Jhaeman's Library # 4

The cover to issue # 4 of Jhaeman's Detritus was the first to feature "Mystery Mouse" instead of the previous, jokier mascot, Winthrop Worthington III. Having seen this and many more pieces of his work, I remain convinced that the artist could have broken into the pro comics biz if he had wished.

In addition to reviews of Nth Man and Hero Hotline, this issue feature the first half of "Criminal Defence", my first and (so far) only comic book script. At the time, Marvel had a contest open to the general public and I decided to take a shot. Here's the summary of my idea:

"Often in the Marvel Universe, we see super-villains captured by heroes and then later we see the same villains escape from prison so the cycle can begin again. Criminal Defence explores a missing part of the cycle--the trial take takes place after arrest and before conviction. Francis Poliare, the first issue's protagonist, is a middle-aged, balding man stuck in a rut and tired of being a defence lawyer. Along with his assistant, the unflappable Jizana Merelle, and his investigator, Jacob Sterns, Poliare is assigned an unenviable task: providing legal representation to New York's super-villains. The first issue's story revolves around Poliare's defence of the Hydro-Man--who swears he was framed--and how the case impacts the attorney's life."

Writing the script was a good experience--a lot more fun than writing a novel, and an eye-opening experience into some of the challenges comic book writers face: what to tell through dialogue and what to tell through captions, how to meld dialogue and art (or at least the necessarily rough instructions the script gives to the artist), how many panels should go on each page, how to make sure the story stays in continuity with the characters' previous appearances (since I included an established villain), and so forth. I was pretty proud of how it turned out--witty, original, well-paced if I dare say so myself. I didn't win the contest, of course--I don't think I even received a form letter reply--but I was happy to have tried. I'd like to put it up here one of these days, but I don't have an electronic version and typing it in would take a while . . .