“Freakhunter,” pencils by Chris Samnee, inks by Brian Hurtt

Today, my pal Chris Samnee posted the first 6-pages of Freakhunter, a project we worked on together when we first met oh-so-long ago. We met at a Mexican joint, and as I downed margaritas, I worked up the courage to pitch this bizzaro idea of a bounty hunter who worked for the circus to him. And he liked it. The project hasn’t been fully realized just yet, but we both still feel very strongly about it. One day–one day!–Terry Hammett’s adventures will see print. Until then, stop by Mr. Samnee’s page and rejoice in what might have been. In the tradition of Marvel Team-Up or Brave and the Bold (although I always preferred Marvel Two-in-One) I’ve posted several pages of script to go along with the fine artwork Chris posted. I’m pretty sure I’ll go back and re-write these pages at some point, but the scene will most likely play out the same. Enjoy!

FREAKHUNTER

Page 1

1.1

Wide shot of city on the seedy side of town. A few dented, rusted cars are parked along the street. In the foreground Terry Hammett’s old pickup is parked alongside the curb. A makeshift, dogcatcher style wire cage takes up most of the pickup’s bed. In the background is a line of low-rent tenement housing across the street. A woman, a couple of decades too old for the skimpy outfit she’s wearing loiters near the front stoop of one of the buildings.

1.2

Interior of truck. Terry sits in the driver’s seat, watching the building intently, a burning Millennium Red unfiltered cigarette hanging from his lips. In the passenger seat, Jubal stews in his own sweat and flips absently through the pages of a dog-eared magazine entitled Bombshells of the Big Top. A busty blonde graces the cover, her best attributes concealed by mag’s title.

1.3

Across the street a disheveled clown (imagine a stubbly-faced Bozo after a three-day bender) shuffles along the sidewalk toward the flophouse. The woman looks away from the clown.

1.4

Angle past Terry, wearing a look of determination as he stares out the window at the clown, who climbs the flophouse steps.

CAPTION (Terry): My name’s Terry Hammett.

TERRY: Let’s go.

1.5

Full body shot of Terry getting out of truck.

CAPTION (Terry:): I’m a bounty hunter.

Page 2

Splash page. We pull back to a much broader look at the city. Beyond the squat tenements, we now see taller buildings and skyscrapers looming in the background. The buildings are crammed together, suggesting overpopulation. Large, striped circus tents rise amongst the more traditional structures. Numerous billboards and posters (again, overcrowded and jockeying for attention) feature circus motifs. Suggestions might include a boisterous lion tamer promoting Millennium Reds (instead of a cowboy smoking Marlboros); Three-Ring Cola; Trapezes Taffy; A bikini-clad bearded lady posing sensuously for a strip club called “The Hootchie Cootchie Revue” ; a diner announcing “Geek-bucket Special: All you can eat, $2.75. The view of the city should give a sense of urban squalor and that this is not the “world we know.” Possibly a blimp or propeller plane crosses the sky. The city has the overall feel of the decayed future of the 1950’s … if Barnum & Bailey were in charge.

In the foreground, we see Terry leaving his truck behind as he strides across the street. Jubal is scrambling out of the truck to follow.

CAPTION (Terry): I work for the circus.

TITLE: Going To The Show

CREDITS: Story, Cullen Bunn and Shawn Lee; Art, Chris Samnee

Page 3

3.1

Terry flicks his still-smoldering cigarette to the ground as he strides towards the flophouse. Jubal hurries to catch up, clumsily trying to load a dart gun that looks too delicate for his thick fingers. The streetwalker primps as Terry approaches.

JUBAL: Why can’t I have a real gun?

TERRY: Your uncle won’t pay if you go blowing holes in the marks.

3.2

Close on Jubal, lagging behind and looking sadly at the dart gun.

JUBAL (to himself): I’m not getting paid.

3.3

Before streetwalker can speak, Terry holds up a few folded bills between his middle fingers. He doesn’t look at her, but keeps staring up at the building, sizing up his options. The streetwalker reaches greedily for the money.

TERRY (to streetwalker): Get lost.

3.4

Terry opens the door and peers up the stairs. Jubal has caught up, but Terry directs him to go around to the other side of the building.

TERRY: Make sure they don’t sneak out the back.

3.5

Interior of the flophouse. Stepping inside, Terry cranes his neck and peers up a flight of rickety stairs.

3.6

Terry reaches the top of stairs to the second floor and stands in a hallway lined with doors. At the end of the hall is window opening to the fire escape. Terry listens to voices are coming through door.

VOICE: Got your train tickets. You want disguises? I got wigs.

VOICE: I’m not wearing a clown wig.

CAPTION: Some folks don’t know a good thing when they’re knee deep in it.

3.7

Leaving the door—and the voices—behind, Terry slips out the window at the end of the hall.

VOICE: At least shave your mustache.

VOICE: Never!

CAPTION (Terry): The Redemption Act of ’68 allowed a good many people the chance to taste freedom again. Three squares a day. A steady paycheck. An honest day’s work.

Page 4

4.1

Interior of the apartment. A group of men gather in a cramped living room, arguing around a table. The group consists of the previously seen Clown, a circus Strongman (in leopard skin leotard, bald, handlebar mustache), a Carnie (maybe jeans with bandana around his neck), and a Geek (who looks fairly normal at this point, wearing a filthy tee shirt and ratty corduroy pants). On the table is an open suitcase full of clothes and a couple of curly clown wigs.

Beyond the group, we see an open window in a room down the hall. Beyond the window is the fire escape.

CARNIE: I don’t want to wear a wig, either.

CLOWN: You won’t make it across town looking the way you do.

CAPTION (Terry): But that ain’t enough for some people. They get hungry for something more.

4.2

As previous, only Terry climbs in through the window down the hall as the men argue. The Strongman brushes his mustache proudly.

STRONGMAN: We’re paying you to provide safe passage for us. You should have thought this through.

CLOWN: You’ve got to work with me here.

CAPTION (Terry): And when they get hungry enough, they run. That’s where I come in.

4.3

Terry saunters into the room. The men looked surprised, except clown who looks somewhat terrified and defeated, his shoulders sagging. Terry flips the bill of his hat in greeting.

TERRY: Boys.

TERRY/linked: Otto.

CLOWN (Otto): Terry …

4.4

Terry grabs a chair and flips it around. The men still watch, confused and surprised.

TERRY: Mind if I take a load off?

OTTO (small): Aw, hell.

4.5

Terry sits on chair backward, hanging his hands (with gun) casually over the chair’s back. He silently looks over the group. Otto is visibly shaken, and growing more so by the second.

4.6

As previous.

TERRY: Way I see it, we have a couple of options.

TERRY/linked: We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.

Page 1

5.1

Shot of Jubal in alley, looking up in surprise as Terry’s chair smashes through a window above in a shower of glass shards.

CAPTION (Terry): The hard way.

5.2

Inside the apartment, a battle is well under way and the room is already in shambles. The Carnie lies slumped against wall. The Geek tries to circle around Terry as the Strongman towers over our hero.

CAPTION (Terry): Some things never change.

5.3

Otto the Clown cowers in a corner with a comically small umbrella held open over his head for protection.

5.4

The Strongman bats the gun from Terry’s hand as if knocking a rattle from a baby’s grasp.

STRONGMAN: Not so tough now, are you?

5.5

Terry reaches out and grabs a hank of Strongman’s mustache – wiry hair poking through his clenched fist.

STRONGMAN: Ohh! My mustachios!

Page 6

6.1

Terry punches Strongman in face while still clenching the mustache, which tears free in his hand.

6.2

In the foreground, Terry shakes the mustache hair from his fingers, while the Geek creeps up on him.

6.3

The Geek opens his mouth ridiculously wide to reveal horrific, shark-like teeth.

6.4

Hands clenched into tight fists, Terry whirls around to face the Geek. Nearby, a shaded lamp sits on an end table, dangerously close to being knocked over.

CAPTION (Terry): I’ve worked alone for nearly 10 years.

6.5

Jubal bursts through door—sliding through like an action movie star—blasting tranq gun.

CAPTION (Terry): They tell me having a partner makes the job easier.

6.6

All action stops as Terry, Geek, and Jubal stare at the tranquillizer dart sticking out of Terry’s leg.

CAPTION (Terry): But I just don’t see it.

Page 7

7.1

Already feeling the effects of the tranquilizer, Terry staggers back as he shoves the lamp (lampshade first) in the Geek’s over-wide mouth with one hand, while yanking his own belt loose with the other.

7.2

Terry cinches his belt tight around his thigh to slow the progress of the drug.

7.3

In the foreground, the Geek chomps through the lampshade, shredding it to pieces. In the background, Jubal stands in the door and frantically tries to reload his gun.

7.4

Otto makes a break for it, shoving past Jubal and leaping into the hall. Jubal fumbles and drops the gun and ammunition.

JUBAL: Hey, stop, you!

7.5

The Strongman, now sporting only half a mustache, charges. He holds his hands out, ready to rip Terry apart.

7.6

Terry kicks the Strongman solidly in the crotch. The big fella wears the same expression on his face as he did when Terry ripped out his mustache hairs.

STRONGMAN: Ohh! My pistachios!