User:Beno1000/Sandbox/Circles comic



This is work I am doing for the comic book/graphic novel Circles.

I have been asked to consider writing a shorter version for each issue using only a paragraph or two for each issue. This will be written here. I will decide which version to use when they are both complete. I will, however, keep both versions archived in my user space.

Issue 0
Issue 0 was a short 4 page strip produced to advertise the comic. It introduces most of the main characters, and gives an idea as to the plot of the main issues, and some of the relationships between the characters, and alludes to Paulie's illness.

Issue 1
Issue 1 starts with Paulie writing his journal, which he intends to leave for Doug to read when he dies. It then has a scene where Paulie and Doug are talking in the shower about the prospective new tennant, and they breifly mention Doug's hard feelings towards Arthur or "the guy who got you sick". Doug and Paulie then talk about how Paulie's HIV affects them and their relationship, before Doug heads off for work. On his way out, Doug comes across Arthur and gives him a dirty look, which brings him close to tears.

After Doug has left, Marty turns up and meets Paulie. Paulie starts to show Marty around the house, and Paulie tells Marty that everyone who lives there is gay, and asks Marty if he's gay too, to which he says yes. Paulie continues to show him around, and introduces him to Arthur, who we are shown is an artist. Ken turns up and we are immediately shown his sexually promiscuous nature. Paulie takes Marty upstairs to where he and Doug live, and Marty notices the large collection of books about HIV and AIDS which Paulie owns, and asks him if he has HIV. They breifly discuss how his illness affects him and his relationship with Doug, before Taye arrives home from work and comes up to meet Marty. Marty chokes on his food when he first sees Taye, and compliments him on his clothes, causing Taye to take an almost instant liking to him. Taye and Marty discuss some things, such as Marty's place at university and whether he wants to move in to the Kinsey house or not, and Taye tells him that he finds him very attractive. Marty says that he would love to move in as long as Doug is okay with it, and when he arrives home he gives his approval after Marty eats one of his brownies and says that he liked it.

The issue closes with Paulie writing in his journal again, and talking about his feelings about some of the characters. He says he wonders how Marty and Taye will work out together. He then says that he wishes Douglas wouldn't be so hostile towards Arthur because he thinks Paulie's HIV infection was not Arthur's fault and doesn't like the way Doug treats Arthur because he feels that it was his fault. He also says that Ken worries him because he doesn't take the risk of cathcing HIV seriously enough, and he is afraid that he will make his own "foolish decision", like the one which resulted in Paulie catching HIV. The last frames show Paulie and Doug hugging each other in bed, with Paulie closing his journal saying he hopes Doug will be stay with him always, "However long that is."

Issue 2
Issue two opens with Paulie writing hus journal again, and Marty is moving in. Paulie meets Marty's parents for the first time and Taye takes a photo. Afterwards, Taye goes to talk to Ken. Taye and Ken breifly talk about Taye's attraction to Marty, with Ken commenting on how he could have gotten a "better looking guy" than Marty, and calls Taye a "chubby chaser". Taye then asks Ken who he's currently dating, and after some confusion over the names of Ken's multiple and frequently changing partners, Taye walks away in frustration.

In the next scene, Marty is talking to Paulie about moving in and his parents visiting. They quickly move onto the topic of Marty coming out to his parents, with Paulie being surprised he hasn't already done so. Marty explains that he's afraid of rejection from his parents because of their conservative attitudes on most things. Paulie tries to comfort Marty, reassuring him that they love him for who he is, and probably don't care what his sexuality is, and that they may already suspect anyway. Taye walks in and Paulie leaves. Marty tells Taye that he was talking about coming out to his parents, and Marty says he doesn't think he cares what his parents think anymore, and eventually comes to saying that he shouldn't really be worrying about it before Taye heads off to work.

In the next scene, Doug is cooking while watching a cookery show called "The Urban Peasent", which is based around recipes such as "Garbage Pail Stew" to which Paulie begs him not to make. Marty comes in and asks if they're ready for Saturday, which is the day Marty's parents are visiting, and they discuss the food they'll be serving on the day. It is touched on that Marty's parents aren't Jewish, but don't usually eat Kosher. After this, Mrs Nussbaum is introduced when she calls round to welcome Marty to the neighborhood. After having a laugh and a joke with Marty, Paulie, and Doug she leaves, and Paulie praises her while Doug says he wished other people in the neighborhood were like her, and points a person named Carter Allen as one of them. After this, Marty says he's been thinking about coming out to his parents more, and Paulie tells Marty of his own coming out experiance, and Marty says that he thinks he will come out to his parents soon, but not on that Saturday.

Later, Marty and Taye are upstairs in their bedroom and Marty tells Taye that Arthur doesn't have the tool to pull the beds apart so they'll have to sleep together. Taye stips naked while Marty brushes his teeth, and gets into the bed. Marty gets into the bed clothed, and Taye asks him why he did that, and seeing that Taye is comfortable with him sleeping as he normally would, he strips naked himself. Marty lays in the bed awake and nervous, and when Taye becomes aware of this he reaches out to him, and Marty bursts out that he's not used to sleeping with someone, especially while he's naked. He says that he can't help fidgeting and that he thinks he snores, and he thinks Taye must hate him for it. Instead, Taye says that he was going to ask him if he could put his arm around him and "snuggle up". Marty says that it's ok and Taye puts his arms around Marty and calls him cute. Marty finally manages to close his eyes, and happily thinks about the compliment he was just given.

On the Saturday when Marty's parents are visiting, Marty is outwardly nervous in opening the door, and both Taye and Paulie realise that something is likely to go wrong. When Marty opens the door to greet his parents, he is surprised to see that his grandmother is also visiting. After everyone has been greeted and introduced, Marty goes into the kitchen to talk to Doug, telling him that his grandmother is stricter than his parents, and always eats Kosher. Doug reassures Marty that he can sort everything out, and Marty is left to talk to his grandmother, who starts to press him on the topic of finding a wife and having children. Arthur and Ken arrive back home and Marty forces Arthur into the kitchen with Doug when he presents some red wine.

Ken introduces himself to Marty's dad, and they start talking about work, and Ken's photoshoots which Marty would rather he didn't tell his dad about. Paulie comes over and reassures Marty that the dinner plans are going well, and Marty's grandmother comes over and starts pressing him about getting married and having children again. Marty starts a confrontation with his grandmother when he tells her that he doesn't want to get married or have children. Marty's parents come over when they notice there's a confrontation, and they get involved with the argument, asking him why he doesn't want to get married. Marty passes it off as simply he just doesn't want to marry anyone. His grandmother then starts rooting in her handbag, saying she has the number of her neighbor's grand-daughter. Marty says he isn't interested, and she replys by asking how he could know he isn't interested in her if he's never met her. At this, Marty explodes and shouts to them that the reason he isn't interested is because he's gay. His father asks him again, seemingly out of confirmation. Marty apologises, saying that it wasn't the way he wanted to tell them, but that he is gay. Surprisingly, his mother smiles and says to his father "Pay up, Ralph" and explain that they actually had a bet on whether Marty was gay or not. Marty's mother explains that she had known that he was gay, while his father explains that he hadn't thought so because he "Just didn't want him to be" but his parents assure him that they'd known that he was gay for quite some time, and that they're perfectly comfortable with him being gay because they just want him to be happy.

Incomplete