Evan Dorkin

World's Funnest: Fourth World Sequence Script w/Art by David Mazzucchelli (Pg 33-36)

Added 2023-08-31 00:03:12 +0000 UTC

David Mazzucchelli was the third artist asked to contribute to World's Funnest. Word must have spread after he was confirmed, because one night Sarah and I returned home to a message on our answering machine: "HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI"? That was the entire message, from Alex Ross (who was the second artist who came on board, after Dave Gibbons).

If nothing else, getting David to do the Fourth World segment of the comic in the style of jack Kirby was the coup of the project. David had left the world of mainstream superhero comics and was off doing his own thing, to much success and acclaim (largely outside the direct market and comic shops). At the time World's Funnest was coming together, we were still on regular speaking terms with David and his wife, artist Richmond Lewis. During the 90s we saw them pretty regularly, often with the Instant Piano gang and other NYC cartoonist-types and friends.

I first met David and Richmond through mutual friend Robbie Busch, at a convention in NYC. Robbie knew I was looking to adopt a cat, and David and Richmond's cat had just had a litter which they were looking to adopt out. That's how I met them. Robbie drove me to their place in Hoboken and I went home with newly-christened Mr. Jinx. And I eventually became friends with David and Richmond, and later on Sarah moved in with me and yadda yadda yadda. It was a time I miss very much, we had a lot of fun and got to look at everyone's upcoming comics and art. The group saw movies together, had get-togethers at apartments and houses, went bowling, fun days. Sarah and I drove David to the second SPX after we convinced him to do the show (we had done the first one), and the four of us traveled together to a UKCAC convention in London one year, which was an absolutely wonderful, memorable time.

Anyway, I asked David if he would be interested in the WF gig. I was not sure what to expect, I knew he wasn't interested in superhero work or work for hire projects. But he (obviously) agreed, partly because of our friendship, and also because he thought it would be fun. His only caveat was that he be allowed to do all aspects of the job, art, lettering, colors and color separation. DC was fine with that, I was, of course, more than fine with that.

David did a magnificent job. It's one of the highlights of the comic and I was knocked out seeing every step of his process as the pages came in. One of the things he wanted to do was imitate Kirby's later art, skewing the close-up panel of Darkseid's face on page 36 (panel three), and having some of the postures be a little awkward (see Darkseid's pose on page 35, panel 2).

Further pushing the Kirby-esque nature of the pages, I came up with a few ideas that were shot down for pretty obvious reasons. One idea was to stain the pages slightly, a coffee mug ring here, a cigarette ash there. Too high concept. Editor Joey Cavalieri pointed out that readers would think they were production errors, that they didn't clean up actually dirty pages. The other idea, which I was kind of hot for, was to have David write penciled plot notes along the panels on the pages, in Kirby's style, so it would look like Kirby's famous plot notes written directly on his pages. David was already writing in dummy lettering in the pencils, which gave me the idea. Everyone thought it was a fun idea but, again, would not read cleanly enough and just look like a production mistake. Some things seem fine in your head but don't work in relaity. Anyway, you can imagine "Mxy insults Darkseid" and "Anti-Life revealed" penciled in around the pages.

Writing the dialog for this segment in Jack Kirby's style was the most fun I had working on the script, and also the toughest. I ached and sweated the dialog and continually tweaked it. I wrote every line multiple times, said them aloud to check the mouth and ear feel. The Kirby feel. I used a couple of dead-good phrases straight from the Fourth World comics, stirred in with my attempt to ape the King's style. A lot of double-hyphens, quotation marks and as many bombastic phrases as the panels could hold. Throughout the book one main objective was to try to capture the art style and the writing style/dialog of every era or format. With my love of all things Jack Kirby, I sweated these four, simple-seeming pages, giving them as much attention as I could until I was satisfied it was time to let it go. I love these pages.

I haven't seen David and Richmond in some years, unfortunately. I'd run into David at the odd convention, usually MOCCA. he flipped through an early galley of Asterios Polyp for me and my friend Brian Marshall once, not letting any one page be seen for an extended second. One of the times I ran into him we talked briefly about World's Funnest. David sdoesn't sell his original pages, and I mentioned that if he ever did, there was one page from the entire book I would love to have. He said "The Darkseid splash." I said, "Yeah".

I feel honored to work with everyone involved with World's Funnest, but some collaborators were more special than others. David was top tier. I look at the pages and I get a lump in my throat, for a number of reasons. He did a beautiful job and a loving tribute to Jack Kirby. Just nailed it. Wiping a tear.

Art-wise, in the gallery you'll find scanned xeroxes of David's pencils with roughed-in lettering, one xerox of the lettering in progress, and then the final inks.

Script-wise, here you go. This section had one of my favorite and arguably best single jokes in the book, that being the revelation of the Anti-Life Equation. Sometimes I am happy with my work. The joke came late in the script, it wasn't built towards it. I had trouble putting the script together, plot-wise, because of the lack of a focal point beyond Apokolips and Darkseid having to deal with the two goofs. Everything worked out for the best, I hope the readers agreed.

WORLD'S FUNNEST - LAST IMP STANDING

SCRIPT FOR THE FOURTH WORLD SEQUENCE - PAGES 33-36

NOTES ON THE SCRIPT

Joey -- I'm following Kirby's scripting format for the dialogue in this sequence - meaning the odd use of hyphens, quotation marks and multiple exclamation points is "fully intended"!!!

NOTES ON THE ART

- Mxy's appearance - late 60's/early 70's version

- New Gods characters appear as they did in Kirby's original Fourth World run.

PAGE THIRTY-THREE

PANEL ONE

MR. MXYZPTLK "pops" into the air above the Energy Pits of Apokolips, where he's almost seared by jets of crackling energy shooting up into the filthy, polluted sky. The roiling pits are ringed by Armagetto's unclean factories and machinery, a sort of mix of Dante's Inferno and Elizabeth, NJ. Mxy appears as he did in the late '60's/early '70's.

1) MXY: THAT DUMPY LITTLE INGRATE! JUST WAIT'LL I -- EEYOWW!

2) MXY: YE GODS! WHAT SORT OF STINK-PIT DID THAT LITTLE PEST PICK FOR A HIDEY-HOLE THIS TIME?

SFX (by Mxy) - POP!

PANEL TWO

Mxy floats down closer towards the surface of Apokolips, passing a gigantic statue of Darkseid. He watches a squad of winged PARA-DEMONS hurtling towards the ground, their squad leader urging them forward, the sentries taking no notice of the hovering imp in their mad rush. Mxyzptlk and the statue are backlit from the distant energy pits -- the deep shadows obfuscating the sculpted details of the statue prevent us from seeing Darkseid's face clearly, making him look even more like a looming death figure.

3) PARADEMON LEADER: HURRY, MY FELLOW WARRIORS! THE MASTER HAS INAUGURATED THE GREAT RALLY!!

4) PARADEMON SOLDIER: AT LAST -- THE "FINAL PUSH" IS HERE!!

5) MXY (thought balloon):YEESH! SOMEONE ACTUALLY LIVES ON THIS CHARCOAL BRIQUETTE! UGLY LITTLE BOY SCOUTS, TOO! WONDER WHAT THIS "FINAL PUSH" JAZZ IS ALL ABOUT --

PANEL THREE

A large panel of a massive, teeming assemblage of soldiers, para-demons and guards, fully armed and obviously prepared for a great battle. The cheering, rowdy troops fill the background as far as the eye can see, assembled into a huge canal-like structure bracketed on either side by large walls sporting Apokoliptan statuary, guardposts and machinery. The warriors are all looking reverantly towards the immediate foreground -- where at the bottom of the panel is a large and foreshortened gloved fist, raised out towards the troops. Mxyzptlk hovers above the troops in the background, his body language expressing his surprise at what he sees. In the distant background, the massive energy pits continue to churn out crackling power, illuminating the proceedings with red, unearthly light. The more this looks like a whacked-out Nazi rally, the better, because that's obviously where Jack was coming from.

6) MXYZPTLK: ?!?

7) DARKSEID (big): CHILDREN OF APOKOLIPS -- REJOICE!! FOR "THE PACT" IS OVER!! --PEACE IS DEAD!! AND IN IT'S WAKE "ULTIMATE WAR" IS DECLARED!!!

8) DARKSEID (big): SOON YOU WILL ALL KNOW THE JOY AND GLORY OF FIGHTING AND DYING FOR YOUR MASTER -

PAGE THIRTY-FOUR

PANEL ONE

A powerful, Kirby-esque splash of an imposing Darkseid addressing his troops from a large elevated podium. He's closest to us in the foreground, his arm outspread in a Hitler-like "heil" gesture as he's flanked in the background by his main aides de camp -- KALIBAK, GRANNY GOODNESS, DESAAD, KANTO, VERMIN VUNDERBAR and DR. BEDLAM. Beyond them is a complex Kirby death machine positioned on another platform, tended to by strangely garbed scientists. In the deep background -- and wherever visible below the podium -- we can see the throngs of soldiers reaching as far as the eye can see. Above them, the skies are choked black and seared red by the ever-present discharge of Armagetto and the energy pits. Conspicuously out-of-place in this scene is little BAT-MITE, who hovers by Darkseid, unnoticed by all as he nervously hides behind the great dictator.

PAGE 34 SPLASH

1) DARKSEID (big): -- DARKSEID!! HE WHO IS MIGHT ABOVE ALL!!

2) DARKSEID: HE WHOSE CONSUMMATE POWER SHALL BE UNLEASHED LIKE A WILLFUL STORM UPON THE COSMOS!! -- GIVING NO QUARTER!! OFFERING NO ESCAPE!!!

3) DARKSEID: AND THOUGH THE HEAVENS BE SHATTERED, THE DREAM WILL BE REALIZED!! THE SECRET TO THE "ANTI-LIFE" EQUATION WILL AT LONG LAST BE MINE!!

4) DARKSEID (big): AND NO MAN -- NO FORCE -- NO GOD!! -- CAN STOP ME !!--

5) MXY (off panel): AHA! THERE YOU ARE YOU LITTLE CREEP!

PAGE THIRTY-FIVE

PANEL ONE

Mxy charges onto the podium, angrily pointing a finger at Bat-Mite -- who nervously hides behind Darkseid's thick, booted leg. Darkseid looks upon Mxyzptlk with no discernible expression upon his craggy face. His goons, however, stand aghast in the background, and Kalibak hefts his massive Beta-Club as if he intends to flatten the impish intruder.

1) MXY: OOOH, WAIT'LL I GET MY MITTS ON YOU, YOU --

2) GRANNY GOODNESS: WHAT?! -- WHO DARES DISTURB GREAT DARKSEID ON THE CUSP OF HIS GREATEST TRIUMPH?!

3) KALIBAK: WORRY NOT, MASTER! LOYAL KALIBAK WILL REWARD THESE GNATS FOR THEIR RUDENESS -- WITH TORMENTS NONE HAVE DARED DREAM OF!

PANEL TWO

Darkseid angrily waves off his cringing toadies as he looks down towards the two imps -- who are recklessly running around his legs like two bad children, with Mxy hot in pursuit of a panicky Bat-Mite.

4) DARKSEID: SILENCE YOU PRATTLING DOGS!! YOUR CALLOW BOOTLICKING OFFENDS ME!!! DARKSEID NEEDS ONLY HIMSELF TO DEAL WITH THIS STRANGE INTRUSION!!

5) MXY: YOU BAT-SUITED BLOB! I'LL KEELHAUL YOU!

PANEL THREE

A curious Darkseid plucks a furious Mxy off the floor by the back of the imp's collar, lifting the pest high up into the air for closer study. Mxy tries in vain to grab Bat-Mite, who is hovering in the air near Darkseid as he "pops" out within a burst effect (similar to that used when Bat-Mite appears and disappears in the old '60's comics). As he fades away, Bat-Mite cheerfully smiles and waves at his apoplectic adversary.

6) DARKSEID: HMMM...THIS IMPUDENT LITTLE HOBGOBLIN MIGHT MAKE FOR A WORTHY COURT JESTER -- AFTER SOME "BRAIN-WORK"!! BUT DARKSEID HAS NO TIME FOR LAUGHTER -- ONLY CONQUEST!! -- AND "ANTI-LIFE"!!!

7) MXY: YOU BIG LUMMOX! YOU'RE LETTING THAT TUB O-GUTS GET AWAY!

SFX (by Bat-Mite) - POP!

PANEL FOUR

Darkseid uses his omega effect on Mxyzptlk, who he has let go of. The floating imp is obscured by the widening beams of energy emanating from Darkseid's eye's, we can only see Mxy's shape within the effect.

8) DARKSEID: ENOUGH! YOU ANGER ME, WHELP! NOW LET ME PAY PROPER RESPECT TO SUCH FOOLISHNESS!! --

9) DARKSEID: BEHOLD THE "OMEGA EFFECT"!! -- THE END OF THE END!! THE TOTAL "WIPE-OUT"!! BATHE IN IT AND KNOW OBLIVION!!!

PANEL FIVE

Darkseid is taken aback to see Mr. Mxyzptlk hovering calmly in the air before him, unhurt and unfazed by the Omega Effect. Some smoke wafts off of him to indicate the energy he withstood, his legs are crossed, and he gestures with a lit cigar in his hand as he blows a lazy smoke ring into the air. If there's room, we can see several of Darseid's toadies cowering in fear and disbelief in the background behind their master.

10) MXY: THANKS FOR THE LIGHT, FRANKENSTEIN.

11) MXY: NOW IT'S MY TURN.

PANEL SIX

Mxy gestures with his hands outspread, and Apokolips and the universe itself shatters in a cataclysmic cosmic eruption. If there's any way to throw in a nod to Kirby's collage panels via computer or what have you, feel free, but don't feel obligated if it's not practical or possible.

SFX - BOOOOOM!!

PAGE THIRTY-SIX

PANEL ONE

The remaining debris of Apokolips and the cosmos floats in an eerie, scorched void. We can see Darkseid floating in space amongst the debris, he's on his back, broken and fading, aghast at his fate. Floating cheerfully near Darkseid is an undamaged Mr. Mxyzptlk. He's holding a large oaktag-like piece of white paper out towards the shattered Darkseid, who has one hand weakly held out towards it. We can't see what on the paper at this angle. Floating amongst the debris is a damaged mother box and Kalibak's Beta-Club -- perhaps a chunk of the Darkseid statue floats in the background, along with shattered bits of Kirby machinery and other flotsam and jetsom. Maybe the collage angle would work here, although again, I'm not pushing for it, just throwing an ideas around.

1) MXY: SORRY TO OBLITERATE-AND-RUN, GRUESOME, BUT I'VE GOT PLACES TO GO AND PESTS TO KILL.

2) MXY: BUT BEFORE I GO --

3) MXY: -- I HEARD YOU WERE LOOKING FOR THIS...

SFX (from Mother Box, dimishing as it fades) PING PING PING

PANEL TWO

Tight on Darkseid as he weakly holds the piece of paper in one ravaged hand and peers at it. We can't see what's written on the paper -- only the surprised, shocked expression on Darkseid's craggy face as he looks at it.

4) MXY (off panel): TA TA, SWEETHEART!

SFX - POP!

PANEL THREE

We're Kirby-close on Darkseid's laughing, near hysterical face.

5) DARKSEID (smallish): HA HA...

6) DARKSEID (growing steadily larger): ...HA HA HA HA --

PANEL FOUR

Pull back for a wider, full shot of Darkseid. Alone amongst the debris, he continues to laugh even as he expires. His body is pitched back, weak crackling Kirby-energy trails from his dark eyes as he fades. He's lost his grip on the paper, which flutters up close towards the reader -- where we can now see a childishly scrawled pictograph upon it:

A picture of MR. MXYZPTLK'S FACE + a picture of BAT-MITE'S FACE = ANTI-LIFE

SFX (diminishing as he expires, until it fades away) - HAHAHAHA HA HA HA HA--

And so goes Apokolips and the "Fourth World" segment of our little entertainment. Our merry chase next leads to the so-called "Super Friends sequence", in which our two loveable imp protagonists wreak havoc upon the universe featuring the characters from the wretched Hanna-Barbera cartoon series.

Previous WORLD'S FUNNEST retrospective posts can be found here. Hopefully the links work. Search "WF retrospective" if I goofed!

- The original pitch for World's Funnest (aka, Last Imp Standing) is here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-64684036

- Brian Bolland's cover with original, alternate colors can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-65353388

- The Silver Age era script (pgs 1-18), w/Dave Gibbon's inks: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-1-65064249

- The Phantom Zone sequence (pg 19) w/Mike Allred's inks: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-66166610

- The Golden Age Introduction part 1: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-66906681

- The Golden Age Introduction part 2: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-2-67170515

- The Golden Age era (pgs 20-21), w/Sheldon Moldoff's inks: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-67320529

- Earth 3 (pg 22) w/pencils by Stuart Immonen and inks by Joe Giella:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-3-67916213

- Earth X/Freedom Fighters/Quality Comics (pg 23-24) art by Frank Cho

https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-x-69815979