The Tourniquet Serials

Now that I've found some time in my busy schedule, I've finally began work on the Tourniquet serials that Dennis & I will be posting online soon before the comic's release.

As I've stated before, the book changes from script to comic, so I'll be using the original scripts for the five issues as outlines for the serials. Readers will get the Tourniquet world that Mr. Magnant and I have created before the comic book hits shelves and different experiences between the serials and the comics. It's essentially two different takes on the five issue story arc that's been toyed with and developed.

The way we work is Dennis and I will brainstorm and come up with everything that we like and want in it, I'll write the script, he'll throw in his two cents and I'll change anything that needs changing, and then he draws and inks it. The original plan for this addition to the comic was to do a book but then it had hit me that we could do it in serial form; rewriting each of the five issues into five serials or episodes.

I want to show you how I'm going about it as the writer of the original scripts and these rewrites into a different format. 
Side note: I've talked about writing comics before and how I tend to write my panels fairly simple and bare bones to give the artist a chance to do what they do and you'll see just about every panel Dennis just BRINGS it, adding fantastic detail. You'll notice a lot of other changes in the finished comic book as well.

Today I'll just be showing you the rewrite/reformat/etc of Page 1 as an example.
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Original First Page to "Tourniquet" Comic Book Script

Page 1
Panel 1: A man in a chair with a sack over his head.
          Man: Hello? What’s going on?
Panel 2: A man holding a camera, facing forward (us, the reader).
Panel 3: The bound man in the center of what looks to be a dank underground shelter and around him are gun-toting terrorists. The “leader” stands behind the chaired man wielding a machete.
          Man: Who are you? What do you want?
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Now, you see, just as I talked about, the visual explanation is very minimalistic. I just explain the situation. It's just a skeleton and Dennis comes in and he adds flesh and detail. With the serial version I just went by the three panels. I didn't want to add a bunch in, take anything out, but just stay true to the page. 
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First Page to New "Tourniquet" Serial

Somewhere in the middle east; an undisclosed location.

The sounds of water dripping is nearing loud in its volume as outside commotion is constant. The room is dank and dim with shoplights hanging overhead; some broken with the rest covered in dust and grime blocking much of the light. Rats scurry across the damp, filthy, and broken floor. Tied to a chair in the center of this room is a battered, bruised, and bleeding man in his boxers and undershirt with a dirty burlap sack over his head. Around this man, unbeknownst to him, are men equally as dirty as the sack over their hostage’s head, strapped with machine guns and sporting wicked grins. Heroes and soldiers to themselves, but terrorists to most.

The man’s slumped head jolts as he wakes. His body tries to move in its restraints and his head turns side to side hoping to get a glimpse of where he is and what’s happened only to see the dark inside of the sack. Realizing he’s strapped to the chair, he begins to flail about frantically, the best he can anyway, before he stops. His body shivers with fear as he tries to regulate his breathing.

“H-Hello? What’s going on?” The scared man asks the darkness with a voice trembling as bad as the rest of his body.

One of the devious fiends in this bunker-like room holds up his phone to record such a demonstration of terror. The others watch the man in the chair squirm restlessly and share stifled chuckles. The leader of this bunch walks past his men, approaching their centerpiece while twirling a large machete in his hand. Shirtless, scraggly, and undoubtedly evil, the man walks behind the bound hostage.

“Who are you? What do you want?” He continues to ask through the lump in his throat in search of answers. Through the burlap over his ears is the combination of footsteps, rats, murmuring, and the incessant dripping, along with the breathing just above and behind him. The bag moves in and out with his anxious huffing breaths. His hands clench tightly and his body shakes as he awaits his fate.
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So there you go, gang. I'm excited for you guys to see both the serials AND the comics. Both coming soon!