This is a one-page contribution to Phil Yeh's WINGED TIGER comic book series. The series promotes literacy, creativity, the arts, and other positive issues using cartoons and humor. For more information, visit Cartoonists Across America & the World.
The WINGED TIGER premise: Patrick Rabbit wanders the planet in his Ideaship, a balloon resembling a light bulb. His quest is to find an answer to his burning question: Where do creative people get their ideas?
The script
Introductory panel. The Ideaship drifts over northern Arizona. In a central plaza surrounded by low pueblo structures, Billy and Drew play basketball. Patrick sees them and waves to get their attention.
CAPTION 1: The Hopi reservation, northern Arizona.
CAPTION 2: Billy Honanie and Drew Quyatt play a little b-ball.
PATRICK: Hey, it's the heroes of PEACE PARTY, the multicultural comic book featuring Native Americans! Guys!
Panel 1. Closeup of Billy and Drew. Billy is wearing a casual shirt with collar and jeans. Drew is wearing his usual t-shirt with jeans. His t-shirt reads "Imagine."
Billy, concentrating intently, dribbles a basketball toward us. Between Billy and us stands Drew, guarding him with his back turned toward us. Drew's head swivels suddenly left as he hears Patrick (off-panel) speak. Billy is still facing ahead but his eyes glance left also.
1. DREW: Yo, Patrick!
2. BILLY: Who are y—huh? A talking rabbit?!
3. DREW: Sure. All animals can talk. We just can't understand them normally.
Panel 2. In the foreground, Drew has turned away from Billy and game. He gestures and speaks toward Patrick, who is hovering near the panel's edge.
In the background, Billy is in mid-air, lofting a shot toward the basket. The ball goes through the hoop.
4. BILLY (thinks): Must be a heat-induced hallucination....
5. DREW (to Patrick): I'm the artist here. I'll answer your questions about creativity.
6. PATRICK: Are you gonna tell me to look around, ideas are everywhere, yada yada?
Panel 3. Closeup of Drew as he looks up at Patrick and explains. Billy's head is visible in the background.
7. DREW: Heck, no. Them Trix are for kids.
8. BILLY: Oy, vey.
9. DREW: Native people tell stories to explain everything. Why is the wind blowing your Ideaship around the world? Well, maybe there's a giant somewhere who's huffing and puffing.
Panel 4. Medium closeup with Drew on the left and Billy on the right. They're equally close in this panel.
10. DREW: Why is he huffing and puffing? Well, maybe Coyote tricked him into thinking the sky would fall if he didn't keep blowing it up.
11. BILLY: Pick up the pace, Picasso.
12. DREW: Why is the sky blue? Maybe Raven stole the other colors. Why do fish swim? Maybe they lost their legs in a bet. Why did the chicken cross the road—?
13. BILLY: To avoid your jokes, presumably.
Panel 5. Billy moves to the foreground and Drew to the background. Billy addresses the hovering Patrick.
14. BILLY: I'm a lawyer, and we tell stories too.
15. DREW: I'll say.
16. BILLY: Suppose your client is found at a crime scene with the murder weapon in his hand—but he didn't shoot anyone. You have to invent a plausible story.
17. BILLY: Maybe he heard the shot, entered the room, and picked up the smoking gun. A cliche, yes, but it explains things for the jury.
18. DREW: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."
19. BILLY: Something like that. You don't have to pull a rabbit out of your hat—er, no offense—
20. DREW: —just shift the perception of reality slightly.
Panel 6. A small panel showing Billy and Drew from above, as if Patrick's Ideaship is floating away. They're shouting so Patrick can hear them.
21. BILLY: In short, as Drew said...
22. PATRICK: My head's whirling, guys—
23. BILLY: Turn facts into stories—!
24. DREW: The Native way—!
25. PATRICK: The wind's whirling too! I'm outta here!
26. CAPTION: Visit PEACE PARTY online at http://www.bluecorncomics.com.
Words: Rob Schmidt
Art: Theo Tso (Navajo/Southern Paiute), Rob Schmidt, and Phil Yeh
Published in (heavily) edited form in WINGED TIGER #12.
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All material © copyright its original owners, except where noted.
Original text and pictures © copyright 2007 by Robert Schmidt.
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