FROM HELL: 5/22

The eleventh in my series of pages of Alan Moore's FROM HELL scripts. I've always been fond of this scene, though there are two or three things going on in it, and since Alan wanted to emphasize the darkneess, it was by no means easy to draw. My fondness is due to Alan's casting of the murderer and his lackey in a pair of comedic roles, and to this end I took the liberty of stretching the dialogue over more panels than was requested in the script, in order to work the timing better. Thus the first and last panels, silent in the script, now have speeech. The final panel, which was supposed to take its place in a rhythmic march toward unavertible doom ( a sequence of five pages with wide silent finishing panels), now has dialogue measured out from the sequence above, which may endanger the overll balance of the pages. I never cleared it with Alan, and he has never mentioned the matter. Maybe when we're cranky old geezers we'll fall out over it.

CHAPTER 5 PAGE 22 (724 words)
PANEL1
NOW A SINGLE SEVEN PANEL PAGE IN WHICH WE RETURN TO GULL AND NETLEY, THE LAUREL AND HARDY OF SERIAL MURDER, AS THEY PROGRESS THROUGH THE EAST END. THE TOP TWO TIERS HAVE THREE PANELS EACH WHILE THE BOTTOM TIER HAS ONE WIDE PANEL. IN THIS FIRST SILENT PANEL WE HAVE A LONG SHOT OF THE DARK BULK OF THE COACH AS IT CREAKS AND RATTLES THROUGH THE MIASMAL BLACKNESS, ONLY JUST DISCERNABLE TO US AS A RECOGNIZABLE HORSE AND CARRIAGE. OTHERWISE, IT IS JUST A VAGUE AND THREATENING MASS TRUNDLING AWAY FROM US THROUGH THE NARROW STREETS. A SINGLE COACH LAMP BURNING DIMLY AND BALEFULLY INSIDE IT
No dialogue.

PANEL 2
NOW WE ARE UP ON THE BOX BESIDE GULL, WITH GULL ONLY PARTLY VISIBLE TO ONE SIDE OF THE FORGROUND.ALL WE CAN REALLY SEE OF HIM ARE HIS LAP AND HIS ARMS AS HE SITS THERE JUST OFF THE PANEL. HE HAS A BAG OF GRAPES IN HIS LAP, AND IN HIS HANDS HE HOLDS THE SMALL BOTTLE OF LAUDANUM, NOW OPENED, AND A SMALL PAINT-BRUSH. HE IS JUST DIPPING THE BRUSH INTO THE LAUDANUM HERE, HIS SPEECH BALLOON ISSUING FROM OFF-PANEL. LOOKING BEYOND GULL’S HANDS, THE GRAPES AND THE LAUDANUM WE CAN SEE A HALF-FIGURE SHOT OF JOHN NETLEY AS HE SITS THERE NEXT TO GULL ON THE BOX, HOLDiNG THE REINS IN ONE HAND AND HIS WHIP IN THE OTHER. HE IS GAZING AHEAD INTO THE DARKNESS AS HE RIDES, RATHER THAN LOOKING TOWARDS US OR GULL, AND HE WEARS A FAIRLY NEUTRAL EXPRESSION.
GULL: (OFF) : Hark, Netley! It is two o’clock, and still our bag is empty.
Gull (off): You DID locate the woman earlier, according to instructions?

PANEL 3.
SAME SHOT. IN THE FOREGROUND, GULL IS NOW APPLYING THE LAUDANUM-SOAKED PAINTBRUSH TO THE GRAPES, PAINTING THEM WITH THE STICKY TINCTURE. LOOKING BEYOND GULL’S HANDS WE CAN SEE NETLEY AS HE TURNS TO FACE US WITH AN ANXIOUS EXPRESSION, WORRIED THAT SIR WILLIAM MAY BE DISPLEASED WITH HIM, AND ANXIOUS TO GIVE A GOOD ACCOUNT OF HIMSELF. BEYOND NETLEY THERE IS ONLY DARKNESS AS THE CAB CONTIUES TO MOVE SLOWLY AND ALMOST SILENTLY THROUGH THE EAST END
NETLEY: Oh, yes, sir. Three of ‘em. Two I’ll know again. The third I singled out by givin’ ‘er a token, like you said.
GULL (OFF): Excellent! How shall we know her?

PANEL 4.
SAME SHOT. IN THE NEAR BACKGROUND, NETLEY TURNS HIS EYES BACK TO THE ROAD SO THAT HE IS ONCE MORE IN PROFILE AND NO LONGER FACING TOWARD US OR SIR WILLIAM. HE ALLOWS HIMSELF A SMUG, SELF SATISFIED SMIRK, PROUD OF HIS GREAT INITIATIVE AND CLEVERNESS. IN THE FOREGROUND, GULL’S HAND PAUSES HALFWAY BETWEEN THE GRAPES AND THE BOTTLE OF LAUDANUM, TOWARD WHICH IT WAS HEADING TO REFILL THE BRUSH.
NETLEY: I gave ‘er a bonnet, sir.
NETLEY: A black bonnet.

PANEL 5.
NOW A LONG SHOT OF THE COACH, SIMILAR TO PANEL ONE. IT IS MOVING AWAY FROM US INTO THE DARKNESS OF WHITECHAPEL. AN INDISTINCT BLACK SHAPE AGAINST THE EQUAL BLACKNESS BEYOND. IT IS NOT YET TOO FAR AWAY FROM US HERE, SO THAT WE CAN STILL JUST MAKE OUT THE HUDDLED FORMS OF GULL AND NETLEY AS THEY SIT ATOP THE COACH. OTHERWISE, THE PANEL IS ALMOST COMPLETELY BLACK. WHITECHAPEL IS BLACK. THE COACH IS BALCK. YOU CAN BARELY SEE YOUR HAND IN FRONT OF YOPIUR FACE.
GULL: A black bonnet. How very helpful.
GULL: Netley, do you know what your foremost distinguishing feature is?
NETLEY: Why, I… I can’t think, sir.

PANEL 6
SAME SHOT, ONLY NOW THE COACH IS FURTHER AWAY, MOVING FURTHER INTO THE IMPENETRABLE DARKNESS OF THE BACKGROUND, THE SHADOWS SMOTHERING THE IMAGE.
GULL: Precisely.
GULL: Head for Whiitechapel Road, and let us hope your eyes are equal to the task your ailing wits have set them.

PANEL 7.
NOW A BIG WIDE PANEL IN WHICH WE SEE A GENERAL VIEW OF THE EAST END AT NIGHT, DIFFERENT FROM THE SHOT WITH WHICH WE CLOSED PAGE TWENTY ONE, BUT EVOCATIVE OF THE SAME THINGS. THERE CAN BE PEOPLE ABOUT, OR NOT, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU FEEL. MAYBE WE’RE LOOKING ALONG THE DARK LENGTHS OF THE COMMERCIAL ROAD, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE SMALL KNOTS OF MEN GATHER IN FOGGY CONVERSATION AROUND THE GLOW OF THEIR CLAY PIPES.
No dialogue.