THE STAGE 32 LOGLINES
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PIECEWORK HEROES
By Mark LaFever
Summer,
1938. After the surprise smash debut of
Superman in
Action Comics #1, a
competing publisher assigns struggling comic book artist Harry Rosen to create
a Superman knockoff. Harry accepts – but
amid 1930s New York’s mix of labor violence, organized crime, and foreign
espionage, he discovers that earning a legit living in the funny-book business
is more complicated than he expected...and more dangerous.
SYNOPSIS:
- Originally titled "The Moonlighters"
- 2013 Quarterfinalist in Creative World Awards screenwriting contest
In the wake of Superman’s surprise commercial success, cash-strapped freelance comic artist Harry Rosen accepts an assignment from his aristocratic publisher, a Great War veteran, to create a Superman knockoff – at ten bucks a page, a non-negotiable piecework rate, offered by an editor who appears to be sliding into violent alcoholism.
Further complicating Harry’s life are his mother’s possibly-inappropriate relationship with her travel agent boss, and the radical politics of Harry’s beautiful Lower East Side tenement neighbor, Leah Bernstein.
With Leah’s sweetheart, labor hero Big Mike Quinlan, off fighting Fascists in the Spanish Civil War, Leah shows signs of an attraction to Harry – or, possibly, to Harry’s mobbed-up, wanna-be counterfeiter brother, Benny.
Meanwhile, Harry’s fellow artist – cover painter and troubled German immigrant Johann Rausch – flirts with the dark pageantry of American Nazism.
Ultimately, the circumstances of a unique place in a turbulent time will conspire to force even an innocuous funny-book artist into dangerous choices of historic significance.
AUTHOR CONTACT INFO: 2375-C Birch Run Circle, Herndon, VA 20171; phone (202) 460-4187; email mark.lafever.1970@gmail.com
PIECEWORK HEROES
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Thanks Lauren! Glad you liked.
2 people like this
Mark, more Jews, haha? Love your turn of dialogue, you definitely have a talent - sharp, very sharp and it resonates with me - did you enter that Stage 32 TV script competition? Think it's still going re the deadline.
Hey yeah, I was kinda surprised they extended that - wonder if not enough people entered or something?
1 person likes this
No, fate, they were waiting for your entry, LOL.
Hey Hans, thanks for your comments - no offense taken at all. Hope your weekend's going well.
A movie about a comic book industy is always cool! I've written one script from that field myself, but it tells the story of a real publisher than existed in Poland in the 90s, conquering our press shops with american superheroes. There's been lots of movies about novelists, poets, even screenwriters, and sog writers... so why not comic book creators :) Thumbs up!