Astro Legion: (A Graphic Novel Script)

By Helmut Eppich

THE DRAGO MINERY, HEADED BY COLONEL ROSETTA BRENNER, IS ATTACKED BY A BRAXIAN
WARFLEET ASSIGNED TO PREVENT THE ASTRO LEGION STARCRUISER ACHILLES FROM
COMPLETING HER MISSION: GUARD THE UNIFICATION CEREMONY ON ASTRO LEGION OUTPOST
COMMAND VANGUARD FIVE.
BY ANY MEANS POSSIBLE.
THIS UNIFICATION CEREMONY WILL JOIN THE ASTRO LEGION WITH NEWLY DISCOVERED
GALACTIC ALLIANCE, FORMING A POWERFUL , PEACEFUL INTERSTELLAR CONGLOMERATE.
THE STAR CRUISER ACHILLES MUST STOP BRAXIAN ADMIRAL GIDEON BLAINES
BRAXIAN WARFLEET FROM DESTROYING THE UNIFICATION CEREMONY. IF GIDEON BLAIN SUCCEEDS
IN DISRUPTING THE VANGUARD FIVE CEREMONIES, INTERSTELLAR WAR SHALL RESULT.
WHEN CAPTAIN NATHANIEL FORRESTER, COMMANDING THE ACHILLES LEARNS OF THE
DRAGO MINERY ATTACK, DRIVEN BY WORRY FOR HIS EX-FIANCEE, COLONEL ROSETTA BRENNER
AND INTENSE PRESSURE TO PREVENT INTERSTELLAR WAR, HE RACES HEADLONG TOWARD HIS
DESTINY, PLUNGING INTO A DESPEREATE STRUGGLE TO INSURE THE SAFETY OF THE GALAXYS
FUTURE.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456862152

Helmut Eppich

HELMUT EPPICH IS A FAN OF OLDER SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES, CLASSIC TELEVISON SPY AND SCIENCE FICTION SHOWS, COMIC BOOKS, JAMES BOND AND SPY MOVIES. HE ALSO ENJOYS OLD “SHADOW” RADIO SHOWS AND WORKS OF GOLDEN AGE MAGAZINE AND PULP ILLUSTRATORS. HIS SPACE PAINTINGS HAVE BEEN PART OF VARIOUS EXHIBITONS, AND ALWAYS WATCHES INTRIGUING ASTRONOMY PROGRAMS. HELMUT CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN ABDUCTED BY A UFO, REJECTED, ONLY TO BE THROWN EARTHWARD, LANDING ON HIS HEAD. A REAL SPACE CADET.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Helmut Eppich.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011901628

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4568-6214-5

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4568-6213-8

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4568-6215-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

91305

INTRODUCTION

Comics and film are related. Both media convey stories through pictures and words. Comics may be perceived as cinematic storyboards, which are used as guides for directors to visually organize and plan a film.

Storyboards are usually published in movie script books along with accompanying movie stills, along with behind-the-scenes photos.

Astro Legion is a script book for the comic book/graphic novel concept written in full script form. It has been written in full script. This includes numbered panels, character dialogue, captions, sound effects, action descriptions and sometimes angles with shots. All of it is similar to a movie screenplay. However, it is the writer/artist that becomes the director, set decorator, actor(s), character designer, costume designer, make-up, etc. This is also similar to movie-making. In this case, however, artist and/or writer manage the overall visual and plot line appeal. The writer/artist is in total control of a world existing on paper. Until it falls into the publishing editor’s hands. In a screenwriter’s case, the film director and his editor alter the writer’s words, altering his world.

Astro Legion is written as a full script containing panels, dialogue, captions, sound effects. Even panel directions for the artist to interpret. Before drawing a single page the artist executes thumbnail sketches, visually planning the book’s entire layout.

Astro Legion was originally written for a comic book. So much was going on in the story it was decided to expand. The pages shown here are displayed in both penciled and inked versions for the first and second issue.

Comic books are usually produced in assembly line stages: writer, penciler, letterer, inker, colorist. Occasionally, a penciler will sketch in dialogue balloons and letter dialogue as a guide for the letterer.

Looking at both drawn and inked versions of these pages, it is interesting to note the collaboration between the writer, penciler, and inker to create a dynamic story.

Hopefully, this one is!

The artwork shown here mainly represents the story’s first half, setting up plot and characters, appropriately titled the setup, introducing plot elements needed to carry the story forward.

When you read Astro Legion picture comic book pages in your mind. Or ignore the panel directions and pretend you’re watching a movie.

Enjoy! The story is engrossing. The story began to write itself after awhile, and spun out of control.

Thank You for picking up this book. Whether be it for browsing or buying.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to the good folks at Xlibris for their time and effort during the publishing of this book. Especially, Glenda Lewis, Faith Go, Marlo Lugma, Raine Barnes.

I’m eternally grateful to the works of classic and contemporary science fiction writers and illustrators, comic book writers and artists, film makers, special effects artists, and model makers for their indomitable creative spirit in bringing the magic of fantasy to life. Their creative spirit in turn has ignited and influenced mine. Creativity is indeed boundless.

Many thanks to Karl and the gang at Neko Printing for patiently cranking out endless zerox copies for the past two years.

Very Special Thanks to Gary Vollo for the daunting job of scanning this book’s entire run of twenty-five illustrations along with its cover, as well as redesigning it, and putting it all together on his computer.

And Konstantine Bakalis for suggestions and recommendations.

Extra Special thanks go to inker extraordinaire, John Nihas. Everyone raves about his inking. Deservedly so. His incredibly intense devotion to the craft of inking is responsible for these incredibly embellished illustrations printed in this book. They carry that extra special something called indelible quality. He just gets better. Imagine how his work would look if he collaborated with the biggies!

PAGE 1

PANEL ONE

SCENE: Close shot of yellow sun.

CAPTION(FILTERED): Quadrant Alert!

PANEL TWO

SCENE: Further away from yellow orb. A small space cruiser glides past in front of it.

PANEL THREE

SCENE: Even further away from yellow orb. Small space cruiser has moved to right of yellow orb. A steeple stabs upward in panel foreground.

CAPTION 1(FILTERED): . . . to Drago Minery facility! Braxian is heading to your position!

MINER ONE(OFFPANEL): Hey!

MINER TWO(OFFPANEL): Hear that?

MINER ONE(OFFPANEL): Yeah!

MINER TWO(OFFPANEL): Sounds like…

PANEL FOUR

SCENE: Wide shot of two tiny miners in clunky, old fashioned spacesuits drilling away on asteroid surface. Their spaceship, a 1950’s style rocket, towers above them in panel foreground. A series of large double rowed domes with sharp steeples poke skyward extend almost to the horizon.

CAPTION(FILTERED): This is Delphi Nine Sector Patrol…

PANEL FIVE

SCENE: Closer on Miner Two past Miner One’s helmet-encased head. Both Miners are partially shadowed.

MINER TWO: Big trouble.

PANEL SIX

SCENE: Close Up on Miner Two. Both Miners are partially shadowed. An even larger shadow blankets him.

MINER TWO: VERY big trouble!

PAGE 2

PANEL ONE

SCENE: Braxian mothership looming above insignificant miner figures, and their toy-like rocketship. A double line of round, domed container units topped by needle-like antennae jab skyward at the hovering Braxian Mothership. It looms menacingly over entire scene, dominating sky and panel.

CAPTION(MINER 1): UH—HUH! I’d so say so! Yes, siree!

image1.tif

PAGE 3

PANEL ONE

SCENE: Leviathan’s command island superstructure resembles a combination World War II submarine conning tower and a modern day aircraft carrier’s flight deck island command structure. Needle-like antennae arrays thrust upward sinisterly from its top. The hull section is in partial shadow.

CAPTION 1: Comm Center to bridge.

CAPTION 2: Bridge. Deck Officer here.

PANEL TWO

SCENE: Angle in on Leviathan’s island command superstructure. Focusing on one box-like section with a long, rectangular, lit window, especially prominent since this front portion is in shadow.

CAPTION 1: We’re getting intense signals from nearby… increasing.

CAPTION 2: Type of signals?

NOTE: An elaborate communications signal graphic overlaps bottom halves of panels one and two, extending off both