Detectives Inc. A Terror of Dying Dreams (An excerpt from the comic book script) by Don McGregor Thrilling Detective is really pleased to present something a little different. But first, a little background... Back in 1985, Don McGregor had a vision for a private eye film, about his racially-mixed team of tough New York eyes, based on characters he had originally created for the highly-claimed graphic novel A Remembrance of Threatening Green. He had a script and everything, for what was "primarily a presentation piece," but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men and McGregors... Undaunted, Don turned around and reworked the film script, transforming it into the second graphic novel, A Terror of Dying Dreams, featuring private eyes Ted Denning & Bob Rainier , collectively known as Detectives Inc. Now, for the first time, Thrilling Detective is pleased to present a glimpse at not only Don's original film script, but also the original comic script for the same scene (both reproduced here, warts'n'all), as well as the actual comic book page that was the ultimate result, as rendered by comics legend Gene Colan.n. | Film Script | Comic Book Script | Comic Page | . DETECTIVES INC.: "A Terror of Dying Dreams" BOOK THREE McGregor ...................PAGE TEN ...................PANEL ONE (MANY OF THE PANELS ON THIS PAGE FEATURE THAT MENACINGLY LOOKING GUN, WITH ITS LETHAL BEAUTY, PROMINENTLY, GENE. IT VISUALLY REPRESNTS WHAT THAT WEAPON MEANS TO DENNING. THIS IS SHOT PAST RANIER'S HANDS, WHICH HAVE PICKED THE SHOULDER HOLSTER AND GUN, AND PAST IT WE SEE DENNING, WHO HAS STRAIGHTENED FROM THE WALL, EYES NARROWED, ZEROED IN ON THE GUN.) DENNING 1: Let's ride out to see Curruthers. Let's see how he reacts when we pop the news that we know about his financial condition. DENNING 2: Depending on what he does, maybe, we throw the whole thing at him, see if he panics. ...................PANEL TWO (RANIER SHRUGS INTO THE SHOULDER HOLSTER DENNING'S FACE IS SOMBER.) RAINIER 3: Tell you what. You play Groucho. I'll be Chico. We'll let him be Margaret Dumont. DENNING 4: Do you have to take that? RAINIER 5: I think it's wise. I think you should carry yous. You remember the bozo with the gun? ...................PANEL THREE (PAST THE LETHAL LOOKING GUN AS RAINIER TAKES IT OUT OF THE HOLSTER AND TAKES A CLIP FROM ANOTHER DRAW IN HIS DESK, WE SEE BOTH DENNING AND DIERDRE STARING AT THE GUN.) DENNING 6: I never forget bozos with guns. I'm still not packing a piece. RAINIER 7: Okay, Wyatt Earp. Be that way. DIERDRE 8: You were expecting that kind of trouble? ...................PANEL FOUR (SHOT PAST THE CLIP AS RAINIER PUTS BULLETS INTO IT, OUT TO DENNING AND DIERDRE. DIERDRE HAS TURNED O DENNING, WHO HAS BOWE HIS HEAD. SHE LOOKS AT DENNING WITH CONCERN.) RAINIER 9: I'm not expecting anything. In thisbusiness, you don't expect, you just prepare. DIERDRE 10: Is it...okay if I ask you a personal question? DENNING 11: Why I don't carry a gun? DETECTIVES INC.: "A Terror of Dying Dreams" BOOK THREE McGregor ...................PAGE TEN CONTINUED ...................PANEL FIVE (SHOT PAST THE GUN AS RANIER SHOVES THE CLIP INTO THE BUTT OF THE GUN. DENNING LOOKS UP, WITH QUIET ANGUISH AND SOME RGE, AT DIERDRE.) DIERDRE 12: Seems...odd for a private ey...investigator. DENNING 13: I had to shoot a teenager once...case concerning the boy whose father talked to you about us...I didn't have much choice. ...................PANEL SIX (DENNING AND DIERDRE, AS DIERDRE TOUCHES HIS SHOULDER CONSOLINGLY.) DENNING 14: Killing people was not the reason I became an investigator. DIERDRE 15: (SMALL LETTERS, LARGE BALLOON) I know. ...........................PANEL SEVEN (PAST RANIER FITTING THE GUN BACK INTO THE SHOULDER HOLSTER TO DENNING COMING AROUND THE DESK WITH DIERDRE.) RAINIER 16: Dierdre, I think you should...maybe it would be best if we handled this one alone. DIERDRE 17: It's all right. Really. I have no inclination to be anywhere bullets might fly about. ...........................PANEL EIGHT (THE THREESOME HEAD FOR THE DOOR OUT. DENNING AND RANIER GIVE EACH OTHER PUZZLED LOOKS AT DIERDRE'S REQUEST.) DIERDRE 18: You don't mind if I go back to the NCC offices and check out Constance, do you? RAINIER 19: No, but what on earth for? DIERDRE 20: I just want to ask her where she got her sunglasses. | Film Script | Comic Book Script | Comic Page | Copyright (c) 1985, 1999 Don McGregor Please direct comments on the above story and inquiries about submissions to the editor, or check out this page. "And I'll tell you right out that I'm a man who likes talking to a man that likes to talk." | Table of Contents | Detectives A-L M-Z | Film | Radio | Television | Comics | FAQs | | Trivia | Authors | Hall of Fame | Mystery Links | Bibliography | Glossary | | What's New: On The Site | On the Street | Fiction | Staff | The P.I. Poll |

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