Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, dejah thoris, dynamite, entertainment, Francesco Manna, irene adler, leah moore, Swords of Sorrow

Swords Of Sorrow: Dejah Thoris & Irene Adler – Script To Art To Colors

Combine the worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and you get Swords of Sorrow: Dejah Thoris & Irene Adler #1. From Dynamite's big all-female written summer event we get the three issue miniseries from Leah Moore and Francesco Manna… and here we get to see the process from Moore's script to Manna's art to the colors from Insight Studios.

A team-up set up by SWORDS OF SORROW's Gail Simone, featuring the writer that she hand-picked: Leah Moore! Irene Adler has been many things in her young life, a fugitive, a master of disguise and a femme fatale, but even she is surprised to find herself made bounty hunter, tracking savage foes across the grimy streets of London. In a far off world, defending Barsoom against an influx of trespassers, Princess Dejah Thoris is ready to put the guilty to her sword. Now, the world-colliding events of SWORDS OF SORROW have brought these dangerous women together… and the fate of planets hang in the balance!

Swords of Sorrow: Dejah Thoris & Irene Adler #1 goes on sale July 1st, for more information click here.

Page One.

Panel one.
Small shot, Trafalgar Square, night. Two posh drunks in wonky top hats and crumpled evening dress are staggering along holding each other up, still clutching bottles from the night's revelry. They share a balloon.

Drunks(singing): "We are all jolly good fellows, we are,
The best of all jolly good fellows, hurrah!

Panel Two.
Wider shot, the drunks are walking across Trafalgar Square, past Nelson's column and the lion statues. We can see the silhouette of a lion statue somewhere, that they are paying no attention to. They are really raising their bottles and roaring with gusto now. They have two balloons.

Drunks: (singing): "Or we were when we started this morning, ha! ha!
But the others have all got run in!"

Drunks: (singing): "We got down to Richmond, 'twas something past four,
But just felt a little upset—

Panel Three.
Wide panoramic shot now, and we are looking past the shape of one of the lion statues, down to where the two drunk toffs lurch past. The shape is pretty much exactly a lion, except it's a bit of a funny shape on the face area. Behind them, we can see the mist and gaslight and dark shadowy buildings of nocturnal London. The drunks have two balloons.

Drunks (singing): "We'd had as much fizz as we ought, perhaps more,
How much I am sure I forget!

Drunks (singing): "Then back toward London we merrily strolled,
Together we toddled along…

Panel Four.
This is a big wide panel, looking up at what should be the noble statue of a lion, but is actually the form of the Banth crouched to spring, with its jaws stretched in a wide Cheshire cat grin, every tooth glinting in the gaslight. It's weird insectoid eyes look down on the drunks passing unwittingly below. There are two balloons from off bottom.

Drunks (singing,off bottom): "But noisy Bill Tompkins, as onward we rolled,
Insisted on shouting a song…

Drunk (off bottom too): Bill Tompkins you sot!

Page Two.

This is a three panel page.

Panel One.
This is a wide shallow panel. We are in the street we last saw Irene Adler hurtling down in the back of the cab. We can see the stubbly chin and bobbing Adam's Apple of a filthy wretch on the left, and the rest of the panel is the long gleaming blade of Dejah Thoris's sword of sorrow, which rests its deadly tip on the aforementioned Adams apple. The wretch looks petrified, from what we can see of him anyway. There are two balloons from Thoris off right.

Dejah Thoris: Repeat your question man, don't worry, it won't cut you unless I think you warrant it.

Dejah Thoris: Go on man. Spit it out. What did you ask me?

Panel Two.
Big huge shot, with the man on the left, leaning back slightly to try and escape the blade. Thoris is on the right, regal and upright and magnificent even in the dark London drizzle. Behind them both a crowd of gawpers young and old enjoy the spectacle warily. The sword tip is at his throat, and his eyes are trying to see down to it without his head moving. His hands are spread in rigid terror. Thoris is cool as a cucumber. The wretch has one balloon, and Thoris has two.

Wretch: I-I can't remember…miss! Honest, I can't remember…it's gone clean out of my 'ead!

Dejah Thoris: You are lying, very badly might I add, and you are lying because you are a coward!

Dejah Thoris: Nobody would blame me if I sliced you like an Usa fruit!

Panel Three.
This is a wide shot with Thoris shouting right at us, the blade wavering up into our vision now. Behind her the crowd are clearly enthralled and amazed. She has two balloons

Dejah Thoris: What if some man asked your sister that question? Would that also be acceptable?

Dejah Thoris: Is it just a normal part of this world like the soot and this accursed rain?

Page Three.

This is a six panel page with two at the top, a big wide one across the middle and three little ones across the bottom.

Panel One.
This is a small panel where Thoris is turning back toward us, and the crowd stood gawping. The man is in the background now, hands up in a calming gesture, face a picture of concern. Thoris is furious, whipping the blade round so it is under our chin now and not the mans. She has two balloons.

Thoris: All of you! Do you think I don't see? I see you watching.

Panel Two.
This is a wider shot as she puts the tip of the sword under a fat man's jowls, and he tries to raise his chin to escape it. She has two balloons.

Thoris: Why did none of you stand up for him then? or for me? You must agree with one of us?

Thoris: Because you are also cowards!

Panel Three.
This is a big massive shot with Thoris in the middle, stood so radiant and alive in the miserable London rain and dark. the light bounces off her jewellery and her skin, and makes the rest of the crowd look like a bunch of soggy losers. Which they are of course. They all stand about looking really stunned by it all. She is putting her sword away now. She has three balloons.

Thoris: You all heard what he said as clearly as I did, some of you laughed.

Thoris: But you pretend you didn't, and you let me stand here and defend myself.

Thoris: And yet if it were your mother, your daughter, so insulted? I would fight for her in a heartbeat.

Panel Four.
This is a small shot with Thoris turning back to the man, who is in the process of trying to sneak away. She has one balloon.

Thoris: So, brave and noble man of this cold and horrible land. What do you say to me, now with these people here to witness?

Panel Five.
This is another small panel with the man sweating and looking completely petrified. He has two balloons.

Man: I-I say please accept my apologies for any offence caused, a-and……welcome to London!

Man: …pleasedon'tkillme.

Panel Six.
This is a shot of Dejah Thoris' face. She is scowling and wet. No dialogue.

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