JackHammer: In the Lair of the Blue Moon

JackHammer #5: In the Lair of the Blue Moon

Part 1

Page 1
Panel 1
Aoko is in her room sitting on her bed, she's looking down at her hands are in her lap with a piece of paper in them. It's a king sized bed and it makes her look tiny.

Panel 2
The panel has a cloudy outline to show it is something Aoko is remembering. Jack is resting one elbow on the back of a bench, pointing at a couple pieces of paper he's holding in his other hand, they're tickets. There's a hint of nervousness to his usual innocent confidence.
"You've really been helping me out with my studies, so I wanted to find a way to pay you back for that. If you'd like to."

Panel 3
Similar to panel 1, but zoomed in on Aoko's upper torso. She is furiously blushing while holding the ticket up with both hands at chest level now. Her mouth is a scribbly line and there are thought bubbles surrounding her head like steam rising.
Bubble 1: "This is a date, right? He's asking me out."
Bubble 2: "I've never actually been on a date before."
Bubble 3: "I'm in college, how have I never been on a date before?!"
Bubble 4: "Because you're a mafia princess."
Bubble 5: "What should I wear?"

Panel 4
Aoko is standing in her walk-in closet, complete with tall mirror in the back, holding up dresses trying to decide what to wear. One is a sundress complete with wide brim hat, the other is a cashmere coat with little tassels going down the center between where the buttons are.
"I like the sundress, but it's still too cold for that. The coat is cute, but should I show more skin? No, it's a first date. What would Jack think?"

Panel 5
A thought bubble panel with Jack looking far more handsome than he actually is. He's running one hand through his hair.
Imaginary Jack: "I think you'd look super cute in anything."

Panel 6
Aoko is holding the clothes up to her chest, clutching them in an X pattern. She's embarrassed by her own thoughts.
Aoko: "Ahhg! What was that?! He doesn't look like that!"

Panel 7
Outside Aoko's room, her yakuza looking bodyguard is standing with his back to the wall next to her door with his arms crossed. His expression is stern and unreadable. He's wearing sunglasses inside.
Aoko, loud enough to be heard from inside her room: "I'll go with the coat because it's still cold!"


Page 2
Panel 1
Narration box: That evening...
Aoko is walking down the street in her fancy coat. She's put on makeup and done up her nails. The nails are prominently shown as she's pulling on the scarf wrapped around her neck, puffs of visible breath coming from her mouth to show that it really is cold out.

Panel 2
Jack is waving to Aoko not too far away, he's wearing a long sleeved shirt with a sweater-vest over it topped with his big smile. Same long jeans as usual though. There are hearts above him which Aoko is having a hard time telling if they're real or her imagination.
Aoko, thinking: "There he is... wait, what are those?"

Panel 3
Small panel focusing on the heart garlands decorating the street.

Panel 4
Small panel, close up of a street game where you throw a heart shaped sack to knock down stacked cans.

Panel 5
Small panel showing people stepping up to get on a ferris wheel.

Panel 6
Aoko is laughing nervously as Jack is gesturing down the street where couples are walking around with their arms locked and the ferries wheel is poking out over the buildings in the background.
Aoko, thinking: "Decorations. Right. Not my imagination."
Jack: "I'm glad you came! You look good!"
Aoko, thinking: "Did I overdress for this? Wait, this is the first time I've seen Jack not wearing his team jersey so even he dressed up. OK, this is fine."
Aoko: Yeah! Looks like fun!"


Page 3
Panel 1
Jack destroys the stacked milk bottle toss game. There's a line showing where the ball started and where it's impacting the pins knocking them all down. Aoko is standing to the side watching.
Aoko: "These games are usually rigged, I'm surprised you knocked them all down."
Jack: "I'm not on the football team for nothing!"
Jack, thinking: "And a little extra weight added to the ball didn't hurt either. It's not cheating if they cheated first."

Panel 2
Aoko is working a crane game with Jack peering down into the case.
Aoko: "It's more about picking out what isn't being held down by everything else."

Panel 3
Jack is wearing pink heart shades and a flamingo pink feather cape (very much so a Donquixote Doflamingo look). He's posing dramatically with his arms raised up with elbows and wrists bent inwards towards himself to get a laugh out of Aoko. In the background there's a photo booth that another couple is exiting where the guys has lipstick kiss marks on his face. Aoko is smiling at what a huge nerd he is.
Jack: "Check out our winnings!"
Aoko: "Very fresh. We should take some photos to commemorate these victories."

Panels 4 - 6 should be vertical and all part of a line of photo reel print outs.

Panel 4
Photo one: Jack is posing dramatically with the shades and cape on while Aoko gives him the silly side eye.

Panel 5
Photo two: Aoko is now wearing the shades with her lower lip raised up doing her best 'dat ass' impression. Jack finds this hysterical.

Panel 6
Photo three: Jack has his right arm out and coming back down in and Aoko has her left arm out coming back in. Both are making upside-down peace signs because you're supposed to make dumb gangsta poses in a photo booth. Everyone knows this.

Panel 7
Jack and Aoko are huddled together to look at the reel of photos. Aoko is tipping her shades to get a better look. Way in the background Aoko's bodyguard is seen holding a big wad of cotton candy on a stick.
Aoko: "I mean, that's how it's done, right?"
Jack: "Totally."


Page 4
Panel 1
Big panel of the ferris wheel, there's a projector somewhere flashing heart patterns onto the side of it.

Panel 2
Nested at the bottom left corner of panel 1
Jack is pointing at the ferris wheel urging Aoko to come along.
Jack: "Wanna ride it with me?"
Aoko: "Sure!"

Panel 3
Jack is extending a hand that Aoko is taking as she steps up into the carriage. He's even doing a slight bow for extra impact.
Aoko: "Wow, such a gentleman."

Panel 4
Perspective is from inside of the carriage looking out the window. We see the backs of Jack and Aoko's heads, but also their reflections in the glass window. Their expressions are those of child-like wonder. Beyond the glass is a view of the street below stretching out into the town. It is one of many illuminated lines, but the only one glowing pink.


Page 5
Panel 1
Perspective is from next to and a little behind Aoko so Jack is in the forefront. Jack is still looking out the window, he doesn't have his usual smile but a more serious or introspective look.
Jack: "I have a confession to make."
Aoko's brain goes into overdrive thinking: "Is he going to ask me to be his girlfriend? Was this all a set up? Can I even have a boyfriend? He is nice. But I'm supposed to be the Blue Moon, I can't have a nice guy around."
Jack: "Kurt told me how to do all this, I don't really know if I've been doing this right at all. Sorry if it's been weird."

Panels 2 - 4 are smaller panels that make up the horizontal length of the page.

Panel 2
Close up of Aoko. Her eyes are a little wide as she's processing this with a "..." above her head.

Panel 3
Similar to panel 2, but she's less stunned and more thoughtful looking with her eyes looking up and to the left.

Panel 4
Aoko has a hand up to her mouth and she's laughing.

Panel 5
Flip the perspective so Aoko is in the forefront and Jack is suddenly looking over at her, a little surprised by the laughing.
Aoko, thinking: "OK, it's not a date-date, I can do this. This is for the best."
Aoko: "I don't know what I'm doing either, but I am having fun so far."

Panel 6
Aoko's bodyguard is looking through one of those coin operated mounted binoculars with a finger to one ear for an earbud to listen in on what's happening in the ferris wheel carriage.
Jack, off panel, the speech balloon is connected to the bodyguard's ear: "That's a relief!"


Page 6
Panel 1
Later that evening...
Jack is waving goodbye to Aoko. She's smiling.
Aoko: "This was nice. If I can... I'd like to do this again sometime."
Jack: "Yeah? I'll try to come up with something before then."

Panel 2
Jack is walking down the sidewalk at night. He has his phone up to his ear.
Jack: "I think it went well. She said she'd want to go out again sometime."
Kurt, over the phone: "See? What'd I tell you?"
Jack: "Yeah, yeah. I'm heading back now. Later."

Panel 3
Jack is looking up at the night sky, pondering to himself as his breath catches the wind.
Jack: "Huh. I'd like that too."

Panel 4
Small panel. Close up of a gas canister with speed lines all around it.

Panel 5
Small panel. Close up of Jack's eyes, suddenly focused and aware with speed lines around them.


Page 7
Panel 1
Jack is taking a defensive stance as the gas canister at his feet has already engulfed him in a cloud. Jack's face is strained.
Jack: *cough cough* "What...?"

Panel 2
Jack's body has gone limp and he's collapsing to the ground.

Panel 3
Jack is down on his hands and knees, one hand trying to cover his mouth, but it's too late.

Panel 4
Jack is laying unconscious on the ground. The gas has dissipated. A shadow is being cast over Jack coming from a large figure in front of a crescent moon as the light source.


Part 2

Page 8
Panel 1
Close up of Jack's head and upper torso, he's laying face down on the ground. It's dark. His eyes are scrunched up, he's regaining consciousness.

Panel 2
Jack is sitting up right, one hand holding his head.
Brad, off panel: "Hey, Jack! So you're finally awake. Didn't expect to see you here."
Jack: "What? Brad? Is that you?"

Panel 3
Jack is standing upright, he's still woozy and his balance isn't helped by Brad slapping him on the back. There's a little title card next to Brad who is taller and bulkier than Jack. He has a bit of an angular face with a short billy-goat beard. The title card reads "Brad, on the same team as Jack."
Jack: "Last thing I remember is someone chucking a can of knockout gas at me after my date."
Brad: "Whaaat? You had a date? Good on you, Jackie boy!"

Panel 4
Zoomed out panel showing Jack and Brad are standing at the bottom of a dark cave with a light source coming from above at the top of a sheer vertical incline where two braziers are casting an eerie blue glow throughout the cavern. At the bottom of this cliff wall is a pool of water. There are other people around them. Some are waking up like Jack is, others are already up and look impatient, leaning against the walls of the cave.
Jack: "Just where are we?"

Panel 5
Between the burning braziers stands a tall man garbed in a ninja outfit with a crescent moon on his mask's forehead. For internal reference, this is Aoko's bodyguard.
Ninja: "You find yourselves In the Lair of the Blue Moon." (the title of the comic is printed in much bigger, stylized letters)
Ninja: "Each of you have been selected as having the potential to join our ranks. But potential is not enough. Ascend, prove yourself worth of joining the cause and be rewarded, or brave the darkness of these caverns. The choice is yours."


Page 9
Panel 1
Close up of the sheer cliff as it begins to shift with holes appearing in it to give footholds to climb.

Panel 2
Brad is marching over to the cliff, fist in palm leaving Jack behind.
Brad: "Come on, Jack! Let's go be ninjas!"

Panel 3
Perspective is from the top of the cliff looking down. Brad and some of the other people in the pit have begun climbing the wall. Brad is ascending with gusto.

Panel 4
Suddenly a pillar extends out of one of the holes catching Brad in the gut and pushing him off the wall with impact lines all around him.

Panel 5
SPLASH Brad lands in the water below, there are other splashes surrounding him of others who have been knocked off.


Page 10
Panel 1
Worm's eye perspective from behind Jack who is looking up at the wall. We only see the back of Jack, but he has one hand up to his chin in a thinking pose. There are people half-way up the wall, but no one has made it to the top yet.
Jack, thinking: "Someone has to make it up, then out to get help."

Panel 2
Jack is down on all fours, back arched, knees bents, arms straight. He's preparing to take off.

Panel 3
Jack is in a full sprint towards the wall.

Panel 4
Jack has leapt up into the air and found a hand and foothold in the wall.

Panel 5
Another side angle shot of the wall with Brad looking up at it. There's a motion line that shows where Jack first grabbed the wall, then jumped up to an extended pillar, jumped from there on top of another extended pillar higher up, then made it to the top with an elbow over the ledge pulling himself up.
Brad: "Not bad, Jack. I bet I can beat your time though."


Page 11
Panel 1
Jack is pulling himself up the ledge. One elbow on the ledge and one palm down pushing himself up and over.
Jack, thinking: "I hope that wasn't too flashy, I don't want ninjas knowing about my powers."

Panel 2
Bigger panel. Jack surveys the platform, there's a bigger open space beyond the braziers with lines drawn on the ground in patterns with rocks sitting on top of them, he doesn't understand what that means. The big ninja with the crescent moon on his forehead is standing in front of a passageway further in. His arms are crossed.
Ninja: "Well done, you are the first to ascend. But the true test has yet to begin."

Panel 3
Jack is putting his fists up, his eyes have gotten steely as he's sizing up the ninja.
Jack, thinking: "I keep getting caught without my suit on."
Jack: "Ninja or not, I'm getting past you."

Panel 4
The big ninja has assumed a fighting stance as well.
Ninja: "I like your spirit. Very well, entertain me."


Page 12
Panel 1
Jack has cleared the distance between them in a flash. There's a dust trail behind him. Jack has thrown a solid right punch like an arrow. The perspective should be from the right so we see Jack's extended arm. The ninja is using both hands to block catching the fist in one palm with his other palm giving the catching hand more support, his knees are bent, but he hasn't been pushed back by it. There are impact lines around where Jack's fist has met the ninja's palm.
Jack, thinking: "I can't give away who I am, I'll have to hold back. Give it just enough to still look like a normal football player."
Ninja: "A solid strike."
Jack, thinking: "I didn't add enough extra weight."

Panel 2
The ninja has deflected Jack's arm downwards with one hand and is thrusting his other hand in a counterattack at Jack who has managed to move his head out of the way.
Ninja: "Light on your feet."

Panel 3
The ninja is slashing the air at Jack with a kunai, there's a crescent shape in the air from where the blade was swung. Jack is leaping backwards, arms spread, eyes wide, but focused.

Panel 4
The ninja is coming down on Jack who is squatted back on his legs. His blade is being deflected to the side by a flat rock Jack picked up from the patterns on the ground and swung at the knife.
Ninja: "Ingenuity."

Panel 5
The ninja has jumped back and is showing a hand full of throwing stars now.
Ninja: "But is that really all there is to you? Do you think what you possess now is enough to protect the one you hold dear?"

Panel 6
Jack is frantically running to one side as the throwing stars miss him.
Ninja: "Surviving in this world you have stepped into will demand so much more!"
Jack, thinking: "What is he talking about? There's no way he knows about me."


Page 13
Panel 1
Jack and the ninja are still facing off. There's a distance between them with a shadow being cast on the ground coming from the doorway the ninja was guarding.
Off panel: "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

Panel 2
The ninja has knelt down, one knee on the ground, fists on the ground, face looking at the ground. Total subservience.
Ninja: "Master. This candidate shows great promise."

Panel 3
The Blue Moon is standing in the passageway now in full samurai regalia (despite being a ninja) with an ornate robe on top. The illusion Aoko is projecting is meant to look bigger than her number 2. Aoko's face is part of the speech bubble.
Aoko, thinking: "Jack?! Why is Jack here? I don't want... I can't have... no. No!"
Blue Moon: "I can see this. But why are prospects being screened within our sanctum?"

Panel 4
The ninja is still knelt down. Jack still facing him, but glancing over to Blue Moon. In the background Brad is climbing over the ledge while trying to pretend he doesn't look winded with one arm raised in triumph.
Ninja: "Master, I assure you I took all precautions when collecting them."
Brad is calling from the background: "See! No sweat!"
Jack, thinking: "Their armor looks different from last time. Is he bigger than before?"

Panel 5
Blue Moon is placing a hand to their chest plate, like they are preparing an attack.
Blue Moon: "We shall discuss this later, for now..."


Page 14
Panel 1
Waves emanate from Blue Moon distorting the air around them. The waves aren't smooth like ripples, more like how sound waves on a chart look. It's like a mirage (because it is, sort of). Any object overlapping with the wave won't line up with where is is on the other side of the wave.

Panel 2
The waves hit Jack and his body becomes all ripply as well. He looks like he's staggering, but with how his body is distorted it is impossible to tell what his posture is.

Panel 3
Jack is running in the direction of where Blue Moon was, but they've been replaced with a shining moon with a night sky warping around it reminiscent of the patters that were on Blue Moon's robes.

Panel 4
As Jack is running he looks around and sees other figures running alongside him. They're all blacked out aside from their large shining moon-like eyes. One of the figures is much larger and has horns.

Panel 5
Jack reaches the moon in the distance which has become a tunnel of light.

Panel 6
Jack finds himself standing on the sidewalk back in town. It's not the one he was abducted from, but similar enough. He's blinking rapidly trying to process what just happened.
Jack: "Huh."


Page 15
Panel 1
Aoko has dropped her illusion disguise as Blue Moon and is holding her head while talking to her bodyguard who is still wearing his ninja garb. In her other hand she's clutching the magic amulet that gives her illusion powers.
Aoko: "OK, what was this stunt about, really?"
Bodyguard: "That young man, Jack, I wanted to get a measure of him. He has impressed me."

Panel 2
Aoko is looking more cross now. Her bodyguard remains stoic.
Aoko: "And the best way to do that was to kidnap him?"
Bodyguard: "We cannot continue to rely solely upon illusions and strong-armed street thugs if we are to rebuild your family's organization. We need trained men if we are to negotiate from a position of strength."

Panel 3
Aoko has her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.
Aoko: "Negotiate with whom?"

Panel 4
The bodyguard is in the forefront of the panel, behind him are shadowy figures. The most prominent is in the center, sitting in a chair with a low back with the outline of a Homburg hat on top of his head. Think Michael Corleone. Standing behind the chair is an outline of a very wide short man wearing a similar hat. On the other side is a wavy figure with curves like a strip of paper with a much wider brimmed hat on top of her head.
Bodyguard: "There are other old families in this city, ones we cannot ignore, ones we have worked with in the past."

Panel 5
Aoko is walking away from her bodyguard who is giving a short bow. Aoko's eyes are darkened.
Aoko: *Sigh* "Make the arrangements for these meetings. It's better I know sooner than later what else lurking out there."
Bodyguard: "As you wish, Master Blue Moon."

TO BE CONTINUED