Kingsman: Tomorrow Becomes Today

NOTE: The intent with this story is for the pages to mirror each other on an odd-even basis. Hence, pages 1 and 2 will form a double-page spread, with Harry’s adventures on Page 1 and Eggsy’s on Page 2. The layout will be duplicated roughly between them, so Panel 1 of Page 1 is mimicked by Panel 1 of Page 2 and so on. For instance, if Panel 3 of Page 1 is a close-up of a character’s face, Panel 3 of Page 2 will be as well.

PAGE 1

The eighties. A banana republic propped up by ill-gotten gains; the ghost town to be during an oil boom. It is evening, cloudless, sparkling stars and full moon.

Panel 1 – The casino/hotel is lit up like a one-building Vegas, a neon sign the size of a water tower points down to the entrance in an explosion of light—PALACE DE LA PLEASURE. The place is big, maybe the size of a baseball stadium, with a vast bank of revolving doors serving as the entrance. The streets are awash with life—expensive sports cars in the streets, men in tuxedos, women in evening gowns. HARRY is entering the Palace.

Panel 2 - The interior. Even though it is night outside, the casino is lit up in stark contrast to Eggsy’s post-apocalyptic surroundings. Eighties chic: a Broadway production of Miami Vice. Neon, pastels, everything outrageous but ever so slightly tasteful. Spectacle is the watchword. The main floor, that Harry is on, is a mezzanine of blackjack dealers, poker tables—high-stakes gambling for high rollers. The open-air middle of this floor, the ‘skylight,’ looks down onto a pit of slot machines, bars, live shows: stuff for the rubes.

HARRY wears a subdued tuxedo, glasses, the classy darkness separating him from the hot pink aesthetic. SFX musical notes (from the live music) litter the panel, in stark contrast to the all but unbroken silence greeting Eggsy.

Panel 3 – Harry gets the eye from a hot blonde in a red dress, him eying her back with a friendly/more-than-friendly smile.

Panel 4 – Harry turns away from her, finding his contact—local in a TAN SUIT, fez. He is signing a check, but looking at Harry out of the corner of his eye. His pen is pointed to the RIGHT. We can follow Harry’s train of thought from the DASHED LINE emanating from its cap.

Panel 5 – Harry follows along, striding confidently, exchanging pleasantries with another man, an acquaintance.

PAGE 2

Modern-day, a banana republic of squalor and disease. Based on an island, from the glimpse we can see of a port in the distance. One of those countries where the Apocalypse has started early. Cuba after La Revolucion. It is day, the blazing sun tanning everything red.

Panel 1 – Focusing on a rundown, derelict casino/hotel. Broken window, façade damaged by the elements to reveal open plaster and masonry. An unlit neon sign, points down to the entrance, but its exact lettering is hidden by the deep shadows of the oppressive sun. If we look closely, we can see someone climbing through the blockaded doors. Eggsy. Where Harry was on the preceding Panel 1.

Panel 2 – The interior. Imposing as an empty cathedral. What light that can makes its way in through the filthy windows, but this place is still overwhelmingly, oppressive dark. This, the ground floor, is broken up into two halves. The main floor, that Eggsy is on, is a mezzanine covered in dust and cobwebs, picked clean by scavengers. A thick layer of dust the only decoration left. This floor balconies over the pit, which has been flooded by a broken sewer main. Dark waters below.

EGGSY, in dark turtleneck, black trousers, blends into these surroundings like a knife into flesh. SFX from his pocket.

SFX: Ting ting!

Panel 3 – Eggsy checks his phone. A nude from a woman, African-American, dyed hairstyle, nose ring, cool.

Panel 4 – Eggsy shines an ultraviolet light (from his phone) on the load-bearing pillar that WAS behind Tan Suit in prior Panel 4. A phosphorescent arrow points RIGHT.

Panel 5 – Eggsy follows the arrow as well, gun drawn, cautious.

PAGE 3

Panel 1 – Harry at the bar, a shrine to alcohol, signaling the BARTENDER (his back to us) as he surreptitiously reaches under the BARSTOOL that Tan Suit pointed to, pocketing microfilm that was taped there (as shown in an INSERT PANEL).

Panel 2 – The Bartender has turned around. Bald head, eyepatch, scar—a clear bad guy. He is reaching into his pocket—X-RAY INSERT shows us the gun his hand is wrapped around. MOTION of his head to the side—he is indicating for Harry to leave with him, a hostage.

Panel 3 – Harry nervously adjusts the collar of his bowtie—which launches a POISON DART from it.

SFX: Pttt!

Panel 4 – Reverse angle (from behind the bar, looking out at the casino floor). The Bartender doubled over, vomiting, a pretty REDHEAD at the bar watching with disgust. Harry is putting his hand over her drink, shaking his head—“must be something in the water.”

SFX: HURRRGH!

Panel 5 – The redhead bites her lip, looking appreciatively at Harry as he takes her hand.

Panel 6 – In the redhead’s room, Harry pours champagne on her breasts as he fucks her through the mattress.

Panel 7 – Harry getting dressed again, adjusting his cufflinks. The redhead remains in bed, naked, happily sleep.

Panel 8 – Harry plays at the craps table.

Panel 9 – Harry sets down a gaming plaque reading 50,000 at the security booth, acting as though it were a business card.

Page 4

Panel 1 – Eggsy at same, though not the impressive library of wine bottles behind the bar has been picked clean. He reaches under the barstool, but this INSERT PANEL shows that he has found nothing but the dangling scotch tape that Harry left when he took the microfilm, all those years ago. Note that one of the neighboring barstool has had its cushion ripped out, leaving only the base. These are the kind of stools built into the floor, with a single chrome strut coming up like a mushroom stalk to support the cushion.

Panel 2 – Ambush. A TERRORIST—balaclava, combat fatigues, AK-47—pops up from behind the bar.

Panel 3 – Multiple images of Eggsy and the Terrorist as he quickly responds, grabbing the AK and pulling hard (1), the Terrorist going along for the ride as Eggsy uses the AK to give him a judo flip (2), the Terrorist landing on the chrome stool without a cushion, which serves as a handy stake to impale him (3).

SFX: SQUUIK!

Panel 4 – Here we break with the Harry parallel, as we see FOUR MORE TERRORISTS incoming, AKs barking.

SFX: BRRHM! BRRHM!

Panel 5 – Eggsy rolls over the bar, taking shelter behind it in the barman’s space. Bullets whiz overhead, starting to disintegrate the bar itself.

SFX: BRRHM! BRRHM!

SFX: THWIT! THWIT! THWIT!

Panel 6 – Crouched behind the bar, Eggsy sees a bottle of champagne the looters missed, lying on the floor. He reaches for it.

Panel 7 – This is broken up into a series of inserts. Eggsy takes a can of MACE from his belt. He unscrews the cap and pours it into the empty champagne bottle. He shakes the bottle up, his gloved hand over the bottleneck.

SFX: THWIT! THWIT! THWIT!

SFX: BRRHM!

Panel 8 – Eggsy tosses the bottle of Mace over his shoulder, sending it sailing over the bar.

Panel 9 – Eggsy rises, gun-arm extended, firing a single shot.

Page 5

Here our page is split right down the middle, Harry on the left, Eggsy on the right, alternating.

Panel 1 – Harry accepts a large satchel of his winnings.

Panel 2 – Eggsy looks at the terrorists writhing in pain.

Panel 3 – Close on Harry as he flicks through a good-sized bundle of cash.

SFX: FWWIP.

Panel 4 – Close on Eggsy as he fires repeatedly.

SFX: BANG BANG BANG BANG.

Panel 5 – Harry enters the casino’s sparkling clean bathroom, smiling bemusedly at a man doing a bump of coke.

Panel 6 – Eggsy enters his own, more disgusting version of same, scaring a rat.

Panel 7 – Inside a bathroom stall, Harry takes a dump, considering the blank partition wall. Grinning with pride at a job well done.

Panel 8 – Eggsy in the same stall. But on his partition wall has been carved “H.H.” Eggsy’s smile is weary, but fond.

Panel 9 – One ‘wide-screen’ panel, stretching under both columns of panel. Close-up of the partition wall in the modern-day. “G.U.” has been carved under Harry’s initials.