James Brighton Society, Chapter 1: Pages 23-24

Page 23, 6 Panels- Apartment, Georgetown area of Washington D.C. Panel 1: Cut to a side shot of Mr. Allen landing six steps inside the apartment, compared to where the window he broke was located. The back is firmly still on his person, appearing on the upstage side of the panel view. The glass rains down behind and all around him onto the rug. You can see in the background what appears to be a small living area with a bookcase and chair. Panel 2: We move to a close-up of the immortal Irishman, checking out the suit for any tearing that may have happened or shards of glass that may have stabbed him on the way inside. His face gives off a level of joy and accomplishment at the lack of any scars or blood flowing out of him as he speaks. GREM [to himself, pleased]: No blood, no further tearing or greivous bloody pain...not bad for a busted armor shirt. Now... Panel 3: Same setting/layout as the previous panel. A few seconds later, Grem's attention is pulled by the sound of commotion going on in a separate part of the room. You can see the calm demeanor he had in Panel 2 has faded and been replaced by a degree of tension and apprehension over the mystery sound. WOMAN [Off-Panel]: Hello? Panel 4-5: Cut to a shot of the young woman in her early 20s emerging from her bedroom in Panel 4, dressed in a nice looking light blue nightgown that is entirely appropriate for the era. The woman, with her red-brown hair brought up in curlers, appears in Panel 5 a couple of steps away from the doorway and notices the strange man standing in the middle of her apartment. WOMAN [apprehensive, Panel 4]: Hello...who's out there? Who-- WOMAN [to Grem, scared; Panel 5]: AH! Who the hell are you?! Panel 6: Cut to a shot of the good Gremlin a moment later. He walks over to the young woman, trying his best to diffuse the situation. Both of his arms are outstretched in such a way that it displays this diffusive desire as he speak. You can see, for the first time, his messenger bag appear in the shot to the right of his nice suit and green vest with shamrocks on it. GREM [to the Woman]: My apologies for the breaking and entering, ma'am. The name's Grem, I'm just--I'm looking for Steve Brennan's place. He's in trouble and I... Page 24, 7 Panels- Apartment, Georgetown area of Washington D.C. Panel 1: Cut to a shot of the woman a split second later, interjecting over the immortal Irishman with the same perturbed look on her face that she had in the second-to-last panel of the previous page. With her left arm, she points toward the front door which is partially visible behind her as she speaks. WOMAN [interjecting preturbedly, to Grem]: He's at the end of the hall. Now--get out before I call the cops! Panel 2: Action shot of Mr. Allen giving the young woman a simple "Thank you" nod and a half-grin as he moves past her. You can see the broken window behind him in the background, blowing a decent stream of snowflakes into the apartment. You can also see a little more of her general setting, including a small Christmas tree at the corner. GREM [appreciatively, to the Woman]: Many thanks, ma'am... Panel 3-5: A three-part set of panels, which changes to a side shot that displays the rest of her apartment in the background, that follow Grem as he approaches the door, opening it up by the time we reach Panel 5. In the two panels that precede it, we see him looking back toward the young woman to address her with the same appreciative tone he had in Panel 2. His messenger bag swaying slightly behind him as he moves. GREM [smiling wider, Panel 3]: Merry Christmas, ma'am... GREM [Cont., Panel 4]: And a happy New Year! Panel 6: Cut to a shot of our hero as he starts to peer in through the door, looking to the right of the panel view (aka, his left). There's one thing that catches his eye at that moment, grabbing hold of his natural curiosity at that very moment. You can hear, off-panel at the same moment, the sound of a hard "THUD!" from down the hall. GREM [to himself]: What in Hades...? Panel 7: We move to a shot of what exactly Mr. Allen is seeing at that moment. Namely, the backs of the pair of hired goons that we saw earlier in Mr. Brennan's apartment. They're standing in front of the elevators waiting for it to open, carrying something wrapped in a light gray tarp that one of the goons arranges to cover whatever's underneath it. GREM [Cont., Off-Panel]: One problem at a time, Allen...one problem at a time. END OF CHAPTER 1