Man of Tomorrow Chapter 1

1.

PAGE 1

PANEL 1

Half-page; shot from below, Superman, early Shuster shield costume with laced boots leaping above the streets of Suicide Slum, circa 1939, the skyline of Metropolis visible in the background.

CAPTION 1

April, 1939.

CAPTION 2

A cry of desperation rings out through the rundown streets of Suicide Slum, and while the denizens of the downtrodden streets attempt to ignore the all-too-familiar sound, it falls on the ears of young newspaperman Clark Kent, who is on assignment. Suddenly, Clark disappears and in his place stands the champion of the meek and oppressed, Superman, who immediately springs into action.

PANEL 2

Ext., from the front of a dimly-lit, garbage-strewn alleyway. Two thugs in workmen’s clothes have severely beaten an African-American man, his face bruised and swollen and his clothes covered in blood. One of the thugs stand above the man with a blackjack ready to strike again, while the second toys with a set of brass knuckles on his right hand.

THUG 1
Y’aint gonna be lookin’ at a white woman crossed-eyed again, are ya, boy?

THUG 2
Naw, Billy, this darkie’ll know enough to keep his eyes in his head, if he can ever use ‘em again.

SUPERMAN (off-panel, from front)
I would stand away from him right now, if the two of you know what’s good for you.

PANEL 3
Ext., angle from behind the thugs, Superman stands in the entrance of the alleyway, cape flowing behind him, poised to strike. One of the thugs pulls a gun from the inside of his jacket.

THUG 1
Look, Benjy, the circus must’ve come to grab one of their freaks.

THUG 2
Naw, I don’t think so. I think this is that Superman that they’ve been talkin’ about.

THUG 1
Super or not, I don’t think he’s gonna win an argument with my pistol.

PAGE 2
PANEL 1
Ext. Superman grabs Thug 2 by his head and slams his face into the nearby wall. Brick chips and BLOOD SPLATTERS.

PANEL 2
Ext. from behind Thug 1, who has had time to fire a shot from his gun. The bullet glances off of Superman’s shoulder unnoticed as he charges at the thug enraged.

PANEL 3
Ext. horizontal panel, Superman delivers a HARD right cross to the thug’s chin, knocking him off his feet and sending teeth and blood flying. It’s obvious that Superman has broken the thugs jaw, as well as a few other things.

PANEL 4
Ext. from front of alley, the thugs laying prostrate on the ground in pools of blood, Superman kneels down in front of the thugs’ victim.

SUPERMAN
Take it easy, fella. Nobody else is hurting you anymore today. Can you move, are you okay?

VICTIM (word balloon should show obvious pain)
Buh. . .cuh-can’t- - can’t buh. . .buh. . . (gasp).

PANEL 5
Ext. shot from below victim, looking up at Superman, who is going through a cursory examination of the man.

SUPERMAN
Looks like they did a number on your ribs, maybe punctured a lung. You’ve probably got some internal bleeding. This may get a little tricky. . .
PAGE 3

PANEL 1

Ext. shot from above, Superman moves about the alley gathering materials, the victim and the broken bodies of his attackers in full evidence.

SUPERMAN (thinking)
St. Elgin’s is only about eight blocks from here, but there’s no way I get an ambulance here in time to help this poor guy, especially not in this neighborhood. I’m going to have to do the transport myself, but somehow I’ve got to try to keep the trip to the hospital from making things worse.

PANEL 2

Ext. side view, Superman is securing the victim to a makeshift stretcher made out of two-by-fours and plywood, utilizing his cape as a blanket and the jacket of one of the thugs as a pillow underneath the victim’s head. He secures the victim with rope and other odds and ends from around the alleyway.

SUPERMAN
This isn’t going to be the most comfortable ride you’ve had in your life, I’m sure. Unfortunately, as bad a shape as you’re in, I don’t see any other way of doing this.

PANEL 3

Ext. side view, Superman lifts the stretcher, with the victim, above his head poised to jump, a couple of pieces of wood attached beneath the stretcher acting as handholds.

SUPERMAN (thinking)
Eight blocks is going to stretch my range pretty good. I don’t think this guy’s going to handle too many landings, so I’ve got to try to make this in one and hope I can cushion the landing.

PANEL 4

Ext. from behind, Superman has leaped above the surrounding buildings and above the rooftops of suicide slum. In the distance a tall building looms.

SUPERMAN (thinking)
@#$%! The Winslow Building’s right there in my way! They should’ve torn that pit down years ago. Nothing to do now but try to veer off to the right and hoof it the rest of the way to St. Elgin’s.

PANEL 5

Ext. side shot, Superman lands on a sidewalk beside the Winslow Building, knees bent to absorb the shock, concrete flying beneath his feet.

VICTIM
Ugh!!

SUPERMAN (thinking)
I can’t do that again. I tried to absorb the shock the best I could and I probably still caused more damage. St. Elgin’s is just around the corner and down the street. . .

PANEL 6

Ext. side shot, Superman races down the street past astonished on-lookers, stretcher held securely above his head.

SUPERMAN (thinking)
. . . so I hope everybody’s got the good sense to stay out of my way until I get there.

PAGE 4

PANEL 1

Horizontal panel, int. looking towards the entrance of an emergency room lobby, Superman bursts through the door, the victim still held above his head, as doctors, nurses and patients look on in astonishment.

SUPERMAN
I NEED A DOCTOR HERE, IMMEDIATELY!!

PANEL 2
Int. side view, Superman lays the victim, stretcher and all, on an abandoned gurnee, an astonished nurse looking on and an angry, middle-aged white doctor approaching from behind

SUPERMAN
This man’s been beaten severely, he has a lot of bruises and swelling and I’m nearly certain from the way he’s breathing he has a punctured lung. He needs a doctor now.

NURSE
But we don’t accept those kind of. . .

DOCTOR
Now, see here, what’s the meaning of this?

PANEL 3
Int. side shot, Superman and the doctor, the doctor is outraged, Superman is becoming increasingly so.

SUPERMAN
This man was attacked and severely beaten! He’s probably dying as we stand here so a doctor needs to get on this pronto!

DOCTOR
And we have procedures at this hospital, and one procedure is that we do not allow acrobats to burst into our hospital and demand that we do anything. A second is that THIS man has a hospital at Metro General and would be better served there.

SUPERMAN
He will probably die if I try to transport him there.

DOCTOR
Well, then you should’ve thought about that before bringing him directly here.

PANEL 4

Int. medium side shot, Superman lifts the doctor over his head by the throat, nurses and staff looking on with shock, the victim still lying on the gurney in the background.

SUPERMAN
Listen, you simpering bureaucrat! Neither he nor I have time for your prejudicial ^&((@&%! I don’t care what your policies are, you have the doctors and the facilities here to save this man’s life, and if you let him die I will extract your spleen from your body without a moment’s hesitation.

DOCTOR
(Guhh. . .!)
NURSE
Orderly!

PANEL 5

Int. close-up, Superman with the doctor overhead in the foreground, a burly orderly is stepping forward but a younger doctor places his hand in front of the orderly, thus stopping a quick and savage beating.

YOUNGER DOCTOR
Don’t. I’ll take care of this, if you’ll spare Dr. Rosenthal’s life. Nurse, I need that patient prepped and taken to the nearest open Emergency Room.

NURSE
Somebody at least call the police.

PAGE 5

PANEL 1

Int. medium side shot, Superman has put Dr. Rosenthal down and looks on as the young doctor and a couple of nurses begin looking over the victim, Dr. Rosenthal crouching down and attempting to catch his breath

DR. ROSENTHAL
(Gasp!) Yuh- - yuh. . . you’re a – a savage, . . . (pant), just like—just like. . .

SUPERMAN (towards the younger doctor)
I think I’ll oversee things here, if you don’t mind. Just to make sure things stay on the up and up.

YOUNGER DOCTOR
Do as you like, we obviously can’t stop you. Just don’t get in the way, if you care about this man’s life.

PANEL 2

Int. front close-up, Superman grabs Dr. Rosenthal by the back of his coat.

SUPERMAN
I think the good doctor here will be joining me in my observations, just so I can keep an eye on him, too.

DR. ROSENTHAL
This - - this is an outrage. . . !

SUPERMAN
It most certainly is.

PANEL 3
Ext. horizontal panel, the entrance of the hospital, which is now surrounded by five squad cars, several policemen milling about the scene. To one side an officer, Sgt. Casey, discusses things with a group of reporters, Lois Lane being one in evidence.

CAPTION
Two hours later.

SGT. CASEY
There’s not really much we can do at the moment. The Superman apparently has one or two of the doctors hostage and we’re afraid of what may happen if we come in and take him. So now we’re just waiting. If he follows his general MO, once whatever situation he’s handling is taken care of, he’ll simply take off.

REPORTER
So what’s the point of you being here? Basically, all you’re doing is making sure things are alright once Superman decides to hop off.

PANEL 4

Ext., medium shot, Casey addresses the reporter’s question in front of a group including Lois.

SGT. CASEY
Superman is a phenomenon that no police force has ever had to deal with before, a man who is seemingly unstoppable and indestructible. But no man is above the law, and it is our duty to capture him and, rest assured, we will capture him eventually.

LOIS
How? He laughs off bullets, demolishes police cars and moves so fast that the police have no idea where he’s gone to three seconds after you’ve seen him. Let’s face it, Casey, he can pretty much do what he wants to and there’s not a thing you can do to stop him.

PANEL 5

Ext. side close up, a reporter, older and somewhat rumpled, looks derisively at Lois, she looks on, dismissing him

REPORTER
Why don’t you give it a rest, Lane, and go on back to your lovelorn columns? The crush you’ve got on that big goon ain’t ever going to land you a regular city gig.

LOIS
Why don’t you shut up, Harris, before I let everyone know how you got the nickname “inchworm.”

PAGE 6

PANEL 1
Int. medium full front shot, the young doctor is removing his surgical mask surrounded by Superman and Dr. Rosenthal. Dr. Rosenthal is still furious while Superman stands stoic, satisfied.

YOUNG DOCTOR
He’ll live, but he’ll be a long time recovering from this. He probably would not have survived another minute of the beating he was getting. Seven broken bones, a punctured lung and enough tissue swelling to turn him into a balloon. Whoever did this to him did a thorough job.

DR. ROSENTHAL
Then, if you’re done terrorizing my hospital, I expect this “patient” to be transported to Metropolis General immediately.

SUPERMAN
How soon do you recommend transporting him, doctor?

PANEL 2

Int. close-up from behind the young doctor, Superman and Dr. Rosenthal speaking to him.

YOUNG DOCTOR
As Dr. Rosenthal knows, transporting him immediately may be risky. I would at least keep him here overnight, maybe for a day or two, before taking him to Metropolis General.

DR. ROSENTHAL
And who’s going to pay for all of this? That person probably has no money nor any insurance.

SUPERMAN
Consider it a charitable donation. From your actions, I would say that’s pretty rare for this hospital.

PANEL 3

Int. medium side shot, Superman opening a nearby window and preparing to leap out as the doctors look on.

SUPERMAN
Gentlemen, you have my thanks. I’ll be sending some, ah, associates of mine around, to make sure that our patient continues to receive the best of care. Hopefully, I won’t need to make a return visit here. Good bye, for now.

PANEL 4

Ext. shot, from below officers looking up as Superman leaps out of the window above the streets of Metropolis.

1st OFFICER
There he is!

2nd OFFICER
Shoot him!

PANEL 5

Ext. shot, ground level, a group of six officers shooting in obvious futility into the air.

PANEL 6

Ext. shot, close-up of Casey, looking up in the direction that Superman went, obviously trying to ignore Lois. Lois stands behind him, arms crossed, a sarcastic grin on her face.

LOIS
That’s a whole lot of ammunition wasted by the Metropolis Police Department with nothing to show for it.

CASEY
Shut up, Lane.

PAGE 7

PANEL 1

Int. shot, a corridor in St. Elgin’s, Dr. Rosenthal speaking furiously to the young doctor and several hospital officials.

DR. ROSENTHAL
I want police protection in here today, I don’t care what you have to tell them! Obviously our security can’t handle these situations. As far as I’m concerned, this - - this freak threatened my life and everyone in this hospital, he’s nothing more than a common hoodlum that deserves jail. And get that piece of trash out of my hospital!! I do not care if you have to call Metropolis General or if you leave him on a street corner, I will not have. . .

CLARK (off-panel)
Er, excuse me? Dr. Rosenthal? They told me I could find you here. . .

PANEL 2

Int. shot, from behind Dr. Rosenthal, Clark Kent standing in front of him, hat in hand.

DR. ROSENTHAL
Do we have no security at all anymore? I am a busy man, sir, and most people see me by appointment.

CLARK
Pardon me, Dr. Rosenthal. I’m Clark Kent of the Metropolis Daily Star. I understand that Superman allegedly brought a patient here, a young man who was beaten by some thugs? My editor is just crazy about just about anything concerning Superman and I was wondering if you could fill me in on the details.

PANEL 3

Medium int. shot, Dr. Rosenthal begins to walk away from Clark dismissively, one of the officials places a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

ROSENTHAL
No, Mr. Kent, I cannot fill you in on the details, this hospital has a public relations person, I suggest you speak with him. I have other matters to attend to.

OFFICIAL
Dr. Rosenthal, a word. . .

PANEL 4

Int. close-up, the official speaks to Rosenthal, Clark standing in the background.

ROSENTHAL
What is it now, Menks? I have just about had it with all the tomfoolery. . .

MENKS
Well, you’re going to have to get over it. There is no way that we’re going to dismiss that patient with the press sticking their nose into this business.

PANEL 5

Int. shot behind Menks looking at a red-faced Rosenthal.

ROSENTHAL
Are you mad? We cannot allow every charity case to come in here and take up our bed space, our time and our supplies, and I don’t even want to think about what this facility may become if we start allowing every negro who’s been in a bar fight to walk in these doors. Who do we allow in next?

MENKS
I don’t disagree with you, and usually I’d say throw him out, too. But this is the press, and if I know anything about the press is that they love to raise a stink if it’ll sell a few papers and this fella here looks like a stink-raiser. Like it or not, this hospital depends on a little charity, too, and a lot of that may disappear with a little bad publicity. We’re going to have to bite the bullet on this one, Rosenthal. We’ll take care of this one and hope this Superman doesn’t come our way again.

PANEL 6

Int. medium shot, Rosenthal finally breaks free from the group, Clark and Menks looking on.

ROSENTHAL
Have it your way, then. Mr. Kent, Mr. Menks here will answer any question you have, he’s more than capable, I assure you. Me, I’m late for a date with a good stiff drink.

PAGE 8

PANEL 1

Int. shot, George Taylor’s office, from behind Taylor’s desk. A typical mid-20th century newspaper editor’s office, with bookshelves that feature memorabilia from a newspaperman’s career and framed editions of the Daily Star on the walls. Lois is standing over the desk, copy in her hand.

LOIS
There you go, chief. Eyewitness reports, interviews with hospital staff and the police, and Casey’s customary, copyrighted “We’re sworn to bring this Superman menace to justice” speech. Just about everything the public wants to know.

TAYLOR
Maybe so, Lois, maybe so. . .

PANEL 2

Int. shot, close-up of Taylor looking over Lois’ copy while reaching over to push a button on his buzzing intercom.

TAYLOR
These stories are all beginning to become routine, it seems to me, been happening for the last year. Superman swoops in, makes a big stink, the police come in, he runs. There has to be something fresh. . .

SECRETARY (on intercom)
Mr. Taylor, Mr. Kent is here to see you.

TAYLOR
Send him in, Patty.

PANEL 3

Int. side shot, Clark entering through the door with copy in his hand, Lois visibly irritated at the intrusion.

CLARK
Hi, chief. I’ve got that story you wanted on the Superman siting at St. Elgin’s today.

LOIS
What? That was my assignment. . .

PANEL 4

Int. shot from behind Taylor, who is looking over Clark’s copy. Lois gives Clark a sour look, Clark nervously tugs at his collar.

TAYLOR
Relax, Lois. Kent here just happened to be working on the story at the Grisham Development and rushed over when he heard there was a commotion at St. Elgin’s. No problem with having a fresh perspective on the story.

PANEL 5

Medium int. shot, Taylor relaxing back in his chair peering over Clark’s copy.

TAYLOR
And look at this. An interview with some of the doctors who treated the patient and even a couple of words from the patient himself. Good human interest stuff, something your story lacks, Lois.

LOIS (off-panel)
But I thought the story was Superman. . .

PANEL 6

Int. shot from behind Lois and Clark, Taylor sitting up in his chair looking at them with a piercing glare.

TAYLOR
It is Superman. Why is he doing what he’s doing? Who is he trying to protect? Is there some kind of connection, is he really the benefactor that he seems to be and the police are so certain he’s not? That’s what I’m trying to say here, Lois, fresh angles. Superman is the hottest story of this past year, we need to cover him from all angles.

PAGE 9

PANEL 1

Int. close-up of Taylor, looking over the two copies, one in each hand.

TAYLOR
Still, Lois, you’ve got a lot of the general information that Kent’s story lacks. I’d say between the two of you I’ve got one good story. I’ll have rewrite piece the thing together and you two can share the by-line, Lois’ name first, of course.

LOIS (off-panel)
What? But that was my assignment. . .

PANEL 2

Int. medium shot from behind Taylor’s desk, Lois is furious and Clark is growing more nervous.

TAYLOR
And Kent here scooped you on some of the most important aspects of the story. You can’t even say that his piece supports yours because in a lot of ways his piece is the story. So you’ll share and that’s all there is to it.

CLARK
I think that’s fair. . .

LOIS
This is ridiculous! That’s my by-line and you know it, chief! Hicksville here knew it, too, but he weasels his way in and gets a couple of lucky interview and hijacks MY by-line! If I ever did anything like that I’d be back on the lovelorn column before you could blink your eyes!

TAYLOR
Come on, Lois, it’s me you’re talking to. . .

PANEL 3

Medium shot of Lois standing at the doorway, one hand on the doorknob, angrily speaking towards Taylor and Clark.

LOIS
Well, you can have your little boys club and laugh at how you conned the “girl reporter” out of another headline. I’ll still get my own, Taylor, because there’s no way your shoving me back on that lovelorn column, I don’t care how much Kent here’s your boy!

The word SLAM!! appears vertically between panels 3 and 4

PANEL 4

Exterior long shot, the façade of a club in downtown Metropolis, the words “The Thule Society” written on a large awning. A man is getting out of a luxurious Bentley automobile in front of the entrance, handing his keys to a valet, a doorman comes to greet him.

CAPTION
North downtown Metropolis.

DOORMAN
Good evening, Mr. Bowman.

BOWMAN
Good evening, Stephen.

PANEL 5

Int. medium side shot, Bowman, a tall, athletic man with cinematic good looks and wavy blond hair, somewhere in his mid-thirties, enters an ornate club complete with an oversize fireplace and lounge chairs. Bowman hands his overcoat to a servant.

SERVANT
Good evening, Mr. Bowman. At your request, dinner will be served in 45 minutes, a brandy is waiting for you at your seat by the fire along with this evening’s edition of the Daily Star.

BOWMAN
Thank you, Conrad.

PANEL 6

Medium front shot, Bowman preparing to be seated, another man’s hand holding a wineglass can be seen in the foreground.

MAN (off-panel)
So, Bowman, I hear through the grapevine that some of your men had a bit of a rough time of it today.

BOWMAN
Hmmm? Oh, yes, Mumphrey, I suppose so, no one of any significance, at least. A couple of men we hired for menial labor and certain odd jobs. I take it they got into something of a ruckus with this Superman character the Star keeps blathering on about.

PAGE 10

PANEL 1

Medium shot of the two men lounging in adjacent chairs. Mumphrey is a middle-age man with a typical physique, balding and sporting a mustache, he wears a smoking jacket and is smoking a cigar, one hand on a wineglass on the table beside him. Bowman has started to peruse his paper.

MUMPHREY
So I take it these men will be alright?

BOWMAN
Hardly. One had seventeen bones broken in his face, including a completely flattened nose. He’ll need to be cared for for months and then he’ll never look the same. The other has a completely shattered jaw, the doctors are holding little hope for him.

PANEL 2

POV from behind Bowman, Mumphrey sitting up in his chair a bit with an astonished look on his face.

MUMPHREY
GOOD LORD! What sort of savage is this “Superman. . . ?”

BOWMAN
Oh, he’s a real scoundrel, this one. Imagine a person thrashing two working-class men over their treatment of a Neanderthal like that. For a man with the talents that this one seemingly has, you’d think that he may have been raised with higher moral fiber.

PANEL 3

Side shot, medium close, Bowman sitting back in his chair, the newspaper held up in front of him.

BOWMAN
Still, what intrigues me is the name that this city’s newspapers have chosen to give this freak. “Superman.” I doubt if the hacks that pass for journalists in this country understand Nietsche any better than our German friends do. Superiority cannot simply mean physical dominance in pursuit of justice for the lowest forms of life, as this no-doubt wildly exaggerated account of this morning’s activities seem to insinuate. A superior person must also account for the general progress of the human race and the necessity to eventually filter out the less desirable elements in order to purify humanity and develop true “supermen.” For a person with this man’s seeming talents to not understand that is foolhardy in the short term, dangerous in the long term.

PANEL 4

Silhoutted medium shot of Bowman and Mumphrey in front of the fireplace.

MUMPHREY
Speaking of our friends in Germany, how useful do you think a specimen like this would be for them at this point?

BOWMAN
Oh, there is no doubt that the paper hanger and his ilk are brethren with this barbarian, even if they are at polar opposite ends of the philosophical spectrum, because they both carry out their actions with all the subtlety of a barroom brawler. If somehow they could gain access to this man and convert him. . .

MUMPHREY
Or perhaps just examine him.

PANEL 5

Close-up, Bowman.

BOWMAN
Now, there’s a thought. The marvelous biologists they have in Bavaria would give a small fortune to gain an understanding of this man’s physical structure. If they could replicate it, think of the army they could build. The term “master race” would be an understatement, they would become a true blueprint for what mankind is to become.

MUMPHREY (OFF-PANEL)
He would become a difficult one to capture for those purposes, if reports of him are even partially true.

PANEL 6

POV behind Mumphrey, Bowman in a thoughtful pose, hand on his chin.

BOWMAN
I believe that our first order of business would be to discover how much truth lies in these reports. I do believe that a bit of reconnaissance is in order.

PANEL 7

Text only

CAPTION
MORE THRILLS!! MORE INTRIGUE!! JOIN SUPERMAN FOR ANOTHER EXCITING ADVENTURE IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THRILLING MYSTERY COMICS!! On sale in 2 weeks.