just arrived talking to each other in the warehouse. Khado is still outside but not seen in this shot. However there is a noticeable waft of gaseous air outside the window. Show the air flowing in a light steam waft through one of the windows outside. It’s like seeing gas the air is slightly distorted but appears clear. The men inside are standing up in a circle so we can see everyone’s bodies and features for the most part.
Charlie: If I told you once I told you a thousand times, bitches bring money and you got the best game on that in town. Just get your girls to sleep with him and who knows maybe the supply that I get can see an….inflation.”
Marky: Well don’t you sound sweet? But this idea is just a tad one-sided. What is the reason a gentleman like myself would partake in such an endeavor?