I wrote this for my comic writing class, and I'd love to see this become a real comic, but I don't have the skill or patience to do it justice.

Here's the log line and pitch:

Man’s best friend to the end, the tragedy of a dog who loses his human.

Max is the dog of an old man, and the dogs have lived with this man for generations. The relationship between the dogs and human in the eyes of the dogs is that the humans are timeless benevolent creatures that have cared for and guarded them over many lifetimes. Every time a new litter was born, most would be given away to family or friends, but one or two would be kept, carrying on the ‘tradition’. This time the man does not keep any of the puppies.

SCRIPT:
A Good Boy
Page 1
Panel 1: Closeup of Max’s mother licking the newborn puppy Max as he wiggles around.
NARRATION
The first things we learn are our mom’s scent and our names. Mine is Max.
Panel 2: A photo like pose of the man in his later years, maybe early 50s or late 40s, sitting with an arm round an adult dog while a puppy plays with a stuffy toy.
NARRATION
Next we learn about the humans. We get everything from the humans; they smell strange, but they’re our family.
Panel 3: A similar panel to 2, photo like framing, the man is around 10 years older, standing with a new puppy in his arms looking at the camera and the adult form of the puppy from the previous panel sitting at the old man’s side.
NARRATION
The humans don’t get old, and we dogs have lived with them forever.
Panel 4: again, a similar photo like panel, the man is older, the puppy has grown up and now the old man is holding Max as a puppy as he tries to lick at his face.
NARRATION
The humans are big and soft and gentle, but fragile; they don’t have claws or big teeth.
Panel 5: Max is playing with his litter of puppies, and the old man walks to the door to greet his family.
NARRATION
We have strong fangs and tough coats, so it’s our job as dogs to protect and take care of our humans.
Panel 6: The old man’s family of around 12 people come in and play with the puppies, picking them up and rolling balls around. Some of the older family members are holding puppies; small pet carriers are visible near the door.
OLD MAN(BLURRED/UNREADABLE WORDS AT …)
… Max … …
FAMILY MEMBER(BLURRED/UNREADABLE WORDS AT …)
… …
NARRATION
In return, they take care of us too, we are a pack.
PAGETURN
Page 2
Panel 1: The old man waves farewell to a couple of the family members who are on their way out the door, carrying some of the puppies with them either in hand or in carriers, the rest continue to play.
NARRATION
Since our oldest stories, my ancestors have lived with this human.
Panel 2: The old man sits in a chair, talking with some of his family who are holding puppies, there are noticeably fewer people and puppies.
NARRATION
From every litter, he gives most of the pups to his family,
Panel 3: Top-down inside shot, the old man stands near the open door, walking the last of his family to the door, max is walking up behind him to look out the door.
NARRATION
And then keeps one to stay here, like my mom and me, to be his dog.
Panel 4: Shot from outside, the old man and max are framed in the doorway, the old man waves at his family and Max sits next to the old man, similar to the previous photo like panels, but there is no puppy. Max looks up at the old man.
NARRATION
This time he didn’t, I don’t know why, but that’s okay though.
Page 3
Panel 1: Shot from outside, the old man turns back into the house, Max follows him as he closes the door.
OLD MAN
Come Max.
Panel 2: Max follows the old man as he walks from the living room down a hall past his bedroom. Light from the backdoor illuminates a basket with toys next to the door, a tennis ball sits near the top. The door to the bedroom is open, to help set the heart attack scene later.
NARRATION
Mom taught me about sharing, especially with the humans.
Panel 3: Closeup of the old man’s hands, the old man grabs one of the tennis balls from the basket and a ball-thrower before opening the back door.
OLD MAN(BLURRED/UNREADABLE WORDS AT …)
… … Outside?
NARRATION
She told me that the humans like it when we share with them.
Panel 4: The old man stands to the side, holding the door as Max rockets past him and out to the back yard to play fetch.
PAGETURN
Page 4
Panel 1: long shot, the old man stands on his back porch, winding up to lob the tennis ball as Max watches in anticipation. Outside is it Spring and a metal framed and glass-topped table along with some metal chairs are visible on the porch.
NARRATION
She showed me a game to play them.
Panel 2: In the same framing, the old man is throwing the ball, but this time he leans heavily on a wooden cane. Max leaps into the air to catch it, but misses. A few years have passed, the season has changed to Summer.
OLD MAN
Fetch!
NARRATION
If you get a stick or a ball and show it to them,
Panel 3: Same framing, Max sprints off after the ball as the old man watches, he now uses a walker, the ball thrower is leaned up against the walker’s leg. The man looks stiff and hunched, his hair thinning and grey. The thrower is beginning to sun bleach, turning slightly whiter. A few years have passed, and the house and yard are slightly different, older, it is now Fall.
NARRATION
They get excited, but if you share it with them,
Panel 4: Same framing, Max runs up the old man and drops the tennis ball in his lap to throw again. The old man sits in a wheelchair, looking haggard; the thrower lies across the armrests of the wheelchair, sun-bleached a faintly blue white. A few years have passed, and the house looks old, the grass is unkempt, it is Winter.
NARRATION
They get even more excited, and then they throw it so you can share it all over again.
Panel 5: Closer shot of the man and max possible medium shot, The old man leans forward over the thrower, holds Max’s face in his hands, and kisses Max on the forehead as he patiently waits for the old man to throw the ball again, wagging his tail. Max is somewhat greying around his eyes and muzzle, but he still has plenty of life and energy in him. The old man, on the other hand, is clearly nearing the end of his life, he is wrinkled, his hair is white and thin, and spots mark the backs of his hands, but his love for Max is as strong as ever.
OLD MAN(BLURRED/UNREADABLE WORDS AT …)
… Max … good boy.
NARRATION
Playing that with the humans always makes them happy.
Page 5
Panel 1: In his wheelchair, the old man opens the front door to let some of the family member from before in, they bring with them one of the puppies, now a mature dog. Max stands next to the old man in his wheelchair, wagging his tail and looking happily up at the new people. The members are a woman, the old man’s daughter, a man, her husband, and a young girl, their daughter around 10 years old. The woman gives the old man a kiss on the cheek as the man and girl follow her in.
OLD MAN(BLURRED/UNREADABLE WORDS AT …)
… …
WOMAN(BLURRED/UNREADABLE WORDS AT …)
… … …
NARRATION
Sometimes my human’s family will visit, and I get to see my pups.
Panel 2: The old man and his family go out on to the back porch; the old man and the woman talk as they approach the table and chairs. The man crouches next to the girl as she throws a sun-bleached tennis ball, the same ball as before.
NARRATION
I help teach them about the humans, and what a dog should be.
Panel 3: Close/OTS shot, the family takes a cake out, the woman holds her hand in front of the candles to shield them from the wind. The cake is in the foreground, and Max plays with the younger dog in the background. The candles on the cake are numbers, 87.
NARRATION
It’s important to teach pups, then they can be better dogs and teach their pups.
Panel 4: The old man and his family sit around the table, having cake and talking while Max and the younger dog lie down near them, panting. Max has the tennis ball between his paws, and the thrower is visible leaned up against the wall near the back door, now completely sun-bleached on the top-facing side.
NARRATION
I always show them the sharing game first.
Panel 5: The old man and his family stand in the living room next to the door, they exchange farewells as the family prepares to leave. The little girl is carrying the thrower and their dog is looking up at her excitedly. Max stands near the old man and the woman while she pets his head.
NARRATION
Then I tell them about how special the humans are, how they live forever.
Panel 5: Closeup of the old man’s face, the old man watches as his family drives away, his expression is bittersweet, he is happy to have seen them but sad to watch them go. It is clear on his face that the old man is lonely.
NARRATION
Squirrels die, dogs die, even cats die, but humans are like rocks and trees, they never die.
PAGETURN
Page 6
Panel 1: The old man is lying in bed, rubbing his eyes as morning light pours in through a window onto Max, curled up on the bed with the old man, asleep.
Panel 2: The old man leans over next to the door to the hall, clutching chest.
Panel 3: The old man falls to the ground, holding a small device like a life-alert, Max jumps down from the bed, worried for the old man.
Panel 4: Paramedics burst in through the door
Panel 5: floor-up shot, light from the open front door frames the scene, Max stands over the old man, afraid, and looking up at the off-screen paramedics. The scene is bathed in the red and blue from the ambulance, pretty much all color should come from that, making the scene seem desaturated for the next few house panels.
Page 7
Panel 1: The paramedics put the old man on a stretcher, Max stands by, watching, his tail wagging low, his ears down and flat, licking his nose in anxiety.
MEDIC 1(BLURRED/UNREADABLE WORDS AT …)
… …
MEDIC 2(BLURRED/UNREADABLE WORDS AT …)
…
Panel 2: medium/close shot, As the paramedics put an oxygen mask over the old man’s face, he looks over at Max, points at him, and tells him to “Stay”.
OLD MAN
Stay
Panel 3: Panel spans the page, Max stands with his paws up on the windowsill, watching through the blinds as the ambulance takes the old man away. The scene’s shadows are almost inky-black as the shades’ slats cast shadows on Max and the floor, faint red and blue light still enters the room, casting dancing shadows on the walls and ceiling.
Panel 4: Max walks back out into the hallway, everything is dark where the light does not directly hit, the scene is desaturated to emphasize the loss and how alone Max is.
Panel 5: Max sits in front of the closed front door, watching it in almost desperate hope.
Panel 6: Wide shot, it is raining, and the old man’s family stands in a graveyard, dressed in black and carrying umbrellas, and the scene is desaturated to the point it is almost monochrome. The woman that visited the old man has Max with her on a leash.
PAGETURN
Page 8
Panel 1: Waist high shot, small panel, everything is near monochrome, Max walks forward, leaving the side of the woman as she lets the leash slip from her hand. Max’s tail is down, but his ears are forward as he approaches the grave.
NARRATION
Sometimes, when my human has to go and he tells he me to stay, I get lonely,
Panel 2: small panel, everything is still near monochrome, Max sniffs at the ground directly in front of the headstone, some of the flowers that sit in the foreground look like pillows or clouds.
NARRATION
But he always comes home and then he pets me and calls me a good boy,

Panel 3: Max curls up on the old man’s grave, everything is in grey monochrome except for the flowers and Max’s collar, everything is drenched from the rain. The flowers surrounding Max are reminiscent of the bed sheets the old man had, and Max is curled up the same way he would sleep with the old man.
NARRATION
So I’ll wait.
NARRATION
I’m his dog, and a good dog stays.
NARRATION
I’m a good boy...