Wolverine #171Wolverine #171
Title: “Stay Alive part 2 of 3”
Writer: Frank Tieri
Penciller: Sean Chen
Inker: Norm Rapmund
Colors: Avalon’s Raymund Lee
Editor: Mike Marts
PAGE 1
Shot of the Wendigo, snarling like the wild animal that he is.
Shot of Mauvais, grinning—mystic energy cracking in his hands (remember, Sean—Mauvais is a sorcerer, so his "fighting style" would be similar to Dr. Strange).
Shot of Wolvie, grim, popping his claws.
PAGE 2
Splash—shot of all three of them charging each other, like three madmen.
Bottom panel-- Mauvais hits Wolvie with a mystic blast.
PAGE 3
Wendigo in turn starts strangling Mauvais
Mystic energy grows from Mauvais’ fingertips like "claws" as he gets strangled.
He slashes Wendigo with them.
Wolvie takes the opening to slash Mauvais.
Wendigo in turn swats Wolvie.
The Wendigo advances toward Wolvie—Mauvais grabs his arm …
PAGE 4
… And takes a bite out of it—Wendigo howls in pain.
Wolvie sacks Mauvais.
He’s got his claws drawn, trying to thrust them in Mauvais, but Mauvais has caught them with his own mystic "claws".
Wolvie is trying to force them down when he notices a big shadow over him and Mauvais.
Shot of the Wendigo about to swing down a huge tree on them.
Wolvie rolls out of the way before the Wendigo can swat down but Mauvais is seemingly crushed.
PAGE 5
Wolvie looks at the tree, there’s no movement (we can’t even see Mauvais under it, that’s how big it is) —Wolvie thinks to himself, "can this all be over just like that?"
But now he turns, to find the Wendigo charging him—this ain’t over yet.
Suddenly, they’re both grabbed by vines.
We can now see the vines are sprouting madly from the tree, crushing them.
They slice their way free of the vines.
As they finish up the vines, they turn as Mauvais, cracking with mystic energy, bursts out of the tree—Wolvie’s face let’s us know he ain’t too happy about that.
PAGE 6
Establishing shot—a calm serene scene—a Japanese temple sits amongst a brook.
Closer on the temple.
Closer still—we look into the window and see a geisha girl is inside.
The camera enters the window – we see the geisha girl (in a komodo, face painted white, hair done up with chopsticks) is kneeling at an altar of Buddha—her eyes are closed, her head is bowed, her hands are folded, she is obviously praying.
Closer on her face and folded hands (basically from the chest up) in the foreground —she is lost in prayer.
PAGE 7
Similar shot—the door to the temple opens behind her.
Similar shot—a group of five Japanese mobsters enter the room—her eyes suddenly pop open.
Similar shot— The mobsters draw their guns and swords—she doesn’t even move or look behind her—but her fingers start growing.
Similar shot— They’re right behind her, their guns all pointed at the back of her head -- Her hands continue to grow (like the razor fingers she has).
Big panel as still kneeling, her reaches her hands back and impales the five men behind her.
PAGE 8
She turns now for the first time, angry—she’s sheathing her fingers back to normal, the men begin to fall, all mortally wounded, save one with a gut shot who staggers back.
She approaches him—he falls to his knees, wounded, begging her no.
She puts her hand on his face, palming his face with her now normal hand.
She extends her fingers again, in the man’s face—blood splatters on her kimodo.
She looks down at the blood on her kimodo.
PAGE 9
And tears her komodo off in disgust.
Naked, she goes to a nearby closet and opens it—we now see her Lady Deathstrike outfit.
Big shot as she exits the temple, grim as Lady Deathstrike.
Shot of her being looked at through binoculars.
He puts the binoculars down—and we now see it’s Sabretooth who was watching her.
PAGE 10
Back to the battle—the Wendigo has Wolvie raised by the back of the neck, Wolvie is in turn kicking Mauvais in the face, who has in turn hit the Wendigo with a mystic blast.
The Wendigo, stunned, lets go of Wolvie-- Wolvie slashes at Mauvais, but Mauvais has erected a mystic shield with one hand.
Now Wendigo also attacks Mauvais—he erects a shield to stop his attack, as well (Wolvie’s still slashing away at the other shield, BTW).
Shot of Wendigo and Wolvie just pounding away at Mauvais’ shield —Mauvais is in trouble and is being driven back, he has now made the two shields one.
Mauvais is driven to his knees, the shield has gotten smaller—the other two just mercilessly keep slashing away.
PAGE 11
Shot of Wolvie and Wendigo with one mega blow each, shattering the shield.
Mauvais lies on the floor, trying to get to his feet, he is dazed and is nearly defeated.
Wolvie pulls his arm back, ready to deliver the killing blow.
He’s suddenly grabbed in a bear hug from behind by the Wendigo.
Wolvie looks back at the Wendigo as if to say "you’ve got to be kidding me—we had him!"
Wendigo body slams him hard to the ground.
PAGE 12
Wolvie dazed, lying there on his back, when suddenly …
… The ground unexpectedly starts moving underneath him!
He turns to see Mauvais has taken this opportunity to recover and is beginning to raise a column of earth and snow under Wolvie with one hand motion—at the same time, he’s using the other hand to keep the Wendigo at bay with a mystic blast.
Big panel, bird’s eye view of the taken back Wolvie as the column has grown, reaching high, hundreds of feet in the sky.
Smile on Mauvais’ face as he makes a cut off motion with his hand as he undoes the spell on Wolvie (the other hand is still being used to keep the Wendigo at bay with his mystic bolt) …
PAGE 13
The snow/earth column dissolves, sending Wolvie plummeting to the ground.
Shot of Wolvie hitting the ground, extremely hard—snow kicks up as he hits.
Shot of Wolvie on the floor, K.O.ed— meanwhile, the Wendigo has begun to advance on Mauvais, slowly walking through the bolt.
Wendigo still advancing through the bolt, raises his fists …
… Wendigo uses a double fisted shot to bludgeon Mauvais, sending him flying back.
PAGE 14
Mauvais on the floor, getting to his feet—the Wendigo is charging.
The Wendigo, snarling, nearly upon him—Mauvais turns his fingers into his mystic "claws".
And extends them out into ten little streams of mystic energy—he catches Wendigo a few feet from him in the chest, stopping his stride.
Mauvais, now smiling, knowing the battle is nearly won, has risen to his feet and has driven the Wendigo even further back with his sharpened streams of energy, which are digging into the Wendigo’s chest.
Mauvais makes a slashing motion outward, tearing open the Wendigo’s chest.
PAGE 15
The Wendigo staggers back.
Mauvais grabs him.
Reaches into his chest.
And tears out his heart (Sean, maybe show this from behind, we can’t actually see him tearing the heart out, or the heart, for that matter).
He watches the heart in his hands, smiling—the Wendigo collapses.
PAGE 16
Wolvie, coming to and realizing what’s happened, gets to his feet.
Mauvais, seeing this, winks at him.
Wolvie running—he’s got to stop him.
Mauvais gobbles up the heart in one bite (Sean, show this maybe in silhouette?).
Wolvie stops running—he looks on in frustration, knowing he’s too late.
PAGE 17
Mauvais starts to slowly transform.
He’s transformed a little further.
Wolvie leaps at him.
But now, Mauvais, transformed even further, swats him away.
Wolvie on the floor, looks up in disbelief.
PAGE 18
Splash—Mauvais
stands there, howling with laughter as the new Wendigo (his
tattered French clothes still remain, as do his half-eaten facial
features). Lightning strikes in the air, as if the gods
themselves know this the end of the world.
PAGE 19
Shot of Mauvais, smiling as he approaches Wolvie.
Wolvie takes a swipe at Mauvais/Wendigo with his claw.
Mauvais catches it in his hand.
Still holding Wolvie’s arm, he hits him.
PAGE 20
He hits him again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
Wolvie’s all but out, slumped over.
PAGE 21
Mauvais lifts him up by the throat.
He opens his mouth wide.
He’s about to lower his bite down on Wolvie.
When suddenly, he’s hit by a blast.
Angry, Mauvais/Wendigo turns— as does Wolvie, although even in his groggy state, he has a reason to smile at what he sees.
PAGE 22
SPLASH—shot of Alpha Flight, standing ready for action. Guardian is in the forefront, his hand still smoking from the blast.
Leader’s Lair rating: 7 out of 10
Sean Chen’s pencils do a great job telling the story of this ‘Nuff Said book. 4.5 out of 5 again. Great work. As I said in last issue Tieri does a good job including cool villains, but as I’ve said elsewhere as well usually he doesn’t give those cool villains the credit they are due. I like that Alpha Flight arrives in the book, but now I’m worried about what he is going to do to them after killing off Wendigo. Hopefully the Wendigo thing can be undone later. Ah well… stinking mutant books.