PAGE 1 — PRESENT DAY: CHICKENS & CIGARETTES
Narrators: Interviewer + Daughter
PANEL 1 – Wide, early morning
Tony sits on a collapsing porch in rural Oklahoma/Texas region. Chickens wander. Smoke from his cigarette curls up into pink dawn light.
INTERVIEWER (CAPTION): “Some artists get forgotten. Some become myths. A few… wind up somewhere in between.”
TONY (DIALOGUE): “Cold enough to freeze time out here.”
PANEL 2 – Close on Tony’s face
Weathered, tired, amused.
TONY (DIALOGUE): “My bones are older than my birth certificate.”
PANEL 2 — Close on Tony’s hands, rough, swollen knuckles, still elegant.
INTERVIEWER (caption):
“Do you still draw every day?”
TONY (caption):
“I still breathe every day. Sometimes they’re the same thing.”
PANEL 3 — Inside the house behind him, the silhouettes of his two adult daughters move in the kitchen.
DAUGHTER (caption):
“To us, he wasn’t a legend.
He was the man burning toast at 5 a.m.”
TONY (DIALOGUE): “People call me plenty when they don’t want to pay me.
PANEL 4 — Tony looks off into the distance, slight wry smile.
DAUGHTER (caption):
“We didn’t always understand him.
But we knew he loved us more than he loved himself.”
PANEL 5 — A thin sliver of sunlight hits Tony’s profile.
He exhales smoke.
TONY (caption):
“Where do you want to start?
The beginning… or the part where I screwed it all up?”
PANEL 4 – Tony leans back, smoke drifting
PAGE 2 — EL CORTEZ BEACH, 1975
INTERVIEWER (CAPTION): “So… where does your story start?”
TONY (DIALOGUE): “San Diego. ’75. Barefoot. Broke. Stupidly alive.”
Narrator: Tony (younger voice)
PANEL 1 — Beach outside El Cortez Hotel.
Young Tony, Mignola, Frank Cirocco, Brent Anderson walking barefoot in orange sunset light.
PANEL 1 – Wide beach shot
Barefoot 18-year-old Tony and 15-year-old Mike Mignola, Frank Cirocco, Brent Anderson walking barefoot in orange sunset light.wander the sands behind the El Cortez Hotel, shoes in hand, sketchbooks under arms.
TONY (CAPTION): “Mike was quiet. Not shy. Just… loading.”
PANEL 2 – Tony laughing, animated
Young Tony gestures as he tells some wild story.
TONY (CAPTION): “I thought life was an open bar you never had to pay for.”
PANEL 3 – Mignola watches Tony, thoughtful
A mixture of admiration and concern in the boy’s eyes.
MIGNOLA (CAPTION): “Tony was a meteor. Beautiful. Fast. Dangerous.”
PANEL 4 – The two boys pry open the elevator call panel with pocketknives
Juvenile delinquent glee.
TONY (CAPTION): “We weren’t criminals. Just imaginative with poor impulse control.”
PAGE 3 — DRAWING IN THE SAND
Narrators: Tony + Mignola
PANEL 1 – Tony kneels, drawing a perfect figure in the sand
Elegant, confident strokes.
TONY (CAPTION): “Style came easy. Too easy.”
PANEL 2 – Young Mignola draws blocky shapes nearby
Geometric silhouettes that vaguely foreshadow Hellboy.
MIGNOLA (CAPTION): “I wasn’t chasing anatomy. I was chasing language.”
PANEL 3 – Close on Tony’s sand figure
Exquisite.
TONY (CAPTION): “Back then I thought skill was destiny.”
PANEL 4 – Tide washes Tony’s drawing away instantly
TONY (CAPTION): “Ocean had other opinions.”
PAGE 4 — FORESHADOWING
Narrators: Tony + Mignola
PANEL 1 – Tide partially washes Mignola’s blocky shape, but it still “reads”
TONY (CAPTION): “Mike’s weird little sand-golem? That thing stuck around.”
PANEL 2 – Tony studies this, puzzled
First crack of self-awareness.
TONY (CAPTION): “I should’ve taken the hint.”
PANEL 3 – The two boys walking away, silhouettes against sunset
MIGNOLA (CAPTION): “We didn’t know what roads we’d take.”
PANEL 4 – Their footprints trailing behind
TONY (CAPTION): “One of us kept walking forward.
One wandered.”
PAGE 5 — NEW YORK: THE MARVEL BULLPEN DAYS
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — Marvel’s bullpen hallways, sweaty, loud, chaotic.
Young Tony delivering pages.
TONY (caption):
“New York smelled like ink, deli meat, and crushed dreams.”
PANEL 2 — Tony chatting with artists at adjacent desks.
Enthusiasm. Admiration.
TONY (caption):
“The bullpen was a zoo.
I was the new monkey who could juggle.”
PANEL 3 — A friendly editor slaps Tony’s back, loving his pages.
Al MILGROM:
“Kid, this stuff moves. It sings!”
TONY (caption):
“I sang loud.
I didn’t know the conductor hated jazz.”
PANEL 4 — Fantasy element:
Kirby-style machines and cosmic corridors twist around Tony as he walks — a visual metaphor for entering the machinery of corporate comics.
TONY (caption):
“Marvel wasn’t a workplace.
It was a digestive system.
And I was about to learn what gets spit out.”
PANEL 5 — Tony glances toward an office door labeled “JIM SHOOTER.”
A shadow falls over the hallway.
TONY (caption):
“He saw my stuff…
and he saw a threat.”
PANEL 6 – Al Milgrom catches Tony on his way out of the office.
MILGROM It’s not a guarantee but here’s a script. Come back in a few weeks, and ask for me.
Page 6 — “Kid, You Got Hands”
Panel 1 – Young Tony at a cramped drawing table
Tony is in his early 20s, smoking, shirtless, sweating over bristol board.
Tony’s caption:
“I’d take anything back then. Anything that smelled like ink and money, and Chaykin was hiring anytone with a pulse.”
Panel 2 – Chaykin’s studio
Chaykin stands over him in suspenders, lah-di-dah swagger, showing layouts.
CHAYKIN (narration):
“Look, I’ve been in this game long enough to spot raw horsepower.
Tony had it.
A ridiculous amount of it.”
Panel 3 – Tony drawing backgrounds at lightning speed
A Chinatown street, neon signs — Tony’s linework is leagues above the foreground figures.
CHAYKIN (narration):
“I’d hand him a page to polish, and he’d hand me back a city block.
The kid made me look good.
Not that anyone needed to know that.”
PANEL 5 — TONY HANDING BACK THE FINISHED PAGES
Chaykin flips through them.
Unsmiling.
But impressed.
CHAYKIN (dialogue):
“…Huh.
Not bad, kid.”
TONY (CAPTION — PRESENT):
“Praise from Howard is like Christmas in prison.
Rare.
Suspicious.
But you take it.”
TONY (CAPTION — PRESENT):
“He meant it as an insult.
I took it as a challenge.”
PAGE 7 — SHOOTER & THE BROOM CLOSET
Narrators: Tony + Shooter (internal monologue-style captions)
PANEL 1 — Tony ducks into a broom closet, hearing raised voices.
A sliver of light from the cracked door reveals the Marvel editorial meeting room.
TONY (caption):
“Sometimes you walk into the wrong room.
Sometimes the wrong room walks into you.”
PANEL 2 — Shooter at the head of the table, enormous, towering even without fantasy yet.
He SLAMS a comic on the table — Tony’s Doctor Strange issue.
SHOOTER:
“This—
THIS is not what a Marvel comic should look like.”
SHOOTER (caption):
“Order. Structure. House Style.
My kingdom built on rules.”
PANEL 3 — Tony in the closet, eyes wide, cheeks flushed with both pride and doom.
TONY (caption):
“He said it like he was breaking a horse.”
PANEL 4 — Fantasy element begins subtly:
The Doctor Strange on the cover begins to glow… as if waking up.
SHOOTER (caption):
“Editors, hear me:
If you use him again, your books are bounced.”
PANEL 5 — Full-blown fantasy:
Doctor Strange steps OUT of the cover in luminous inks, baffled, turning toward Shooter.
DOCTOR STRANGE:
“I confess, I’m struggling to understand the offense.”
PAGE 8 — STRANGE VS SHOOTER (GALACTUS)
Narrators: Tony
PANEL 1 — Shooter GROWS into a Galactus-like titan, “The Big Editor,” cosmic armor made
SHOOTER (as GALACTUS):
“This is chaos! Asymmetry!
This is NOT MARVEL!”
PANEL 2 — Doctor Strange floats, cape swirling like Ditko energy.
DOCTOR STRANGE:
“My apologies, great cosmic bureaucrat.
My crime appears to be… originality?”
PANEL 3 — Tony watches, horrified and amused.
TONY (caption):
“I knew this wasn’t real.
But my career didn’t.”
PANEL 4 — Shooter-Galactus RIPS apart a cosmic version of Tony’s pages, scattering panels into the void.
GALACTUS-SHOOTER:
“No more Salmons.”
PANEL 5 — Strange turns toward Tony, glowing hand extended through the closet crack.
DOCTOR STRANGE:
“Anthony… I suggest you run.”
PAGE 9 — THE HAMMER
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — Reality snaps back to normal.
Shooter is just a man again, slamming the comic shut.
TONY (caption):
“My brain was doing backflips trying to save my pride.”
PANEL 2 — Fantasy overlay:
Tony emerges from the broom closet holding Thor’s hammer, spinning it.
TONY (caption):
“Part of me wanted to storm in swinging Mjölnir.”
PANEL 3 — Hammer spinning faster, crackles of Kirby dots.
TONY (caption):
“Prove him wrong.
Prove him right.
Prove something.”
PANEL 4 — Tony halts, mid-stride toward the meeting room door.
Hammer stops spinning.
TONY (caption):
“But hammers aren’t for fixing editors.”
PANEL 5 — Tony sets the hammer down, fantasy fades; just Tony, tired, defeated.
TONY (caption):
“So I walked away.
I’d do that a lot.”
PAGE 10 — BILL TAKES HIM IN
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — Exterior: Bill Sienkiewicz’s place, warm light at dusk. Bill opens the door.
TONY (caption):
“I had friends. Good ones.
Better than I deserved.”
PANEL 2 — Inside: Bill and Tony at a kitchen table, portfolios open, wine on the table.
BILL:
“You’re too good to quit, Tony.
Just keep swinging.”
TONY (caption):
“And Bill? Already a bona-fide superstar.
He swung harder than any of us.”
PANEL 3 — A warm moment: Bill laughs at one of Tony’s sketches.
TONY (caption):
“He saw the best in me.
Even when the tide didn’t.”
PANEL 4 — Frankie (fictionalized), radiant, magnetic, enters the frame.
Young, vivacious, a burst of energy.
TONY (caption):
“And then… she walked in.”
PANEL 5 — Tony glances at Frankie; Frankie glances back.
A spark.
TONY (caption):
“That was the beginning of everything.
And the end of everything else.”
PAGE 11 — THE FIRST BETRAYAL SPARK
Narrators: Tony + Bill
PANEL 1 — Tony and Frankie laughing together, too close, too familiar.
Bill in the background, watching but pretending not to.
TONY (caption):
“I should’ve stepped back.”
PANEL 2 — Bill’s POV:
Tony touches Frankie’s hand while making a joke.
BILL (caption):
“I opened my house.
My life.”
PANEL 3 — Tony and Frankie outside smoking, leaning against the porch railing at night.
Her smile is dangerous.
TONY (caption):
“And she lit up every damn room she entered.
Especially mine.”
PANEL 4 — Close: Their first kiss in a shadowed hallway.
Instant chemistry, bad decision.
TONY (caption):
“We tried to tell ourselves it was nothing.”
PANEL 5 — Bill discovering them, not mid-act — but mid-moment.
Eyes filled with devastation.
BILL (caption):
“And nothing hurts worse than betrayal delivered honestly.”
TONY (caption):
“We told him the truth.
And the truth burned the whole house down.”
PAGE 12 — THE AFTERMATH
Narrators: Tony + Frankie (brief)
PANEL 1 — Exterior: Bill’s house, late night.
Tony stands outside with a duffel bag. The porch light behind him clicks off.
TONY (caption):
“Some doors don’t close.
They seal.”
PANEL 2 — Frankie in the doorway, arms crossed, guilt all over her face.
FRANKIE (caption):
“I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
(her caption is small, shaky)
PANEL 3 — Tony tries to smile, but he’s breaking.
TONY (caption):
“I believed her.
That was mistake number two.”
PANEL 4 — Tony walking down the sidewalk, street empty.
TONY (caption):
“Number one was letting her light me up like a match.”
PANEL 5 — Close on Tony’s face, haunted but defiant.
TONY (caption):
“I told myself I could outrun the consequences.
But consequences jog.
They keep a steady pace.”
PAGE 13 — BLACKLISTED
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — Marvel editor’s office.
Milgrom avoids eye contact as Tony stands there, portfolio in hand.
MILGROM:
“Jim… uh…
Shooter says no more Salmons pages.”
PANEL 2 — Tony sits alone in a diner booth, untouched coffee, staring at his sketchbook.
TONY (caption):
“Shooter’s hammer dropped hard.
The man could’ve run Sparta.”
PANEL 3 — Fantasy overlay:
Shooter as Galactus again, looming outside the diner window, crushing cars in his wake.
TONY (caption):
“House style became the law.
And I was an outlaw without a gang.”
PANEL 4 — Tony sketching frantically, anger in his lines.
TONY (caption):
“I drew to stay alive.
I drew to stay sane.”
PANEL 5 — Empty mailbox.
No checks. No assignments.
TONY (caption):
“Neither worked.”
PAGE 14 — THE URINAL MEET-CUTE
Narrators: Tony + Hama
PANEL 1 — MARVEL RESTROOM, MID-80s
Fluorescent lights. Sad tiles.
Tony stands at a urinal, defeated posture, eyes down.
He’s clearly had a rough few weeks.
TONY (caption):
“After Shooter, every door at Marvel felt locked.
So of course the one that opened…
was a bathroom door.”
PANEL 2 — LARRY HAMA ENTERS FRAME
Casually steps up to the urinal beside Tony.
No theater. No drama.
Just a man taking a piss.
TONY (caption):
“Larry Hama.
The legend.
The guy who wrote more childhoods than Santa Claus.”
PANEL 3 — BEHIND HAMA, GI JOE CHARACTERS APPEAR
Duke, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Roadblock —
not literally there, but as painted silhouettes, like ghost-soldiers made of ink and memory.
They’re standing at attention behind Larry, visible only to Tony.
TONY (caption):
“And behind him…
his army.”
PANEL 4 — COBRA TROOPS SLINK OUT FROM A SHADOWY STALL
Destro’s mask gleaming.
Cobra Commander whispering conspiracies.
Storm Shadow crouches above the stall divider.
TONY (caption):
“Cobra too, of course.
Always waiting in the shadows.”
PANEL 5 — A TRANSFORMER HEAD PEERS THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW
Optimus Prime’s eyes glowing.
Megatron’s fusion cannon framed in the corner.
Giant. Silent. Guardian spirits of the 80s.
TONY (caption):
“And the robots.
Watching.
Judging.
Checking in.”
PAGE 15 — THE “MEETING”
PANEL 1 — Hama glances over at Tony mid-stream
A simple, grounded moment.
No magic.
Just Hama noticing the wreckage standing next to him.
HAMA (dialogue):
“You’re the kid who did that Strange story, right?”
PANEL 2 — Tony nods, stunned
The GI Joe soldiers kneel, bowing behind Hama as if this is a coronation.
TONY (dialogue):
“Uh… yeah.
That was me.”
PANEL 3 — CLOSE ON HAMA
Still looking straight ahead, deadpan.
HAMA (dialogue):
“That was some wild shit.
You want work?”
PANEL 4 — Tony blinking in disbelief
Behind Hama, Roadblock grins.
Optimus gives a subtle thumbs-up.
Cobra Commander recoils in cartoon fury.
TONY (caption):
“Hama was the opposite of Shooter.
Where Shooter saw a mistake…
Hama saw a weapon.”
PAGE 16 — HAMA AS THE GENERAL
PANEL 1 — Hama zips up, washes hands
The GI Joe squad marches behind him in perfect formation.
Transformers shift and hum in the background.
HAMA (caption):
“My books weren’t in the main line.
They couldn’t be bounced.
I had freedom.”
PANEL 2 — Hama hands Tony a card
Simple gesture.
But behind him, Storm Shadow bows like presenting a samurai sword.
HAMA (dialogue):
“Come by my office.
We’ll get you pages.”
PANEL 3 — Tony standing alone now
All the surreal figures vanish.
He’s just a man in a sad bathroom, holding a business card.
TONY (caption):
“In the broom closet, I learned what I wasn’t.”
TONY (caption 2):
“In the bathroom, I learned what I could be.”
PAGE 17 — A SECOND CHANCE (G.I. JOE ERA)
Narrators: Hama + Tony
PANEL 1 — Tony at Larry’s cluttered office, art piled everywhere.
HAMA:
“My books aren’t Marvel Universe.
They’re the gulag behind the gulag.”
PANEL 2 — Tony flipping through G.I. Joe pages, impressed.
TONY (caption):
“Larry ran his books like a dojo.
You did the work or you bled trying.”
PANEL 3 — Larry hands Tony a rough script.
HAMA:
“You up for this?”
TONY:
“Try and stop me.”
PANEL 4 — Fantasy spread:
Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Destro loom behind Tony as he draws, cheering him on.
TONY (caption):
“And just like that—
I had a tribe again.”
PANEL 5 — First check arrives in Tony’s mailbox.
Relief washes over him.
TONY (caption):
“Money wasn’t happiness.
But it kept the wolves off the porch.”
PAGE 18 — THE FAMILY YEARS BEGIN
Narrator: Daughter
PANEL 1 — Tony meeting his future wife in a tiny indie bookstore.
She laughs at one of his exaggerated stories, instantly charmed.
DAUGHTER (caption):
“She always said Dad was trouble.
The kind you take home anyway.”
PANEL 2 — Small wedding ceremony, cheap but joyful.
DAUGHTER (caption):
“They loved big.
They fought big.”
PANEL 3 — Tony holding newborn daughter, exhausted, glowing with pride.
TONY (caption):
“I wasn’t ready.
But damn if I wasn’t proud.”
PANEL 4 — Tony at his drawing table, baby asleep on his chest as he inks.
DAUGHTER (caption):
“We grew up on his deadlines.
His ink smudges were our lullabies.”
PANEL 5 — Tony kissing his wife goodbye, heading to work, bags under his eyes but smiling.
DAUGHTER (caption):
“For a while…
things were good.”
PAGE 19 — PRESSURE BUILDS
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — Tony at his drawing desk, surrounded by deadlines, reference photos, and baby toys.
His daughter toddles around under the desk.
TONY (caption):
“Deadlines don’t negotiate.
Babies don’t either.”
PANEL 2 — His wife enters, holding overdue bills.
Tension in her eyes.
Tony freezes mid-ink stroke.
WIFE:
“We need more steady work, Tony.”
TONY (caption):
“‘Steady’ was not what my hand did.”
PANEL 3 — Tony on the phone with Milgrom, desperate, trying to charm.
TONY:
“Just throw me something. A fill-in. A backup. A quarter-page ad.”
MILGROM (phone):
“Jim doesn’t want your name on anything right now.”
PANEL 4 — Tony hangs up the phone, head low.
TONY (caption):
“The blacklist followed me like a stray dog.
Except strays eventually go away.”
PANEL 5 — Close on his daughter drawing beside him, mimicking his gestures.
TONY (caption):
“She was my light.
And I was terrified she’d see me fail.”
PAGE 20 — PRATT’S NIGHT KITCHEN
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — George Pratt’s place, late night: a cluttered living room filled with easels, whiskey bottles, porn blaring silently on TV.
Tony, Pratt, Buzz, and Rick Bryant are drawing furiously.
TONY (caption):
“We built our own weird monastery.
Art. Whiskey. Sin.
Not always in that order.”
PANEL 2 — Pratt critiques Tony’s sketch, intense but supportive.
PRATT:
“You’re chasing lines like they’re running from you.”
TONY:
“They are.”
PANEL 3 — Buzz watching Tony from across the room, concerned but trying to keep the vibe calm.
BUZZ (caption):
“This was when he started slipping.
Not falling—
but slipping.”
PANEL 4 — Rick Bryant hands Tony a beer, the room warm and chaotic.
TONY (caption):
“These were my brothers.
Even when I didn’t deserve them.”
PANEL 5 — Fantasy overlay:
Tony’s sketches animate on the walls — cowboys, ninjas, angels — swirling like a mural of his potential.
TONY (caption):
“In that house, I could still pretend I was going somewhere.”
PAGE 21 — THE LINE CROSSED
Narrators: Buzz + Tony
PANEL 1 — Buzz knocks on Tony’s borrowed bedroom door, early morning.
Rick Bryant stands behind him, worried.
BUZZ:
“We need to talk about the computer.”
PANEL 2 — Tony sitting on the bed, half-dressed, hungover, defensive.
TONY:
“It wasn’t stolen. It was… borrowed.”
PANEL 3 — Buzz grabs Tony by the shirt, furious.
BUZZ:
“It belonged to my friend.
Who trusted you.”
BUZZ (caption):
“I hated myself for how angry I was.”
PANEL 4 — Buzz and Bryant hauling the computer tower down the stairs, Tony trailing behind, shame burning.
TONY (caption):
“This is the part where I tell you I learned a lesson.
I didn’t.”
PANEL 5 — Buzz shoves old Salmons drawings into Tony’s hands.
BUZZ:
“You’ll sell these. Pay it back.
Don’t talk to me.”
TONY (caption):
“And there it was:
a bridge burned so hot it lit the night sky.”
PAGE 22 — HAMA’S STABILITY CRACKS
Narrators: Hama + Tony
PANEL 1 — Larry Hama on the phone, stressed, pacing.
HAMA:
“Tony… the book’s changing direction.
Less room for freelancers.”
PANEL 2 — Tony at his kitchen counter, wife behind him, arms crossed.
TONY:
“Larry—please—anything. I can turn it around.”
PANEL 3 — Fantasy overlay:
G.I. Joe characters marching away into fog, leaving Tony behind.
HAMA (caption):
“I didn’t want to drop him.
I had to.”
PANEL 4 — Tony rubbing his temples, kids’ toys on the floor behind him.
TONY (caption):
“The universe didn’t hate me.
It just didn’t care.”
PANEL 5 — His wife watching him, heartbreak creeping into her face.
WIFE:
“I can’t do this anymore, Tony.”
PAGE 23 — THE CRACK IN THE MARRIAGE
Narrator: Daughter
PANEL 1 — Tony and wife arguing in the kitchen, kids watching silently from the hallway.
DAUGHTER (caption):
“We didn’t know the words—
but we knew the sound.”
PANEL 2 — Tony slams his sketchbook shut, defeated.
WIFE:
“You’re disappearing.
And you’re taking us with you.”
PANEL 3 — Tony sitting alone on the back steps, cigarette in hand.
TONY (caption):
“I was losing everything I built.
And it was all my own damn carpentry.”
PANEL 4 — His daughter sits beside him, quietly placing her hand on his.
DAUGHTER (caption):
“We just wanted Dad back.”
PANEL 5 — Tony looking out into the night, lost.
TONY (caption):
“I didn’t know it yet…
PAGE 24 — DUNBIER CALLS
Narrators: Tony + Dunbier
PANEL 1 — Tony at his cluttered kitchen table, overdue bills, kids’ drawings, half-finished pages.
Phone RINGS.
TONY (caption):
“When you’re drowning, any ringing sounds like rescue.”
PANEL 2 — Tony answers the phone, cautious hope in his eyes.
DUNBIER (phone):
“Tony Salmons.
Been looking for you.”
TONY (caption):
“He sounded like someone who admired me.
That should’ve been the warning.”
PANEL 3 — Dunbier in his immaculate office, surrounded by original art framed like museum pieces.
DUNBIER (caption):
“I had a plan.
And Tony was the perfect lure.”
PANEL 4 — Tony hangs up the phone, exhales relief.
TONY:
“I think things might be turning around.”
PANEL 5 — His wife watches from the hallway, unreadable expression.
TONY (caption):
“But sometimes a door opening
is really a trap door.”
PAGE 25 — PAUL POPE ARRIVES
Narrators: Pope + Tony
PANEL 1 — Dunbier’s office.
Paul Pope enters, glowing with enthusiasm, coat slung over his shoulder, a walking ball of raw creative electricity.
POPE (caption):
“They said Tony Salmons was in the building.
I damn near sprinted.”
PANEL 2 — Dunbier gestures between Pope and Tony, as if orchestrating a grand introduction.
DUNBIER:
“Paul, meet the man who invented your favorite tricks.”
TONY (caption):
“I’d never seen someone look at me like I was a myth.”
PANEL 3 — Pope shaking Tony’s hand, starstruck and sincere.
POPE:
“Brother…
it’s an honor.”
PANEL 4 — Tony caught between pride and confusion, smiling stiffly.
TONY (caption):
“I didn’t know why Dunbier was smiling so wide.
But I should have.”
PANEL 5 — Fantasy overlay:
Ink swirls around Pope and Tony like Kirby cosmic tendrils, intertwining destinies.
TONY (caption):
“I thought this was a blessing.
Turns out it was bait.”
PAGE 26 — THE FALSE FUTURE
Narrators: Pope + Tony
PANEL 1 — Dunbier spreads pages across his desk, labeled as “Upcoming Salmons Projects.”
POPE:
“You’ve got three new books coming?
Holy hell, man!”
PANEL 2 — Tony stares at the pages, blank inside.
He’s never seen any of this.
TONY (caption):
“These weren’t mine.
None of them.”
PANEL 3 — Pope, joyous, claps Tony’s shoulder.
POPE:
“You and me—
we’re gonna tear the roof off this place.”
PANEL 4 — Tony glances at Dunbier, who gives him a small, smug nod.
TONY (caption):
“I wasn’t a partner.
I was leverage.”
PANEL 5 — Fantasy overlay:
A cathedral of ink built around Tony — beautiful but hollow — beginning to crack.
TONY (caption):
“And I could feel the floor shifting beneath me.”
PAGE 27 — THE TRUTH HITS
Narrators: Tony + Pope
PANEL 1 — Exterior: Pope leaving the building, buzzing with energy.
POPE:
“Call me tonight, man!
We’ll map the whole thing out!”
PANEL 2 — Tony stands alone, Dunbier already walking away.
TONY (caption):
“I didn’t know what hurt worse:
The lie…
or how useful I’d been to it.”
PANEL 3 — Tony at home, staring at a silent ringing phone, Pope’s name on the caller ID.
POPE (voicemail, off-panel):
“Tony?
Scott showed me everything.
I’m so damn excited for you.”
PANEL 4 — Tony sits on the floor, back to the door, head buried in his arms.
TONY (caption):
“How do you tell someone you admire
that their hero was a hoax?”
PANEL 5 — A single tear hits the floor.
Ink spreads from it like a ruined watercolor.
TONY (caption):
“Made in my name.
Without me in it.”
PAGE 28 — TONY UNRAVELS
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — Tony pacing the kitchen, frantic energy, cigarette burning down to ash.
TONY (caption):
“I cracked.
Quietly.
The worst kind of break.”
PANEL 2 — His wife in the doorway, suitcase in hand.
WIFE:
“We’re leaving.
I can’t raise them in this storm.”
PANEL 3 — Tony grabs her hand, desperate, crumbling.
TONY:
“Please—
I can fix it—”
PANEL 4 — She pulls away, gently but firmly.
WIFE:
“Fix yourself first.”
PANEL 5 — Door closes.
Tony stands in the empty living room, surrounded by quiet.
TONY (caption):
“And just like that—
the house became a studio.
And then not even that.”
PAGE 29 — PENTHOUSE: THE MIRAGE
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — Exterior: Penthouse Comix offices, glossy, sleazy, overfunded.
Tony enters nervously with a portfolio.
TONY (caption):
“Penthouse Comix.
A place where good ideas went to get molested by money.”
PANEL 2 — Interior: GAUDY OFFICE OF GEORGE CARAGONNE.
Caragonne is huge, sweating, smiling like a crocodile.
CARAGONNE:
“Tony! The man! The myth!
Let’s talk brilliance.”
PANEL 3 — Tony pitching pages, energetic but wary.
Caragonne seems enthusiastic.
TONY (caption):
“He loved my pitches.
He loved them again the next week.
And the week after that.”
PANEL 4 — Tony sees one of his ideas, drawn badly by another artist on Caragonne’s desk.
TONY (caption):
“And then I saw them.
My ideas—
bastardized by someone cheaper.”
PANEL 5 — Caragonne smiles, oblivious or pretending.
CARAGONNE:
“We’re still figuring out where you fit in.”
TONY (caption):
“I fit in the margins.
Right next to the staples.”
PAGE 30 — THE FALL OF CARAGONNE (PART I)
Narrators: Tony + Dave Elliott
PANEL 1 — REALITY: Penthouse Comix offices, Times Square
Caragonne waddles in, sweating, booming with false confidence.
DAVE ELLIOTT (caption):
George was the gravity well of Penthouse Comix —
pulling everything down with him.
TONY (caption):
He loved my ideas.
He just didn’t love paying me for them.
PANEL 2 — Caragonne looms over Tony.
He claps Tony on the back with a sweaty paw.
CARAGONNE:
“Kid, I’m gonna borrow a few of those concepts.
You’ll thank me later.”
TONY (small balloon):
“…sure, George.”
TONY (caption):
The way a sheep “sure”s a wolf.
PANEL 3 — FANTASY IGNITES: Caragonne morphs into a grotesque hybrid
THE DOOMBLOB — armor plates, lumpy flesh, a dented Doom mask stretched over a swollen face.
DOOMBLOB (booming):
“ALL TALENT BELONGS TO ME!
ALL CREDIT— MINE!”
PANEL 4 — Tony transforms into THOR, Kirby anatomy & crackle
Portfolio becomes Mjolnir. Cape billows like torn Bristol sheets.
TONY-THOR (caption):
Every artist wants to smite at least one editor.
Here was mine.
PANEL 5 — DR. STRANGE floats down in Salmons-style geometry
Cloak swirling like fractals.
STRANGE:
“Anthony, the monster feeds on stolen ideas —
bind him before he corrupts more!”
PANEL 6 — IRON MAN & CAPTAIN AMERICA leap into frame
Cap’s shield gleams with bold Kirby dots.
Iron Man’s repulsors hum.
CAP:
“Avengers— assist the kid!”
IRON MAN:
“I always knew Penthouse had supervillains.”
PANEL 7 — THE THING stomps in
Cracking knuckles of orange Kirby rock.
THING:
“Enough talk.
Let’s clobber this overstuffed gig-thief!”
PAGE 31 — THE FALL OF CARAGONNE (PART II)
Narrators: Tony + Dave Elliott
PANEL 1 — MASSIVE BATTLE SPLASH
On the Marriott atrium balcony:
- Tony-Thor swings Mjolnir
- Dr. Strange binds DoombBlob with cosmic invoices
- Iron Man fires repulsors into his armor-belly
- Captain America bashes contracts aside
- The Thing slams into DoombBlob with a yell
TONY (caption):
The heroes I helped define…
finally defending me.
PANEL 2 — Caragonne-DoombBlob ROARS
He swings a massive checkbook like a cleaver.
DOOMBLOB:
“I OWN YOU!
ALL OF YOU!”
PANEL 3 — TONY-THOR LEAPS
Hammer raised high.
THING (below):
“Hit ’im, kid!
Before he options your soul!”
PANEL 4 — FINAL BLOW
Tony smashes the glutton with his hammer.
TONY-THOR (caption):
Justice? Revenge?
Hard to tell at that altitude.
PANEL 5 — REALITY CRASHES BACK
Caragonne — normal, human — stumbles backward over the real balcony rail.
Paperwork flutters like snow.
DAVE ELLIOTT (caption):
Then he stepped back.
And the world just… wasn’t there anymore.
PANEL 6 — LONG SHOT OF CARAGONNE FALLING
No monsters.
No heroes.
Just a man falling through the Marriott atrium.
TONY (caption):
Comics taught me villains fall.
Life never asked my permission.
PANEL 7 — TONY & DAVE LOOK DOWN OVER THE RAIL
Their faces stunned.
DAVE:
“He’s gone.”
TONY (caption):
I didn’t cheer.
I didn’t mourn.
I just walked away.
PAGE 32 — HOLLYWOOD CALLS
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — Exterior: Los Angeles, Tony stepping off a bus, duffel over his shoulder.
Sun-blasted, hot, overwhelming.
TONY (caption):
“I ran to LA thinking it’d be different.
Hell, maybe I’d be different.”
PANEL 2 — A cramped studio apartment, Tony drawing storyboards for pennies.
TONY (caption):
“It wasn’t film yet.
It wasn’t money yet.
But it was a door.”
PANEL 3 — Tony gets a call from WB Animation.
VOICE (phone):
“Is this Salmons? Kevin Altieri wants to meet.”
TONY (caption):
“When a legend calls, you don’t ask why.
You just run.”
PANEL 4 — Inside WB ANIMATION LOBBY, young animators rushing about.
Tony signs in at the desk.
TONY (caption):
“Animation wasn’t comics.
But for the first time in years, the door opened.”
PANEL 5 — Tony meets KEVIN ALTIERI, who shakes his hand warmly.
ALTIERI:
“Heard you can do magic with a pencil.”
TONY (caption):
“And just like that—
I had a chance.”
PAGE 33 — THE BATMAN YEARS BEGIN
Narrators: Tony + Bruce Timm (brief)
PANEL 1 — Tony sitting with KEVIN ALTIERI and BRUCE TIMM, reviewing boards for Batman: The Animated Series.
TIMM:
“We need someone who can make Batman move.
Not flap like cardboard.”
PANEL 2 — Tony shows gesture sketches, fluid, dynamic.
ALTIERI:
“Holy shit.
That’s it.”
PANEL 3 — Fantasy overlay:
Batman stands behind Tony, arms crossed, like a silent approval.
TONY (caption):
“I felt Batman looking over my shoulder.
Judging my chops.
Approving my angles.”
PANEL 4 — Tony storyboarding a complex fight sequence featuring Captain Clown.
TONY (caption):
“Captain Clown was a robot.
Robots could take a beating.”
TIMM (caption):
“And we beat the crap out of him.”
PANEL 5 — Batman (fantasy) pats Tony on the shoulder.
TONY (caption):
“It was the best job I ever had.
And I was about to screw it up.”
PAGE 34 — PRESSURE RETURNS: FORESHADOWING THE MELTDOWN
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — Tony at his WB cubicle, surrounded by style guides, notes, deadlines, coffee cups.
TONY (caption):
“Animation wasn’t comics.
It was a machine.
With gears.
With expectations.”
PANEL 2 — A supervisor taps a corporate memo on Tony’s desk.
SUPERVISOR:
“We need these boards by Monday.
Tighter. Cleaner.
On model.”
PANEL 3 — Fantasy overlay:
Batman now looks disappointed, folding his arms, standing over the cubicle wall like a stern teacher.
TONY (caption):
“And suddenly Batman wasn’t my guardian angel.
He was my parole officer.”
PANEL 4 — Tony rubs his temples, exhausted.
TONY (caption):
“I wasn’t built for offices.
Or for stability.
Or for myself.”
PANEL 5 — Tony staring at a bottle in his desk drawer, temptation glowing like noir lighting.
TONY (caption):
“And when the machine tightened,
I reached for the same old wrench.”
PAGE 35 — THE MELTDOWN BEGINS
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — WB Animation hallway, quiet after hours.
Tony walks alone carrying a stack of boards.
The florescent lights flicker ominously.
TONY (caption):
“That building didn’t help me fall.
It just let gravity do its thing.”
PANEL 2 — Tony at his cubicle, fists clenched, staring at a memo filled with corrections and demands.
TONY (caption):
“On model.
On schedule.
On edge.”
PANEL 3 — Fantasy overlay:
Batman stands behind him, taller, darker, looking disappointed.
BATMAN (fantasy):
“You’re slipping, Tony.”
PANEL 4 — Tony SLAMS his storyboard down, startling nearby artists.
ARTIST:
“Jesus, man—”
PANEL 5 — Tony storms into the supply room, face twisted with anger.
TONY (caption):
“I didn’t mean to break.
But something in me snapped like old line art.”
PAGE 36 — THE TAPE INCIDENT
Narrator: Tony + Darwyn Cooke
PANEL 1 — Tony pulling giant rolls of masking tape from a storage cabinet.
TONY (caption):
“I wanted to make a statement.
Unfortunately, it was in a language only I understood.”
PANEL 2 — Wide shot: Tony taping off doors, hallways, cubicles — creating a bizarre grid-like cage around the office spaces.
TONY (caption):
“It looked like art.
It felt like panic.”
PANEL 3 — Fantasy overlay:
Batman appears again—this time trying to hold Tony back.
BATMAN (fantasy):
“Tony.
Stop.”
PANEL 4 — Darwyn Cooke appears in the hallway, equal parts shocked and sad.
DARWYN:
“Brother…
what the hell are you doing?”
PANEL 5 — Tony freezes, tape in hand, eyes wet.
TONY (caption):
“That’s the thing about Darwyn.
He didn’t yell.
He hurt.”
PAGE 37 — DARWYN STEPS IN
Narrators: Darwyn + Tony
PANEL 1 — Darwyn guiding Tony down the hall, an arm around his shoulder, tape still trailing behind them.
DARWYN (caption):
“He didn’t need discipline.
He needed a damn lifeline.”
PANEL 2 — Tony sitting in an empty conference room, head down, Darwyn standing guard at the door.
DARWYN:
“You’re too good for this shit, Tony.
But you’re gonna drown if you don’t stop fighting the water.”
PANEL 3 — Fantasy overlay:
Batman stands behind Darwyn, folding his arms, silently agreeing.
PANEL 4 — Tony tries to laugh, but it’s hollow.
TONY:
“I think I’m allergic to success.”
PANEL 5 — Darwyn crouches next to him, serious and gentle.
DARWYN:
“No, brother.
You’re allergic to being told what to do.”
PAGE 38 — FIRED
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — WB office the next morning.
Security escorts Tony out.
He holds a cardboard box of his things.
TONY (caption):
“And that was it.
Animation and I parted ways.”
PANEL 2 — Darwyn watches from across the lobby, a sad, respectful nod.
TONY (caption):
“Darwyn didn’t say goodbye.
Didn’t need to.”
PANEL 3 — Fantasy overlay:
Batman turns away from Tony, melting back into shadow.
TONY (caption):
“I’d lost the best job I ever screwed up.”
PANEL 4 — Tony sits on a bus bench, staring at the ground.
TONY (caption):
“And suddenly Hollywood was just another town
I couldn’t call home.”
PANEL 5 — Tony looks out toward the hills, alone, as traffic rushes by.
TONY (caption):
“I didn’t fall from grace.
I tripped over my own damn feet.”
PAGE 39 — MIGNOLA’S RISE / THE HELLBOY MOMENT
Narrators: Mignola + Tony
PANEL 1 — Fancy Hollywood dinner table.
Mignola and his wife Christine sit among Coppola, Del Toro, Lucas, and other heavy hitters.
Wine, laughter, prestige.
Warm, glowing light. A rustic kitchen table laid out with wine, bread, steaming pasta.
Coppola ladles sauce from a huge pot.
George Lucas sips wine, listening intently.
Mike Mignola sits among them — quiet, humble, unsure he belongs.
MIGNOLA (caption):
“I never planned on any of this.
I was just trying to draw stories that made sense to me.”
PANEL 2 — Lucas holding Mignola’s sketchbook
Lucas flips through blocky silhouettes — early Hellboy thumbnails, massive fists, cathedral shadows.
LUCAS (dialogue):
“This… this is myth.
Not superheroes — folklore.
This is cinema on paper.”
TONY (caption):
“Blessed by Skywalker himself.
Some guys fight to get noticed.
Mike? The gods just tapped him on the shoulder.”
PANEL 3 — Coppola pointing with a wooden spoon
Coppola gestures at the sketchbook with that paternal theatricality he does even in his kitchen.
COPPOLA (dialogue):
“You have a singular voice.
Guard it.
Hollywood will try to smother the weird out of you.”
MIGNOLA (caption):
“I didn’t know what I was doing yet.
But they made me believe it mattered.”
PANEL 4 — The first Hellboy maquette / drawing on the table
A rough Hellboy figure sits between bowls of pasta and red wine.
Light hits it just right — the character glows in the room.
TONY (caption):
“That’s when Hellboy stopped being a portfolio piece…
and became a destiny.”
PANEL 5 — Mignola looking down, overwhelmed
A small, private smile.
He’s not bragging — he’s humbled.
MIGNOLA (caption):
“It felt like they saw something in me
I hadn’t figured out yet.”
PANEL 6 — Tony’s silhouette in present day
We don’t see his face.
A man in shadow looking at the memory of someone else’s coronation.
TONY (caption):
“He deserved every bit of it.
Still stung like a hot nail.”
⭐ PAGE 40 — THE FIGHT WITH BUZZ (THE HULK PAGE)
Narrators: Tony + Buzz (alternating)
PANEL 1 — HOTEL LOBBY, NIGHT
Tony stumbles in, drunk, reeking of piss and booze. Buzz is across the room at Alex Ross’s booth.
TONY (caption):
“I thought I could fix it.
Bury the hatchet.
Turns out I was the hatchet.”
PANEL 2 — Tony taps Buzz’s shoulder
Buzz turns. His expression goes dead, disappointed.
BUZZ (caption):
“He looked like a man made of bad decisions and cheap whiskey.”
PANEL 3 — FANTASY PANEL
Buzz transforms into a Hulk-like version of himself — not green, but ink-black crosshatch fury.
Muscles like carved stone, eyes blazing red with hurt and betrayal.
PANEL 4 — REALITY / FANTASY INTERCUT
Buzz SLAPS Tony — open palm — with the force of a comic-book sound effect.
Tony flies backward across the lobby, landing near the door.
SFX (fantasy-style):
KWA-SHHH!
PANEL 5 — SECURITY ARRIVING
Running in. Guests are horrified. Tony sits up, stunned, lip bleeding.
BUZZ (caption):
“He pushed every friend he had.
Tonight he pushed the wrong one.”
PAGE 41 — BUZZ’S SHAME
Narrator: Buzz
PANEL 1 — BUZZ ALONE OUTSIDE THE HOTEL
Hands on knees. Shaking. Sick with regret.
BUZZ (caption):
“I wasn’t proud.
I wasn’t tough.
I was heartbroken.”
PANEL 2 — SECURITY FOOTAGE POV (BLACK & WHITE)
Buzz slaps Tony again, marches him out.
BUZZ (caption):
“A man only hits someone he cares about when he’s forgotten how to help him.”
PANEL 3 — CLOSE ON BUZZ’S EYES
Tired, ashamed.
BUZZ (caption):
“He made me forget myself.
And I hated that more than anything he’d done.”
PANEL 4 — BUZZ AND A FRIEND TALK LATER
Buzz retells the story, head low.
BUZZ (caption):
“It wasn’t macho.
It was tragic.”
PAGE 42 — DARWYN’S GHOST ADVICE
Narrator: Darwyn Cooke’s voice
PANEL 1 — TONY IN A SMALL BATHROOM
Staring into the mirror, splashing cold water on his face.
DARWYN (caption):
“You still got that hand, kid.
But your life’s bleeding into the ink.”
PANEL 2 — TONY TRYING TO DRAW
Hand shakes. Line wobbles. Page ruined.
TONY (caption):
“Couldn’t steady the pencil.
Couldn’t steady myself.”
PANEL 3 — FANTASY PANEL
Darwyn appears behind him as a line-art ghost — thick brush strokes and pastel smoke.
DARWYN (fantasy):
“You know what poison looks like?
It looks like you thinking tomorrow will be better without changing today.”
PANEL 4 — TONY DUMPS A BOTTLE OF ALCOHOL
It splashes into the sink.
TONY (caption):
“I tried to quit.
I really did.”
PANEL 5 — SAME SINK, HOURS LATER
Another bottle. Open.
TONY (caption):
“But trying’s not quitting.”
PAGE 43 — CONVENTION CIRCUIT BEGIN
Narrator: Tony
PANEL 1 — STRIP MALL CONVENTION HALL
Folding tables. Flickering lights. Cheap banners.
TONY (caption):
“Boarding-town cons.
Where dreams go to pawn themselves.”
PANEL 2 — TONY AT HIS TABLE
Signing. Hungover. Shaking.
PANEL 3 — EMPTY SEATS NEARBY
His table has only a couple fans. Others have none.
PANEL 4 — TONY LEANS BACK
Exhausted.
TONY (caption):
“I smelled like failure.
Apparently failure smells like bourbon.”
PANEL 5 — SPLIT PANEL: TONY IN A CHEAP HOTEL
Tony working, exhausted, while Mike signs early Hellboy trades at a store.
TONY (CAPTION):
“It wasn’t jealousy.
Not really.
More like… watching someone catch a train you missed.”
PANEL 6 — TONY EMAILS MIGNOLA
A short, simple message:
TONY (EMAIL):
“Mike —
Got any Hellboy scraps for an old friend?
Even a one-off?”
PANEL 7 — MIKE AT HIS DESK, STARING AT THE SCREEN
He types. Deletes. Types again.
Finally sends something short and neutral.
MIGNOLA (EMAIL):
“Timing’s tricky right now.
Hope you’re well.”
TONY (CAPTION):
“He wasn’t cruel.
He was… elsewhere.”
PAGE 44
PANEL 1 — TEXAS MALL CONVENTION
A tired convention hall in a strip mall. Folding tables. Thin crowds.
Tony walks past the end of an aisle toward his own booth.
TONY (caption):
Texas mall cons: where dreams come to smoke out back.
PANEL 2 — CHAYKIN GRANDLY ADDRESSES A SMALL CROWD
Howard Chaykin spots Tony instantly.
He steps forward, raising his voice like he’s on stage.
CHAYKIN:
“This guy could’ve been a contender!”
PANEL 3 — TONY HUMILIATED
Tony stops.
His smile is brittle, barely there.
TONY:
“And instead I’m a bum.
A bum.”
PANEL 4 — CLOSE ON TONY’S FACE
Shame tightens his jaw.
Eyes down.
He turns slightly away, trying to retreat into himself.
TONY (caption):
That was the knockout punch.
I didn’t even lift my hands.
PANEL 5 — A HAND ON TONY’S ARM
Soft fingers.
Tony freezes.
DAUGHTER (small, off-panel):
“Dad?”
PANEL 6 — PULL BACK
Tony turns to see his daughter standing there.
Brave. Gentle. Completely unfazed by Chaykin’s jab.
DAUGHTER:
“Your table’s not empty.”
PANEL 7 — OVERLAY OF DAUGHTERS’ VOICES (SOFT, WARM)
As Tony looks toward his booth, we hear their voices layered like a memory.
DAUGHTERS (caption):
“Not to us.”
PAGE 45 — FANS BRING OLD ISSUES
Narrators: Tony + Daughter
PANEL 1 — FAN HANDS HIM DAKOTA NORTH #1
Tony sits behind his table now — small line of real fans before him.
A fan, nervous but smiling, presents a worn copy.
Tony signs it gently.
TONY (caption):
Maybe I wasn’t a contender.
But I sure as hell made a few rounds.
PANEL 2 — FAN WITH CLOAK & DAGGER
Shy fan.
Hands trembling just enough to show what it means to them.
Tony smiles sincerely this time.
PANEL 3 — FAN WITH DR. STRANGE
The very issue Jim Shooter once held aloft as a condemnation.
Tony stares at it a beat before signing.
TONY (caption):
“Some people remembered.”
PANEL 4 — DAUGHTER WATCHES PROUDLY FROM THE SIDE
Her expression says everything.
DAUGHTER (caption):
“And we never forgot.”
PANEL 5
TONY:
“I messed up.
More than I can tell you.”
PANEL 2 — DAUGHTER TAKES HIS HAND
DAUGHTER:
“We knew.
We loved you anyway.”
PAGE 46 — LEGACY (VOICES OF HIS PEERS)
Bust-style portraits with quotes:
PANEL 1 — LARRY HAMA
“He had the hand.
And a heart that kept tripping him.”
PANEL 2 — MIGNOLA
“Genius.
Road could’ve gone a hundred ways.”
PANEL 3 — BUZZ
“He broke things.
I broke too.
But God, he could draw.”
PANEL 4 — DARWYN COOKE
“He was built for beauty.
Not for the suits.”
PANEL 5 — CHAYKIN
“He could’ve been a contender.
Maybe he still is.”
PAGE 47 — LAST PANEL, LAST WORD
Narrators: Tony + Interviewer
PANEL 1 — TONY DRAWING ON HIS PORCH AT SUNSET
Same framing as Page 1 — but now the chickens wander peacefully, his daughters laugh in the background, and Tony is drawing with a calm, focused energy.
His hand is steady.
The line is clear.
INTERVIEWER (CAPTION):
“So after everything…
what do you call this chapter of your life?”
PANEL 2 CLOSE INSET PANEL — TONY LOOKS UP, SMILING
Weathered.
Content.
Resolved.
TONY (dialogue):
“Redemption’s too big a word.
Let’s just call it—
PANEL 3
TONY (Caption) “-getting the lines right.”
Tony and his childhood friend’s footprints on the beach trail in to the distance
PANEL 5/6
The surf washes the beach clean.
THE END.