Language & Content Warning:
There’s some swear words and pretty dark themes in the script that follows. Not necessarily in the artwork, that’s pretty safe. But just to warn you - it’s not for kiddies. Thanks.
Welcome!
Today I want to share something with you - a one-shot comic that I started, but never finished. It was inspired by my re-discovery of the existence of Magic Kingdom, an abandoned fun park in Western Sydney. My best mate Liam sent me a Youtube video of this 30-second tv commercial, featuring Pilot’s iconic song ‘Magic’. I had completely forgotten that this ever existed, and the memory-jog was intense.
Much has already been written and documented about Magic Kingdom, so I won’t go into the history of it here. For sure the most eloquently observed and fascinating exploration of this eerie place is this excellent blog piece by Vanessa Berry of Mirror Sydney (which served as the primary source of detail for the layout of the place, as I’ve never actually braved a visit myself).
The nucleus of this comic is my childhood memory of that TVC - specifically, at 0:11, the fleeting image of a tall, dark spaceman patting a kid on the head (and later, encouraging them to jump higher on the trampoline). I always thought that the fun park itself looked utterly underwhelming - but for some reason I was very much drawn to that space man. I wanted to go there just to see him.
The space man at 0:11 who so haunts my memory.
Over the last several years, I’ve drawn pictures of this character, made up elaborate practical jokes involving a proposed re-creation of the costume, even mused about the idea of trying to track down the original performer, to see if he somehow still has this bulbous helmet gathering dust somewhere. It would be something of a circular freak-out to be able see that thing in the flesh, all these years later…
So in the end, I decided to make a comic out of the character, and the setting of the land itself (which is still yet to be developed) - the decaying husk of Magic Kingdom. I started, but never got much further than introducing the girl and the spaceman and the park.
So what I’m going to show you now is the comic up to where it stalled - the unfinished page 9 where our heroine is taking a trip down the infamous yellow slide.
Below, I’m also posting the original rough script I’d laid out for the comic. I actually have almost no memory of writing this - and it has some pretty wild ideas in it. It probably would make a pretty good little Australian horror story. But for now, it lies dormant. Just like the park itself.
Will I ever finish it? Who knows. Never believe it’s not so.
Enjoy!
x Aidan, June 2022
Magic Kingdom Comic - Rough Script Draft NOV 2016
(Throughout, little details of decaying signs, advertising, warnings..)
Page 1:
“Lansvale, Sydney, present day”
Sun rises on the vacant lot, a derelict gateway
Derelict entrance - “have you..”
Empty field with refuse, a figure
closer, we see it’s the Spaceman
Page 2:
Spaceman walking through the tall grass
Stops to regard the giant decaying slide
Fleeting 80’s memory of slide in action
He moves to the side, the Ginger Meggs wall. The ghosts of dancers in hula costumes
Page 3:
A snake slithers through rust
Spaceman is sitting on the humpty dumpy slide, watches the snake
Snake goes away
rotting paddlewheelers in the swamp
Fleeting image of fun on lake in the 80s
Close up of his face
Page 4:
He walks through weeds and refuse toward the Boot
Stands before the Boot. The mist blows across the grass.
Distant shot of the Boot across the lake
Same angle, flashback with full rides and people etc
Spaceman alone again, staring into the lake
Foreground; we see a girl with a backpack and camera, standing on a rusting merry-go-round
Page 5:
Back in a field, Spaceman walks toward the derelict racetrack viewing platform
Climbs the stairs
Stares at the vacant racetrack
Close-up of his “face”
Page 5:
From the other side of the field, we see a girl with a backpack and camera
Closer, she squints
She takes a photo - chik!
Spaceman turns his head to stare at the girl.
She freezes.
Page 6:
Spaceman raises his hands to the air, as if “summoning” some higher power.
Flash panel of rapid images of the park in its heyday.
Page 7:
In a fog of sparkling blue light, Spaceman dissolves into thin air.
Page 8:
The platform is empty. The abandoned park is quiet. The wind blows. A faint blur luminescence remains where he was on the platform.
The girl’s face: can hardly believe what she’s just seen.
Distant shot of the girl alone in the field..
MAGIC KINGDOM
Scene 2:
She’s running out of the park and runs into some creepy suits. They warn her she’s trespassing. Stare at her for a while. “I’m just going to order an Uber”
Scene 3:
Abigail, at the kitchen table while her Dad cooks.
Dad
Yes darling
Do you remember Magic Kingdom?
Ha. That shithole in Lansvale? Absolutely. That’s not where you’ve been hanging out with your camera is it?
I went there the other day
You wanna be careful in there baby - it’s condemned. Someone owns the land. You’re trespassing really.
Dad it’s cool
And there’s snakes and shit in there - bloody come out poisoned.
I’ll be careful
Just don’t go there
Did you ever go there? When it was open?
Oh shit yeah. When we were teenagers we always went there. I took your Mum once actually.
Do you remember the guys in suits?
What, Batman and Robin and all them? Dickheads
No there were other guys - a spaceman
Look it up in Youtube - there’s probably something on there, show you what it was like. In its “glory days”
Yeah
Stay away from that place, Abbie.
Ok Dad
Scene 4:
Abigail in school in Liverpool. In the corridor she tells her friend, shows her a picture on the camera. Oh my god is that a ghost?
Not a ghost. I think it’s a man, but he was doing something really freaky. I’m gonna go back there.
Don’t go back there, what if you get raped by junkies?
Don’t be stupid.
Scene 5:
Abigail goes back at dusk. She is looking for the blue light. There’s some creeps there, teenage pricks. They’re smoking bongs and drinking. They confront her, circle her.
Offer her a cigarette. No thanks.
One of them asks if he can touch her breasts.
If you touch me I’ll scream, you fucking prick.
He advances on her. Scream all you want, bit-
He is suddenly, inextricably, wrenched out of sight and screams horribly.
The others are terrified. They yell his name, and flee.
Abigail is left alone, terrified, frozen.
Slowly the Spaceman appears out of the shadows, stares at her.
Did you - did you - kill him?
The Spaceman speaks:
You..mustn’t..tell..
I - won’t.
Silent..you must stay..silent.
I won’t tell, I promise. Please don’t hurt me.
I..will not...hurt you...Abigail..you..are...safe now. I won’t let anything happen to you ever again.
He vanishes.
Scene 6:
Abigail running away. She waves down a car. A woman pulls up, a kindly woman. You alright sweetie? Look like ya seen a bloody ghost. Abigail gets in.
Scene 7:
Abigail’s Dad is watching TV. She comes in the door.
hey. Where you been? Everything ok?
Just at Kira’s. Sorry Dad. Already ate.
You wanna watch Biggest Loser?
Nah. I’m gonna read or something Dad.
Alright baby.
Night, Dad.
Night, Bub
Scene 8:
Abigail lying awake, watching YouTube. It’s the Magic Kingdom trailer. She pauses on the Spaceman shots (trampoline, then the “characters” moment).
Scene 9:
In the field near the Racetrack, we see the derelict spectator stand. Hovering above it, naked, is the thug who was threatening to assault Abigail. He is wide-eyed, terrified.
He’s hovering in a cloud of the weird blue-white luminescence we saw in the opening sequence.
Circling around him, swimming through mid-air like eels, are several menacing black snakes.
Close-up on his face: he whimpers... please... let me go...
(Eventually there’ll be a scene where Abigail and the cops looking for the kid end up in a triangle with the Spaceman and his “prize”. Abigail asks him not to kill the kid; the cops are threatening to shoot the Spaceman, though they’re freaked out. Spaceman will be torn between his apparent love for Abigail, and his need for vengeance/punishment, and to protect his own anonymity. Who does he attack/save?)
What is this, Phantom of the Opera? Lol
What a stupid idea
