Ritual#01 - Epitaph

This story can be viewed on the Webtoons platform.

SCRIPT FOR 10 PAGES

PENCILS & INKS: Yonami

COLORS: Mikaella Fusco

WRITER: Yonami (with text from Rod Monteiro and revised by Troy Brownfield )

COVER ART: Artur Medeiros and Mikaella Fusco

Before proceeding to the actual comments on the story, it is necessary to mention the story that inspired it and indirectly followed it. In its third version, as mentioned before, Leona wore a yellow dress slightly inspired by one of Lain's outfits in the PSX game and was already on her travels in search of her mother. 

The story began with the scene of a crime committed by a ghostly creature and Leona arrived in the city the following night looking for information about her mother and looking for a wizard who might be able to help her. Upon arriving at his mansion, Leona discovered that the eccentric man had died mysteriously a few months earlier.

Here's a little curiosity: at that time, Nastia's design was a little different from what we have today, in the form of a spirit and wearing long dresses, a witch's hat and a porcelain mask. In a way, there was a type of communication between her and Leona through dreams, something that I kept in the current stories. But here, notice that symbolically I represented Leona as a girl, and her clothes (even as an adult) were more modern, perhaps a legacy of the first and second versions of her that I still "insisted" on keeping. Note that here, despite not yet having the hat, she still had one or two conventions, such as flying on a broomstick, for example.

After leaving the mansion, Leona walks through the streets and arrives at the crime scene shown on the first page along with a group of curious onlookers. The police find the victim's body and investigate the place, dispersing the crowd shortly after. Leona finds a clue at the crime scene and is soon sent away by the detective. She then walks through the streets of London again while reflecting on the last few hours and remembers the conversation she had in her dreams with her mother comparing the clue with the advice she had given her and immediately takes flight back to the mansion.

I won't deny that at the time, I tried to fit too many scenes onto the same page by squeezing frames together, making the narrative very confusing. I confess that at that time I didn't have the necessary experience as a comic book artist, but I was already experimenting with a technique that I use a lot in digital drawing today, which is drawing characters and scenes on different layers (in this case, different sheets) to make it easier to manipulate elements in the scenes and make any revisions. Today, I usually separate all the elements into folders in order to use the pages in webcomics and digital animations, as you can see in some of the files I share with you in the illustration processes.

In this scene, Leona breaks into the office of her mother's deceased friend to consult his magical records and diaries in search of something that could help her investigate the murders that Nastia had mentioned to her in her dreams. After a few hours of reading, she finds photos of an unknown woman who she deduces to be tonight's victim, and is then interrupted by the magician's servant. He leaves shortly after realizing that there was no one in the office, and we see a black cat in the foreground in one of the transformations that Leona was using at the time. She then sets off to find the woman in the photo with the aim of saving her from the killer, thus ending this six-page sequence with the cliffhanger of the next victim being threatened by the ghost of the powerful magician.

As mentioned above, this story was part of the aforementioned sequel. However, it became a direct sequel to the end of "Neverending Nights", so I needed to create an introduction similar to the one presented in the original and that would fit in with the previous story. I looked for something simple with a discreet reference to a movie I saw at the time, with two friends returning from a night out and passing through a dirty and dangerous place and then being surprised by a kitten. The layout was completely experimental, as we also wanted to adapt the story to a digital format.

PAGE 01

PANEL 01 – (THIS STORY BEGINS SHORTLY AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF TMW#00.) NIGHT - ESTABLISHMENT SCENE, WE ARE IN A STEAMPUNK VERSION OF LONDON IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY. PEOPLE WALK THROUGH A BUSY AVENUE. WE SEE SOME STEAM-POWERED DOUBLE-DECKER BUSES, PERIOD BUILDINGS, BALLOONS AND ZEPPELINS IN THE SKIES. TWO WOMEN GET OFF THE BUS. THE ONE WITH THE HAT IS CALLED MARY AND THE OTHER IS CALLED ANNIE.

1) CAPTION: AN ALTERNATIVE VERSION OF LONDON

2) CAPTION: 1902.

3) ANNIE: COME ON, MARY.

4) MARY: CALM DOWN, ANNIE.

5) CAPTION (BOTTOM OF FRAME): “THIS STORY TAKES PLACE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EVENTS SHOWN IN “THE MIDNIGHT WITCH 0”.

FRAME 02 – OPEN, WE SEE TWO VERY WELL DRESSED YOUNG WOMEN WALKING DOWN A SIDEWALK WHILE TALKING HAPPILY. THEY APPEAR TO BE SLIGHTLY DRUNK.

6) ANNIE: LET ME SEE WHERE WE’RE GOING.

7) MARY: WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK. YOU'RE NOT EVEN DRUNK, RIGHT?

FRAME 03 – OPEN, BOTH WOMEN ENTER AMIDST TRASH CANS, FLYING PAPER, RATS AND SOME PUDDLES OF WATER, THROUGH A FOGGY ALLEY WITH A BLURRY LIGHTING COMING FROM SOME LAMPS BETWEEN PARALLEL BUILDINGS, MOVING AWAY FROM THE MOVEMENT ON THE AVENUE TOWARDS THE NEXT BLOCK.

8) ANNIE: JUST A LITTLE.

9) MARY: COME, I'LL TAKE YOU HOME.

FRAME 04 – SIDE SCENE. WE FOCUS ON ONE OF THEM, SCARED AS THEY WALK DOWN THE ALLEY, FEELING SHE IS BEING OBSERVED BY THE GLOWING EYES IN THE DARKNESS. WE SEE HER FRIEND IN THE BACKGROUND SURPRISED BY THE REACTION OF HER FRIEND IN THE FOREGROUND.

10) ANNIE: I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD GO THROUGH HERE.

11) MARY: WHAT'S UP? THIS IS THE FASTEST WAY.

FRAME 05 – DOUBLE SCENE, THE GIRL IN THE BACK IS MORE EXCITED, TRIES TO CALM THE OTHER GIRL DOWN BY TALKING TO HER AS THEY WALK. THE MIST BEGINS TO SPREAD EVEN MORE THROUGH THE DARK ALLEY, MAKING THE LITTLE LIGHT EVEN MORE DIFFUSE.

12) ANNIE: I KNOW, BUT... I DON'T KNOW, AFTER WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT ELIZABETH IN AN ALLEY LIKE THAT...

13) MARY: STOP! JUST STOP, OK? THIS IS AN URBAN LEGEND. SOMETHING THE GOVERNMENT MADE UP TO OPPRESS US.

FRAME 06 – THEY ARE FRIGHTENED BY A NOISE COMING FROM AHEAD AND LOOK AROUND IN TERRIFIED SCREAMING. THEY SEE THEMSELVES EVEN MORE SURROUNDED BY THE THICK FOG THAT MADE THE LIGHT EVEN MORE DIFFUSE.

14) MARY: THIS THING ABOUT A KILLER CHASING WOMEN IN ALLEYS IS--

15) ANNIE: WHAT WAS THAT?

16) SFX: CRASH!

FRAME 07 – POV OF THE TWO WOMEN WATCHING A HUGE SHADOW MOVING AGAINST THE LIGHT BEHIND THE FOG. THE CREATURE WITH BRIGHT EYES WALK CALMLY TOWARDS THEM.

17) ANNIE AND MARY: AHHH!

FRAME 08 – A CAT EMERGES FROM THE FOG, ITS SHADOW PROJECTED THROUGH THE DIFFUSE FOG, MAKING IT LOOK LIKE A HUGE CREATURE.

18) MARY (OFF-FRAME): FUCK, IT'S JUST A CAT!

FRAME 09 – ONE OF THE GIRLS BENDS DOWN TO PET THE CAT WATCHED BY HER FRIEND RIGHT BEHIND HER. WE CAN SEE THE HUGE SHADOW CAST BEHIND THE TWO WOMEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DIFFUSE MIST.

19) MARY: IT'S OK, MY LOVE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO HURT YOU. WE'RE JUST PASSING THROUGH.

It is interesting to mention that the layouts of the original sequence were designed for the traditional comic book format, so a lot of things were adapted, but notice that most of the camera angles were preserved, enhancing the action and drama of several scenes. The sequence of Leona's arrival during the attack was maintained and the essence of the dialogue was quite similar. It is possible to absorb the core of the conversation even without any lines of text present in the layouts and, another curious factor is the fact that since the total number of pages was reduced, unlike the original story, I was able to organize the narrative in proportional frames without the need to squeeze them together.

PAGE 02

FRAME 01 – REVERSE THE ANGLE. WE SEE THE CREATURE MADE OF DARKNESS AND MIASMA, WITH A SUPERNATURAL FORM THAT RESEMBLES A GHOST WITH A CAPE AND TOP HAT AND A MASK WITH A DEMONIC SMILE. THE GIRLS ARE SURPRISED BY THE CREATURE, ONE OF THEM HAS THE CAT IN HER ARMS.

1) MARY: I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU HOME WITH ME. WOULD YOU LIKE THAT?

2) ANNIE: LET'S GO, MARY. I DON'T LIKE THIS HERE.

3) JACK: NO... (TEXT IN SYMBOLS)

FRAME 02 – CLOSED IN ON THE TERRIFIED FACES OF THE GIRLS SCREAMING IN DESPAIR, ONE OF THEM PLACES HERSELF IN FRONT OF THE OTHER TO PROTECT HER.

4) JACK: FUHUHUHU.... (TEXT IN SYMBOLS)

5) ANNIE: HUH?

6) MARY: WHAT IS IT--?

FRAME 03 – THE CREATURE FORMS TENTACLES WITH SHARP ENDS, PIERCING THE GIRL IN FRONT, DESTROYING HER BODY WITH SEVERAL STRIKES.

7) JACK: HAHAHAHAHA... (TEXT IN SYMBOLS)

FRAME 04 – CLOSED IN ON THE DESPERATE FACE OF THE FRIEND AS SHE SEE HER FRIEND BEING TORN TOGETHER RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER.

8) JACK: YOU'RE GOING TO SERVE ME.... (TEXT IN SYMBOLS)

9) MARY: ANNIE!

FRAME 05 – WE MOVE THE CAMERA AWAY (WORM'S VIEW) AND FURTHER TO THE LEFT OF THE FRAME, WE HAVE A FOOT OF A 3RD WOMAN (LEONA) WALKING TOWARDS THE SCENE OF THE TERRIFIED YOUNG WOMAN AND THE MONSTER WITH ITS BACK TO THE NEW VISITOR.

10) MARY: ANNIE!

11) CAPTION: “MY NAME IS MÁDIKA LEONA”.

FRAME 06 – WE OPEN THE CAMERA (VIEW FROM ABOVE) AND SEE THE BODY BEING TORN TORN IN THE AIR BY THE CREATURE IN QUESTION, WE STILL HAVE THE GIRL SCREAMING IN HORROR AT THE SCENE WITNESSED. ON THE RIGHT WE HAVE THE NEW VISITOR – AN ELEGANT WOMAN, WITH A BEAUTIFUL VICTORIAN DRESS AND WEARING A COAT AND TOP HAT.

12) MARY: ANNIE... NO... ANNIE...

13) CAPTION: “THE MIDNIGHT WITCH”.

FRAME 07 – DUTCH SHOT. WE SEE THE GIRL'S BODY FALLING IN FRONT OF LEONA, SURROUNDED BY MIST AND DARKNESS AROUND HER.

14) LEONA: I HEARD OF A CREATURE WHOSE LAUGHTER WAS LIKE SONGS FROM THE BEYOND...

FRAME 08 – REVERSE ANGLE. WE HAVE LEONA WITH HER BACK TO US, LOOKING AT THE MONSTER AND THE YOUNG WOMAN HUGGING THE CAT IN A CATATONIC STATE.

15) LEONA: GIRL... TAKE YOUR CAT AND RUN.

FRAME 09 – LEONA'S PROFILE (ONLY FROM THE NOSE DOWN), DARK AND OBSCURED. SHE GIVES AN ORDER FOR THE GIRL TO GET UP AND RUN AWAY.

16) LEONA: NOW!!!

I had been thinking about this page for a long time with a Tetsuo Hara/Buronson style of storytelling. I lost count of the times I saw a splash page with Kenshiro walking towards the foreground, snapping his fingers without caring who his opponent was. Yes, the layout was directly inspired by Hokuto no Ken, with the villain in the foreground full of pomp, while the hero walks towards him, determined and imposing. The victim positioned between the two, while the other runs in the background. We added the surrounding setting to locate the reader where our characters are and the context of the place where the confrontation will take place.

PAGE 03

FRAME 01 – SPLASH PAGE – DUTCH SHOT, SIMILAR TO FRAME 07 ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE WE HAVE THE IMPOSING CREATURE AND LEONA IN AN ACTION POSE. WE SEE THE YOUNG WOMAN SEEKING SHELTER IN A TRASH CAN WITH THE CAT ON HER LAP.

1) LEONA: DAMN SPECTER. EVEN HELL IS NOT PUNISHMENT ENOUGH FOR TYPES LIKE YOU. 

In this sequence I wanted to bring an action sequence and the feeling of the passage of time, from slower to faster, preserving much of the original layout except for some poses due to the skewed frame, especially the scene where the monster disappears and reappears behind her, I eliminated the close up of the smile and switched to a close up scene of the manifestation of the watch in her hand, and of course, I brought a reference to Castlevania which is obviously one of the heaviest influences I brought to this series.

PAGE 04

FRAME 01 – UPPER ANGLE, LEONA TALKS TO THE CREATURE. WE SEE THE WOMAN FALLEN ON THE GROUND, APPARENTLY DEAD AND SERIOUSLY WOUNDED.

1) LEONA: HM...?

2) CAPTION: “A TOY IN THE HANDS OF THE FLOW OF TIME”.

FRAME 02 – CLOSE ON THE GIRL'S FACE, WE REALIZE THAT SHE STILL HAS A SPARK OF LIFE LEFT AND SHE IS IN AGONISM DESPITE ALL THE BLOWS SHE HAS RECEIVED.

3) ANNIE: HELP ME....

4) CAPTION: “I AM THROWN FROM DIMENSION TO DIMENSION WITH EACH DAILY CYCLE”.

FRAME 03 – LEONA IS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FRAME. WE SEE HER IN PROFILE FROM THE WAIST UP TALKING TO THE MONSTER.

5) LEONA: I SEE THAT YOU STILL HAVE A BRIEF BREATH OF LIFE.

6) CAPTION: “I SEARCH FOR CLUES OF MY LOST MOTHER. WHEN WE FIND HER, WE CAN SAVE OUR OWN DIMENSION FROM THE EVIL THAT AFFLICTS IT”.

FRAME 04 – VIEWED FROM A WORM, WE HAVE THE GIRL IN THE FOREGROUND DYING, WE SEE LEONA OVER HER LOOKING AT THE GIRL WITH A SERIOUS EXPRESSION ON HER FACE WHILE RECYCLING AN INCANTATION TOWARDS HER.

7) LEONA: VITA, ENERGISE NOBIS TACTUS CUM SIT SIMPLEX. VIRES NOBIS NOSTRAS IGNIBUS IGNES.

8) CAPTION: “WHILE THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN, I TRY TO DO GOOD WHEREVER I GO”.

FRAME 05 – WE SEE LEONA (FULL BODY) FROM THE BACK, THE CREATURE DISSIPATES IN THE MIASMA IN FRONT OF HER, CAUSING A DISPLACEMENT OF AIR, MOVING HER HAIR AND DISPENSING THE MIST AROUND HER.

9) LEONA: HM...

FRAME 06 – SAME AS THE PREVIOUS, BUT THIS TIME THE CREATURE RECOMPOSITES ITSELF, FORMING ITS BODY OF MIASMA BEHIND LEONA, READY TO ATTACK.

10) JACK: HSSSS....

FRAME 07 – THE MONSTER'S ARMS TRANSFORM INTO HUGE AXES ATTACKING LEONA WITH A SIDE SLASH. SHE JUMPS OVER THE BLOW, DODGING IT.

11) LEONA: PREDICTABLE, COMING FROM COWARDS WHO ATTACK THOSE WHO CANNOT DEFEND THEMSELVES...

FRAME 08 – MEDIUM SHOT. LEONA RECITING A NEW INCANTATION WHILE SUMMONING HER WATCH.

12) LEONA: TYPES LIKE YOU...

FRAME 09 – DUTCH SHOT. LEONA FALLS IN FRONT OF THE MONSTER WITH A VERTICAL ATTACK FROM HER WATCH CHAIN, LIKE A WHIP ON FIRE (REFERENCE TO VAMPIRE KILLER) WITH HER BACK TO US. THE CREATURE DODGES TO THE SIDE AND PREPARES A NEW ATTACK.

13) LEONA: ...THEY'RE LIKE COCKROACHES!!! 

Interestingly, when I look back at these layouts, I realize that the Leona of yesteryear was extremely agile and less elegant than the Leona of today. I notice a bit of brutality and viscerality in her. In fact, the original idea was to bring a bit of gore to the narrative, but since this story was actually drawn almost 12 or 13 years after I did the layouts, I realize how much I matured as an artist and was able to adapt the scenes to a more concise layout and, most importantly, with an even more cohesive and harmonious narrative.

PAGE 05

FRAME 01 – INVERTED ANGLE. LEONA ATTACKS WITH A ROTARY BLOW FROM THE MAGIC CHAIN ​​OF HER WATCH (A REFERENCE TO CASTLEVANIA AGAIN), ADVANCING AGAINST THE MONSTER WHO ENDS UP BEING HIT BY THE BLOW, LEANING ON THE GROUND WITH FORCE, CRACKING THE CONCRETE UNDER THEM.

1) CAPTION: “WHILE ON MY TRAVELS, I REALIZED THAT WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER OUR DESTINY”.

FRAME 02 – THE TENTACLES PROJECT FROM THE GROUND, HITTING LEONA WHO BLOCKS THE ATTACK WITH THE MAGIC CHAIN.

2) CAPTION: “WE ARE LIKE LEAVES IN THE WIND”.

FRAME 03 – THE BLOW MAKES LEONA JUMP HIGHER ABOVE THE MIST PREPARING A NEW ATTACK BY RAISING HER ARM WITH THE WATCH TRANSFORMING HER BODY INTO ELECTRIC ENERGY FOR AN ELECTRIC ATTACK TO BE CONDUCTED THROUGH THE MONSTER'S TENTACLES. WE SEE THE BRIGHT MOON IN THE SKY.

3) CAPTION: “IN THE END...”

FRAME 04 – THE STRONG ELECTRIC CURRENT GOES THROUGH THE MONSTER'S ARMS HITTING IT ON THE GROUND AND LEONA GOES THROUGH THE CREATURE REAPPEARING RIGHT BEHIND HER. 4) SFX CROSSING THREE FRAMES: FWOSSH!

FRAME 05 – REVERSE ANGLE, LEONA IN THE BACKGROUND LOOKS BACK CALMLY WATCHING THE CREATURE THAT APPEARS TO BE FURIOUS DESPITE THE SADISTIC SMILE ON THE MASK THAT FORMS ITS FACE.

NO DIALOGUE

FRAME 06 – MEDIUM SHOT. TO LEONA'S SURPRISE, SYMBIOTIC TENTACLES APPEAR FROM BEHIND HER, TRAPPING HER ARMS AND LEGS.

5) CAPTION: "...NOTHING CAN RESIST THE MAGIC OF TIME!

6) LEONA: RIDE THE LIGHTNING!!!!!

FRAME 07 – REVERSE. WE SEE LEONA BEING ATTACKED BY SEVERAL SHARP TENTACLES, THROWING HER AGAINST THE WALL.

7) CAPTION: “WE ARE ALL YOUR HOSTAGES. ME MORE THAN THE OTHERS.”

FRAME 08 – CLOSE ON LEONA’S FACE, PROFILE. BLOOD DRIPS FROM HER HANDS, SHE SMILES SARCASTICLY AT THE CREATURE.

8) LEONA: WHAT...?

FRAME 09 – SIMILAR TO FRAME 07. THE MONSTER DELIVERS THE FINAL BLOW AGAINST HER FACE IN AN IMPACTFUL WAY.

9) LEONA – UNGH...

10) SFX: THUMP! 

In this sequence, I visualized an action similar to Rugal Bernstein's SUPER DESPERATE MOVE in The King of Fighters 98, laughing while striking the opponent. Unfortunately, I cut the scene of the body sliding down the wall and jumped straight to the throwing of the power object down the alley and reversed the order of frames bringing the "boo" to the next frame.

PAGE 06

FRAME 01 – REVERSE ANGLE. THE CREATURE WATCHES LEONA'S BODY FALLING DOWN THE WALL.

1) JACK: DID YOU THINK YOU WOULD DEFEAT ME SO EASILY, WITCH? (TEXT IN SYMBOLS)

FRAME 02 – SIMPLE SHOT, WE SEE THE CREATURE IN PROFILE WATCHING THE BODY IN A TYPE OF TRANCE.

2) JACK: HAHAHAHAHA.

FRAME 03 – ATTACKER'S POV. FROM THE MIST BEHIND THE MONSTER, A MYSTERIOUS HAND EMERGES, GRABING ITS MASK.

3) SFX: CHUNK.

FRAME 04 – BIG REVEAL. LEONA'S COUNTER-PLONGÉE (IN A SORT OF ETHEREAL FORM) WITH A SADISTIC SMILE ON HER FACE HOLDING THE MONSTER'S MASK (APPARENTLY THE WEAK POINT).

4) LEONA: UNLIKE YOU, SPECTRE...

5) LEONA (OUT OF FRAME): ... I BREAK REALITY WITH A SNAP OF MY FINGERS.

FRAMES 05 AND 06 – SIDE SCENE. LEONA TURNS BACK AND THROWS THE MONSTER INTO FRAME 06 LIKE A MISSILE (AGAINST THE WALL AND THE TRASH ON THE OTHER SIDE).

6) CAPTION: “CREATURES LIKE THIS ALWAYS HAVE AN ARTIFACT THAT SERVES AS AN ANCHOR FOR THIS SHOT”.

7) CAPTION: “REMOVE IT AND SHE SUCCUMBS”.

FRAME 07 – LEONA APPROACHES HIS BODY AND LOVINGLY HELPS HIM TO GET UP.

8) CAPTION: “AND THIS Wretched Man’s MADE HIMSELF MORE THAN OBVIOUS”.

FRAME 08 – CLOSED IN ON THE FACES OF THE TWO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. SHE BLOWS A TYPE OF ENERGY INTO HIS BODY THROUGH HER LIPS, RESTORING HIS WOUNDS AND GIVING HIM BACK TO LIFE.

9) LEONA: BOO.

FRAME 09 – DOUBLE SCENE WITH THE CAMERA OVER THE SHOULDER OF THE ETHEREAL LEONA. THE BODY OPENS ITS EYES WITH ITS REINVIGORED SPIRITS.

10) LEONA: YOU FULFILLED YOUR ROLE WELL, MY BETTER HALF. 

I ended up changing the context of some of the scenes to something more mystical, like the breath of life in the exchange of energies between the body and the astral form. Another change was in the ghost's recovery sequence, where he explodes in fury surrounded by fog and is then surprised by both Leona's physical body and her "spirit" in a joint attack. Again, I contrast a faster sequence with a slowed-down action in the last two frames by zooming in on the hand about to grab the object of power - the mask.

PAGE 07

FRAME 01 – SIDE SCENE. MEDIUM SHOT. THE MONSTER RESURGES FROM THE RUBBLE, STUNNED.

1) LEONA: LET US BECOME ONE AGAIN.

FRAME 02 – DOUBLE MEDIUM SHOT, COUNTER-PLONGÉE. LEONA AND HER BODY PREPARE FOR THE CREATURE’S NEXT ATTACK.

2) JACK: NOT SO FAST, WITCH! (IN SYMBOLS)

FRAME 03 – CLOSED IN THE CREATURE’S MASK.

3) JACK: YOU WERE WRONG ABOUT MY NATURE. (IN SYMBOLS)

FRAME 04, 05 AND 06 – SIDE SCENE. PHYSICAL LEONA RUNS TOWARDS FRAME 05 IN THE FOREGROUND WHILE DODGING THE ATTACK IN THE BACKGROUND. IN FRAME 05, WE HAVE JACK LAUNCHING A FULL ATTACK, OPENING THE GROUND BETWEEN THE TWO WOMEN, FACING THE LEFT. IN FRAME 06, WE HAVE THE ETHEREAL LEONA IN THE THIRD GROUND, OVERTAKING JACK, PREPARING A MAGIC SHOT WHILE DODGING THE ATTACK.

4) JACK: NOW YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS! (IN SYMBOLS)

5) LEONA: WE'LL SEE IF THERE'S TRUTH IN YOUR BRAVERY. (FRAME 6)

FRAME 07 – FRONT SHOT OF ETHEREAL LEONA PUNCHING JACK WITH HER MAGIC ATTACK, RIPING A HUGE AMOUNT OF DARK ENERGY FROM THE CREATURE.

6) JACK: ARGH!

FRAME 08 – SIDE SHOT. MEDIUM SHOT, PHYSICAL LEONA'S HAND REACHING THE CREATURE'S MASK.

7) LEONA: YOU'RE RIGHT.

FRAME 09 – SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS FRAME. SUPER CLOSE UP ON THE HAND EXTREMELY CLOSE TO THE MASK.

8) LEONA: BUT THIS IS A HUGE MISTAKE THAT I INTEND TO CORRECT. 

This is an example of a page that would have looked beautiful visually, but unfortunately ended up not fitting into the narrative and the total page limit. I will certainly reuse this scene at another time. Now, something that I realized I had some difficulty with when I was developing the layout was precisely differentiating Leona's physical version from her astral form without becoming repetitive, so one solution was to adjust both the design (note that one has all the accessories, while the other does not) and her color, surrounding her in a kind of golden aura. The beam of light ascending to the heavens in a slow cut of the scene gives a little more impact to the sequence.

PAGE 08

FRAME 01 – WORM’S EYE. LEONA SLIPS JACK’S “HEAD” OPENING A CRACK IN THE GROUND, DISPLACING THE MIST AND DARK ENERGY.

1) SFX: THUMP

FRAME 02 – FOCUS ON LEONA’S FACE, OVERCOME WITH RAGE RECITING INCANTATIONS AGAINST THE CREATURE.

2) LEONA: EGO CONTERAM HANC EXECRATIONEM MEÆ MANUS.

FRAME 03 – CREATURE’S POV. OPEN, MAGICAL ENERGY OVERFLOWS FROM BEHIND THE MASK AS IF PURIFYING THE MONSTER’S DARK ENERGY, WHO SCREAMS IN PAIN. WE SEE LEONA HOLDING THE MASK AND HER ETHEREAL FORM APPEARING FROM ABOVE FALLING TOWARDS THEM.

3) LEONA: FRANGE RE ET EX TEMPORE.

FRAME 04 AND 05 – VIEW FROM ABOVE. IN FRAME 04, WE SEE LEONA IN HER PHYSICAL FORM RAISING ONE OF HER HANDS (WITH TRUST IN HER FIST) AND WITH THE OTHER HER HOLDING THE MASK ON THE GROUND. IN FRAME 05, WE SEE HER ETHEREAL FORM FALLING ON HER WITH A CHARGE OF MAGICAL ENERGY CARRIED IN ONE OF HER HANDS.

4) LEONA: UT EX HOC TEMPUS.

FRAME 06 – CLOSE UP ON THE FACE OF THE ETHEREAL LEONA, RECITING THE CONCLUSION OF THE ENCHANTMENT.

5) LEONA (CAPTION): “THE ARCANAS RESPOND BEST WHEN I INVOKE THEM IN MY ETHEREAL FORM”.

FRAME 07 – CLOSE UP ON THE EYE OF THE MASK UNDER LEONA’S HAND.

6) LEONA (CAPTION): “I WAS MISTAKEN ABOUT THE NATURE OF THIS CREATURE AND THE MAGIC IT SERVES”

FRAME 08 – SKYLINE OF THE CITY OF “LONDON” STEAMPUNK.

7) LEONA (CAPTION): “PURIFICATION ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH TO GUARANTEE ITS EXTERMINATION”.

FRAME 09 – SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS PICTURE. NOW, A TOWER OF LIGHT RISES INTO THE HEAVENS, SEEN IN THE DISTANCE.

8) LEONA (CAPTION): “IT IS NECESSARY THAT ALL THIS PROFANE MAGIC, NOW PURIFIED...” 

Second splash page of the story, since in the old layout I hadn't thought of the conclusion, I had to improvise. I decided to bring a pose of one of my favorite heavy metal singers in one of her dramatic performances on stage and added some visual effects around it, because I needed a powerful scene for the purification of the artifact.

PAGE 09

FRAME 01 – SPLASH – LEONA IN A GOLDEN FORM WITH ENERGY PASSING THROUGH HER BODY DISCHARGING INTO THE MASK THE POWER THAT EXTENDS TO THE HEAVENS PURIFYING THAT BLACK ENERGY.

1) LEONA (CAPTION): “... BE FREED! 

Once again, this is a page that does not belong to the original layout of the story. You can see that once all the action was over, I brought more sober angles to it in a calmer and slower pace, similar to what Tsutomu Nihei usually does in his narratives. Obviously, I reserved the master's open and solitary scenes for future stories.

PAGE 10

FRAME 01 – OPEN, WE SEE LEONA WITH HER MASK RAISED AND THE ENERGY CEASES AROUND HER, SPREADING THE MIST AND THE TRASH OF THE ALLEY.

1) LEONA: WELL, LOOK AT THIS...

FRAME 02 – CLOSED, BUST. LEONA CAREFULLY ANALYZES THE MASK AND BEGINS TO READ IT SILENTLY. “HE WHO HIDES HIMSELF FROM THE WORLD THROUGH MY FACE WILL AWAKEN THE TRUE NATURE WITHIN HIMSELF...”

2) LEONA: “HE WHO HIDES HIMSELF FROM THE WORLD THROUGH MY FACE WILL AWAKEN THE TRUE NATURE WITHIN HIMSELF...”

FRAME 03 – REVERSE THE ANGLE, PERHAPS OVER THE SHOULDER. WE SEE THE INSCRIPTIONS ON THE MASK IN A LANGUAGE WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND. “...AND THEIR EYES WILL PROVIDE THEM WITH AN EXACERBED VISION OF THE REALITY THEY DESIRE.”

3) LEONA: “...AND THEIR EYES WILL PROVIDE THEM WITH AN EXACERBED VISION OF THE REALITY THEY DESIRE.”

FRAME 04 – OPEN SHOT. LEONA WALKS TOWARDS US, KEEPING THE MASK UNDER HER COAT.

4) LEONA: CONFUSED. ANOTHER ENIGMA TO BE DECIPHERED WITH THE HELP OF TIME.

FRAME 05 – OPEN, SIDE VIEW. WE SEE LEONA'S SILHOUETTE AS SHE KNEELS BEFORE THE VICTIM, FINISHING THE ENCHANTMENT THAT STARTED ON PAGE 04.

5) LEONA: NOW, LET'S GET TO THE PRIORITIES...

6) LEONA: VITA, ENERGISE NOBIS TACTUS CUM SIT SIMPLEX. VIRES NOBIS NOSTRAS IGNIBUS IGNES. VITA, AD EXOLVUNTUR.

FRAME 06 – OVER LEONA’S SHOULDER, WE SEE THE SURVIVING GIRL HIDDEN AGAINST A LARGE DUMPSTER, HOLDING THE SMALL CAT, STILL TERRIFIED.

7) LEONA: COME ON, GIRL.

8) LEONA: YOUR FRIEND NEEDS YOU.

FRAME 07 – CLOSED ON THE FALLEN WOMAN’S BUST. SHE GIVES A LONG SIGH, AWAKENING FROM HER TORPOR.

9) ANNIE: WHAT HAPPENED?

10) LEONA: A NICE NIGHT FOR A NIGHTMARE, ISN’T IT?

FRAME 08 – WIDE SHOT. WE SEE LEONA GETTING UP AND A TYPE OF PORTAL OPENING BEHIND HER, CONDUCTING BEAUTIFUL BEAM THROUGH HER BODY. WE SEE FLUTTERING PAPERS, THE MIST PARTING IN THE AIR. SHE WAVES TO THE TWO WOMEN (NOW TOGETHER).

11) LEONA (CAPTION): “MY TIME IN THIS DIMENSION IS OVER. MY DISAPPOINTMENT IS IN THE FACT THAT I DIDN’T FIND ANY SIGNS OF MY MOTHER’S PRESENCE HERE.”

FRAME 09 – OPEN. WE PULL THE CAMERA AWAY SHOWING A PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE ALLEY, THE ENERGY DISSIPATES ALONG WITH THE MIST AND ONLY A SPARK REMAINS FROM THE PORTAL, NOW THAT LEONA HAS DISAPPEARED INTO AIR THROUGH IT, THE TWO GIRLS SITTING ON THE GROUND HUGGING EACH OTHER, CRYING IN RELIEF.

12) LEONA (CAPTION): “A LIFE WAS SAVED. AN ARTIFACT OBTAINED. A POSITIVE BALANCE, DESPITE EVERYTHING”.

13) LEONA (CAPTION): “MAY THE NEXT DIMENSION BRING ME BETTER FRUITS”.