Tad Williams - A Stark And Wormy Knight

ANTHONY THOUGHT-CAPTION 3:…Or I’m going to get cooked like that poor cop this morning.

PANEL THREE: He takes his SUNGLASSES OFF, LOOKS AROUND. For the first time, we see his WEIRD EYES.

ANTHONY THOUGHT-CAPTION 4: I can’t afford more than a quick recon — too many ways to get into trouble…

PANEL FOUR: ANTHONY’S POV — sees HEAT-PATTERNS OF GUARDS coming around corner

PANEL FIVE: GUARD who hit ANTHONY JAWING with the other GUARD (from pages 2–4.) We don’t see ANTHONY.

GUARD #1: Oh, I’m gonna notch me some of these new punks, you damn bet…

PANEL SIX: NOW we see ANTHONY — WEDGED IN A CORNER of the CEILING, right above where the GUARDS just walked.

ANTHONY THOUGHT-CAPTION 5: Damn! I HATE that guy. Memo to self: if there’s ever a chance to push his face in without blowing my cover, I’m gonna take it.

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PANEL ONE: Still ANTHONY’S POV — his SPECIAL VISION. HE has CHANGED LEVELS. We see HEAT-TRACES on the floor (footprints) and the air (where bodies have passed) and from machinery, etc.

ANTHONY THOUGHT-CAPTION 1: This must be their main office. Even if they’ve wiped out all Jameel’s records, I might be able to find some evidence of what happened. The only question is, is someone on duty here 24/7?

PANEL TWO: An OFFICE WINDOW, in HEATSEEKER-VISION — it’s FARSIGHT.

ANTHONY THOUGHT-CAPTION 2: That Farsight guy. Well, that makes sense, I guess — I didn’t figure Byzantine for the kind of dude who sleeps in his store at night.

PANEL THREE: FARSIGHT turns toward him, as if he senses ANTHONY’S PRESENCE.

ANTHONY THOUGHT-CAPTION 3: Shit! Does he know I’m here? But this place damps TP, and I’ve got my suit shields on, too!

PANEL FOUR: ANTHONY going hurriedly down STAIRS.

ANTHONY THOUGHT-CAPTION 4: I got a bad feeling about that guy. I don’t want anything to do with him yet…

PANEL FIVE: A DARK SHAPE SWOOPS THROUGH THE AIR. ANTHONY IS KNOCKED SIDEWAYS by a FOOT IN THE BACK.

PANEL SIX: FOOT ON ANTHONY’S THROAT — He is GENUINELY CHOKING. We can’t see WHO’S DOING IT.

THROWBACK (OP): Oh, man, you are SO DEAD.

NEXT ISSUE: THE PLACE OF FLIES

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(This is going to be a page representing the PLUSDOTCOM website: It should LOOK like an ENTERTAINMENT SITE — LOTS OF PICTURES, POINTLESS

GRAPHICS, Etc. It will have a tie-in to the story, and we’ll probably have one page each issue. Here’s the first article, just as an example.) SPECIAL ALL–VILLAINS ISSUE! THE SHADOW CIRCUIT — A GRAY MARKET FOR EVIL?

People think of supervillains stealing bullion from Fort Wayne or holding the world to ransom with giant laser weapons, but in an exclusive for PlusDotCom, investigative reporter K. Allen Lilly says that many professional bad guys and gals reap a sizeable income from the Shadow Circuit, lecturing and consulting with other criminal organizations, foreign governments, and a few “straight” businesses that don’t mind having a reputation as “sharks” in mainstream corporate waters. Disgraced former governor and international arms dealer Hart Huon is of course the biggest act in this shadowy world, but such criminal masterminds as General Disorder, Maxim Nachtigal, Professor Tyrus Trinch, and the frankly frightening Silas Winter also command big appearance fees and are reported to be booked months or even years in advance.

“It’s a wonder some of them even bother with regular crime anymore,” says reporter Lilly. “Trinch or Huon could live the rest of their lives on under-the-table appearance fees from straight corporations and legitimate governments. If they’re committing crimes or fighting superheroes, it’s ‘cause they WANT to.”

(READ ARTICLE)

HEROES BELIEVE A HIGHER POWER HELPING THE HORROR

The powerful lawbreaker known as the Horror is responding well to a dose of religious education, according to a spokesman for Regent and his fellow born-again Christian hero, the Flag.

“He’s not mindless,” the source told PlusDotCom, “and he didn’t want to be a villain. Ever since the original accident that made him what he is, he’s had moments of sanity and remorse. Regent believes he has a responsibility to use his unique position to minister to lost souls, not just imprison them, and Flag has agreed to throw his own popular name behind a campaign to rehabilitate human-plus prisoners through faith.”

Not all the members of United Powers agree with Regent and the Flag, however: other sources suggest that Twilight Man, who captured the Horror in a televised battle on top of the San Amaro Bay Bridge, has announced his disenchantment with the project, suggesting the superstrong criminal is only pretending to feel sorry about his numerous crimes to get more lenient treatment.

(READ ARTICLE)

BAD BOYS AND BAD GIRLS

Highlights of the Year in Villainy, including Butcher Baker’s spectacular airport robbery, Knave of Hearts pre-empting the Super Bowl, and unforgettable video of the pitched battle between the Chain Gang and Force Five that leveled Jefferson City Hall — as well as a look at our Young Villains on the Rise at work and play, and new and fascinating killer faces like Hooligan, Fog, Toxin, and Murder One

(READ ARTICLE)

If they’re mad, bad, and dangerous to know, PlusDotCom’s got ‘em — in the SPECIAL ALL–VILLAINS ISSUE!

Tad Williams

A Stark And Wormy Knight

The Thursday Men

“ Y OU KNOW ANYONE FAMOUS NAMED ‘ M ONDAY’?” Liz asked.

“You mean like Rick Monday? Used to play for the Dodgers back in the ‘70s?” That was from Ted the technician. I never cared much about baseball myself.

“Okay,” said Liz. “So that’s one for Monday. And there’s Tuesday Weld, the actress.”

“I thought of another one — Ruby Tuesday, that Rolling Stones song,” said Ted, and began to hum it — or at least he hummed what he thought, in his tuneless way, it sounded like. He’s a decent enough kid and a pretty good technician, but if the BPRD ever fires him he’s not going to be making a living on the pro Karaoke circuit.

“I thought we were going to play cards,” I said. My cigar had gone out and I couldn’t find my lighter. “What is all this crap?”

Liz kindled her fingertip and re-lit my stogie. “I’ve just been thinking about the days of the week and people who have them as names,” she said. “Wednesday from the Addams Family. Robinson Crusoe’s Man Friday.”

“No!” shouted Ted. “Has to be Joe Friday! From Dragnet.”

“You weren’t even alive when that was on,” I growled.

Liz went on as if we weren’t talking. “And there’s Baron Saturday — he’s one of the voodoo gods, I guess you’d call them. You know about them, right, HB?”

I have had more than a few strange adventures in the New Orleans area over the years. “Yeah. But that doesn’t mean I want to talk about it. What’s your point?”

“And Billy Sunday was a famous evangelist or something — my grandmother used to talk about him.” She frowned. “But I still can’t come up with a Thursday. I don’t think there are any.”

“Ooh, I thought of one,” said Ted. “There’s a pretty famous spy book called ‘The Man Who Was Thursday’.”

“Yeah, but it was just his code name,” I pointed out.

Ted looked at me in surprise. “You read G. K. Chesterton?”

“Does that seem so unlikely?” I put my cigar in the corner of my mouth and did my best to look intellectual — not that easy to do when you’re seven feet tall, literally ugly as sin, and red as a fire truck from head to foot. “But I’ll give you a real one, if you promise to shut up and play some damn cards. Grayson Thursday. In fact, there were a whole bunch of Thursdays, when you get down to it.”