Return to Kirby-writing

Latest unnamed script project is a bit of an experiment for me. Basically it shuffles between two sets of timelines, one written and drawn in the four-color style and the other done in a more modern format. The four-color stuff is all in flashbacks, but I've been writing it as cliched as possible. Every line that doesn't end in a question mark or being cut off ends in an exclamation mark. The heroes refer to each other solely by their ridiculous one-word codenames, and feel the need to state their superpowers, out loud, in their battle plans.

"My psychic-senses tell me that he's NOT LYING!"

Every four-color character should have an uncontrollable urge to shout out his powers at every possible interval. Most powers SHOULD have some sort of adjective in front of them, especially if it makes them sound odd or silly ("super-telekinesis", "mecha-vision", etc.). And everyone should furthermore have cliched, stereotypical catch phrases that they can throw out.

"Its no use, Red Sabre! Even if we pool our super-strength together we won't be able to lift that rock off the Blue Djinn!"
"Good thinking, Streetman! My animal telepathy should allow me to find out where Baron Destructo is hiding!"
"Ah, Gold Knight, your super-speed might keep you in the fight, but only my force fields will allow you to stay in the battle!"

Also, a team's leader should call all his teammates "chums", "buddies", "men", or "friends".

"Alright, chums, once more into the breach!"
"This is it, friends, the end of the road! We have to stop Doc Chaos NOW!"
"Men, we've had a long road getting here! But THIS is what we were born for!"

All villains, similarly, should directly refer to the heroes as "heroes", "fools", "whelps", "pathetic scum", or "foes". All villains, similarly, should have either a title or epithet. You're never just "Destructo", you're "BARON Destructo". And forget being "Reich", you're "COMMANDANT Reich". Don't even think about a name as pedestrian as Omega. No no, you'd be "Omega, THE LAST MAN". Lets see this in practice:

"Now, fools! Feel the power of BARON DESTRUCTO!"
"Ah, heroes, ve meet at last! I suppose you have been vondering vhat COMMANDANT REICH has planned for jou, ja?"
"Bow, weaklings! Bow before the might of OMEGA, THE LAST MAN!"

POP! ZOOM! PING! ZAP!
Another thing I'm trying to work around is sound effect. I don't normally use them, or at least I don't normally use them a lot, so putting in a surfeit of them where they're in almost every panel of a 16 panel fight scene is just...weird. Its a learning curve. But its fun. Its silly.

Sound effects are, I think, innately silly so its fun to rib on them a bit.

"BRRRRZZZZING!" goes the robot's laser weapon
"FAFFOOOM!" goes the hero's magic fireball
"ZAP-ZAP!" goes the ray-gun

And on, and on. Silly sounds. How often do you hear a "BRZING" in real life? Not often! But the way you use sound effects CAN suggest something about the scene. That quick "zap-zap"? It probably means that the raygun shoots really quick little energy bolts. That drawn out "brrrrzzzzzing"? The robot's laser weapon probably needs to charge up for a second. And that "fafoom" definitly suggests that the fireball's creating a big onrush of air.

I'm enjoying writing four color. Next to that the modern section will seem positivly pedestrian.

No no...not pedestrian. Shallow and pedantic (to quote Peter Griffin).

Shallow and pedantic indeed.