Old Scars, Chapter 1: Part 1.1

Page 1 Panel 1: We open on a jubilant town square in D.C. on VJ Day, cheering and whooping it up in a pure explosion of joy. You can see sparks of color at the top of the panel as fireworks are set off.

Caption

(Grem)

"In the 3 or so years after the James Brighton Society (and the 2 years before, honestly), it seemed like the world was locked in an endless swirl of misery and hell and death, interrupted by brief moments of joy. I did my part to help out those at home get through it, including using my skill in the bedroom to soothe the souls of the widows mourning their husbands lost in battle.

Caption

(Cont., Grem)

"Sometimes a cuddle, others...far more lingual. Each one acting as a mere balm for the deeper, longer, painful work of tomorrow."

Panel 2: Cut to another part of the street party at another part of the city; the same level of joy and celebration visible in the previous panel. You can see Grem in the background people watching the whole thing.

Caption

(Cont., Grem)

"Then tomorrow came. The news of Emperor Hirohito's surrender, and a brand new version was born in the blink of an eye: ecstasy mixed with relief that made the very air above us crackle with a sense of life that had been lacking for far, far too long."

Panel 3: We move to a slight close-up on Mr. Allen a beat later, turning his attention back to the street and his own thoughts; eyes red and just beginning to drip with tears. You can see a tall bottle of whiskey in his right hand; the top hovering next to the handle of his Fragarach.

Caption

(Cont., Grem)

"There were plenty of tears though, old scars ripped open amidst the fireworks and jubilation and blind patriotism of the moment. I knew the feeling...intimately well, mourning those who deserved to still be in the land of the living."

Panel 4: Same setting/layout as the previous panel. It's composed of him a moment later, taking a deep swig of the whiskey bottle. You can see the "BEEP!" emanating from his communicator hidden in his bag.

Caption

(Cont., Grem)

"But the feeling was short lived. Soon, the world returned to a version of normal and those scars retired to their place in the history books."

Caption

(Cont., Grem)

"And for me, the mission remained purely the same: do good, kick ass, and have a hells of a lot of fun doing either!"

Panel 5: Grem answers the call, placing it to his left ear a few moments later; the bottle lowered back to his side.

GREM

(to the caller) Gremlin Allen here. What trouble do ya need squashing?

Page 2

Panel 1: We jump to a little over 5 months later in a street corner somewhere, showing a thirtysomething man running away from someone; his eyes glancing skyward.

Caption

Six Months (and change) Later

Panel 2: A two-part set of panels that follows the man a short time later, nearing the side entrance to a restaurant of some kind. In the distance, you can see a shadow moving in the same direction.

Caption

(Grem)

"This bit of trouble- just some mild Nazi scum cleanup before Alsace gets going. Not exactly adventures through Avalon, or dragon fighting. But...

Panel 3: In the second part, moving slightly closer to the man, we see him felled by an electrified net dropped from the sky just before he could enter.

Caption

(Cont., Grem)

"Still, extremely satisfying!"

Panel 4: Action shot of Grem hopping off the Emerald Isle, which is parked in the background of the panel.

GREM

Oberfeldwebel Kimmich- responsible for the deaths of 100,000 people in Fuentbrunnen and Vittel.

Panel 5: He moves closer to the net, set to swoop the captive up to take back to the ship. He doesn't notice Kimmich though starting to push back up from within the netting.

GREM

(Cont.) Took me a month and a half to find you. Hiding out in Ireland is an admirable use of creativity, if not one that very much grinds my...

Panel 6: Action shot of Mr. Allen being struck by the net in the middle of the thought; Kimmich rushing up to his feet to start fighting.