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RAPID CITY #29 BY JOSH DAHL joshdahl75@gmail.com Page 1 Recap 5 panels This whole page is wide panels stretching all the way across. Panel 1 Katy walking her daughter home from school. She is holding the boys hand and helping him cross the street. Behind them there is a school parking lot full of buses and kids. Icicle sitting on a subway train. There are teenagers on the way home from school on the train as well as a few normal commuters. It is not crowded. They look happy and wholesome. She looks miserable. She is looking down Agent Hartborn in his hotel bathroom. He is hanging his button-up shirt on a hook, leaving him with just a wife-beater. The main focus of the panel is his arm, he is reaching across most of the panel. His thick, meaty, arm is covered with hundreds of thin, rough, scars. There is no particular order to them. It looks as though someone just makes random 2-3 inch cuts every few days. Near his elbow is a fresh bandage. In a fancy office with a large window looking down on the Rapid City skyline, Coil and Charge are intimidating a female executive. the woman is pressing herself against a wall and Coil is pointing at her with one finger. Andrew sitting in his office at the MRA. The shot is from behind his desk. We can see that with one hand he is feeding documents into a shredder. With his other hand, he is throwing a friendly wave to a female coworker. The desk keeps the shredding hidden from the view of anyone in the hall. Velvet Lounge. The Outsider. 5 panels Large panel. Icicle is standing with her back to the reader at the edge of beaten-up, medium sized parking lot. There are just a few cars scattered through it. At the center of the lot is a strip club called "The Velvet Lounge". It is mid-afternoon, so the neon isn't really glowing and the building just looks plain apart from its 80s style. Icicle and the building are facing off like gunfighters. An older guy with an oxygen tube running to his nose is standing with his car-door open and watching

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Icicle walk past. He is unashamedly judging her. Panel 3 Panel 4 Icicle opening the door to the club and stepping toward the darkness within. A big fat bouncer in a black polo shirt is squinting at her ID. She is holding up her ID and not looking at the bouncer. BOUNCER I.D. please. ICICLE Here. BOUNCER Ok. Looks good. Enjoy the show. Panel 5 A heavy, dark red, velvet curtain separates the club floor from the entry way. This panel is looking only at that curtain, from the side of the club. The center of the curtain is being parted by Icicle as she enters the club, looking for trouble. In the club. 6 panels Wide shot showing us what Icicle is seeing. Maybe as a behind the shoulder almost-POV. This is the club from issue 21. It is neither up-scale nor trashy. There are a few patrons scattered about. A waitress or two wandering the floor, and a dancer lazily sauntering around the stage. Off to one side, with not particular emphasis, is Crimson Ghost in his street clothes. This panel is like a zoom in on the section of the previous one with Crimson Ghost. He is just relaxing at a table against the wall. There is a waitress checking in on him, a dancer sitting next to him, and a few drinks on the table. Icicle walking purposefully across the room. A waitress steps out of her way and watches her pass. Shot looking down over Icicles shoulder. She is standing beside Crimson Ghost's table looking down at him and his dancer companion. He has not noticed Icicle, but the dancer is looking up with surprise. Close on Crimson Ghost looking up with amused surprise. CRIMSON GHOST Whoah, Icicle! I thought you were dead. CRIMSON GHOST Why doncha have a seat? Join us.

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Panel showing both of them, Icicle is standing firm and Ghost is reaching for his phone. ICICLE I'm not here to talk to you. I need to see Coil. CRIMSON GHOST Yeah, I bet you do. What's it about? ICICLE It's about me needing to see Coil. Page 4 Panel 1 Splash. 1 panel Taking up the whole page. Low angle shot looking up at Coil and Charge as they stroll out of a freight elevator into a cement parking structure. Coil is talking into his cell phone. Charge is trailing behind him. They both have jackets obscuring their villain gear. COIL Yeah. COIL You know this for sure? I thought that tip was full of crap. COIL Why are you talking like that? Is she standing right there? COIL Ok, well, I need some time to get ready. Tell her to come by the new office around 10 tonight. COIL Ok. Good. Tell her to be at Washington and Barrie at ten tonight. I'll send someone to get her. COIL And I need you at the new office by nine. We've got some things to take care of. Page 5 Panel 1 At Washington. 6 panels Icicle on a street corner at night. She is still wearing Piledriver's leather jacket and carrying her gym bag. There is a light dusting of snow blowing around, but only sticking near corners and edges. In the lot behind her is a pawn shop and an army/navy store. Both are closed. The other corners are an empty lot, a lumber yard, and some other closed business. This is not a pedestrian area and there is no one else around. A driver stopped at the light at the corner leers at

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her. Panel 3 Panel 4 Shot from across the street looking at her standing there all alone, a few cars rush past. Icicle looking at a mid-size rental pick-up that is driving past. There are a few other cars in the panel, they all have speed lines showing that they are going quickly. The truck, however, is going slowly. The man driving the truck, Charge, looking over at her. Tight on Icicle staring back. Strange Pick-ups. 5 panels Overhead shop of that pick-up circling into the parking lot behind Icicle. Shot from behind Icicle . She has turned to face the truck and is being blasted by its headlights. Tight shot of Icicle shielding her eyes with her forearm. ICICLE Turn off the lights. Panel 4 Charge leaning out the window, only his general shape is visible through the glare. CHARGE Well, hop on up, sweetheart. We ain't got all night. Panel 5 Page 7 Panel 1 Small panel. Low angle shot of her feet as she steps into the truck. The ride over. 6 panels Inside the cab of the truck, in the dim light of the dash and the street lights. Charge is focused on the road as he turns back into traffic. Icicle is looking at him uncomfortably. Charge looking over and giving a charming smile. CHARGE You are Icicle, aren'cha? Coil'd be pissed if I showed up with some random piece a tail. ICICLE I'm Icicle. Panel 3 Charge extending his right hand to Icicle. She is ignoring it.

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CHARGE My name's Charge. Ah'm pleased to make your acquaintance. ICICLE How much farther is it? CHARGE Maybe we'll get to be friends later on, then. Panel 4 Panel 5 The truck driving down a deserted street in the industrial part of town. The truck turning off the road into the lot of an industrial/office complex. The headlights are hitting a single garage door which is open half way. Shot from Icicle's side of the cab, looking at Charge as he slides out the door. CHARGE C'mon. This is it. Page 8 Panel 1 Check out. 6 panels Overhead shot of the truck in the garage. It is designed for two or three regular sized vehicles to be pulled in. There are a few forgotten boxes and palettes around. Near the driver's side of the truck is a short flight of stairs leading to a closed door. The only light is coming from Charge's truck's headlights and a little bit coming from outside. Charge has walked to the rear of the truck and is pulling down the garage door. Icicle has exited the passenger side and is talking to him. ICICLE Where's Coil? CHARGE I'll take you to 'im shortly. But first... Panel 2 Shot from behind Icicle who is still standing beside the passenger door. Charge has come around the back of the truck to her side. He is approaching her menacingly. CHARGE ...we got to take a few precautions. ICICLE What do you mean? CHARGE You can't just walk in and see the man. You could be packin', or wearin' a wire. Panel 3

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Charge reaching out for the bag, and Icicle handing it over. CHARGE Lemme see what you got in that bag. ICICLE It's nothing. CHARGE I'll just see for myself, if you don't mind. Panel 4 Charge resting the bag on the wall of the truck bed, just behind the cab. He has opened the bag and is pulling out a small handful of underwear. He has a look of sarcastic pity. CHARGE This is what you been carryin' around with you? CHARGE Aw, darlin', is this all you got in the whole world? Panel 5 He tosses the bag and the underwear into the bed of the truck. She is staring at him with icy hatred. CHARGE Doesn't matter. You won't need 'em in there. Panel 6 Charge reaching out toward Icicle. CHARGE How about that jacket? Page 9 Panel 1 Friends at last. 6 panels From Charge's point of view. Icicle is sliding off the leather jacket. Under it she is wearing a snug long sleeve thermal shirt. She is trying hard to not show her hate while she does this. She is failing. Charge speaks from off panel. CHARGE Alright, give it here, then. Panel 2 Charge tossing the jacket into the bed of the truck and pointing up at the top of the passenger side door. CHARGE Grab on up there so I can check if you're wearin' a wire. ICICLE Are you joking?

CHARGE Just grab on up there. Panel 3 She grabs on to the roof of the truck with both hands and stares daggers at him while he steps behind her. CHARGE Just relax. Won't take a minute. Panel 4 Shot from in the bed of the truck. The jacket is in the foreground and Icicle and Charge are in the background. He has his hands on her shoulders. She is staring at the jacket. Tight on both of their faces. She is trying hard to remain stone faced. He is smiling and talking almost directly into her ear. CHARGE See, now? Panel 6 Very similar to panel 5, but now Icicle is wincing and Charge is grinning. Tiny ice spikes are growing along Icicle's eyebrows. CHARGE I told you we was gonna be friends. Page 10 Into the belly of the beast. Page 1 of spread 10 and 11 are a two page spread. Each page will have a large, central, image area. Snaking around these central images will be a long series of panels similar to the spaces on a child's board game. Panel 1 The long strip of panels bordering the central images on page 10. In these strip panels, we see Icicle following charge down a cheaply wood-paneled hallway. The first of these images have them both small and far away, and as the panels progress, the figures get closer. There will be a lot of these images, so they don't all need to be 100% clear. In the large, central, image area. This is in a large garage space, similar to the one where Charge parked the truck. All of the tools and boxes and things have been removed and replaced with a desk and some chairs. There is nothing on the desk. Coil is standing behind the desk, looking at the closed door. The various wires that are normally wrapped around Coil's hands, forearms, and neck, are much thicker. He is ready for battle. This panel takes up most of the space in this area. Coil turns to look at two stacks of wooden pallets, each stacked about 8 feet high. They are in the

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corner and leave a space between them and the wall large enough for a man to stand. Coil speaks to whoever is back there. We can't see anything of him, but Claw Hammer is hiding back there. COIL She's almost here. Are you clear on the plan? CLAW HAMMER Yes. Panel 4 Page 11 Panel 1 Panel 2 The hallway panel keep winding around. In the belly two. Page 2 of spread. The hallway panels continue. The first of the two panels in the large, central, image area. It is the smaller of the two. Shot of two eyes looking out through the slats in the pallets. Coil's voice comes from off panel. COIL You're absolutely certain you won't suddenly feel like making your own plan? CLAW HAMMER I'm sure. Just do it, ok. Panel 3 Taking up most of the central image area, This image is very similar to the first large image on page 10, but now Coil is looking at the door where Icicle has entered, closely followed by Charge. CHARGE Here we are. Panel 4 Page 12 Panel 1 The encircling hallway panels on this page should end on the page near to where the door is in panel 3. Face to face. 6 panels Icicle and Coil facing one another, still across the room. She looks icy and he is smiling. COIL Icicle, this is a surprise. Panel 2 Panel 3 Close on her eyes, squinting with hatred. Icicle walking down the short flight of stairs. Her posture is casual, but her stare is still locked on Coil. ICICLE I fought some cops this morning. They came up on me in a store parking lot in the North End. I used my

powers to take 'em out and stole their money. I trashed their car, too, because they have those dashboard cameras. Panel 4 Showing all three of them. Charge is still near the door and shrugging like he does not know what she is talking about. Icicle is at the bottom of the stairs staring at Coil. Coil amused and looking toward Charge for some explanation. ICICLE I got away clean, I think, but I could hear sirens everywhere. It had to be all over the radio. COIL Oh, impressive. Panel 5 Icicle starting to walk toward Coil with a little swagger. She has her head cocked slightly. Charge is still behind her, now at the bottom of the stairs. ICICLE People are saying you're Syndicate now. If that's true... then you'd know about the fight sooner or later. You must have connections in the police, or just someone with a scanner, and you'd wanna know who this person is. Panel 6 Medium shot of Icicle starting to look confident. ICICLE Some free-agent working in your city, can't have that. So I'm here to save you the trouble. Page 13 Panel 1 Why she's here. 6 panels Close on Icicle's face as she talks. She is hiding her fear. ICICLE I'm here to tell you that it was me. Panel 2 Close on Coil, looking skeptical. COIL That's what you're here for? To tell me you messed up some cops? Panel 3 Low angle shot from in front of Icicle. Her hand, which is hanging by her side in the foreground, is shaking slightly. Behind her, Charge is looking at her and noticing the shaking hand. Her balloon comes from off panel. ICICLE Yeah, and I did it right here in Rapid City. And I'm going to continue handling my business as I see

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fit... Panel 4 Very similar to panel 3, but now she has clenched her fist to steady it. Charge has noticed smiles at this. ICICLE ...right here in Rapid City. And I'm not going to ask your permission or pay you a dime until you pay me what you owe me. Panel 5 Coil walking around to the front of the desk, Icicle walking toward him. Coil is pointing at himself incredulously. COIL I owe you? ICICLE You owe me, Coil. Cash. My cut of that job you screwed us out of. I'm want my cut and Piledriver's. Panel 6 Shot from Claw Hammer's POV behind the pallets. He sees Icicle and Coil now about 10 feet apart. ICICLE That's what I would have had if you hadn't flipped it on us and run away like a coward. COIL You're not telling me the truth. Page 14 Panel 1 The truth. 7 panels Icicle leaning forward to speak aggressively. Coil is leaning back slightly. ICICLE The truth? The truth is that you handed us that bomb and you left us for dead. COIL You got me there. And, yeah, you're probably right about your cut of the take. Panel 2 Coil smiling smugly down at Icicle. COIL The trouble is that I didn't cash out on that crown. I traded up and used it to buy my way into the Syndicate. Panel 3 Medium shot of charge, nodding like he is impressed. Coil's voice comes from off camera. COIL So, unless you're willing to take a piece of

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that... Panel 4 Tight shot of Icicle not listening, just staring hate up at Coil. Coil's voice comes from off panel. COIL ...I think we're at am impasse. Panel 5 Coil, amused with himself begins walk in a circle around Icicle. He has a finger raised like he is giving an important lesson. COIL See? You're not telling the truth. COIL First, you come out of hiding just to arrange this meeting. And then you come here, stand in front of me, and talk business. COIL You talk like you're the big girl calling the shots. Panel 6 Now he is jabbing his finger at her in an intimidating way, showing off how much bigger he is. Icicle is wincing back slightly, but trying to remain stone-faced. COIL You stand here and you tell me my business. And how I screwed you over and I owe you your cut. But the whole thing's a lie. Isn't it? ICICLE No. Panel 7 Tight shot on Coil almost yelling. COIL It is. Page 15 Panel 1 The lies. 6 panels Wider shot of Coil walking past Icicle toward Charge who is leaving casually against the stair railing and shrugging theatrically. Coil is talking to Charge and gesturing back at Icicle. Icicle is turning to watch Coil. COIL You said you were... she said she was here for the money. But I just offered her a piece of the whole operation and she didn't even blink. Panel 2 Coil and Charge both mugging confusion.

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COIL So what else could she possibly be after? CHARGE Beats the hell outta me, boss. Panel 3 Coil now walking back toward Icicle. He has some fingers up, he is making a show of counting out what he is offering her. COIL Just so we're clear, let me make that offer again. That's a place in the Rapid City Syndicate. This means you come in. You work for me. You do what I tell you. And when you score, you pay a percentage up to me. And in return... Panel 4 Close on Coil's face. Smiling cruelly. COIL You get to live. Panel 5 Tight on Coil's mouth. COIL Which, you remember, is a much better deal than Piledriver got. Panel 6 Larger, more dynamic, panel than the other son the page. Icicle is icing up. Ice spikes are growing from her hands and up the backs of her arms. Starting up on her shoulders, and stretching back from her face to start forming her helmet. ICICLE No! You don't get to say his name, you son of a bitch! ICICLE I'll kill you. Page 16 Panel 1 Real reasons. 6 panels Coil standing and looking at her. He is unimpressed with her show of aggression. In fact, he is a little smug COIL Finally, the truth. You came here to kill me. COIL But you won't do it. Panel 2 Icicle balling up her fists and growing out her spikes further. Coil starting to walk around her again and waving a dismissive gesture.

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ICICLE Watch me. COIL Oh, come on. You've been standing here talking. If you were going to, you would have done it already. Panel 3 Coil raising his hands in a mock gesture of placating her objections. Icicle still watching him suspiciously. COIL I can tell you really want to. And I know it seems like you should. But the truth of the matter is that's just not who you are. ICICLE You don't know me. Panel 4 Coil barking at her angrily. COIL I know all I need to know, little Icicle. like you shouldn't be here. Panel 5 A girl

Coil is stalking around her and gesturing toward her in a critical way. COIL You should be in college, hittin' the books and liftin' your skirt for those dirty old teachers. Maybe workin' some straight job, hangin' out with your friends on the weekends. COIL You could be all shacked up and spittin' out babies for some lawyer or something. COIL But you're not. You're one of us, and I know why.

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Coil still rambling, but now not directly focused on Icicle. He is gesturing around at people who are not there. COIL Some of these dudes can't help themselves. They're bad and they enjoy hurting people. But the rest, people like you and me, we do this for a reason.

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People like us. 8 panels Coil's clenched fists as he thickens the wrapping of wire there. Balloon comes from off panel. COIL We just want that money and we don't care if

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someone gets hurt. Panel 2 The ice on Icicle's fists thickening. Balloon comes from off panel. ICICLE I'm not like you. Panel 3 Shot from Claw Hammer's POV in hiding. Across the room, Icicle is in a defensive position and backing away from Coil, toward the viewer. Coil is approaching her as he talks. They are both ready for battle, but neither will flinch. COIL Yes, you are. You knew people would get hurt, but took the job anyway. Panel 4 Similar shot, but tighter on Coil and Icicle as they circle each other. COIL You took it because of the money. I was there. I saw him, Piledriver, he was ready to walk away. Panel 5 Closer still, now mainly focusing on Coil. Icicle is almost completely out of frame. Coil is really enjoying this cruel rant. COIL You brought him back. You talked him in to it because you wanted that money and you didn't care who got hurt. Panel 6 Close just on Coil. He is really leaning into an evil sneer. COIL You're not mad that Piledriver's dead. Panel 7 Tight on his mouth. COIL You're mad because you know it's your fault. Panel 8 Page 18 Panel 1 Tiny black panel with just a glint of an ice spike. Attack. Around 10 panels. Huge panel taking up the whole page. The rest of the panels are inset over it at the bottom of the page Icicle is swinging a thickly spiked up ice fist up at Coil's head. She is putting her whole body into it and screaming like a banshee. Coil is blocking the blow with his thickly wrapped forearms, but the strength and savagery of the attack is pushing him back and off balance.

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ICICLE EEAAAARRR Panel 2 The rest of these panels are all inset over the first panel. They alternate in size and zoom as needed. This panel is a similar attack-and-block, but now with Icicle's other fist. Coil throwing a shoulder in and slamming Icicle away from him. Coil settling into some kind of battle stance with his hands up for grappling. All around his hands and his wrists, loose wire strands are snaking out into the air, like hairs in static electricity. He is grinning. Icicle swinging like mad, fists of fury. Coil is blocking one blow, but another is hitting his abdomen. Tight on another hard ice fist slamming Coil's torso. Coil is grabbing Icicle and she is struggling in his grasp. One of her spiky iced forearms is smashing across the side of his face, drawing blood. Close on her face as she struggles. There are wires creeping among her armor spikes, reaching toward her eyes. She is screaming. Coil slams her on her back to the ground. Spike points snap off Icicle using ice armor to raise up Ice is spreading around her on the her feet and lower legs. There are tendrils of ice going up her back. battle stance. Tide turns. 5 panels Similar to the last panel on the previous page, but bigger. Icicle's armor is much more fully formed and she looks like she has solid footing with big ice boots. She has spikes everywhere. She is in a rage. She has forgotten about Charge who is still leaning casually behind her. ICICLE Coil. You're dead, Coil. Panel 2 Close on Coil's face. He is bleeding but smiling. COIL Charge, handle this. Panel 3 Small panel of Charge rearing back on one foot, off of the floor. ground, forming on a few thin She is in another

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winding up a huge stomp. Panel 4 Large panel of Charge slamming his foot down. There is a shockwave traveling out from the impact straight ahead and straight to where Icicle is standing. The wave is splintering her ice armor from head to toe. She is contorting with the impact. SOUND EFFECT CHROOOOOOMM Panel 5 Icicle on the ground among the shards of shattered armor. She still has many shattered fragments of armor on her. She is looking up toward Charge with shock. Beat down. 6 panels Shot from just behind Icicle. She is regrowing spikes and scrambling toward Charge. He is taking a step back from her, and she is just getting op from her knees. CHARGE Uh-oh. Panel 2 Panel 3 Suddenly, Coil is beside her and kicking her hard in the ribs. Icicle on the ground, Coil and Charge approaching her. CHARGE Hoo! That got her good. COIL Not good enough. Not yet. Panel 4 Panel 5 Coil's hand grabbing Icicle's neck. Wires are snaking out from his fingers. Pulled back to see Coil slamming Icicle against the wall by her neck. She is clutching his arm with ice claws and drawing blood. COIL You see? You see now what... COIL AAH! Dammit! Panel 6 Coil throws Icicle aside. COIL She cut me. Page 21 Things get bad. 6 panels

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Icicle propping herself up on one arm, she is grimacing in pain and rage. Behind her we can see Charge winding up another stomp. Panel 2 A bone-rattling shockwave hits her. SOUND EFFECT CHROOOOM Panel 3 Panel 4 Icicle crawling. Coincidentally, she is crawling toward the palates where Claw Hammer is still hiding. Another shockwave hits her. Behind her, we can see that the blast has also toppled the palates. Maybe we get a hint of Claw Hammer, but nothing clear. Shot looking down from behind Claw Hammer's shoulder. All we can see is the edge of a hugely muscular shoulder. We are looking down at Icicle among the scattered and broken wood of the palates. She is looking up at Claw Hammer with shocked recognition. Coil is approaching behind her. ICICLE you... Panel 6 Close on Icicle's face as Coil's armored forearm slams down on the back of her neck, forcing her face into the ground. There is blood all over the wires on his arm. That's it. 3 panels Small panel at the very top, Icicle's eyes bulging wide. Same size as panel 1, but this one is just black. Or, perhaps, there is a blurred, gray, image of Icicle's face losing consciousness. The whole rest of the page. This shot is roughly from just in front of Claw Hammer's shins. Icicle lays beaten, bloody, and unconscious in the foreground. There is shattered ice and wood, and splashes of blood around her. Coil and Charge are walking away toward the door. Coil is looking back over his shoulder at the viewer. He is gesturing with his thumb. COIL We're done. COIL Get her out of here. CONTINUED

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