Instructions:
Draw 10″ x 15″ on 11″ x 17″ art paper , preferably a two-ply smooth bristol board, in pencil only. Think about, in general, where word balloons might go, but do not draw in any balloon shapes. Pencil tightly and completely. Do your best work. If you are skilled at lettering or design, then it’s acceptable to draw in your own sound effects.
Keep track of how many hours you spend on each page, and write that information on the back.
Make a full-sized photocopy of the artwork for yourself.
If submitting samples by mail, send the clean photocopies instead of the originals, with the time-it-took info on the back, your name and address and phone on each page, and a stamped, self-addressed envelope for a reply.
SUPERMAN — Sample Plot Sequence
PAGE ONE
* Half-page establishing shot inside the Daily Planet offices. This is the end of a day’s workshift; some people in the background are coming and going. It’s Jimmy Olsen’s birthday! A HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JIMMY! streamer is up. Add some decorated helium birthday balloons, an already-cut birthday cake, and a few presents. Jimmy is hamming it up, with a silly birthday hat on. He’s ripping open the wrapping on a square present. A cute redhead girl is helping him rip it, laughing. Clark is nonchalant, leaning on a desk, enjoying a big piece of birthday cake. Lois is nearby, whispering in Clark’s ear. Perry White has set aside his cigar, with cake and a steaming coffee, instead, as he gestures widely, spilling a little coffee as his says something wise and funny. Give the feeling of family, of friendship among colleagues and lovers, very alive and real.
* Two-shot close-up on Jimmy, laughing, caught up in the fun as the cute redhead kisses him on the cheek. “There’s no card — is the present from you?” “No, but THIS is!”
* As Jimmy yanks the lid off the box — letting go of the box as he is startled! — three softball-sized spheres with wild electronics and little nozzles on them fly out of the box, zipping around the room. “Yeow!” says Jimmy. Clark is setting his piece of cake aside, concerned. The others are reacting — surprised, ducking out of the way, etc.
* ZZZZRRRAP! One of the spheres fires a blast at Jimmy, searing his clothes and wounding him! Others start to get out of the way, run from the office, etc. The other spheres are also firing blasts, shattering a desk, blowing out a group of windows, and so on. Big damage!
PAGE TWO
* Clark is hunkered over Jimmy, checking whether he’s alive — while positioning his body trying to shield Lois from the spheres, which continue to dark around.
* One of the spheres fires at Perry White — and Clark leaps, his body taking the brunt of the blast, searing his suit where it hits.
* Clark lifts his glasses, firing his super-vision at a sphere, and BLAM! it’s destroyed. (Yes, all in one panel.)
* One sphere fires TWO blasts — seemingly killing Lois and Perry!
* On Clark, very afraid for his wife and friends as he grabs the sphere, scrunching it with his bare hands.
* The last sphere suddenly EXPLODES, with dramatic lighting effect, blasting off Clark’s suit, revealing him in full costume, shattering his glasses.
PAGE THREE
* On Superman, falling to his knees next to Lois, with the seemingly dead Jimmy and Perry nearby. Tears in his eyes, full of anguish. He’s touching Lois, his head is cocked to one side, he’s clearly seeking a sign of life in her. He doesn’t notice the smoke residue from the last sphere is forming into a 3-D image of a face….
* It’s the face of…the evil Braniac! “Systematic elimination of your family, friends, and support system is only the beginning of my revenge, Superman!”
* On Superman, holding back his emotional pain…
* …pulling himself together, full of anger…
* BIG PANEL! — Exterior of Daily Planet. This can be day or night, whichever will give you a more dramatic scene. — Powerful shot of Superman, with his friends carefully bundled in his cape, flying out toward us, to a hospital, full of determination.
