Long Stretch

written and illustrated by Mathew D. Rhys

PANEL ONE: Close-up of a whiskey bottle, shot glass, and cigar (in ashtray).

STRETCH (OP): HARRY, HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN DOING THIS?

PANEL TWO: Close-up of robotic hands holding a hand of playing cards

HARRY (OP): PLAYING POKER? ABOUT THREE HOURS.

PANEL THREE: From POV slightly behind Stretch. He holds cards in his hand

STRETCH: NAH, PLAYING AT SUPERHERO. IT'S BEEN MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS.

STRETCH: TWO CARDS.

PANEL ONE: A headless robot deals out two cards. in the center of the robots chest is a speaker

HARRY (FROM SPEAKER): WELL, I'VE BEEN A DISEMBODDIED VOICE FOR AT LEAST THIRTY YEARS.

PANEL TWO: Stretch throws back the shotglass

STRETCH: HA--

STRETCH: HA.

STRETCH: REALLY *#&^ING FUNNY, HARRY!

PANEL THREE: Stretch sits across a table from the robot.

HARRY: I THOUGHT YOU'D APPRICIATE IT.

HARRY: WHAT'S GOING ON TOM. YOU SEEM MORE CROCHETY THAN NORMAL.

STRETCH: I'M TIRED, HARRY.

PANEL FOUR: Close-up of Stretch. He looks sullen and depressed

STRETCH: I'M TIRED AND I'M SORE.

STRECTH: I THINK I WANT TO RETIRE, YOU KNOW.

PANEL FIVE: Stretch throws his arms back.

STRETCH: I MEAN WHY AM I IN THE BUSINES ANY MORE?!

PANEL ONE: Stretch gestures to a window.

STRECTH: JUST LOOK OUT THERE. THERE ARE DOZENS OF NEW, YOUNG HEROES EVERY DAY. THEY'RE STRONGER, SMARTER AND MORE POWERFUL.

PANEL TWO: Stretch sits with his head in his hands

HARRY (OP): REALLY, TOM. THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HEROES MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU.

STRETCH: yeh.

HARRY (OP): WHAT'S REALLY BOTHERING YOU?

PANEL THREE: Stretch pulls his hand down over his face

STRETCH: IT'S THAT DAMN DIBNY.

STRETCH: AND O'BRIEN.

PANEL FOUR:

STRETCH: OO, THAT DIBNY GETS ME. NOT ONLY IS HE A GLORY GRABBING FINK, BUT THE WAY BLATHERS ON ABOUT HIS "PERFECT MARRIAGE." IT MAKES ME SICK.

PANEL FIVE: Close-up Stretch pours another glass of whiskey

STRETCH: AND O'BRIEN HASN'T AGED A DAY IN SIXTY YEARS!

PANEL ONE: Close-up of the speaker. Inset in Panel Two.

HARRY: THAT'S RIGHT YOU RAN ACROSS THEM ON YOUR LAST ASSIGNMENT. HOW DID IT GO?

STRETCH (OP): OH, JUST GREAT, HARRY.

PANEL TWO: Stretch stands under the Greektown Columns

CAPTION: AS YOU RECALL, I WENT TO CHICAGO TO ESCORT DIANA ABEL TO TEXAS TO MEET WITH ONE OF O'BRIEN'S OLD NBI BUDDIES. SHE DECIDED TO GO STATE'S EVIDENCE AGAINST HER LOVER OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS, MOB CAPO FRANCIS DELL.

CAPTION: I MET HER AT THE COLUMNS IN GREEKTOWN.

PANEL THREE: Tall panel, Head to toe, Diana stands in a black dress and hat, looking a bit like an older Audrey Hepburn

CAPTION: I'M TELLIN' YA, HARRY...

CAPTION: SHE WAS A REAL LOOKER

PANEL FOUR: Stretch holds the door of a long white sedan open for Diana, who steps in.

CAPTION: I RENTED A WHITE SEDAN TO DRIVE US DOWN. I FIGURED IT WOULD BE LESS CONSPICUOUS AND HARDER TO TRACK.

PANEL ONE: Strech and Dianna duck as bullets crash through the windows.

CAPTION: BOY, WAS I WRONG.

PANEL TWO: The sedan spins of the road. Two cars pull up behind the sedan.

CAPTION: WE WEREN'T TEN MINUTES OUTSIDE OF THE 'BURBS WHEN WE WERE AMBUSHED BY A CREW OF GOODFELLA'S

PANEL THREE: Three mobsters walk up to car

PANEL FOUR: Overlaying the page, Stretch elongates his arm and knocks out one of the thugs.

PANEL FIVE: Grabbing a tire iron, Stretch knocks the guns from the other two guys

PANEL SIX: Close-up of Stretch punching of panel to right.

PANEL ONE: Long Panel. The sedan, bullet holes and all, stops at a road block made of two beat-up trucks.

CAPTION: AFTER THAT, I THOUGHT WE'D BE SCOTT FREE. THEN WE HIT THE OZARKS.

PANEL TWO: Large panel. Stretch and Diana are outside the sedan. A hillbilly runs at them with a baseball bat. Others step up from behind carrying crow bars, shotguns, etc.

PANEL THREE: Half-inset in Panel Two. Close-up on speaker.

HARRY: MERCENARY HILLBILLIES? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!

PANEL FOUR: Other half inset. Close-up of Stretch, looking depressedly over a hand of cards.

STRETCH: I WISH I WERE.

PANEL ONE: From POV looking to Stretch and Diana, the pair stand in a darkened alley. They look around apprehensively. In the background, a dozen ninjas prepare to attack

CAPTION: AND WHEN WE FINALLY GOT TO DALLAS, THERE WERE THE NINJAS.

PANEL TWO: A ninja lunges toward the reader with katanna posed for attack. Note: ACTION LINES!

CAPTION (ELECTRIC): NINJAS?

PANEL THREE: Stretch stretches out to hit one ninja in the belly with his elbow and another in the face with his fist.

CAPTION: YEP.

CAPTION: NINJAS.

PANEL FOUR: Stretch reaches out grabs one ninja by the shoulders. He smashes his fore head into the ninja's face, while simutaneously extending his eldows and tripping up two others.

PANEL FIVE: Stretch smashes the two tripped ninjas together. He cranes his head around to see Diana being grabbed by another ninja.

PANEL SIX: Stretch throws his fist toward Diana, but bends it around her and hits the ninja.

PANEL ONE: Stretch leans back in his chair and holds high his cigar.

STRETCH: ...SO I GOT THE BROAD TO THE NBI WITH A MINIMUM OF TROUBLE AFTER THAT.

HARRY: IT SOUNDS LIKE QUITE AN ORDEAL, TOM.

PANEL TWO: Stretch leans forward and points at the robot

STRETCH: DAMN RIGHT IT WAS, HARRY.

STRETCH: WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU PICK SOMEBODY ELSE FOR THIS JOB ANYWAY?

PANEL THREE: Stretch looks pleasantly shocked.

HARRY (OP): BECAUSE IF THERE IS EVER ANY THING THAT NEEDS DONE RIGHT I CAN TRUST YOU.

PANEL FOUR: Stretch lens back, his hands behind his head, and smiles wide with his cigar in his mouth. The robot shuffles the cards.

HARRY: HOW ABOUT ANOTHER HAND?

STRETCH: THAT'D BE SWELL.