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Hi everyone and welcome to the first page of ‘Digitopia – The Web Comic’.

My name is Farhan, I’m the writer of the comic book, I’ve been writing for several years now and have quite a few scripts turned into productions of one kind or another*.

I originally wrote Digitopia about five years ago, way back in 2012. I wrote it as a screenplay and have made a few short films of the back of it (scroll to the bottom for some of those links). In 2016 I decided rewrite Digitopia as a graphic novel (which will be my first graphic novel).

I’ve always been fascinated by graphic novels and comic books from when I was a kid (on the meet the team page you can see my first comic book attempt from when I was five).

I set out to find a team to help me realise this. I interviewed many artists, colourists and letterers along the way, I was really lucky to meet this team, Seb and Simon (again meet the team page, you can read their own introductions).

I’m really thrilled to present to you the first page of our web comic – which we’re working on to turn into a graphic novel.

Every week till the end of 2017 we’ll aim to launch a new page of the graphic novel as we’re nearly finished doing the first 9 pages.

Of the many interesting things about making a graphic novel is how the actual finished page differs from the script. This is really a collaboration where Seb, Simon and myself dissect the script and find new and more dynamic ways of telling a story.

I’ve put the original script below as well as the initial layout of the page and you’re able to see how the page has evolved the more it’s left open for a creative team to explore the different storytelling styles we can take – it’s truly a fascinating process.

Original layout

Original Inks

Original text

PAGE ONE (eight panels) Panel 1.

Establishing shot outside the mountainous area called

DIGITOPIA – a picturesque green area seen from a distance.

1. CAP (JAY):

My home, Digitopia was once a peaceful picturesque place. Panel 2.

As we move closer all is not as it seems, plumes of thick

bellowing smoke stacks, buildings crumble under fiery

infernos.

2. CAP (Jay):

Not any more –

— Not since the Confederate army decided that the Digitopians

were terrorists. 3. SFX:

SOUND OF A HUGE EXPLOSION Panel 3.

Below THOUSANDS OF DIGITOPIANS scatter – these people are

fleeing the warzone, carrying children, livestock, whatever

paltry belongings they have, as they scatter the sound of

BULLET FIRE PIERCES THE AIR

4. CAP (JAY):

Doesn’t seem to matter who’s in charge –- 5. SFX:

GUNFIRE

Panel 4.

DIGITOPIAN after to Digitopian fall to the ground where they

land in puddles of mud & their own blood. Maybe emphasize some

children in grief over the body of their fallen parents to

illustrate they are non-combatants and the caption.

6. CAP (JAY):

— governments always feel the best way to fight terrorist is

by making widows and orphans out of the innocent. Digitopia – an original screenplay by Farhan Qureshi Farhanq_uk@yahoo.co.uk 30 th October 2015

7. SFX:

SOUND OF HEAVY TANKS and ARTILLERY can be heard approaching. Panel 5.

Cut to the Confederate’s land, an abandoned concrete jungle

sitting under three feet of water. In the distance we see

Digitopia higher up on the mountain – far and away from the

flooding. Could look good if in the foreground we see the

Confederate's city deep in flood and then the further into the

distance, as the ground level rises, the flood subsides as we

see the green stepped rice paddy style landscape of the

Digitopian lands. Probably a fairly top down angle needed for

this. Maybe introduce refugees here in great numbers moving

from Confederate land and Digitopians kept in refugee camps of

barbed wire & tents? 8. CAP (JAY):

We used to be peaceful neighbours —

— Until their land became flooded. Panel 6.

The tank rolls over the brow of a hill, smoke emanating from

the tank turret.

In front of the tank a small child runs for her life as the

closing in tank towers above her.

9. CAP (JAY):

For some this is a matter of life and death Panel 7.

Inside a tank, a GUNNER takes aim and pulls fire.

GUNNER: He shoots! He SCORES!!! YEE-HAAW!!!

10. CAP (JAY):

For others it’s a game.

Panel 8.

Small panel, maybe inset, which shows a teddy bear splashed

with blood lying in the mud.

Please do fill in the form to the side/below (depending upon whether your on a desktop or mobile device) and keep up to date with the production of this project.

I’ll be writing exclusively in the newsletter on how we’re getting involved and give you information on how you can get a copy of the comic and eventually the graphic novel for yourself.

See you on the next page, remember to fill in the ‘Subscribe‘ form if you haven’t done so yet, and hit those ‘Like‘ and ‘Share‘ buttons to tell your friends about this too 🙂

Thanks

Farhan

*to see other work I’ve done check out my IMDB page for some of the other projects and my film and animation main blog here

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