CounterConspiracy Comics: The Divide

Issue #2

“Buy the ticket, take the ride.”

PANEL 1 – SPLASH PAGE

Aerial shot looking down from the cliffs above the FORT into the courtyard. The full moon hangs in the sky above. A fire burns under the cauldron which is filled with glowing purple and green mushrooms. COOP is pouring 2 large brown bottles of dark ale into it. J-WEI kneels as he places wood on the fire under it. EDDIE is standing next to his tent looking at his phone. BUTCH stands over the cauldron staring in, beer can in hand.

BUTCH:

Dude!

Are we really going to do this man?

PANEL 2

View up from the bottom of the cauldron. BUTCH drinking his beer. COOP still pouring ale. The glow of the mushrooms lighting their faces and the inside of the cauldron.

COOP:

I sure am. I need it.

BUTCH:

You do seem kind of stressed bro.

PANEL 3

COOP standing over his backpack opening a beer. Foam flying out of the top of the can as he pops the top.

COOP:

Really? No shit? Hahaha

Well bud..

What can I say? My life hasn’t been eas.. uh.

I’m not complaining. I know I’ve got it better than most.

But, I’ve lost my..

PANEL 4

COOP with his back turned to BUTCH looking up at the full moon.

COOP:

Don’t get me wrong, I love my family.

I’m grateful for Kat and the kids. They are the best thing that has ever happened to me.

But, I’ve lost the love for the day-to-day. The grind has..

..my soul is tired.

I could use a nice long walk in the spirit world.

PANEL 5

EDDIE standing next to the bubbling cauldron with his phone in front of his face addressing the group. J-WEI, BUTCH, and COOP all hold cans of beer.

EDDIE:

According to the grimoire, the Valobenstools don’t send you to the spirit world Coop.

They “activate the transcendence” which “reveals The Divide”.

PANEL 6

BUTCH talking to EDDIE who is still reading from his phone. 

BUTCH:

And what does it say The Divide is again?

EDDIE:

“The giver of omnipotent sight.”

PANEL 7

J-WEI talking to EDDIE. His hand holding a large piece of beef jerky that hangs out of one side of his mouth.

J-WEI:

Remind me why we want that again.

EDDIE

The book says, “for which to see and control the universal truth of all things.”

PANEL 8

Another shot from inside the cauldron looking up and out. All four men stare down into it, their faces reflecting the light from the green and purple glow. The full moon is visible directly in the center of their heads that circle the cauldron.

EDDIE:

My grandmother told me that her great great grandmother, Sarah Blackstar, told her that she did this back in 1871.

PANEL 9

The four men stand around the bubbling cauldron under the moon.

J-WEI

And the rest is in the history books! Blackstar Ranch, Blackstar Mining & Drilling, Blackstar Mint..

COOP:

The  Black Queen of the American West.

BUTCH:

AKA the badass bitch that took over TexArkana! She’s a fucking legend bro!

PANEL 10

View of the courtyard from atop the cliff above the FORT. The friends stands around the cauldron. They are lit by the firelight at their feet and the green and purple swirling glow from the cauldron at their waist, creating a strange orange, purple, and green aura around them when viewed from the sky.

EDDIE:

Grandma dismissed the story as the crazy ramblings of the dying. But.. Then she found the book.

COOP:

Who’s crazy now?

BUTCH:

Did she say anything else?

PANEL 11

Closeup of EDDIE.

EDDIE:

She said it was not for the weak. And that it demanded a hefty price, but it put the world at her feet.

PANEL 12

J-WEI is stirring the cauldron with a stick. COOP is stuffing his cheek with chewing tobacco from a small pouch. BUTCH is opening another beer. EDDIE is looking up at the moon.

EDDIE:

I’m going to do it.

PANEL 13

J-WEI standing next to the cauldron flexing his upper body. His fists are clinched and knuckles pressed together in front of his waist.

J-WEI

Ominpotent sight! Sounds awesome! I’m in.

PANEL 14

Close up of BUTCH looking down into the cauldron, his eyes filled with the green and purple swirling glow.

BUTCH:

Aren’t you guys concerned about the heavy price part?

BUTCH (THOUGHT):

Reality manipulation… Maybe I could change things.

PANEL 15

The 4 men having a good time around the cauldron in the courtyard. BUTCH sits on a log laughing. EDDIE stands if front of him, body animated as he tells a story. COOP smiles as he pokes the fire under the cauldron with a branch. J-WEI laughs as he roasts hot dogs.

SOUND (MUSIC NOTES HANG IN THE AIR):

CAPTION (WRITTEN IN OLD ENGLISH):

“Boil 4 scruples* per man in a pottle** of dark ale for a punct***.”

CAPTION:

*A unit of apothecary weight equal to about 1.3 grams.

** pot or drinking vessel with a capacity of 2.0 quarts (1.9 liters).

*** also called a point or a prick, in Medieval Europe a punct was a quarter of an hour.

PANEL 16

The 4 men climbing up a steep trail towards the full moon. Each wears a backpack that is emitting a faint green glow. EDDIE is near the top. COOP is right behind him. BUTCH has lost his balance behind them and has fallen backwards. J-WEI is under BUTCH holding him up. An OLD ENGLISH CLOCK FACE is superimposed over the moon. It reads 5 minutes until Midnight.

PANEL 17

The 4 men stand in a circle on top of the cliff near the waterfall that flows into the pool near the FORT. Their faces lit by the pale green glow coming from the liquid in the ale bottles they hold in their hands.

EDDIE:

Get ready! 15 seconds to Midnight! Remember you have to drink the whole bottle. Don’t stop until its gone and don’t leave a drop!

PANEL 18

View of the men’s boots near the edge of the cliff. Below them, the waterfall flows into the pool at the head of the mountain stream. The FORT and the courtyard with their  camp can be seen on the opposite side.

BUTCH:

Are we really going to drink this shit?

J-WEI:

Don’t puss out now Butch.

COOP:

See you on the other side fellas.

PANEL 19

The 4 men chug the bottles of the glowing green liquid under the moon. The superimposed OLD ENGLISH FONT CLOCK FACE over it reads Midnight.

CAPTION (WRITTEN IN OLD ENGLISH):

“Drink at Midnight on a cliff above water.”

PANEL 20

COOP, EDDIE, BUTCH, and J-WEI stand on the cliff in the moonlight. The inside of their mouths glowing green. BUTCH is belching.

J-WEI:

That wasn’t so bad. Kind of tasted like Kimchi.

BUTCH (SOUND):

Brrrrpppp!!

PANEL 21

The group stands on the edge of the cliff talking. BUTCH, EDDIE, and J-WEI are looking at each other. COOP is looking down over the edge. The full moon shines bright in the sky above them.

BUTCH:

Now what?

EDDIE:

We look for the moon vortex.

J-WEI:

What does that look like?

PANEL 22

A swirling translucent purple and green vortex hangs in the air fifty feet above the waterfall pool over the reflection of the full moon.

COOP:

Like that!

PANEL 23

The 4 men gaze down into the waterfall pool that is now the MOON VORTEX.

BUTCH:

Holy shit!

EDDIE:

It worked!

J-WEI:

Only one way to pass through that.

PANEL 24

The 4 men stand close together on the edge of the cliff. COOP is holding a rope and handing one end to EDDIE. EDDIE is reaching out to take it.

COOP:

We should tie off so we don’t get separated.

EDDIE:

Good idea.

PANEL 25

The four men stand on the cliffs edge talking as they prepare to jump. They are connected via a rope tied around their waist.

EDDIE:

See you on the other side gentlemen.

J-WEI:

LET’S FUCKING GO!

BUTCH:

Shit, shit, shit.

COOP:

Buy the ticket, take the ride.

PANEL 25

The friends jumping off the cliff viewed from below. BUTCH is doing a belly flop, his eyes wide and mouth open in a scream. EDDIE’S face is resolute as he is dives head first towards the vortex. His arms are by his side, mouth closed and his eyes focused. J-WEI smiles happily as he spreads his arms and legs like a starfish. COOP’S eyes are bright and wild and he sports a crazed open mouth smile. His arms are above his head as he jumps down. He has one leg straight and the other bent, like he is pouncing on something. 

PANEL 26

Aerial shot looking down at the men as they flip and tumble inside the vortex.

CAPTION (WRITTEN IN OLD ENGLISH):

“Pass through the Moon Vortex.”

Written by Will Kilpatrick

The Divide created by Will Kilpatrick

Copyright 2023 The Divide. Owned by Counterconspiracy Comics. All rights reserved. No portion or elements of this project may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or means, 
without the express written permission of Counterconspiracy Comics LLC.