Hawkeye & Black Widow: THE STING

Let's open things up here at Coverband with a little eight pager I knocked together featuring the Black Widow and Hawkeye.

I put this one together while the Shadowland event was going on. So some of dialog reflects what was going on the New York City of the Marvel Universe at the time.

Enjoy..


NOTE TO ARTIST: I’ve included a suggestion for panel layout at the start of each page. This is nothing more than a suggestion to give you a feel for why I’ve paced the dialogue the way I have. Feel free to lay the pages and panels out what ever way you think works best

PAGE ONE

Four panels, three rows. Panel one is page wide on the top row. Panels two and three are across the middle row. Panel four is page wide across the bottom.

1.) We’re on a Manhattan rooftop. It’s a dark, foggy night. A pale full moon hangs low in the sky. We’re looking at motley group gathered on the rooftop waiting for a rendezvous. Front and centre foreground in mid-figure is the KINGPIN. His face is lined with worry and his expression is grim, bordering on annoyed. He’s dressed in a long black winter coat to guard against the whipping winter winds. Just over his shoulder we can see the ARRANGER (continuity-wise I think the Arranger is long dead so let’s make this a new guy. A tall, gangly fellow with a prominent and a long face topped with a head of thinning blond hair). He’s also dressed in a winter coat, a foppish scarf wrapped around his throat. Behind him, flaking them on either side are two armed and armoured bodyguards. These guys are dressed in full tactical body armor, complete with helmets with tinted glass face plates. All we can tell from their bulky armoured from is that one is a man and one is a woman. Both carry sub-machine guns in their hands. Everyone’s breath comes out a steam in the bitterly cold night air.

KINGPIN:

THEY SHOULD BE HERE ALREADY ARRANGER. I DO NOT LIKE HAVING MY TIME WASTED.

ARRANGER:

 I ASSURE YOU SIR. THEY’LL BE HERE.

2.) Switch to a shot from behind the Arranger. He’s in the left of the panel waving a blasé hand in the air. The Kingpin is turning to glare back at him. He doesn’t look at all pleased but the Arranger hasn’t noticed.

ARRANGER:

PERHAPS THEY ARE RUNNING LATE.

KINGPIN:

RUNNING LATE?

 3.) Cut to a two-shot. We’re looking at the Kingpin and the Arranger in profile. The big man has lunged at his flunky, his face full of fury and thunder. He has grabbed him around the throat with both his huge hands. He’s shaking him, bellowing in his face. The Arranger looks suitably terrified. If there’s space show the two bodyguards in the background. They’ve gone rigid not sure whether to react to this assault or not.

KINGPIN:

SHALL I SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO ARE LATE TO APPOINTMENTS WITH ME?

4.) Cut to a close, mid-figure shot of the two guards. The MALE guard is stepping forward, he’s going to intervene. The FEMALE guard has reached out and placed a hand on his chest, holding him back. The Male guard is turned to look at her in disbelief. The Female guard is cool, calm, collected and unfazed by the sudden violence.

MALE (whisper):

 UH OH. HE’S GOING TO KILL THE LITTLE WEASEL. WE’D BETTER - -

FEMALE (whisper):

WAIT. YOU’LL BLOW OUR COVER.

MALE (whisper):

ARE YOU SERIOUS? WE CAN’T JUST - -

FEMALE (whisper):

COOL IT, THEY’RE GOING TO - -

 

PAGE TWO

Three panels, three rows. All panels are page wide.

1.) Cut to a different angle. The female guard is in the foreground with her back turned partially toward us. She has stepped into the male guard’s path. She has a forearm and the palm of one hand braced against his chest holding him back. She has turned her head to look behind her in the direction of the new VOICE coming in from off panel. The male guard has un-tensed a little, the arrival of the new party ending the current danger. He too is looking in the direction of the voice.

VOICE (rough):

MY APOLOGIES FOR HAVING KEPT YOU WAITING.

FEMALE (whisper):

NEVER MIND, SAVED BY THE BELL.

MALE(whisper):

 IF YOU SAY SO…

2.) Pull out to a wide reveal of the owner of the voice. It’s M.O.D.O.K. flanked by a few A.I.M. flunkies in full yellow, bee-keeper-like regalia. They’re carrying heavy looking black metal boxes (packed with weapons). In one of his undersized robotic hands M.O.D.O.K. is holding the bee-keeper-like hood of the late flunky responsible for their late arrival. The hood has a large hole burnt in it and is stained with splashes of blood in several places.

CAPTION:

…BUT THAT’S ONE DAMN UGLY BELL.

MODOK (rough):

MY TARDINESS WAS CAUSED BY THE INCOMPETENCE OF ONE OF MY SUBORDINATES.

MODOK (rough):

 BUT FEAR NOT, THE CULPRIT HAS ALREADY BEEN REPRIMANDED.

MODOK (rough):

SEVERELY REPRIMANDED.

3.) Cut to a wide angle shot featuring all of the players. Framing the shot in either side of the foreground with their backs to us are the male and female guards. Looking between them the Kingpin, backed by the Arranger, has stepped forward to greet M.O.D.O.K. (they too have their backs to us). MODOK is hovering a few feet above the ground opposite the Kingpin. He’s gesturing to the boxes being carried by his flunkies.
LETTERING NOTE: The end of MODOK’s dialogue is going to degenerate into unintelligible gibberish as the two guards stop listening and start their own conversation.

KINGPIN:

ENOUGH CHIT CHAT. LET’S GET TO BUSINESS. HAVE YOU THE WEAPONS?

MODOK ( rough, shrink to gibberish):

 INDEED. THE LASERATOR CANNON IS AN EXTREMELY DEADLY AND VOLATILE  - -

MALE:

 SO HOW DID YOU EVEN FIND OUT ABOUT THIS LITTLE POW WOW.

FEMALE:

I HAVE A FRIEND IN HELL’S KITCHEN. HE KEEPS TABS ON FISK. HAS A VESTED INTEREST IN STOPPING HIS ATTEMPTED UNDERWORLD COMEBACK.

PAGE THREE

Five panels, three rows. Panels one and two are across the top row. Panels three and four are across the middle row. Panel five is page wide across the bottom row.

1.) Close in for mid-figure close-up on the male guard. He’s folded his arms across his chest, shifted his stance and tilted his head as he has a good scoff and his partner.

MALE:

HAH! I HEARD THAT PARTICULAR FRIEND OF YOURS WENT A LITTLE OFF THE RAILS RECENTLY.

MALE:

THIS COULD BE A SCAM, OR A TRAP. HELL HE COULD BE WORKING WITH FISK FOR ALL WE KNOW.

2.) Cut to a close-up of the female guard. She’s waving one hand in a dismissive gesture while jabbing the thumb of her other hand at her chest. She’s starting to get irritated at her friend’s haughty attitude.

FEMALE:

 I KNOW.

FEMALE:

 I TRUST HIM. OKAY?

3.) Cut to a two shot. The female guard is in the foreground in profile, she’s got her arms folded huffily across her chest and has turned her head to look toward us away from her partner. Beyond her the male guard has leaned out to try and catch her eye so she’ll see what he’s doing. What he’s going is holding the pointer finger of each hand against either side of his head making little ‘devil horns’.

MALE:

OH YEAH, THE ONE THING HE ALWAYS STRUCK ME AS WAS ‘TRUSTWORTHY’.

MALE:

ESPECIALLY IN THAT GET-UP OF HIS.

4.) Cut to a two-shot with both of them in profile. The female guard is getting in the male guard’s face. She’s poking him in the chest with an accusing finger. He’s got his hands up, palms out, in a ‘whoa, take it easy’ gesture.

FEMALE:

YOUR JEALOUSY IS AS TRANSPARENT AS IT IS PATHETIC!

FEMALE:

 ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING NOT SO LONG AGO YOU SPENT YOUR NIGHTS SUCKING FACE WITH THAT PSYCHO-BITCH KARLA SOFTEN!

5.) Another angle with the male and female guards framing the shot in the foreground. They’re on either side of the panel with our focus beyond and between them. Both are breaking off their argument to look in the direction of the others. The Kingpin and the Arrange have both turned to look in their direction. MODOK and his bee-keeper lackeys are all looking at them too. MODOK has crossed his wizened robotic arms across his chest and glaring at them like a teacher would some unruly, disruptive kids.

MALE:

THAT WAS DIFFERENT. MOONSTONE WAS - -

MALE:

UH OH.

 

MODOK (rough):

DO YOU TWO HAVE SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE GROUP?

PAGE FOUR

Five panels, three rows. Panels one and two are across the top row. Panel three is page wide across the middle. Panels four and five are across the bottom row.

1.) Cut to a partial profile shot of MODOK as an arrow with a suction cup tip whizzes into shot from off panel left and affixes itself to his forehead. He looks shocked his eyes almost crossing to look up at the arrow. The bee-keepers flanked him all look startled. The voice coming from off-panel belongs to the male guard.

MALE:

YEAH. ACTUALLY I DO.

2.) Same partial profile shot of MODOK. Now the arrow has begun to spray fetid brown smoke every which way. MODOK and his beekeeper buddies are all reacting with choked surprise.

MODOK (rough, jag):

ACCKK!!

3.) Pull out to a wide shot as HAWKEYE leaps into shot. MODOK’s A.I.M. flunkies are partially in the bottom foreground with their backs to us. Hawkeye is swinging his arm in a wide arc. In his hand is a small crossbow and he is shooting a bunch of arrows at the A.I.M. guys (one for each of them). Some of them are getting hit others just have an arrow bearing down on them. In Hawkeye’s free hand he’s carrying the outfit he hand been wearing (he was the male guard in the previous panels). He’s got a swash-buckling grin on his face – he’s glad to be out of his disguise and back in his old familiar duds.

HAWKEYE:

DON’T CROWD FELLAS I’VE GOT ENOUGH FOR EVERBODY.

A.I.M. GOON (getting hit):

ACCKK!

A.I.M. GOON:

WHERE DID HE COME FROM?

4.) The Arranger is in the left foreground with his back to us. He has drawn a gun but before he has a chance to bring it to bear the pile of clothes Hawkeye had been carrying in the previous shot hits him in the face. Hawkeye is in the right background having just landed gracefully on his feet and tossed the gear into the Arranger’s face in one fluid motion.

HAWKEYE:

THANKS FOR THE LOANER GUY, BUT IT JUST AIN’T MY COLOUR.

ARRANGER:

 *MOOF*

5.) Close in for a tight head and shoulders shot as the Kingpin’s humungous hands close around either side of Hawkeye’s head like a vice. His bug meaty fingers are digging painfully into the flesh of the Avenger’s cheeks. His face is contorting in shock and pain. Depending on the angle you choose here we could show Kingpin’s silhouette looming over him the background.

HAWKEYE (jag):

AGGH!

KINGPIN:

WHY DO YOU COSTUMED LUNATICS INSIST ON HOUNDING ME.

PAGE FIVE

Four panels, two rows. Panel one is tall and vertically narrow encroaching into the bottom row a little. Panel two is smaller and allows the tall and vertically narrow panel four to encroach into the top row a little. Panel three should fit in the space under panel one.

1.) Pull out to a low angled, full figure shot. The Kingpin has lifted Hawkeye off the ground. The Avenger’s feet jerk and kick as he struggles in vain to break free. The Kingpin’s face is lined with strain and concentration as he begins to squeeze. This doesn’t look good for old Hawk.

HAWKEYE (jag):

 AHHH!!

KINGPIN:

I’LL YANK YOUR HEAD FROM YOUR SHOULDERS WITH MY BARE HANDS…

KINGPIN:

 …THEN I’LL MOUNT IT ON A PIKE IN CENTRAL PARK. A WARNING TO THE REST OF YOUR KIND.

2.) Cut to a high angle shot looking down on the Kingpin and Hawkeye. The Kingpin has suddenly gone rigid. His face contorts into a frozen expression of surprise. His twitching fingers lose their grip and Hawkeye slips from his grip.

KINGPIN:

NO-ONE CROSSES THE K - - UHH.

SFX:

ZZIZZAKK

3.) Pull out to a wide shot. Hawkeye is on his knees in the right foreground. He’s massaging his aching throat with one hand, the other hand gropes the ground for the crossbow and dropped arrows strewn beneath him. In the middle ground (toward the left of the panel) the Kingpin lies in a smoking heap on his side looking very much like a beached whale. In the centre background we see the reason for his sudden collapse. The female guard stands in a battle-ready stance. She’s got one arm outstretched toward us like a weapon. Around the wrist she wears a segmented yellow wristband that should be familiar to all Avenger’s readers as a ‘Window’s Sting’. Her other arm grips the crook of the elbow of her ‘gun’-arm, steadying it. Smoke drifts lazily in the air around the ‘Widow’s Sting’.

FEMALE GUARD:

HAWKEYE. ARE YOU ALRIGHT?

HAWKEYE (whisper):

SURE, I’M PEACHY.

HAWKEYE (whisper):

YOU CAN LOSE THE GOON-SUIT NOW. I THINK OUR COVER’S WELL AND TRULY BLOWN…

4.) Full figure shot. The female guard yanks off the Kingpin-goon overalls revealing the slinky black cat suit and long red hair of the BLACK WIDOW underneath. The other Windows sting should be strapped to her belt, waiting to be deployed to her other wrist.

HAWKEYE (off panel, whisper):

 …WIDOW.

BLACK WIDOW:

 I GUESS WHEN YOU TOLD ME YOU DIDN’T DO SUBTLE, YOU REALLY WEREN’T KIDDING.

PAGE SIX

Six panels, two rows. Panels one and two are on the top row. Panels three, four, five and six are side by side across the remainder of the page. Make them all tall and vertically narrow to make room.

1.) Tight head and shoulders two-shot of Hawkeye and Black Widow. They are both turning to look toward us with a look of surprise and dismay on their face. Their attention has been caught by M.O.D.O.K.’s voice coming from off panel.

MODOK (rough):

UNDERCOVER AVENGERS, VERY CLEVER.

2.) Switch to full figure shot of M.O.D.O.K. He’s sneering smugly toward us with his enormous, ghastly face. One of his robotic hands has transformed into a fan and is blowing the smoke that had been keeping him subdued away. He’s still got the arrow attached to his head, but either doesn’t realize, or doesn’t care. With his other hand he’s pointing at us.

MODOK (rough):

 SADLY IT WILL AVAIL YOU NAUGHT..

MODOK (rough):

AFTER I DISINTEGRATE YOU BOTH WITH MY BRAIN BLASTS!

3.) Close head and shoulders shot of Hawkeye. He’s grinning, back to looking his over-confident swash-buckling self. He’s having fun talking some smack to M.O.D.O.K. He’s tapping a finger to one temple as he speaks, mocking M.O.D.O.K.’s unimaginative plan.

HAWKEYE:

WAY TO USE THAT GRAY MATTER THERE ‘D.O.K…

HAWKEYE:

..BUT I’M AFRAID THAT IS NOT HAPPENING.

4.) Tight close up on M.O.D.O.K., his giant face fills the panel. He’s snapping back at Hawkeye confused as to why the Avengers aren’t trembling with fear before him. We want to see the arrow still attached to his head here – it’s going to be important in a few panels time.

MODOK (rough):

REALLY?

MODOK (rough):

JUST WHY WOULD THAT BE?

5.) Back to our head shoulders close up of Hawkeye. He’s still grinning. Now he’s holding a little remote control with a single button set into it. He’s pressing the button with his thumb. A little red L.E.D. flashes on top of the remote and it makes a little noise.

HAWKEYE:

WELL Y’SEE THAT ARROW YOU GOT STUCK TO YOUR HEAD DOESN’T JUST BLOW SMOKE. IT’S ALSO A PRETTY HEFTY, LITTLE EXPLOSIVE

HAWKEYE:

AND THIS IS THE DENTONATOR.

SFX:

BLIP

6.) Back to our full M.O.D.O.K face panel. He’s crossed his eyes to look up at the arrow stuck to the centre of his head. A little L.E.D. flashes on the arrow-head in reply to the one on the remote. His face is suddenly lined with concern.

SFX:

BLEEP BLEEP

MODOK (small):

EEP!

PAGE SEVEN

Four panels, four rows. All panels are page wide. Panels one and four should be given a little more space than the others.

1.) Pull out to a wide two shot. Hawkeye is in the left foreground in profile. He’s casually tossing the remote up and down in his hand like he’s flipping a coin. He’s laying down the terms of M.O.D.O.K.’s surrender with an air of complete indifference. In the background M.OD.O.K. is still cross-eyed staring at the bleeping arrow attached to his foreheads. His little robotic hands kneed together the way a nervous applicant would do before a scary job interview.

HAWKEYE:

 SINCE I DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO BLOW YOU TO KIBBLES AND BITS…

HAWKEYE:

WHY DON’T YOU JUST SURRENDER PEACEFULLY LIKE A GOOD LITTLE…GIANT, FLOATING, DISEMBODIED HEAD.

M.O.D.O.K (rough):

 CURSE YOU AVENGER. I - -

2.) Close in for a shot of MODOK. Again let’s have his big, horrible face filling the panel. This time is even more disturbing than before though as horrible, triumphant grin creeps across his face. That grin stretches hideously from ear to ear (if he had ears!). His eyes are narrowed and full of gleeful evil.

MODOK (rough):

I AM AFRAID I MUST DECLINE YOUR GENEROUS OFFER OF SURRENDER…

MODOK (rough):

 …AND INSTEAD SUGGEST THAT YOU SURRENDER TO ME.

3.) Cut back to a close-up shot of Hawkeye. He’s stopped tossing the remote and is instead looking at us with an incredulous expression on his face.

HAWKEYE:

YEAH, RIGHT.

HAWKEYE:

WHY WOULD I DO THAT?

4.) Switch back to our wide two shot. Hawkeye is still in the left foreground in profile but now he has turned his head to look in our direction. His eyes have gone wide and his jaw has dropped open. In the background behind him M.O.D.O.K is gesturing toward us, that sick grin still plastered across his face.

MODOK:

TURN AROUND AVENGER, AND TAKE A LOOK.

HAWKEYE (small):

OH NO

PAGE EIGHT

One panel, one row. Splash page.

1.) Splash page. Hawkeye and M.O.D.O.K are partially visible in the left foreground. Hawkeye is crying out his partner’s name in horror. Our focus is what they’re looking at though. Black Widow has been captured by M.O.D.O.K’s hideous female counterpart M.O.D.A.M. She is hovering off the ground with the unconscious Black Widow dangling in her grasp by the collar of her costume. In her other hand M.O.D.A.M. is holding an enormous rifle. It is a rifle of early 90s Image proportions. Make it as big and ridiculous as you can (these are the weapons A.I.M. was selling to the Kingpin).

HAWKEYE (jag):

 ‘TASHA!

M.O.D.O.K (rough):

SURRENDER AVENGER!

M.O.D.A.M. (rough):

OR M.O.D.A.M. WILL USE LASERATOR TO BLAST YOUR PRETTY LITTLE PARTNER TO ATOMS!

 

BLURB: TO BE CONTINUED…