Quarter Four graveyard

[eSJayBee]

Behind every page/strip of the comic Q4, there's a story. Those who know about the pre-production tales of movies and TV shows would be familiar with it because it's similiar to that but on a much, much smaller scale, obviously.

Anyway, every now and again, I end up with certain pages half-done with an impending "deadline" but there's something about the page; storywise, artwise or both; that I just am not happy with and thus can't get myself to finish. That's the dreadful perfectionist side of me. I call these "aborted comics".

Most are unused scripts but some are actual pages. This is the recent one meant for yesterday:

Strip 85- [untitled]

PANEL 1
Setting is a store like Canadian Tire. Bry is sitting on a lawn chair in his pink hoodie. Ingrid’s walking up to him in autumn clothing.

INGRID
I just had the oddest conversation with Saadji back there.



PANEL 2
Flashback to five minutes ago. Ingrid and Saadji (in pink hoodie) are talking in another aisle.

SAADJI
It’s a personal preference. I just like a story to go forward. Not backward.

INGRID
The concept of prequels kind of disappoints me too but not as much as they do you.


PANEL 3
Saadji is very serious. Ingrid is acting like she misheard.

SAADJI
Prequels don’t belong in the same theaters as normal, forward people.

INGRID
Wha...?


PANEL 4
Saadji is holding Ingrid’s face tightly in his gloved hands. Ingrid is confused as Hell. Customers are looking at them.

SAADJI
Would you marry a prequel, Ingrid?? Can you imagine having children who go backward??



PANEL 5
Back to the present. Bry is looking sad. Ingrid throws her arms up in the air in defeat, walking away.

BRY
Yes. His wife and children left him for a prequel and he’s just let it eat away at him. Poor, old man.

INGRID
Oh, God! Not you too...



You can see the obvious changes made to the drawn comic itself based on the script above, notably the change in setting and addition/replacement of characters. And the facial expressions in the last panel are because I made changes to the final panel's dialogue.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/eSJayBee/q4/aborted_85_1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/eSJayBee/q4/aborted_85_2.jpg

[eSJayBee]

Strip 59- Ingrid’s Frustration

PANEL 1
Dwak, Saadji and Ingrid are eating at a restaurant or in a food court. Saadji might have a bandage on his face.

INGRID
Well...I assumed he was naturally hairless

SAADJI
Heh || This is probably the biggest mystery of Bry ever.

DWAK
Brystery



PANEL 2
Close-up Ingrid. She’s holding fries dipped in ketchup.

INGRID
I think there are some Brysteries that are bigger than whether or not he can grow a full head of hair.

DWAK/SAADJI (op)
Like what?



PANEL 3
Close-up of Ingrid’s fries. She’s dabbing it on her forehead.


PANEL 4
Close-up of Ingrid’s face. She has a joking smirk on her face. The red ketchup is where Bry’s dot is.

INGRID
mmm...nooothing...


PANEL 5
Close-up of Ingrid’s face. She is rolling her eyes in frustration.

DWAK (OP)
You got some ketchup on your forehead, babe.

INGRID
Oh for crying out loud....

SAADJI (OP)
Can I lick it off?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/eSJayBee/q4/aborted_59.jpg

[Capt. Obvious]

GOD DAMNIT! STOP SHOWING OFF YOUR AWESOME DRAWING SKILLS!

Actually, no, keep doing it. I crave more input!

[eSJayBee]

This was the alternate page #86 I had written earlier. It's pretty much like what we ended up with (http://www.quarter-four.com/index.php?strip_id=86) though in this version, Dwak talks right away rather than continuing to stay quiet and let Jay explain.

I liked Dwak staying quiet throughout these last two comics until he just breaks down in the end about exactly what's got him feeling so guilty. :)


Strip 86a- And Run

PANEL 1
Dwak, Saadji, Bry and Jay all walking outside of the bookstore and through the mini mall in the wind. Bry and Jay got some books. Dwak looks ‘exhausted’ with guilt. Jay is looking annoyed at Saadji.

DWAK
Look, I lost my balance as I was getting out of my seat. It just...happened...

SAADJI
We’re back to this topic?

JAY
Stop, Saadji.


PANEL 2
Same as last panel.

BRY
That poor, old woman... || Did she accept your apology?


PANEL 3
They’ve stopped walking. Dwak is uncomfortable. Jay tries to look innocent. Bry and Saadji stare at Dwak, maybe a little surprised.


PANEL 4
Dwak finally speaks. Bry and Saadji are astonished. Bry is practically in tears. Jay shakes his head.

DWAK
It was all so sudden! And it was my stop and I panicked and so I ran out of the bus, okay?!









This was an earlier version of the same story. It didn't have as much depth, in my opinion.

Strip 86- I Am So Incredibly, Very Sorry

PANEL 1
We’re in the gym. Jay is really busy working out and Dwak is taking a break and talking to Jay. Jay, sweating, might be counting his reps in a low voice. Dwak might be acting out his story.

DWAK
So I get on the bus and there are no seats so I stand, right? Then the packed bus turns at an intersection and I lose my already-lazy grip on the bar.

JAY
Yea?


PANEL 2
Dwak as he does a punch motion. Jay is still working out.

DWAK
So I’m totally desperate not to fall on someone. I try to grab the bar...but I end up punching the old woman next to me in the face...


PANEL 3
Close in on Dwak; he has a hand on his face.

DWAK
Ooh man, Jay...I think: “Damn! Okay, I’ll apologize to her when I get a hold on something.”


PANEL 4
One hand on Dwak’s face, another in a wobbly punch motion. He is feeling bad.

DWAK
Then...trying to grab a hold...I punch her again...

PANEL 5
Dwak has a hand up with three fingers out.

DWAK
Now I’m thinking: “Oh snap! Oh man!” and I continue with the original plan...then the same thing happens...third punch...


PANEL 6
Dwak has his hands up apologetically.

DWAK
I finally get a hold of a bar and am apologizing to her profusely. She looked so lost, trying to figure out what just happened to her...



PANEL 7
Zoom out and we can see both Jay and Dwak again. Jay has completely stopped working out and is totally stunned. His face is shocked beyond belief.

[eSJayBee]

And this is the 87th page script I will NOT be using...

I wrote it sort of like the "Marvel Comics" way where I just describe the scene and slap the dialogue, deciding on the amount of panels as I do the thumbnails for the page. So this was 'not' meant to be a single panel....

Strip 87- 1-800-DWAK-MAN

We’re in the living room. All four boys are there. Bry is hooking up a new router to the computer. Jay is playing X-Box or something. Dwak just comes in. Saadji is drawing. Dwak is looking distressed. Bry’s laptop is somewhere in the scene.

SAADJI
Dwak...I heard about your fight to the death with that bus granny.

DWAK
*groan*

SAADJI
And there was that time you totally ran into Uncle Rahul (page #40)

BRY
Oh poor uncle...

JAY
You don’t have a good track record with senior citizens...

SAADJI
“If your grandparents always misbehave, call 1-800-DWAK-MAN and Dwak will come beat them into submission!”

DWAK
Hey hey! Now come on...show some respect for your elders, man.

SAADJI
Hey, I’m not the one knocking them down left and right...

(insert Saadji’s drawing)
Rob Liefeld Dwak furiously beating up old people