Story Time, Kiddies

Ultimate Batman:
Issue 1 (Almost entirly without speech)
Pg 1- 6 letter box panels:
Panel 1- close up on Batmans eyes- just white lens- looking angry
Panel 2- close up on Bruce Waynes eyes, looking anxious
Panel 3- close up of Batmans hand holding a batarang sideways, mirroring...
Panel 4 - close up of Bruces hand, turned looking at his watch. The hands read 9:15
Panel 5 - close up of Batmans belt, retrieving a gadget from his belt
Panel 6 - close up of Bruces hand reaching for a glass of champaign.

Page 2 -Full page splash.
Batman holding a thug around the body from behind. One hand over the mouth, the other coming up underneath the thugs armpit and then around the back of the head. The thug is obviously shocked.

Page 3- Full page splash.
Bruce holding a very beautiful girl around the waist from behind. Both are dressed for a party and many others are in the background, enjoying the time. Bruce is young, 18 years old. He is dressed casual, shirt open, tie undone, resting around his neck. The girl is enjoying the embrace, and has her head inclined up and around looking for a kiss. Bruce is looking down her body at his watch. It reads 10:22.

The following pages jump from Batman on a night out, stopping evil, to Bruce at his 18th birthday. He's very distracted, evidently waiting for something, or some time. Some panels show him looking at his watch, others at the antique Grandfather clock against one wall. Every such panel shows time slipping by.

As the issue moves on Batmans fight with the thugs is set against Bruce's time at the party. The action in both sections should mirror each other to an extent, the darkness of the alley versus the bright party; the violent fight versus the gentle dance; the the flash of gunfire versus the flash of cameras.

Batman returns to the Batmobile. He has blood smeared across his lips, and wipes it off occasionally. It returns. The Batmobile is parked down another of Gothams many dark alleys. Batman stops for a moment, one foot inside the Batmobile as a number of GCPD police cars scream by the alley, lights flashing.

Bruces section has the party begin to wrap-up and the guests are hurried out. Some look annoyed at having the party stopped so early. Clocks in the background read 1:47. Bruces girl (Viki Vale) is very annoyed at not being let stay, but Alfred calmly forces her into the limo. Bruce stands in the doorway at the top of the steps, one foot inside the hall, as the last of the guests cars leave down the mansions drive.

The Batmobile is screaming along the roads. Bruce races through the mansion to the library. Batman activates a switch on a dashboard covered in little lights and switches. "Entrance Clear" flashes up on a screen. Bruce activates a hidden switch behind the Grandfather clock which now reads 1:53. The bookcase beside it slides open, revealing a rough staircase downwards. The Batmobile races through a hidden opening in a cliff face and along a narrow driveway inside. Bruce races down the stairs, Alfred following close behind.

Pulling off his shirt Bruce opens a locker. Inside are a number of Bat-Suits. He reaches for the first one. Bruce steps forward in full Batsuit, with just the mask in hand. He runs up to the Batmobile and runs his fingers along the paintwork. It's immaculate. As he turns around,

The Batmobile drives up and parks in a space beside the other one. Bruce leaps over the bonnets, landing with a slight acrobatic flair at the drivers-side door. It opens and Batman steps out, blood-marks colgealed on his lips.

Last panel on second last page:
Bruce: Alright, old man. I've kept my end of the bargain. Now you keep yours.
Batman is reaching to remove his mask in the same panel.

Last Page- Full page splash.
Bruce Wayne is standing on the left side of the page, a huge smile beaming across his face. A much older man is standing looking at him one the right side of the page. He looks every bit as tired and old as Bruce looks energetic and young. Think Dark Knight Returns Batman standing next to Batman from the current The Batman Warner Bros cartoon, only the older man isn't as crazily large as DKR Batman was. Both are looking each other in the eyes. In the background, between them on the page, and looking worried, stands Alfred. Behind him, above a wall of computer monitors a huge clock reads 2:00.

***

That's my opening shot. The premise is that Batman has been around for years before Bruce is old enough to do the job. The whole time, he's been played by Bruce's friend from after his parents were killed, Gotham City Police Department Officer James Gordon. Bruce has been using his family millions to finance the gadgets and tech, all on the condition that once he turns 18, Jim has to hand over the mantle of the Bat. He's spent all his life training for this time.

Batman is still an urban legend. Gordon is good at what he does, and uses his police connections and access to make some evidence dissappear that could support the rumours of this vigilante, while twisting other evidence to "prove" that these events have been the result of numerous individuals, empowered by the concept of this Batman figure, but ultimately working alone, and often only once.

Early issues have Bruce screw up a few times. Some villians immediately spot the difference, and he gets himself into the kind of trouble he has to use his brains to escape from. At least once he should loose the criminal entirely, but some quick detective work gets him back on the trail. This should be the focus. Bruce becomes the Dark Detective relying on brains as much as brawn, while Gordon was always just the Dark Knight, relying on his fists.

Well. That's it for the start. Hope you guys like it. That's actually an idea I've been playing with for over a year now, with help from my best buddy Noel. If I had any artistic skills I'd try actually drawing it out, but I don't, so... you know...