| THE ZORRO NEWSPAPER STRIP | DEAD BODY RISING SUNDAY WEEK TWENTY THREE |
McGregor 45-46 |
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PANEL ONE (IT IS SUNSET AT THE TAR PITS, THE SUN DYING IN MAGNIFICENT COLOR BEHIND THE GROUP GATHERED AROUND THE WOMAN'S BODY. MONASTERIO KNEELS OVER THE BODY, NOT TOUCHING IT, BUT LOOKING DOWN AT IT CRITICALLY. IT'S A PROBLEM HE HAS TO DEAL WITH, AND HE'S A LITTLE PUT OUT BY IT. QUICKBLADE STANDS IMPASSIVELY BEHIND MONASTERIO, LOOKING DOWN AT THE CORPSE WITH TOTAL DISTACHMENT. DIEGO, CONCERN IN HIS EYES, IS COMING FORWARD, STARTING TO BEND DOWN TOWARD THE DEAD WOMAN. ALEJANDRO GIVES BERNARDO A QUIZZICAL LOOK. THE SITUATION IS UNUSUAL, BUT THIS IS UNUSUAL BEHAVIOR FOR HIS SON, AS WELL.) CAP 1: The stench of asphalt assaults the viewers of death's nostrils. The corpse assaults their eyes. MONASTERIO 2: A Spanish woman had a deadly accident out here in the pits. What would she be doing out here? DIEGO 3: May I look closer, Commandante? MONASTERIO 4: A lot of help you'll be, Don Diego. PANEL TWO (ANGLED PAST DIEGO AND THE DEAD WOMAN, AS HE GENTLY LIFTS HER HEAD TO THE SIDE, TO LOOK AT HER FEATURES. UP PAST DIEGO, WE CAN SEE ALEJANDRO STANDING, AND VISUALLY THERE IS THIS SYMBOLIC ATTITUDE OF THE FATHER FIGURE TOWERING OVER THE SON, LOOKING DOWN SOMEWHAT JUDGMENTALLY AND YET PERPLEXED BY THE OFF SPRING. ALL OF DIEGO'S CONCERN IS ON THE WOMAN. HE LOOKS ON HER FACE WITH GREAT COMPASSION, AND HE IS DOING WHAT HE IS DOING, EVEN THOUGH IT IS UNCHARACTERISTIC OF HIM IN HIS ROLE AS DIEGO, BECAUSE HE ALREADY SEES MORE THAN ANY OF THEM HAVE, AND SUSPECTS EVEN MORE.) ALEJANDRO 5: I'm surprised you expended the effort to journey out here, mijo. ALEJANDRO 6: I'm even more surprised that you aren't retching rather than volunteering to touch the corpse. DIEGO 7: I wouldn't, father, except, see, I was right, the Commandante was wrong. PANEL THREE (DIEGO GENTLY LIFTS UP HER HAND, LOOKING AT THE JAGGED CRACKED FINGERNAILS ON IT. WE MUST CATCH THE EMOTIONAL LLOK ON DIEGO'S FACE, THE PAIN HE FEELS AT THIS WOMAN'S DEATH, AND WHAT HE IS FINDING OUT ABOUT HER. THERE IS NOTHING REMOTE ABOUT DIEGO. HE IS A MAN OF COMPASSION AND SKILL, WITH A REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE THAT DRIVES HIM MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.) DIEGO 8: I don't know who she is, but she is not a Spanish woman. DIEGO 9: She is from one of the coastal tribes. And, oh, there one more thing. PANEL FOUR (DIEGO TURNS HER HEAD, TENDERLY TOUCHING HER MATTED HAIR, MATTED BY TAR AND BLOOD, AND WE CAN SEE SHE HAS BEEN STRUCK SAVAGELY. mONASTERIO, STILL KNEELING, LEANS OVER TO LOOK, AS IF HE IS HUMORING AN IMBECILE.) MONASTERIO 10: And what is that, Don Diego? We can hardly wait to hear. DIEGO 11: See here! Her head was struck savagely...this woman, she didn't drown accidentally... PANEL FIVE (SMALL PANEL, JUST THE WOMAN'S HEAD IN DIEGO'S HANDS.) DIEGO (POINTER UP TO DIEGO FACE, OFF PANEL. LARGE BALLOON, SMALL LETTERS) 12: she was murdered. 
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