PAGE 1
Panel 1
The lower part of a cart wheel takes up most of the panel as it travels along a rocky mountain road.
A rabbit peers over the bottom of the panel in the left hand corner..
THATCH (unseen but sitting at the rear of the cart): How much further is it?
Panel 2
Pull back from the previous panel’s view. Both of the cart wheels are now visible, along with the legs of the ox pulling it.
The rabbit in the foreground can now be seen in full. His back is covered with a tiny leather saddle, an armoured pixie, looking like a miniature St George, rides on top.
BULL (unseen but sitting at the front of the cart): Give it a rest, Thatch!
Panel 3
Side view of the cart (pulled back from previous picture). Sitting up on the front bench are BULL and GOOSE. They’re brothers, but there‘s no real family resemblance. Both look like the animals they’re named after. Bull has a thick neck, a punched-in face and looks as if he bench-presses cattle. Goose is thin with a long neck and a beaky nose.
The cart carries a load of turnips, mostly under cover, but one or two can be seen poking through.
On the backboard of the cart rides Bull and Goose’s younger brother, THATCH. A handsome lad with the healthy frame of a young man who’s grown up bailing hay, his blond unkempt hair makes his name appropriate.
Low on the ground the pixie-mounted rabbit faces off against a lizard.
In the background, fir trees.
GOOSE: You can’t blame him, Bull. His first time in Bridgetown after all.
Panel 4
Rear view of the cart. Thatch watches the pixie, now behind the cart, skewer the lizard with a miniature lance.
BULL: He doesn’t have to ask every mile.
GOOSE: How much further is it anyway?
Panel 5
Front view of the cart, looking over the ox’s back.
Thatch has turned his head to face front as he listens to his brothers.
BULL: Not much .
Panel 6
Same as previous, except this time Thatch’s eyes are open wide in wonder.
BULL: In fact, I think it‘s safe to say...
PAGE 2 AND 3
Full spread
The cart in the bottom right corner stands at the top of a steep hill that winds its way down the fir tree covered mountainside to two wide portcullis gates (both presently open), which in turn lead onto Bridgetown. Bridgetown runs from centre bottom to top left.
A giant bridge, it is covered in hundreds of buildings, including a castle in the centre. Nets, rope bridges and hand cranked elevators line the sides. There are even some houses fastened to the undersides of some of the bridge’s giant arches.
The architectural styles are predominantly European Middle Age on the nearest side, however there should also be influences of Oriental and Arabic architecture. The far side of the bridge has a stronger Oriental style to it - however, as the bridge is so long, it’s hard to make out.
A river runs out the left side of the bridge (the right is obscured as the bridge is so high), moving towards the upper right hand side of the picture.
BULL: ...we’re here.
PAGE 4
Panel 1
The cart passes through the left-hand portcullis gate. A guardsman stands sentry duty.
Thatch has turned so that he can see where they’re going.
Panel 2
Side view of the cart passing a tavern - “The Bridge‘s End”.
Panel 3
Three dancing girls, dressed in translucent silks, stand with their backs to us in the foreground of the panel. The cart passes in the background. Thatch watches them with his mouth agape.
Panel 4
The cart passes underneath an arched bridge into the market area - colourful tented stalls line the route. It has the look of an Arabian market.
PAGE 5
Panel 1
The brothers unload the turnips from their cart onto an empty stall.
Panel 2
The brothers stand behind the stall, looking bored. There’s no one else in sight.
THATCH: Does it get any busier than this?
Panel 3
A crowd surrounds the stall. Goose hands out a turnip over the heads of the people standing at the front of the stall.
GOOSE: Busy enough for you yet?
Panel 4
Just one customer now, holding the last of the turnips. The stall’s empty now.
Bull takes money from the customer.
PAGE 6
Panel 1
Bull counts the money into piles.
BULL: Right, that’s the last of it.
Panel 2
Bull drops a few coins onto Goose’s outstretched palm.
BULL: Half for you, half for Thatch. Okay?
GOOSE: Time to hit the bridge.
Panel 3
Goose drops a couple of coins onto Thatch’s outstretched palm. Thatch watches, screwing his face up with disappointment.
THATCH: Is this it?
Panel 4
Bull and Goose. Bull looks serious, Goose has a grin plastered across his face.
BULL: We need something left to show for our trouble. Dad would skin us alive if we spent it all.
GOOSE: You’ve got enough for a skinful of wine and a cheap tart.
PAGE 7
Panel 1
Bull and Goose stride off into the distance. Goose half turns his head to call behind him.
GOOSE: Come on little brother, keep up!
Panel 2
The milling Bridgetown crowds separate Thatch from his two brothers. He struggles to keep up, but there’s no way he’s going to find them in the crowd.
THATCH: Hey, wait for me.
Panel 3
Bull and Goose walk with the crowd at their backs, Bull checks over his shoulder.
GOOSE: We lost him yet?
BULL: Reckon so.
Panel 4
Goose slips Bull some coins.
GOOSE: Here’s your split of Thatch’s money then.
BULL: I couldn’t have kept a straight face.
GOOSE: You need practice to lie properly.
Panel 5
Bull and Goose walk off, arms around each other’s shoulders.
BULL: Now let’s go get pissed.
PAGE 8
Panel 1
Thatch walks down a narrow stairway in-between two buildings, descending into the darker parts of the town.
Behind him, at the top of the stairs, KAT, an attractive young thief, dressed in makeshift leather armour, runs in his direction.
THATCH: Bull! Goose! (small text) Could have sworn I saw...
Panel 2
Kat shoves Thatch out of her way.
Behind them at the top of the stairs, two gang members, BREVIS and FLEX chase after her. Both of them have bald heads. Both of them have a black handprint tattooed into their scalps as a symbol of their gang membership.
KAT: Coming through.
Panel 3
Brevis and Flex run past Thatch on the steps.
PAGE 9
Panel 1
In the street at the bottom of the stairs are another two bald, tattooed gang members, POL and NAIL. POL, steps out to intercept Kat.
The pair chasing her pass Thatch on the steps.
POL: Hold it, Kat. You owe us money!
Panel 2
Kat shrugs.
KAT: I don’t have it.
Panel 3
Pol pushes Kat onto the ground.
POL: Other ways we can get it out of you.
Panel 4
The four gang members surround Kat. Pol bends down to grab her arm.
POL: Lets see if there’s a girl under all that dirt.
PAGE 10
Panel 1
Thatch rolls his sleeves up, ready to protect the girl.
THATCH: Get your hands off her.
Panel 2
Thatch wades into the gang members, throwing an uppercut to Flex’s jaw.
Panel 3
In the foreground, Kat picks herself up. Flex lies on the floor behind her.
PAGE 11
Panel 1
Thatch punches Brevis in the nose. Nail raises up a cudgel.
Panel 2
Thatch grabs the cudgel in mid air.
Panel 3
Still holding the cudgel, Thatch pulls Nail closer and knees him in the stomach.
PAGE 12
Panel 1
Pol comes up behind Thatch. He holds a knife close to his waist, intending to stab Thatch in the kidneys.
Panel 2
Holding her hands together, Kat smacks them into Pol’s back. Thatch half turns, looking surprised.
Panel 3
Thatch grabs a cudgel from another, while punching a third in the gut. Kat smacks both her fists into Hans’ back.
Panel 4
Thatch and Kat stand over the fallen bodies of the gang members. Kat kicks the prone Pol in the side.
THATCH: Not very tough, these city lads.
DIRK: (off panel) Not very bright, these farm boys.
PAGE 13
Panel 1
A large panel - it should take up most of the page, leaving room for three fairly small panels along the bottom.
Thatch and Kat stand in between two clusters of gang members. Weapons are drawn - it looks nasty.
Dirk, the leader, stands with the group on the left. He has a dagger in his hand.
DIRK: Too stupid to know when they’ve fallen into a trap.
Panel 2
An arrow flying through the air
Panel 3
Dirk’s hand, the arrow through it. The knife drops from his grasp.
Panel 4
Dirk holds the hand with the arrow through of it in front of him. Still in shock, the pain hasn’t hit yet.
PAGE 14
Panel 1
Thatch and Kat stand in the centre of the panel. Surrounding them are Dirk’s band. Surrounding those are a new gang - the thieves.
Archers crouch on the top of walls, their arrows aimed at Dirk’s gang.
Panel 2
Kat reaches for Thatch’s hand.
KAT: Don’t just stand there.
Panel 3
Close up on their hands clasping together.
KAT: Let’s get out of here!
Panel 4
Still holding hands, Kat and Thatch run. The two gangs clash in the background, the tattooed gang clearly losing to the thieves.
PAGE 15
Panel 1
The fight no longer in view, Thatch and Kat stop for a moment. Thatch leans against a wall. Kat stands bent over, her hands resting on the top of her legs as she catches her breath.
THATCH: That was lucky.
KAT: Not so much. Spike was waiting for me there.
Panel 2
Close on Thatch’s face.
THATCH: It was a trap? Then you weren’t really in trouble?
Panel 3
Kat kisses Thatch’s cheek.
KAT: It was very gallant of you to come to my rescue.
Panel 3
Thatch scratches his head.
THATCH: Then I guess I...
PAGE 16
Panel 1
Kat grabs Thatch’s hand with both hers, pulling at him
KAT: Come on.
Panel 2
Just holding on with one hand now, Kat leads a confused-looking Thatch.
THATCH: Where are we going now?
Panel 3
Kat smiles at Thatch. a mischievous look to her eye.
KAT: You did me a turn. Thought I should return the favour.
PAGE 17
Panel 1
They pass underneath a stone arched bridge. On top of the bridge, a drunken Goose makes out with a painted tart who can’t be younger than fifty.
THATCH: How do you mean?
Panel 2
Midshot of Thatch and Kat, the bridge and Goose behind them.
KAT: Figure a country boy like you could do with the guided tour.
PAGE 18
Panel 1
Kat and Thatch cross a rope bridge. In the street beneath it, Bull is being sick in the gutter, much to the amusement of a group of drunken revellers.
KAT: Unless you weren’t done taking on the gangs of Bridgetown single-handed.
THATCH: I think I’m done for the night.
PAGE 19
Panel 1
Kat and Thatch approach the base of a tower. A primitive elevator, a cage attached to a chain winch, stands next to it. WINCH, a man with tree-trunk-thick limbs stands by the winch. He raises a hand in greeting to Kat.
KAT: Hey Winch!
WINCH: Still picking up strays Kat?
Panel 2
Winch peers forward to look at Thatch.
WINCH: At least this one doesn’t look like he’s got fleas.
Panel 3
Kat puts her arm around Thatch and squeezes close.
KAT: This is my very own knight in shining overalls.
Panel 4
Winch and Thatch shake hands.
WINCH: Going up?
Panel 5
Kat looks at Thatch, a hungry expression in her eyes.
KAT: I hope so.
PAGE 20
Panel 1
Kat steps into the cage. She holds out her hand to a hesitant Thatch.
KAT: Come on.
Panel 2
Thatch looks wary.
THATCH: Is it safe?
Panel 3
Kat grins, her hand still outstretched.
KAT: Where would the fun be if it was?
Panel 4
Thatch takes Kat’s hand.
PAGE 21
Full page
The cage halfway up the tower, Bridgetown laid out beneath it.
PAGE 22
Panel 1
The cage elevator at the top of the tower. Kat helps Thatch onto the roof.
KAT: What do you think of my town?
Panel 2
Wide across the page, Kat and Thatch looking across the town from on high. Thatch turns his head towards Kat.
THATCH: It’s beautiful. Just like...
Panel 3
Same as previous panel, this time with Kat pulling Thatch’s head towards her.
KAT: Just shut up and kiss me.
Panel 4
Same as previous panel, this time Kat and Thatch are having their movie happy ending kiss.
PAGE 23
Panel 1
Worse for wear, Bull and Goose stagger down the street, holding onto each other for support.
Bull stretches out his free arm to gesture, almost as if he’s telling a story about a fish that got away.
With his free hand, Goose cups his chest to indicate large breasts.
BULL: ...then after I’d drunken them all under the table...
GOOSE: ...should have seen the jugs on her, I’m telling you...
Panel 2
Thatch leans against the cart, waiting for them, a slightly dreamy look in his eyes.
THATCH: Hey guys.
Panel 3
Goose points at Thatch in drunken fashion.
GOOSE: Hey little brother. What you get up to?
Panel 4
Goose climbs up at the front of the cart. Bull climbs into the empty back, where all the turnips had been . Thatch sits at the back.
THATCH: Just a bit of sight-seeing.
BULL: You take it for the first bit. I’m going to lie down here for a while.
Panel 5
Side on view as the cart drives through the gate.
GOOSE: You can come up front with me for a bit, little bro.
THATCH: No, it’s okay, I’m good here for now.
PAGE 24
Full Page
Rear view of the cart, which has passed through the gate. Thatch raises a hand to wave at Kat, who crouches on top of the wall above the gate, watching the cart leave.
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