Black Shuck part six in 2000 AD prog 1988

A week late again. This time due to busy times and a scanner that refuses to work. Apologies.

Firstly, Scarlet Traces is back in this Prog! Edginton and D’Israeli’s post War of the Worlds Universe hits the 1960s, and I for one am very excited about it.

BLACK SHUCK // SINS OF THE FATHER (part six)
Scandinavia, 815 AD. When the Anglo-Saxon warrior known as BLACK SHUCK washed up at the court of King Ivar, it was discovered he was the monarch’s bastard son, sired during a Viking raid on the town of Dunwich. Shuck successfully aided Ivar in his fight against the monstrous Jötunn, and became king himself. But his bestial curse has been passed on to his unborn sons, and his family will perish unless he seeks help…

Written by us, with pencils and inks by Steve Yeowell, colours by Chris Blythe, and letters by letters by Ellie De Ville.

Order or download 2000 AD 1988 right now. If you have already read it, join us for the usual extras below.

Track 6 on the Black Shuck 2 soundtrack: Hell Night by Misfits

Okay, instead of giving you the first two pages of the issue, the finished versions of which I usually just lazily swipe from an online preview, I thought I’d mix things up a little bit and give you pages three and four. An exciting change of pace, eh? Well, they are good pages.

(No roughs to share, as last time, because my scribbles don’t even make sense to me at this stage)

Script for pages three and four:

Page Three

This is a four panel page with three tiers; two on top, one in the middle, and one on the bottom.

INTERIOR CANDLE/FIRELIGHT for 1, 2 & 4, FLASHBACK for 3.

Panel One

Here we have Eadwald looking serious and more than a little worried as he addresses Shuck. This is obviously something he has wanted to say for a while. He has two balloons.

Eadwald: This curse.

Eadwald: Why is it you would see it lifted from your children, but not from yourself?

Panel Two

Here Shuck is looking into his drink as he speaks, perhaps smiling a slight wry smile.

Shuck: You worry I am punishing myself, my lord?

Shuck: It is not so.

Shuck: Would it that my queen had fallen pregnant with but one child, things may have been different.

Panel Three

This is a meta panel showing different instances of Norse were-beasts superimposed together into one panel. There’s a central background image which is this bronze (clearer version of the image). On the left we have our mole-faced feral were-bear from series two which is in the process of devouring a corpse. On the right we have a traditional looking Viking berserker wearing a cloak made from a bearskin so that the head sits on top of his own like a hood, the upper teeth sticking down. He is shirtless beneath the animal skin, has a mad look in his eye and is foaming at the mouth. He has a battered wooden shield and a bloody axe which he is chopping towards us. Front and centre of the trio is a were-bear that is not Shuck but a much shaggier beast with plaits in its beard and hair in the Viking style. A Thor’s Hammer pendant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mj%C3%B6lnir) hangs around its neck. The old time Viking were-bear is roaring out at us and stretching our a clawed hand toward us. There are four captions.

Cap: “Of the weak it can make monsters. Corpse eaters. Ghouls.”

Cap: “The Northmen have ancient stories however, of those strong enough to master it.”

Cap: “Their fiercest wear the bear-skin and invoke the raw power of such beast-men.”

Cap: “I am not cursed. I am blessed, brother king. I am more than man. I am legend.”

Panel Four

Here we have a panel showing the long table with everyone sitting around it once again, our focus is on Shuck and Eadwald as before. Everyone is looking shocked. The whole building is rocking, cups spilling. There is one big FX.

FX: FADOOM

Page Four

This is a five panel page with three tiers; one on the top and two on the each of the next two.

EXTERIOR, NIGHT, FIRELIGHT throughout.

Panel One

This is a shot very similar to Panel One on Page Two only larger (probably the deepest tier on the page). One of the central buildings of Dunwich is a mass of flames. The fire towers in the sky and is already spreading to other nearby buildings. We can see people rushing out all over the town to see what is happening. There is one caption.

Cap: “What in God’s name has happened?”

Panel Two

Here we are looking down at Shuck and Eadwald who have rushed outside and are staring up at the flames in angry disbelief while people rush about them. They each have one balloon.

Eadwald: The storehouse! But how?

Shuck: We must act fast.

Panel Three

This is a shot of Shuck pointing at the flaming buildings and shouting to his men. Ulf stands closest to him and is nodding grimly in agreement. Shuck has three balloons.

Shuck: Get the people to safety!

Shuck: Fetch water!

Shuck: Beat the flames out where you can, they spread quickly!

Panel Four

Here We have a shot of Ulf completely taken by surprise as a large arrow – more like a crossbow bolt – strikes him bloodily in the shoulder. He is thrown backwards, a look of shock on his face. One FX from the bolt, one balloon from Ulf.

Ulf: ung

FX: SHUNK

Panel Five

This is a shot of Shuck looking baffled, reaching out towards us/Ulf with one hand. Even as he does so a second bolt is striking him gorily in the neck he has one balloon and the is one FX.

Shuck: Ulf –

FX: SWACK

Steve’s pencils:

And the finished pages (you’ll notice virtually all my FX have been omitted, as has been the case throughout the series, which isn’t a problem but I did like “SHUNK”):