CounterConspiracy Comics: The Divide

Issue #1

“Friends”

PANEL 1 – SPLASH PAGE

OPEN ON 4 vehicles parked in the woods.(TRUCK, LUXURY SEDAN, JEEP , MUSCLE CAR). Fall leaves fill the trees and cover the ground. It’s late afternoon. The sun is low and a full moon hangs just above the horizon. COOP and J-WEI stand near a trailhead ready to move. BUTCH is pulling his backpack out of his TRUCK. His shirt is untucked and his comb-over is out  of place revealing a large bald spot. EDDIE is on the phone. He is standing next to backpack on the ground behind his LUXURY SEDAN.

CAPTION (IN OLD ENGLISH FONT):

Dark Black Mountain Range, Present Day

PANEL 2

J-WEI and COOP stand at the trailhead. They are fit and handsome middle aged men. Their gear is high quality and in good condition.

COOP:

Some things never change. Those 2 keep dick’n around and we’re going to be repelling down a cliff in the dark.

J-WEI:

We’ll be alright. We can give’m 5 more minutes.

COOP:

Nah. You stay. I’m done waiting on those two.

PANEL 3

BUTCH walking up to J-WEI with his arms open for a hug. He has a hat on now. His shirt is still untucked and his pant zipper is down. J-WEI is eating a protein bar. COOP can be seen heading down the trail in the background.

BUTCH:

J-Wei!! Hey Man! Long time no see! Still hitting the weights I see. You’re fucking yoked bro!
How have you been?

PANEL 4

BUTCH holding J-WEI in a bearhug with a tear in his eye. J-WEI is smiling with a mouth full of protein bar. It’s wrapper is falling to the ground.

J-WEI:

Wooah! Big hug!

BUTCH:

I’ve really missed you man!

SOUND (BUTCH):

sob

J-WEI:

Hey buddy. It’s nice to see you too.

PANEL 5

EDDIE approaching BUTCH and J-WEI. He is on the phone. BUTCH is smiling and wiping tears away. J-WEI is watching EDDIE approach with a disapproving expression on his face.

EDDIE:

Then, re-word the referendum so that is suits our needs! Get it done Meredith! You’ve got 30 minutes to write it and send it to me for approval or you’re fired! You understand? 30 minutes!

PANEL 6

EDDIE yelling at the sky. His fist clenched. J-WEI and BUTCH stand watching.

EDDIE:

FUCK!!

Do I have to do everything myself!

Idiots!!

PANEL 7

EDDIE, BUTCH and J-WEI standing at the trailhead. BUTCH looks perplexed like he just saw a side of EDDIE he didn’t know about. EDDIE looks put out like he doesn’t want to take this trip.

EDDIE:

Going off-grid right before an election could cost me big time. This better be worth it!

J-WEI:

Nice to see you too Eddie. What’s it been? 3 years?

EDDIE:

Yeah. That sounds right. It’s been a while.

BUTCH:

No. It hasn’t been that long. Cooper’s mom’s funeral last year..

PANEL 8

EDDIE, BUTCH and J-WEI starting off down the trailhead.

J-WEI:

He wasn’t there Butch.

BUTCH:

Really!? I could have sworn you were there.

J-WEI:

You were wasted at noon soo.. I’m not surprised.

BUTCH:

You missed Moon Shadow’s funeral?

EDDIE:

Yeah. I couldn’t make it. Come on. Let’s get this over with.

PANEL 9

The 4 men hiking a trail that leads down through a thick old forest. The sun is setting. There is light in the sky and the tops of the trees, but the trail is growing dark. COOP is ahead of the others. He has a headlamp and a walking stick. The group of three is being lead by J-WEI looking strong and relaxed with a water bottle in his hand. BUTCH looks tired. His hat is crooked and he is sweating. EDDIE is in the back typing on his phone as he walks.

PANEL 10

The sun is fading over the horizon. J-WEI, BUTCH, and COOPER stand under a tree at a tall cliff’s edge. There is rope tied to one of the trees that runs off the side. COOP is repelling down. J-WEI stands harness on, waiting for his turn. BUTCH is stepping into his harness. He looks anxious. EDDIE has his harness on and is holding his phone up to the sky searching for service.

NARRATOR BLOCK (IN OLD ENGLISH FONT):
Over the cliff, into the gulch. In a group, but not together. Four men journey to fulfill a promise made when they were young, and thought their bond was eternal.

PANEL 11

The group hiking down an overgrown trail. Cliffs on one side and a stream on the other. It is almost dark now. J-WEI and COOP, and EDDIE have headlamps. BUTCH has a flashlight.

CAPTION (IN OLD ENGLISH FONT):

Hike up the gulch to the mouth of the stream.

BUTCH:

Man..it looks like no one has hiked this trail is years!

EDDIE:

Yeah. I bet we were the last ones crazy enough to come down here.

PANEL 12 – SPLASH PAGE

Moonlight shining on an old stone FORT built into a cliff face. It is overgrown with moss. The mouth of the stream is a spring fed pool. There is a rough stone wall about four feet high that forms a small courtyard in front of the FORT next to the pool. There is an old cauldron overgrown with brush in the center of a firepit. A PANTHER sits on a ledge. An OWL perches in a tree. The men’s lights can be seen approaching in the distance.

CAPTION (IN OLD ENGLISH FONT):

There in the deep dark, where the water flows out of the mountain, lies a somber vestige of a long forgotten people.

PANEL 13

The men shine their lights on the old FORT. The PANTHER is gone.

COOP:

I forgot how cool this place was.

EDDIE:

That’s not exactly how I’d describe it. But, you have always had a weird idea of cool.

BUTCH:

I’ve gotta hand it to you Coop. This place was the perfect choice. How’d you hear about it again?

J-WEI:

Moonshadow told us right? I remember her telling us the story on Halloween when we were 8. I’ll never forget that shit. I wish I could. It still creeps me out.

PANEL 14

Shot of the group from behind staring up at the FORT.

BUTCH:

Oh Yeah!!

COOP:

My great grandfather used to bring my mom and uncle out here.

PANEL 15

The group moving into the courtyard in front of the FORT.

J-WEI:

You’re great-great-great grandpa was a medicine man and this was an old Calvary fort right?

COOP:

No. It’s older than that. Burnt Bear said it was a…

EDDIE:

It’s not exactly the ideal travel destination! No map. No foot trails. Inconveniently located in a ravine you have to repel into.

Then, you have to hike up a freezing stream filled with jagged fallen trees and giant boulders dodging whirlpools that’ll suck you down into cold black oblivion!

Oh.. And don’t forget this part of the mountain range is prone to flash flooding! Why would anyone build anything out here?!

PANEL 16

The group dropping their packs in the courtyard.

BUTCH:

We may be the only ones who know its out here.

PANEL 17

J-WEI carrying a load of firewood towards the now cleared cauldron. There is a torch lit on one of the corners of the courtyard. COOP is placing another in the opposite corner.
EDDIE is setting up a tent. BUTCH is sitting on a stump drinking a can of beer

BUTCH:

25 years man! I can’t believe its been that long. I mean, I can. But, it’s just so surreal being out here again with you guys. Dude, last time we were here we were teenagers!

EDDIE:

I hope it’s worth it. I got a feeling this is going to end up being a big waste of time.

PANEL 18

COOP standing in front of EDDIE with a torch in his hand. He has a pissed off look in his eye, but he hasn’t lost his temper. 

COOP:

Fuck you Eddie.

If you don’t want to be here, leave. Just go on back the way you came!

J-WEI:

Easy Coop. He didn’t mean it like that.

PANEL 19

COOP  in EDDIE’s face. The torch he was holding is dropping into the firepit now full of wood ready to burn.

COOP:

Oh yeah? How did you mean “this is going to be waste of time” Eddie? To me, it sounded like you think you’re too good to spend the night with friends you’ve known since 2nd grade!

Wasn’t this all your idea in the first place?!

EDDIE:

Jeez Coop. Take it easy. I just don’t think there is going to be anything here.

(Note: smaller text represents talking under his breath)

I see you’re still upset about the funeral.

PANEL 20

Closeup of COOP holding EDDIE by the lapels of his coat. Now, he looks angry.

COOP:

You’re damn right I’m still upset motherfucker! My mom died and you didn’t bother to make an appearance at the funeral! Or the wake!

You sent a fucking text!? A text!

Who took care of you when your dad was deployed and your mom left you alone with your spaced-out grandma to go party, huh?!

PANEL 21

EDDIE pushing COOP off. COOP is just a foot or so back still standing and still facing EDDIE. His right hand is making a fist. His left hand is open up by his face in a blocking position.

EDDIE:

Get off me man!

PANEL 22

COOP slamming his fist into EDDIE’S stomach.

SOUND:

POW!

PANEL 23

COOP holding a hunched over EDDIE by the belt and the collar.

COOP:

She thought of you as a son! She loved you! She felt a responsibility to take care of you because of our families’ history… Because of the oath!

Who came down to the station at 4 am and saved you from those cops when they were about to send your ass up the river?

Who fed you all those nights when you were hungry? Moonshadow! That’s who!

PANEL 24

COOP tossing EDDIE out of the courtyard and into the stream. EDDIE is in the air over the water.

COOP:

And you couldn’t make time to visit her during the month she lay in her deathbed?! You couldn’t make it to her funeral?!

You’re lucky I don’t knock your fucking teeth out!

EDDIE:

Ahhhh!

PANEL 25

EDDIE standing in the stream soaking wet. COOP stands on the bank. He looks less angry as if he had just unloaded something that had been sitting on his chest for a while. J-WEI and BUTCH are behind him by the fire watching. BUTCH has an anxious and awkward expression. J-WEI looks indifferent.

EDDIE:

Dammit Cooper! I’m trying to do something major and it takes sacrifices! If you can’t get behind that, then fuck off!

I don’t need you or this school-age friend group and I don’t give a damn about the Blackstar-Hardtree oath!

After tonight, we are done!

PANEL 26

COOP standing on the bank watching EDDIE walk to the fire to join J-WEI and BUTCH.

COOP:

Yeah? No shit.

PANEL 27

The four friends around the fire in the courtyard. The full moon hangs in the sky. BUTCH is pulling beers out of his pack. His zipper is still down.

BUTCH:

C’mon guys. We can work past this. Right?

Well, if this going to be our last night together lets make the most of it!

J-WEI:

I’ll make us something to eat.

PANEL 28

View of the courtyard from the eyes of the PANTHER high in a tree on the other side of the stream. The FORT looms large over the old friends talking and drinking around the fire. BUTCH has a speaker by his feet and there is music in the air.

SOUND:

MUSIC NOTES

PANEL 29

BUTCH telling a story in front of the fire as the others sit laughing hysterically.

BUTCH:

You remember that time your mom caught us watching porn with the Parker sisters? She freaked dude!! She was sauced and yelling in Chinese so ferociously that I got her Baijiu spit in my eye! Man did it burn! She was like a fucking dragon dude! She was chasing us with a hot ladle she was using to make dumplings and she hit me right between the eyes! I had welt for two weeks!

J-WEI:

Yeah. That was the angriest I’ve ever seen her. She thought it was ours! She didn’t believe me when I told her it belonged to the girls!

PANEL 30

BUTCH talking to J-WEI by the fire. EDDIE stands in the background holding his phone high in the air searching for a signal.

BUTCH

Oh man! That night was a trip. How’s she doing these days? How’re your folks?

J-WEI:

They’re good. Same house, same friends, same routine. Still making dumplings every Sunday. Still giving me hell if I don’t show up to eat them.

Honestly, they can be a lot. Driving Dad to the doctor. Helping mom with her errands. They still help manage the shop, but I’m handling everything at the restaurant and the cleaners now and it’s taking up a lot of my time.

And, building up Chinatown was their thing. It’s not mine. I’m thinking about selling it all so I can just focus on my stuff and running the gym.

PANEL 31

J-WEI, EDDIE, and BUTCH standing over the cauldron in the firepit.

EDDIE:

Miss Wei!  Man, I love’d those dumplings! I must’ve eaten a hundred of them the last time I was there. I think that was senior year of college
How is Lina doing? How are your kids?

J-WEI:

They’re good. The kids just started boarding school in Beijing and Lina is staying their until they get acclimated. I went over and stayed a couple weeks. It was cool to be back, but I’m glad I don’t live there.

BUTCH:

Sarah and Roc go to boarding school in China?! Man..it seems like they were just babies. Is that killing you? I don’t think I could be that far away from my kids.

J-WEI:

Yeah. Time flies. The twins are 13. It doesn’t really bother me. It’s going to be good for them and it’s been nice having more time for myself.

PANEL 32

BUTCH standing over the cauldron with a sad look and a tear in his eye.

BUTCH:

Man.. I couldn’t do it. That’s so far away! I’d miss hugging and kissing their little faces way too much.

PANEL 33

Shot of the guys standing around the fire listening to BUTCH. BUTCH looking emotional and slightly drunk. He has tears welling up in his eyes. He his holding his right shoulder with one hand. His fly is still down.

BUTCH:

Life’s been tough enough lately. I couldn’t bare it without my kids. Ever since I got hurt, nothing has worked out the way I hoped.
I was a star prospect for the Sox! Now I’m installing linoleum. It’s fucking depressing.

PANEL 34

Closeup of BUTCH wiping away tears.

BUTCH:

Anyway.. I’m not going to dwell on it anymore tonight. It’s  really great to see you guys. I needed this.

PANEL 35

COOP standing in the middle of J-WEI and EDDIE with arms full of firewood.

COOP:

Well Butch.. Maybe if you weren’t such a piece of shit, I’d give a fuck.

PANEL 36

EDDIE and J-WEI looking at COOP as he puts the firewood in a pile nearby. EDDIE looks disappointed and a little pissed. J-WEI has a “That’s cold” type face. Head is cocked back over his shoulders. Eyes sifted to the side.

J-WEI:

Dammmn dude!

EDDIE:

Same old Cooper.

PANEL 37

COOP in the face of BUTCH looking him in the eye. He looks calm yet firm. Not angry as much as resolute. BUTCH looks sad and drunk.

COOP:

You’ll get no sympathy out of me. You know that your wife calls me when she’s looking for you right? You have to. She’s done it since you guys started dating.

BUTCH:

Yeah.

PANEL 38

COOP talking to BUTCH around the fire. He has a smirk on his face. His eyes are calm.  EDDIE and J-WEI listen while drinking beer.

COOP:

I think I’ve been at your house more than you have this year! Did you even know that your garbage disposal was broken? If so, didn’t you wonder how it got fixed?

BUTCH:

uh…No.

PANEL 39

Coop standing over the fire cracking a beer. He is calm. BUTCH is next to him looking sad raising a beer to his lips.

COOP:

Yeah. Had been for about a month when Selena asked if I could help. The week before that it was help getting clothes out of the attic. Last summer it was fire ants in the yard. You’ve got a beautiful wife and two adorable kids that need a man in their life. And, while you say you’re working late every night, you’re really at the bar feeling sorry for yourself!

BUTCH (muffled):

Not every night.

COOP:

You need to get yourself together so YOU can be there for your wife and kids.

Zip up your fucking fly!

PANEL 40

The four friends standing around the fire.

J-WEI:

Shit Coop. Seems like you’ve got something you want to say to everybody tonight. Let’s hear what you got for me.

PANEL 41

COOPER standing in front of J-WEI. He has a smirk on his face and a glint in his eyes, like he is enjoying this.

COOP:

Okay.

Your parents escaped communist China! Endured the untold trials of the unwanted immigrant. Worked their asses off their whole lives to build a small business empire! They made sure you would never have to struggle like they did!

And you’re going to stand here and tell us that taking care of THEM in their old age is too much work! And that owning a store, restaurant, dry cleaners, gym, and supporting your community “is not your thing”!

Where’s the fucking gratitude J?

J-WEI:

I don’t expect you to understand. You don’t have any family.

PANEL 42

Close up of COOP opening a beer. He has very matter-of-fact look on his face. He is not angry. 

COOP:

Your damn right I don’t understand! Your parents had forethought. They made plans, sacrificed, and achieved goals to set you up! Now it’s your turn to plan for your kids future and your going to cash in their legacy because your too lazy to put in your share of the work.

For fuck’s sake! Taking up too much time?! Time from what? The only thing I ever see you doing is stuffing your face, lifting weights, or staring in a mirror!

PANEL 43

J-WEI, EDDIE, and BUTCH standing together on one side of the cauldron. COOP is on the other smiling. J-WEI looks indifferent. BUTCH looks sad. EDDIE looks irritated.

EDDIE:

Jesus Christ.

J-WEI:

Fuck you man.

PANEL 44

COOP holding his beer up side down. Nothing is coming out. He looks calm and pleased with himself.

COOP:

Friendship is a two-way street. Do any of you ever call to see how I’m doing? No. Not even on Christmas. I’m the one who calls. You’re right I don’t have any family.

Not anymore.

PANEL 45

Close up of EDDIE standing by the fire. He is pissed.

EDDIE:

Fuck this! This is bullshit! I’m not going to feel bad for putting myself first in MY life. I’m done baring the brunt of your abandonment issues Coop!

Let’s be real. You’re this way because your dad got locked up when you were a kid and your Mom was always working to make ends meet. Then, your older brother left you to go die in a pointless fucking war!

So, you put more weight and expectations into these childhood friendships because we’re the closest thing you have to a family! Face it! We’re all you’ve got and you’re pissed we don’t feel as strongly about our friendship as you do!

But, we’re not like you Coop. We’re not alone. We have real families!

PANEL 46

COOP standing next to his backpack holding a bag of chewing tobacco (IINDIAN HEAD CHEW) and loading a big pinch into his cheek. His eyes are calm and his body language is relaxed.

COOP:

That thought has occurred to me.

PANEL 47

COOP facing away from the other three. His backpack is on.

COOP:

It’s time. Let’s go.

PANEL 48

Four teenagers (YOUNG EDDIE, YOUNG COOP, YOUNG BUTCH, YOUNG J-WEI) stare transfixed at a large old book (GRIMOIRE) sitting on an ornate desk in a large spacious attic filled with a collection of antique furniture, clothes, and artifacts. One of the boys (YOUNG EDDIE) is holding a black leather pouch with a gold RG on it.

CAPTION (WRITTEN IN OLD ENGLISH):

1999

PANEL 49

Shot of the book laying up on the desk. There is note bookmarking the page.

NOTE (WRITTEN IN CURSIVE):

Works!!! Grants amazing power! But Beware! Extracts a heavy toll!

PAGE TEXT (WRITTEN IN OLD ENGLISH):

Ultimate Divination

Walk into foreboding mountains under a blood moon and sow RopenHak’s grit in the deep dark damp.

Harvest the Valobenstools after 300 moons.

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

Drink at Midnight on a cliff above water.

Pass through the Moon Vortex.

Endure the Incomprehensible Labyrinth of Flesh and Bone.

Traverse the Divide.

On the otherside you will be granted the GodSight.

PANEL 50

The young versions of the four men hiking in the forest next to the stream to the FORT. YOUNG COOP is in the front with his head turned looking towards the others. His mouth is open and he is pointing. The other 3 are looking down trying to navigate the rocky and overgrown path.

CAPTION (WRITTEN IN OLD ENGLISH):

..into foreboding mountains under a blood moon.

PANEL 51

YOUNG EDDIE sprinkling the contents of the black leather pouch in a cave that has a small stream of water running through it. YOUNG COOP stands in the back ground holding a flashlight.

CAPTION (WRITTEN IN OLD ENGLISH):

Sow RopenHak’s grit In the deep dark damp.

PANEL 52

COOP and EDDIE walking towards A dark stone archway that leads into the FORT. COOP is in front. EDDIE is behind him. J-WEI and BUTCH are together at the foot of an old set of stairs that lead up to the entrance.

CAPTION (WRITTEN IN OLD ENGLISH):

Return on the 300th moon.

BUTCH:

Coop is a fucking asshole! But, he’s got a point.

J-WEI:

He always does. But, why does he have to be such a dick about it?

PANEL 53

The 4 men standing next to a hole in the floor in a room carved out of rock. There are ancient cave drawings on the walls that show 4 figures lost in a great wood following the sun towards and exit. COOP is pulling the rope out of his pack. J-WEI is drinking a protein shake. BUTCH looks drunk and he is lighting a cigarette.

J-WEI:

What are the odds that there is anything down there?

BUTCH:

Shit! What you don’t remember Lady Blackstar? You were standing right next to me when she smote Mr. Bromer! Smote the fuck out that piece of shit!

EDDIE:

Fucking exploded his ass! My Gran-gran was no joke.

PANEL 54

J-WEI talking to BUTCH. COOPER is gone. EDDIE is descending down the rope into the hole.

J-WEI:

I remember.

BUTCH:

She was legit. That means her book is legit. The ‘stools’.. They’ll be there.

PANEL 55

COOP standing at the bottom of the rope, he is holding his hat brim up and scratching his head through thick hair, cheek full of chew. EDDIE is hanging on the rope suspended above the floor mouth open and eyes wide. There is a small stream leading to a cave entrance ahead of them and it is alight with an eerie green glow

COOP:

I’ll be damned.

SOUND (EDDIE):

GASP!

PANEL 56

EDDIE and COOP standing in a small cave with a small stream running through it surrounded by glowing purple mushrooms with green spots. The green glow illuminates their faces. COOP is holding a burlap sack.

CAPTION (WRITTEN IN OLD ENGLISH):

Harvest the Valobenstools.

EDDIE:

Valobenstools?!

COOPER:

I reckon so.

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.