Writing Sample

★From The Desk of Julian Capehart ★

Super Hero Story (Comic Writer’s Sample)

[9:15 pm Eastside Vistas Apartment Building]

[James, wearing all of his Hero uniform except the mask, puts a clear packet of red liquid into his backpack.]

James/Hero: Please hand me my cast and sling, Mona.

Mona: Sure. You really think this is going to work?

James/Hero: Of course. It has to.

[He puts the items into a small backpack.]

Mona: For both our sakes, I hope so. James, I want to talk about what we talked about the other night.

James/Hero: *Sigh* Mona, we’ve talked about this more times than both of us can count. I know how you feel. I really do --

Mona: Do you? Do you really? Do you know how it feels each night thinking the person that you love won’t come home alive?

James/Hero: We’ve been through this. I understand, but you can’t expect me to stop just because we’re together now. I learned a long time ago that I had to sacrifice in order to make a difference -- to make even the smallest a dent in the crime of the city. I’m doing this for you.

Mona: Don’t go out tonight, James. I can’t live like this anymore. I told you when you met me; I wasn’t going to take second place anyone or anything. I told you I’ve dealt with that in the past more times than I care to recollect. That’s the old me, and I’m never going back.

James/Hero: Mona, you know that I love you and that I don’t take you for granted.

Mona: Yeah, that’s why you gave me this, huh?

[She poses her hand next to her face, showing her engagement ring.]

James/Hero: Yes, and because I’m more than confident that we will all come out of this just fine. But you know that this isn’t just about you and me.

Mona: I see… James… I’m not going to let you keep doing this to me, to us. Eventually, you’re going to have to make a choice.

James/Hero: Listen, I know where you’re coming from. To say that being with me is a unique experience would be a huge understatement, but I can’t just ignore what’s going on in this city. Crime is at an all-time high. Little Mike from upstairs was just one of the latest casualties, and I just know the police are covering things up. What if little Mike had have been our child? What if we could’ve stopped it, but we didn’t because we decided to turn the other cheek. You want me to make a choice? I’ve already made it. My choice is this city, and that includes you. You think that I’m neglecting you, but I’m doing this for you. For us. If you don’t realize that by now, I don’t think that you ever will.

[James/Hero leaps out of the apartment window, safely somersaults onto a neighboring building’s roof, and runs off into the distance.]

Mona: That’s what I thought James… That’s what I though.

[With a tear rolling down her face, Mona takes off her engagement ring and places it on the table.]

Mona: Always the Hero...

[She grabs her coat and walks out of the apartment door.]

[9:35 pm Eastside Docks, Warehouse District]

[Four thugs sit in a van with cigarette smoke coming out of open driver and front passenger side windows.]

Thug 1: Why couldn’t we go with Villain into the warehouse? Why’d we have to park?

Thug 2: Just sit tight. He’s just checking on his cache. Does it every week. It’s kind of his thing. Besides, he don’t want nobody lookin’ over his shoulder while he’s doing his security code.

Thug 1: What if Hero shows up?

Thug 2: Heh. Villain nearly wasted him last time. Doubt he’ll show.

Thug 3: Yeah, maybe he’s in the E.R.

Thug 2: A superhero at the E.R.? Shut up, Lonnie. That’s just stupid.

Thug 3: What? It could happen? You shut up!

Thug 4: All of you shut up! I wish he was here right now so I could finish him off. All I need is one bullet between the eyes and --

[Thug 4 sits in the driver seat, pointing his finger like a gun with a lit cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.]

[Hero lands on top of a van in a crouched pose, with his right arm in a cast and sling.]

Hero: Ok, big man, take your best shot.

Thug 4: Holy --! It’s him. It’s Hero!

[The cigarette falls from his mouth.]

[The henchmen inside panic and ready their weapons.]

[Hero throws a flash grenade inside the van’s passenger side window. After the flash

grenade goes off, he lands on the ground in front of the driver side window.]

[Hero breaks the driver side door off it’s off hinges and dives feet first into the opening, dropkicking the two thugs in the front seats of the van so hard that the force breaks the passenger side door off of its hinges too, and the two thugs fly out onto the ground. They are knocked out cold by this action.]

[In the back of the van, Hero forearms a henchman in his face; knocking him out.]

[The final henchman is able to point his pistol but Hero twists his arm and bangs the henchman’s head against the van wall, knocking him out.]

[Moments later, in trench coat and fedora, Villain is typing in the key code into an electronic lock on a warehouse door. Hero leaps down from a giant metal crate about fifteen feet away.]

Villain: What the --?

[Villain turns around quickly.]

Villain: Well, well. Wonders never cease. You must really have a death wish don’t you. Come to get the other arm put in a sling too?

Hero: You aren’t getting away with any of this. Your best option now is to -- ugh.

Villain: Hahaha. You can’t even talk down to me anymore, you’re hurting so much. I can’t believe you’d actually show up with a broken arm. You’re going to make this too easy.

Hero: One arm… ugh… is more than enough to handle you.

[The arm cast begins to bleed in the sling.]

Villain: Hehe. You’re joking right? Both arms weren’t enough before. Now you’re going to beat me with just one? Oh, I believe you must have suffered a concussion too if you think you’re coming out of this alive, Hero. But if this is how you want it, let’s have at it. You’ve just signed your own death notice, and I’ve waited years to kill you.

[Villain takes off his coat and hat.]

[Villain shoots energy at Hero.]

[Hero strafes to the right and hides behind some crates.]

[Villain shoots energy at the crates.]

[Hero is now on top of a crate behind Villain.]

[Hero executes a falling kick at Villain’s back, sending him tumbling to the ground.]

[Villain sneers and shoots energy at HERO again, from the ground.]

[Hero shoots his own energy and the two energies cancel each other out.]

[Hero then attempts to stomp Villain, but Villain rolls out of the way of the stomp.]

[Villain shoots energy point blank range at Hero. The blast launches Hero over 40 feet in the air.]

[Hero falls back down onto some stacks of crates with so much force that many of the crates break.]

Villain: Heh! Are you satisfied now? I know I am. I told you before; you can’t possibly hope to beat me. And after I do away with you, Mr. Crime will make me his first lieutenant.

[Hero tries to get up. He makes it to his knees when Villain kicks him in the stomach. Hero falls flat onto his back.]

Villain: Look at you; always falling down on your job. Oh, and you were so close too. The other night, the battle at pier 22, the military grade weapons were right under your nose the whole time, you pompous, self-righteous prick.

[Villain grabs Hero by his cowl, to hold him up and talk directly into his ear.]

Villain: If you’d have done your job better, you’d have already known that. The secret passage under warehouse 22 was where the drugs were being kept. I only tell you this now because you are about to die, of course.

Hero: Thanks. That’s all I needed to know.

Villain: What? What are you doing? No… No!

[Hero blasts Villain with energy from his fists. The energy blast propels Villain through the air and he crash-lands onto some recycle trash cans.]

Villain: How did you --?

[Hero takes his right arm out of the cast and sling, as Villain stumbles back onto his feet.]

Villain: Wait! Your arm isn’t broken. You played possum. You played me!

Hero: Nice going, genius. You finally figured it out. You should have smelled a trap when I actually showed up with a broken arm. I mean, who does that? Am I right? You have to admit though; the fake blood was a nice enough touch too.

Villain: Shut up! You think you’ve made a fool out of me? I’ll still finish you off with ample time to finish tonight’s mission! Then we’ll see who’s the genius!

Hero: Yeah, see, about that that... I‘ve already alerted the police. Your mission’s a bust, and you’re going down. Right now, right here.

Villain: Ha! The police? When are you going to learn, Hero? We own the police.

Hero: Tell me something I don’t know.

Villain: Why call them then, if I’ll only be out again by tomorrow?

Hero: I see your point, Villain. But how about you let me worry about the details on such matters? You know, don’t want you to strain yourself.

[Villain rushes at Hero.]

[Villain dodges Hero’s energy blast.]

[Hero evades a tackle and blocks Villain’s swinging arm with his forearm.]

[Hero blocks another swing with his other forearm.]

[Villain attempts to sweep Hero off his feet, but Hero jumps.]

[While in mid-air, Hero tries to knee Villain in the face, but Villain blocks it.]

[Villain shoots out an energy blast. Hero dodges it.]

[Hero shoots out an energy blast and hits Villain.]

[Hero dashes at Villain with a barrage of punches.]

[Villain kicks Hero off of him.]

[Villain shoots energy blast at a brick wall and the rubble covers Hero.]

[After a moment, the rubble begins to glow and then explode, leaving only Hero in its wake.]

[Hero charges up his right fist with energy, but shoots energy out of his left fist.]

[The energy hits a fuel barrel, near Villain, and it explodes.]

[After the explosion, Villain can hardly stand and tries to get his bearings.]

[Hero now discharges the swelling energy around his right fist directly at Villain’s abdomen.]

9:57 pm Eastside Docks, Warehouse District

[Minutes later, the police, paramedics and firemen arrive. There are eight police cars now parked with red and blue lights flashing.]

Police Captain: You know, you could have told us what you were planning here, Hero. We could have been on-scene and ready to help.

[He sips some coffee out of a cup.]

Hero: Oh, I think things went well just the same. I’m very good at timing these things. Besides, the less you know before hand, the better.

Police Captain: Jeez. This again? This is still about your distrust of all us cops, isn’t it?

Hero: I never said I distrusted all of you. You have dirty men on your force, Captain -- Dirty men that I plan to expose. And whether you’re as oblivious to it as you claim to be, or are in on it yourself, or you’re just turning a blind eye to it, believe me I’ll be finding out for myself.

[Hero leaps onto a stack of crates, then onto the roof of a warehouse storage building and disappears off into the distance.]

-End-

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