Today's challenge: Not all comics are capes and tights power fantasies. Pitch a limited series or OGN with original characters that's rooted in a genre other than superheroes. Horror. Crime. Historical. Sci-Fi. Romance. Western.
"Mechanicsburg"
This is a story about growing up in small town America, specifically upstate New York. Mechanicsburg, pop. 21,375.
When you're eleven in the summer time the world consists of bikes and sports. Building forts and swimming down at the old rock quarry. Reading comics. School's the furthest thing from your mind and even girls are still a nebulous thing, outside of your vision for at least another summer or three.
The series follows eleven year old Ted Carter and his pals Jon, Andy, Jeff and the girl, Steph. It's the last summer before junior high in small town America. The year is 1958, but could just as easily be 1985 or 1943 as far as the kids are concerned. The outside world doesn't effect the long summer days of exploring the woods outside of town, dodging bullies, getting into and back out of trouble again and talking comics.
When you're an eleven year old kid with a bike and some comics everything's an adventure.
Interludes from the main story come in the form of pages taken from whatever comics the kids are reading that issue, western, crime, horror, sci-fi adventures. Whatever. Occasionally, the story the kids are reading may even pertain to the story they're in, but it won't always.
Sample:
PAGE 1, SPLASH. LOW ANGLE, MAIN STREET OF A DUSTY OLD WEST TOWN. WOODEN STORE FRONTS HIDE UNDER PEELING PAINT FROM THE DESERT SUN, HUGE AND YELLOW IN THE SKY. IN THE FOREGROUND, HIS BACK TO THE READER, IS SHERIFF DOBBS. OPPOSITE HIM, IN THE DISTANCE, IS BART "CACTUS" MERRILL. IT'S A SHOWDOWN.
PAGE 2, PANEL 1. CLOSE ON SHERIFF DOBBS. HIS WHITE TEN GALLON HAT SHADES HIS EYES FROM THE SUN. HE'S A GRIZZLED, YET HANDSOME VETERAN. THE BADGE ON HIS COAT GLINTS IN THE SUN.
SHERIFF DOBBS: GIVE IT UP, CACTUS. COME QUIETLY AND IT'LL GO EASIER ON YOU.
SHERIFF DOBBS: I CAN'T BE HAVING BANK ROBBIN' AND CATTLE THIEVIN' IN MY TERRITORY.
PANEL 2. ANGLE, CACTUS MERRILL.
CACTUS: "GIVE IT UP" JUST MEANS I'LL HAVE A ROPE AROUND MY NECK BY DAWN, SHERIFF.
PANEL 3. TWO SHOT, THE MEN SQUARING OFF. CACTUS MERRILL'S DRAWING HIS REVOLVER AS HE SPEAKS.
SHERIFF DOBBS: THAT'S TRUE, BUT I'LL MAKE SURE YOU GET A HOT MEAL FIRST.
CACTUS: I'LL DIE 'AFORE I LET THAT HAPPEN!
PANEL 4. CLOSE ON THE BARREL OF DOBBS' COLT .45, FIRING.
SFX: BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
PANEL 5. SHERIFF DOBBS, SPITTING INTO THE DIRT, HOLSTERS HIS WEAPON.
SHERIFF DOBBS: YEP, I RECKON.
PANEL 6. CACTUS MERRILL'S BLACK HAT LANDS IN THE DIRT, FRESHLY VENTILATED WITH SMOKING BULLET HOLES.
PAGE 3, PANEL 1. ELEVEN YEAR-OLD TED CARTER IS SITTING ON THE FRONT STEP OF A SMALL TOWN 5 AND DIME STORE. NEXT TO HIM IS A GLASS COKE BOTTLE WITH A STRAW STICKING OUT OF IT. HE'S DRESSED IN JEANS, T-SHIRT AND CHUCK TAYLORS AND HE'S ENGROSSED IN THE COPY OF "TWO-FISTED WESTERN TALES" HE'S READING.
TEDDY: COOL!
Well, this is a little more open-ended than a limited series but I can see an ongoing that covers the summer of eleven and going until the kids are maybe 15 or 16.
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