C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A LTHE SHADOW
♦ LAMONT CRANSTON/KENT ALLARD ♦ WEALTHY MAN ABOUT TOWN ♦ CHICAGO ♦
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows..."
The Shadow is going to stay The Shadow. The only difference is there will be two of them. Lamont Cranston will operate in the modern day while we flashback to the days of Kent Allard's Shadow.
C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:
You know, 2019 doesn't seem to be very much different than the era in which The Shadow was created. Corruption and greed seem to be fucking over the little people in this country and there seems to be a growing tide of hate from people who are frightened by the changing world.
Also, Nazis are still a thing.
So through that lens, I think The Shadow would adapt rather well. And with the angle of turning the character into a legacy, I have the ability to jump back and forth through time to tell stories. So... yeah.
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:
Kent Allard -- The original Shadow.
Lamont Cranston -- Great grandnephew of Allard. Current Shadow.
Margo Lane -- Newspaper reporter and Allard's love interest.
Claude Fellows -- Modern day mayor of Chicago.
Rutledge Mann -- 1920's Chicago chief of police.
Ralph Weston -- Modern day Chicago chief of police.
Roy Tam -- Weston's right hand man. The Shadow's agent inside CPD.
Grendel -- Mysterious Chicago crime boss operating in modern times.
The Black Sparrow -- Fifth columnist active during WW2.
Kyle Vincent -- Modern day white nationalist and Illinois Nazi.
1929Joe McGill kept a watchful eye on his men as they loaded up the small convoy of trucks with crates. Each crate contained thirty cases of Canadian liquor. Those that weren't loading the trucks were standing guard in the warehouse with Tommy Guns. It was a precaution that was well worth the extra cost. McGill ran a rough calculation and came up with seventy-five grand in profit for him and his crew. That was what the president made in a whole year, just on this one run south.
With the amount of money involved in bootlegging, it was worth fighting for. Worth killing for too. The Italians were trying to muscle in on his rackets and hijack his shipments. McGill was going to be goddamned if he let that happen. The major fuckup from last week had been unfortunate, but it was necessary. It wasn't McGill's fault that Jim Marino had been a coward who hid behind a group of kids during the hit.
"Hahahahahahaha"
McGill looked up into the darkness of the warehouse. All action beside the trucks had come to a standstill. The sinister laughter boomed through the open space. But to McGill it sounded so close, like whoever it was was whispering into his ear.
"You're all murderers and poisoners. You traffic in suffering and despair. Human parasites."
McGill motioned for his men to fan out. Those that had been loading the trucks pulled pistols from their waistbands or shoulder holsters. He saw a silhouette of a man with a large brimmed hat stretch across the floor of the dimly lit warehouse. Gunfire lit up the darkness as the Tommy Guns and pistols erupted. After several seconds of prolonged gunfire, the warehouse fell silent again.
"Hahahahaha. With aim like that, no wonder six school children are dead."
And that was when the warehouse turned into a war zone. Bullets ripped through the air as McGill's men opened fire. Whatever it was, kept firing on them. McGill saw the side of Albert McKinney's face disappear into a bloody mist of pulp. McGill backed away and beat a retreat to his office. He opened up the heavy metal door and closed it behind him. Bullets bounced off its surface as he the threw the deadbolt across it and cowered behind his desk.
McGill heard the gunfire intensifying through the door. He pulled a five-shot revolver from his waistcoat and aimed it towards the door with a shaky hand. McGill was a gangster, but he had always been the one who ordered the hits. He'd never actually carried them out. McGill flinched as a rapid burst of machine gun fire raked the metal door. Someone screamed and an explosion rocked the warehouse.
Quiet fell. McGill could smell smoke. He started to stand behind the desk when the metal door swung open. He saw a shadow in the doorway and screamed as he fired. McGill continued to pull the trigger even as the gun dry fired on empty chambers. The door frame was empty. Whatever had been there, or whatever McGill thought had been there, was gone.
"Joseph McGill."
Something shimmered in front of him. It was a man. A man with two guns in his hands. McGill held up is empty gun as the man opened fire. Two bullets ripped through McGill's chest and he crumpled to the floor. The man stood above him and looked down. McGill saw that he wore a hate and some sort of cloth over his face.
"The weed of crime bears bitter fruit, McGill. It's harvest time for you."
"No," McGill gasped. "No please!"
TBD