Ok, this is a script I wrote for a single issue of Batman or Detective Comics. I wrote it basically as an exercise, just to see what it was like to write a script from beginning to end. Let me know what you think.
Page 1: 5 panels
Panel 1:
It is an early morning. We open on a long, winding road on the rural outskirts of Gotham City. There is a large, Victorian style mansion in the background.
1 Caption: October 1.
2 Caption: Two years. Two long years I’ve waited. Two years of time wasted. Time I could have spent talking with him.
Panel 2:
The camera has moved closer to the mansion. We no longer see the long road leading up the path, only the front entrance. An old, run down car is passing through the front gate. There is a plaque on the gate that we are not close enough to read.
3 Caption: Instead, I’ve spent the last two years talking to a man who thought he was an actor in a movie and all of his victims were stunt doubles. Two years with a woman who swore she was an alien zoo keeper collecting specimens and a man who promised me he would not rest until all the accountants in the city were beaten and shaved.
Panel 3:
The camera has moved forward so all we see is the plaque on the front gate. The worn metal proclaims this place to be ARKHAM ASYLUM FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE.
4 Caption: Two years proving my worth. Two years paying my dues. Two long years which pay off today.
Panel 4:
The camera is now inside of the building, looking out of the open front door. A man walks into the building, towards us. This is DR. ROBERT MILLER. Dr. Miller is in his early thirties, his hair is slightly too long, his clothes slightly too baggy. He runs his left hand through his hair, his right hand firmly on his briefcase. There is just the hint of a smile on his confident and energetic face.
5 Caption: Everybody who has attended school in their lives has had that one teacher. That one, special, indescribable person who cut through all the crap and spoke in a way that you just “got it.” Now, two years to the day since I started working in this infamous facility, I will once again come face to face with the man who was that teacher in my life.
Panel 5:
The camera moves behind Dr. Miller. Accompanied by two security guards, one on each side, Dr. Miller opens the door of a cell. The cell door is open just a crack and the light from inside spills out to the hallway.
6 Caption: Today, I finally get to talk to the man who showed me what I was going to do with my life. The man who influenced me like no man had before or has since. After to years, I have finally been assigned to the man who was instrumental and making me the person I am today. Dr. Jonathan Crane…
Page 2: Splash page
The camera is now inside the cell and we are viewing the cell from the opposite wall the door is in. The door is opened and dr. miller is stepping into the cell, the two security guards each with a hand on a billy club, ready to tear it from it’s holster at a moment’s notice. Sitting on the floor of the cell is Dr. Crane, not even bothering to look up and greet his “guests.” Crane has his back up against the wall, his knees up almost to his chest. He is reading a book, which we are able to see is Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” Crane is wearing the standard uniform of an Arkham inmate, as well as his reading glasses.
1 Caption: …The Scarecrow.
Page 3: 5 Panels
Panel 1:
We are looking at Crane’s face. He looks up from his book, noticing his visitors for the first time.
Panel 2:
Crane has stood up and is standing face to face with Dr. Miller.
1 Dr. Miller: Hello, Dr. Crane. My name is Dr. Robert Miller. I’m your new therapist.
2 Crane: Dr. Miller, what was your reaction when you were told I was your next assignment? Were you afraid?
Panel 3:
Crane and Dr. miller are facing each other. Dr. Miller looks very unafraid of Crane. In fact, he looks somewhat in awe of him.
3 Miller: No.
Panel 4:
Crane’s facial expression is somewhat amused by this. Intrigued, almost. It is not a reaction he is used to receiving.
4 Crane: Really? You’ve obviously read my file. I’ve murdered dozens of people in cold blood. Should I decide to end your life, you would hardly be the first doctor at Arkham to be murdered by a patient. Yet knowing this, you claim to have been unafraid when told I was to be your new assignment. Why is that?
Panel 5:
We see the back of Dr. Miller’s head and a surprised expression on Crane’s face. This was not the answer he was expecting.
5 Dr. Miller: I requested you.
Page 4: Six Panels
Panel 1:
Crane is standing still as the two security guards fit him in a straight jacket. He is very comfortable, as this has obviously been done to him on a very frequent basis. He is as natural having the straight jacket applied as most people would be brushing their teeth. He has a small smile on his face.
1 Crane: Really? This might prove interesting after all.
Panel 2:
We look towards Dr. Miller, walking down a hallway. Several paces behind him walks Dr. Crane, in his straightjacket. He is flanked by the two guards, the both of them paying far more attention to Crane than to where they are going.
2 Caption: The last five minutes already seem like a dream. Crane hasn’t changed a bit since the last time I saw him. Was that really only ten years ago?
Panel 3:
We are now in an interview room in the asylum. The room is mostly bare. There is a large mirror on one wall, presumably a Two way mirror with an observation booth on the other side. In the center of the room is a table, with chairs at either end of it. Dr. Miller is getting himself situated in one chair, placing his briefcase on the floor next to him. Crane has already taken a seated position in the other chair, the two guards standing on either side of him.
3 Caption: he doesn’t seem to recognize me. That’s good.
4 Dr. Miller: You can leave us.
5 Guard 1: Are you sure? We really aren’t supposed to. Scarecrow’s a killer.
Panel 4:
Same scene, all four men in view.
6 Dr. Miller: I’ll be fine, Sam. Dr. Crane is restrained and we’re being observed. It’ll be ok.
7 Guard 1: You’re the boss, Doc.
Panel 5:
A close up shot of Dr. Miller’s face. He is concentrating on the task at hand.
8 Caption: I take a deep breath and organize my thoughts. My mind drifts back through the years…
Panel 6:
Same shot of Dr. Miller’s face from the previous panel, but much younger, as he appeared as a sophomore in college.
9 Caption: …to the first time I ever met Dr. Jonathon Crane.
Page 5: five panels
Panel 1:
The camera pulls back from Miller’s face to show us a classroom. The room is about two thirds full of students, one of whom is Miller. Many of the students are talking amongst themselves before the lecture has begun, but Miller has is eyes only on Crane. Crane is at the front of the class.
1 Caption: Even back then, before the costume and the evil schemes, Crane was known as “The Scarecrow,” although at the time it was because of his long, thin frame and his shabby, loose clothing.
Panel 2:
Medium shot of Crane. We see him from the POV of the students as he looks out and surveys his crowd. His arms are folded in front of him and he has a patronizing smirk on his face.
2 Crane: Fear.
Panel 3:
Crane is standing in front of the students. The single word from this strange man has silenced the students.
3 Crane: Fear is the great motivator of the world. Some would have you believe it is either love or money. They are mistaken.
4 Crane(2): Every action a man takes, every task he undertakes, is motivated by fear.
Panel 4:
Crane in front of his captive audience, continuing his lecture.
5 Crane: You are all in this classroom right now because of fear.
6 Crane (2): You are pursuing your education.
7 Crane(3): Why?
8 Crane (4): because you fear you will be unable to obtain a satisfactory job without one.
Panel 5:
The camera focuses on the students, who are all intrigued with this point of view they have never heard before. Crane is seen from behind, facing his students, delivering this lecture he has given time and time again.
9 Crane: Most of you will one day seek a spouse.
10 Crane(2): Why?
11 Crane(3): You are afraid of ending up alone, of having to awaken each day and face the terrors of the world by yourself.
Page 6: six panels
Panel 1:
We see a head shot of Crane. He is transfixed, barely noticing his audience as he talks about his favorite topic.
1 Crane: You will find a partner and you will be married. You will start a family.
2 Crane(2): You will then look to move to a new neighborhood and get a better job.
3 Crane(3): Why?
4 Crane(4): You fear your children will not grow up under ideal conditions.
Panel 2:
All we see is Crane against a solid white background, as if nothing exists but him and his theory.
5 Crane: You will look for the means to protect your family. A dog, perhaps, or a gun.
6 Crane(2): Why?
7 Crane(3): Fear.
8 Crane(4): You will acquire material wealth because you fear poverty. You will buy a new car because you fear mechanical problems.
9 Crane(5): You will wear the latest clothes because you fear what others will think of you. You will attend church because you fear the afterlife. You will seek out amusements because you fear boredom.
Panel 3:
Shot of a girl in the class, her hand raised.
10 Girl: Dr. Crane-
Panel 4:
Camera back to Crane, pointing, his face expressing fury.
11 Crane: SILENCE!
12 Crane(2): You are not to interrupt me. I teach, you learn.
13 CraneL3): And why did you interrupt me? Because you fear my question will not answer your question.
Panel 5:
Crane is worked up, a look of almost religious rapture on his face. This is what he livs for.
14 Crane: Questions will be answered later. For now, know this.
15 Crane(2): I hold your grades, and by extention, your futures, in my hands. I can ruin your lives with a single stroke of my pen.
16 Crane(3): As long as you are aware of this fact, you will pay attention.
17 Crane(4): You will not interrupt.
18 Crane(5): And you will know one more thing…
Panel 6:
Close up of Crane’s face, smiling.
19 Crane: Fear.
Page 7: seven panels
Panel 1:
Close up of Miller’s face, present day. His smile is almost identical to crane’s all those years ago.
1 Miller: Dr. Crane? Are you ready to begin?
Panel 2:
We once again see Miller and crane at the table.
2 Crane: Yes, I am quite eager to discover why you requested me as your assignment.
3 Miller: Dr. Crane, you’ve been through this process many times over the years, so I’m sure you’re familiar with how it works.
4 Miller(2): I’ll be providing the questions, you’ll be providing the answers.
Panel 3:
Camera focuses on Crane, continuing to look amused by the situation.
5 Crane: What makes you think you can persuade me to reveal anything about myself I do not wish you to know?
Panel 4:
Camera swings around to show Miller. His body language is almost pleading. He desperately wants to make a connection with Crane.
6 Miller: Don’t you have any hope for rehabilitation? Any desire for repentance?
Panel 5:
Back to Crane, his eyes closed, reciting a passage from memory.
7 Crane: “Our repentance is not so much regret for the ill we have done as fear for the ill that may happen to us in consequence.”
8 Crane(2): Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld.
Panel 6:
We see Miller and Crane, still seated. Crane looks confident and relaxed. Miller is trying to appear calm as well, but his eyes reveal a hint of pleading. He is trying another approach.
9 Miller: I noticed you reading “Romeo and Juliet” earlier.
10 Miller(2): I don’t see you as a great fan of romance, or a man interested in love.
11 Crane: Romeo and Juliet do not take the actions they do on account of love.
12 Crane(2): Do you know what the great motivating force behind mankind has always been?
Panel 7:
We see Miller and Crane again. Miller is answering the question while Crane is reacting to the answer, a bit of surprise sneaking through his previously smug exterior.
13 Miller: Fear.
Page 8: five panels
Panel 1:
Miller is driving in his car, his tie loosened, his briefcase on the seat beside him. The radio is on.
1 Caption: All together, I only spent thirty minutes with Crane today, but it was the most unforgettable half hour of my life.
2 Radio: “You better think! Think about what you’re trying to do to me!”
Panel 2:
The camera moves up and we look down on top of the car, driving along the highway.
3 Caption: Ever since that first day in class, I have been fascinated by Crane. His outlook on life was so unique, his way of looking at the world so skewed from everybody else’s view.
Panel 3:
We see the car pulling into the driveway of the Miller household. There is a large banner across the front porch saying “CONGRATULATIONS!” Miller’s wife, daughter and two sons are waiting for him.
4 Caption: I met my wife, Lori, in his class. She was the girl who interrupted him. And he was right. We found each other and are no longer afraid of being alone.
Panel 4:
We see Miller getting out of his car, his children running up to meet him.
5 Caption: We started a family, who I am terrified of losing: Jenny (9), Robert, Jr. (8) and James (6).
Panel 5:
Miller is walking up the front steps, followed by the children. He is kissing Lori on the cheek in greeting.
6 Caption: Crane was right about a lot of things. I even have the gun in my desk drawer.
7 Lori: How was the big day?
8 Miller: Unbelievable.
Page 9: five panels
Panel 1:
We see Miller entering the house. He is in the front hallway, putting his briefcase down and taking off his jacket. His three kids are surrounding him, begging for details of the day.
1 Miller: Aren’t you kids supposed to be doing homework?
2 Jenny: We wanted to hear about Scarecrow!
3 Miller: Don’t call him “Scarecrow.” His name is “Dr. Crane”
4 Robert, Jr.: Was he scary? Did he kill anyone today?
5 James: tell us about him again!
Panel 2:
Miller is sitting on the stairs, untying his shoes. His kids are standing around him, hanging on his every word.
6 Caption: For the next hour, I tell my kids about Crane and think about the past.
Panel 3:
We see Crane, once again in his classroom full of students. He is firing a gun at a mannequin, his students with looks of shock on their faces.
7 Crane: By the looks on your faces I see you understand why criminals use a gun to invoke fear.
8 Caption: His theories were so different and his methods of teaching were rather unorthodox.
Panel 4:
Crane again in front of his class, pointing a large snake at a terrified student.
9 Caption: The rest of the faculty frowned at his methods, but he had an enormous impact on his students, me most of all.
Panel 5:
Miller in the past, as he was as a college student, sitting around a television with his family. The news is being broadcast, an anchorman sitting behind his desk. There is a graphic of a shadowy figure on the screen, a blurry photograph of the Batman swinging on a line.
10 Caption: A few weeks later, I learned about a man who was just as interesting as Crane, if not more so. He was known as “The Batman” and he had the criminals of Gotham City crippled with fear.
Page 10: five panels:
Panel 1:
We are back in crane’s classroom. He is holding up a newspaper, a story about Batman on the front page. Crane is pointing to the headline “BATMAN CAPTURES MOB BOSS” and energetically preaching to the classroom.
1 Crane: This Batman is a genius! His knowledge of fear is clearly quite extensive. While I use mine to educate, he is using his to foil crime after crime.
Panel 2:
Continuation of Crane in front of the class.
2 Caption: We had never heard a teacher condone the actions of a vigilante before. Obviously, we were captivated.
3 Crane: A man of the Batman’s intellect and methodology will be almost impossible to defeat. It would take a truly brilliant criminal mind, with an even greater understanding of fear, to defeat him.
Panel 3:
Young Miller sitting at a desk in his bedroom, cutting an article out of a newspaper.
4 Caption: Dr. Crane laid the foundation for my interest in criminal psychology. The Batman made it explode.
Panel 4:
The classroom again, this time with another teacher in front of the class. The class is looking bored, the total opposite of the way they were enthralled with Crane. This new teacher is lecturing, and various students are talking amongst themselves or napping or daydreaming. Miller is half heartedly paying attention.
5 Caption: Dr. Crane disappeared one day. We were told he was fired. We all wondered what ever became of him.
Panel 5:
Miller as a college student, watching television with his family again. Another newscast is being viewed. This time, the anchor is sitting next to a graphic of the Scarecrow being led away by police. His mask is off, and we see crane in the costume.
6 Caption: It didn’t take long to discover what he had been doing since being fired. The fact that there was a costumed criminal also known as the Scarecrow who used his mastery of fear to commit crimes was no coincidence.
7 Television: The criminal known as the Scarecrow was apprehended by the Batman today and taken into custody. He was revealed to be Dr. Jonathon Crane, a controversial teacher who was recently fired from Gotham University.
Page 11: five panels
Panel 1:
Miller, in the present, at the dinner table with his family.
1 Miller: That’s when I knew I had to become a criminal psychologist. I thought that if I could discover how Dr. crane came to be the Scarecrow, I would be much closer to understanding how to help the criminally insane.
Panel 2: The children have lost interest as the story has ended. Lori is talking to miller about other things, Miller picking at his food as she does so.
2 Caption: I half listen to Lori as she changes topics. I don’t mean to tune her out, but I’m still on an adrenaline rush from today’s events.
3 Lori: The henderson’s are having a big Halloween party again this year and they want family members to have related costumes.
Panel 3:
We see Miller at the head of the table. The rest of the family is out of camera range, leaving Miller alone with his thoughts.
4 Caption: All my hard work at Arkham had paid off. I had come full circle, once again with the man who had started me down my path.
5 Lori(off panel): …Oz would be perfect.
Panel 4:
We are back in the interview room at Arkham. We see Crane, who is in the identical position as Miller in the previous panel.
6 Crane: You were one of my students, weren’t you?
Panel five:
Camera spins around to show Miller, who has been expecting this.
7 Miller: Yes.
8 Miller(2): Years ago.
Page 12: seven panels:
Panel one:
Crane and Miller are seated at the table. Crane is looking interested once again as Miller is rifling through his briefcase.
1 Crane: I should have known yesterday, but I was rather surprised at first when you answered “fear.”
2 Crane(2): It wasn’t until after you left that I realized you were about the right age to be one of my students.
3 Crane(3): You were a fine student, as I recall.
Panel 2:
We see Miller, holding up a card with an inkblot on it.
4 Miller: And you were a fine teacher.
5 Miller(2): Dr. Crane, what do you see in this picture?
Panel 3:
We swing the camera around again to see crane, now with a look of contempt, almost disgust, on his face.
6 Crane: Apparently, your later instructors were of a considerably lesser caliber.
7 Crane(2): A Rorschach Test?
8 Crane(3): This is rather beneath a man of my intellect, wouldn’t you think?
Panel 4:
We see Miller again. He is not going to let Crane get to him. He has dreamed of this moment for too long to let things get out of his control.
9 Miller: Probably.
10 Miller(2): Can you please just humor me, Dr. Crane?
Panel 5:
We see Crane again, getting more arrogant and more angry. He thought he had finally found something to interest him here in Arkham and he is beginning to think he is wrong. Crane does not like to be wrong.
11 Crane: Believe me, Dr. Miller, if I choose to partake in this antiquated routine, it will be solely to humor myself.
Panel 6:
Miller again. He is still holding up the card, still as calm as can be.
12 Miller: Just tell me what you see, Dr. Crane.
Panel 7:
Close up of Crane’s face. He is deep in thought, as though he were really studying the card.
Page 13: four panels
Panel 1:
Same close up of Crane’s face, this time he has a huge grin on his previously serious expression.
1 Crane: I see your wife.
2 Crane(2): Lori.
Panel 2:
We now see a close up of Miller’s face, in complete shock. Crane has just rocked him to his very core. He thought he was in complete control of this situation. He was wrong.
3 Miller: Wha-?
4 Miller(2): How did-?
Panel 3:
Close up of Miller’s face again. Same shot, but his expression has changed from one of shock to one of rage.
Panel 4:
Large panel of Miller lunging across the table. His hands are out, wrapped around crane’s throat. Crane is surprisingly calm for a man trapped in a straightjacket being strangled. This is hardly the first time he has been in this situation and he knows the guards will save him before any real harm is done. In the background we see the two security guards from earlier rushing through the door and into the room.
5 Miller: You son of a bitch!
6 Miller(2): I’ll kill you!
Page 14: five panels:
Panel 1:
We see Miller, being restrained by one of the guards. Miller is being dragged backwards, but his arms are still outstretched, reaching for Crane.
1 Guard 1: Calm down, Doc! Get a hold of yourself!
Panel 2:
We see the opposite side of the room. Crane, still in his straightjacket, looking supremely pleased with himself, is being helped to his feet by the second guard.
2 Crane: you two became quite close in class. I always knew you would get married.
Panel 3:
Crane is now standing on his own two feet, next to the guard.
3 Crane: how many children did the two of you have?
4 Crane(2): Two? Three?
5 Crane(3): I bet it’s three.
Panel 4:
In the background, we see the second guard escorting Crane out of the room. In the foreground, Miller is sitting on the floor, his head on his kneecaps, his arms wrapped around his legs. The table has been overturned. His briefcase is open and on the floor, papers all around the room. The first guard is leaning next to him, trying to calm him down.
Panel 5:
We see Miller in the exact same position as in the previous panel, but now he is in bed in his own bedroom. Lori, mirroring the position of the guard on the previous panel, is trying to comfort him.
6 Miller: I would have killed him, Lori.
7 Miller(2): I would have killed him.
Page 15: six panels
Panel:1
Camera focuses on the bed, where Miller and Lori and lying. He is now flat on his back, looking up. She is besides him, propped up on one arm, looking down at him and stroking his forehead reassuredly.
1 Lori: But why?
2 Lori(2): Because he guessed we got married?
3 Lori(3): Eveeryone who knew us thought we were going to get married.
Panel 2:
Close up of Miller’s face, looking up at the ceiling.
4 Miller: Why?
5 Miller(2): Fear.
6 Miller(3): I was afraid he would come to this house and hurt you and the kids.
Panel 3:
We see the full bed again. Lori is still laying in it, still propped up on one arm as she looks at her husband. Miller is now getting out of bed.
7 Lori: What are you going to do now? You’re so close to your dream.
8 Lori(2): You waited so long for this and just kept hoping it would happen.
9 Lori(3): You just never thought he was going to hurt you.
Panel 4:
We see a desk in the bedroom. Miller is standing in front of it, a drawer open. He is taking out what appears to be a scrap book.
10 Miller: I always knew he was brilliant. I just never realized he could be so ruthless.
11 Miller(2): I know he’s a killer, but he only kills people strangers, not people he knows.
12 Miller(3): We always had such a good relationship when I was a student of his.
Panel 5:
Miller has the scrap book on the top of the desk and he is opening it up, searching for a particular page.
13 Miller: No, I didn’t know he would try to hurt me.
Panel 6:
Close up shot of the scrap book. We see the article Miller was cutting out of the newspaper earlier. The headline reads “BATMAN STOPS SCAREROW’S REIGN OF TERROR.” The picture in the article shows Scrarecrow being led by two police officers into the back of a police wagon.
14 Miller(Off Panel): But he doesn’t know that I’ll hurt him back.
Page 16: six panels
Panel 1:
We see the interview room at Arkham once again. It has been cleaned up and fixed since the last time we saw it. Crane is sitting at one end of the table. The door is open and Miller is walking in.
1 Crane: dr. Miller. I was afraid I wouldn’t be seeing you again.
Panel 2:
We see Miller taking his seat across from crane.
2 Miller: Did you think you scared me off?
3 Crane: Well, it is what I do, is it not?
4 Crane(2): Scare people?
5 Crane(3): But no, I was not trying to “scare you off.” I was merely trying to prove a point.
Panel 3:
Close up of Miller. He is once again relaxed and in control. He is curious to hear where Crane is going with this.
6 Miller: And what point would that be, Dr. Crane?
Panel 4:
Camera swings back around to Crane, who once again looks like the arrogant teacher, delivering a lecture to one of his students.
7 Crane: When we first met, you said that you weren’t afraid of me. I proved that you should be,
8 Crane(2): I can take away everything that you hold dear any time I choose to do so.
Panel 5:
We see a shot of Miller’s face. He looks uncomfortable, like he is trying to convince himself as well as Crane of his reply.
9 Miller: My family is safe from you. You aren’t getting out of Arkham.
Panel 6:
We see a close up of Crane, an almost joyful expression on his face. He is very amused.
10 Crane: Has it ever held me before?
11 Crane(2): I’m here now because I choose to be. It’s really quite simple, you see.
Page 17: four panels
Panel 1:
Close up of Miller. He is a little confused.
1 Miller: What is? Escaping?
Panel 2:
Large panel. Close up of Crane. He is happy to once again be giving a lecture he has given many times in the past.
2 Crane: Oh, no, my dear boy. Escaping takes some effort, although it is a challenge I find rather interesting. I’m referring to the reason we always escape.
3 Crane(2): you see, these doors, these walls, these security systems, they were all designed by what you classify as sane, rational people. Precisely the types of things that should not be used to imprison those who you call the insane.
4 Crane(3): They can not contain us because they have not been designed by people who think like us. They underestimate us because they think we are insane, but as John Dryden once said, “Great wits are sure to madness near allied, and thin partitions do those bounds divide.”
5 Crane(4): Do you think there is even one person here who sees the world even remotely as I do? Or as Two-Face does? Or the Joker?
6 Crane(5): That is why they can not keep us here any longer than we wish to be kept here. I could escape tonight if it pleased me, Dr. Miller.
7 Crane(6): and that is why you should fear me.
Panel 3:
We see Miller’s reaction to Crane’s speech. He does not look nearly as impressed as Crane was expecting him too. In fact, it is now Miller’s turn to look somewhat smug.
8 Miller: ok, Dr. Crane. We’ve talked about my fears.
9 Miller(2): Now let’s talk about yours.
Panel 4:
We again look at Crane, who appears more amused than ever. He is almost on the verge of laughing.
10 Crane: Oh, this should be interesting. Tell me, Dr. Miller, what is it you believe I fear?
Page 18: six panels
Panel 1:
We see Miller again, a look of determination on his face.
1 Miller: I think you’re afraid of bats.
2 Miller(2): or rather, one bat in particular.
Panel 2:
Crane has not been fazed by this at all. He has heard it before. Everybody goes this route and he is prepared for it.
3 Crane: Ah yes, Gotham’s very own vigilante. I assure you that although our paths have crossed several times in the past, I do not fear the Batman.
Panel 3:
We see Miller again, who is still confident. Crane has reacted just as he thought he would.
4 Miller: Really? Every time you’ve set out on one of your grand schemes, the batman has stopped you every time.
5 Miller(2): You were never a very successful criminal, were you, Dr. Crane?
Panel 4:
Close up of Crane. He has taken the bait and is enraged.
6 Crane: You dare?
7 Crane(2): the very mention of my name sends terror’s icy grip around the hearts of millions!
8 Crane(3): I am one of the most famous criminal masterminds the world has ever seen!
9 Crane(4): Hundreds have died at my hands!
Panel 5:
We see Miller again. He is almost gloating already. He has Crane exactly where he wants him.
10 Miller: But Batman stops you every time, doesn’t he?
11 Miller(2): All those murders were for nothing because your ultimate plan never succeeds. Isn’t that what you fear, Dr. crane? That you’re brilliance will forever go unrecognized?
12 Miller(3): That no matter how smart you may be, Batman is always going to be just that much smarter?
Panel 6:
Close up of Crane’s face. His head is hung, his eyes diverted. He will not meet Miller’s gaze.
13 Crane: …..yes.
Page 19: four panels
Panel 1:
Once again we see Miller in his car, driving home. He is very happy with himself. His plan worked perfectly. Once again, the radio is on.
1 Caption: I took a big step towards my goal today. I met Crane on his own terms and I won. He is forced to see me as an equal now. I am no longer his student.
2 Radio: “Been spending most our lives living in a past times paradise.”
Panel 2:
Camera is in front of Miller’s house, where Miller is out of the car, hugging Lori.
3 Caption: I showed him that for all his brilliance, all his murders, all the pain that he has caused, he is just as frightened as the rest of us. Maybe once he realizes that, he’ll realize he can be just as sane as the rest of us, too.
4 Lori: Do I have anything to be afraid of?
5 Miller: not anymore.
Panel 3:
Again at the interview table at Arkham. Miller and Crane are both seated, but they seem at ease with each other. Both are almost laughing. The tension is gone.
6 Capton: The next few weeks. I feel like I’m really making progress with Crane. As crazy it may sound, I almost feel like we are becoming friends.
7 Crane: My aunt has always been terrified of chipmunks!
8 Crane(2): Chipmunks!
Panel 4:
Miller is sitting at a desk in his office at Arkham. He turns to look towards a door, which has been thrown open. The guard from earlier is standing in the frame of the door, a panicked expression on his face.
9 Caption: And then, on Halloween, it all comes crashing down.
10 Guard: Doc! Come quick!
11 Guard(2): Scarecrow’s gone!
Page 20: four panels.
Panel 1: In the background of the panel, we see Miller rushing out of the office. In the foreground, we see his desk. The focus of the picture is on a framed photograph of his family on the desk.
1 Caption: NO.
Panel 2:
Camera on Crane’s cell from earlier. Miller is racing through the door, the guard behind him. The cell is empty, except for the copy of “Romeo and Juliet” on the floor.
2 Miller: How did he get out?
3 Guard: We don’t know! He was here twenty minutes ago!
Panel 3:
In the foreground of the panel is Miller, bending down and picking up the book. In the background, the guard has stepped out of the room and is yelling orders.
4 Guard: Search the building! He might still be inside!
Panel 4:
Close up shot of the inside cover of the book. Crane has written inside of it. We see the words:
Dr. Miller,
It seems I failed to prove my point the first time. You were also apparently not the student I thought you were, since you were so easily deceived by my show of defeat at your ploy. A pity on both parts. I read something Shakespeare wrote in this very book that I feel is an appropriate sentiment to leave with you. “These violent delights have violent ends.”
Be afraid.
The Scarecrow.
Page 21: five panels.
Panel 1:
We are once again inside Miller’s car, on the highway. He is gripping the steering wheel with both hands, gritting his teeth. He is obviously speeding. The radio is on, loud. Miller doesn’t even notice.
1 Caption: I have to get there before he does.
2 Caption: I have to.
3 Radio: “First I was afraid, I was petrified. To think that I would have to live without you by my side.”
Panel 2:
The car is in the driveway. The driver’s side door is flung open and Miller is racing out.
4 Caption: no sign of forced entry. That does nothing to untie the knots in my stomach.
5 Radio from inside car: “That was Gloria Gaynor with “I Will Survive.” Now, for the news.”
Panel 3: Miller is in the bedroom, opening his desk drawer and pulling out his gun. In the background, half off panel so as not to draw too much attention to it, we see the bed. On the bed is a costume. It looks like The Tin Man.
6 Caption: “I’ll bet you even bought the gun.” You’re damn right I did.
7 Caption: I hear movement outside and a neighbor’s dog barking.
8 Caption: I’ve got him now.
Panel 4:
Miller is outside of the house, crouching behind a bush. He is creeping towards the edge of the house. There is a shadow outline on the ground in front of him, coming from around the corner. The silhoutte on the floor cast by the shadow is that of the scarecrow.
9 Caption: I see his shadow in the moonlight and I know what I have to do.
Panel 5:
Shot of Miller from the waist up, arm outstretched, firing the gun. A look of hatred on his face.
10 Caption: I have no fear as I pull the trigger.
11 Miller; SCARECROW!
Page 22: Splash page
The camera is above the Miller household, looking down. Miller is on his knees, the gun falling from his hands. Around his are his wife and children. Lori is dressed like The Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. She is holding Jenny in her arms, who is dressed as Dorothy. Both are hysterical. James, the Cowardly lion, is staring at his father in shock. Robert, Jr. is on the ground, dressed as the Scarecrow. He has been fatally shot. The car door is still open in the distance, the radio still on.
1 Lori: NO!
2 James: Daddy?
3 Radio: in other news, the Scarecrow escaped today from Arkham Asylum, only to be caught again by the batman before he could get a mile away from the building. Luckily, nobody was hurt during the incident.
