Saturday, October 25, 2025

THE PLUTOCRATS FEAST: A modern Soylent Green Tale A Modest Proposal for the Modern Age

 THE PLUTOCRATS FEAST: A modern Soylent Green Tale 

A Modest Proposal for the Modern Age

A 16-Page Dystopian Graphic Novel Idea for Young Adults 




















PAGE 1: THE OPENING

Panel 1 (Full page splash)

  • Visual: Towering megacity skyline at dusk. Neon signs flash "NUTRI-BLOC: FEEDING THE FUTURE." Crumbling tenements in foreground, gleaming corporate towers in background. Smoke stacks billow. A delivery drone drops packages.
  • Caption Box: "2047. After the Great Collapse, they promised us salvation. They called it The Redistribution."
  • Caption Box: "They lied."

PAGE 2: MEET THE PROTAGONISTS

Panel 1 (Wide establishing shot)

  • Visual: Crowded classroom in District 7 (poor sector). Peeling walls, flickering lights. Students in worn uniforms sit at desks.
  • Caption: "District 7 Public Education Center. Morning Nutrition Period."

Panel 2 (Focus on MAYA, 14, Black girl with natural hair in braids, sharp eyes)

  • Visual: Maya stares at a grey cube on her tray with disgust.
  • Maya: "Another day, another mystery cube."
  • Caption: "Maya Chen-Baptiste. Top of her class. Questions everything."

Panel 3 (Focus on JAVI, 15, Latino boy, athletic build, kind face)

  • Visual: Javi sits beside Maya, forcing a smile while eating.
  • Javi: "At least it's food, right? My abuela says we should be grateful."
  • Caption: "Javier 'Javi' Rodriguez. Loyal friend. Always sees the good."

Panel 4 (Focus on KENJI, 13, Asian boy, tech-savvy, nervous energy)

  • Visual: Kenji types on a cracked tablet, barely touching his food.
  • Kenji: "I'm running nutritional analysis. These Nutri-Blocs... something's off about the protein signatures."
  • Caption: "Kenji Tanaka. Tech genius. Hacker extraordinaire."

Panel 5 (Focus on ZARA, 14, Middle Eastern girl, hijab, fierce expression)

  • Visual: Zara leans forward intensely.
  • Zara: "My dad worked at the processing plant before he disappeared. He tried to tell people something—"
  • Caption: "Zara Al-Aziz. Fighter. Determined to find the truth."

PAGE 3: THE SYSTEM

Panel 1 (Wide shot)

  • Visual: Large propaganda screen on classroom wall shows a smiling politician in an expensive suit.
  • Screen: "Senator Golding thanks you for your sacrifice! Together, we build a sustainable future!"
  • Teacher (off-panel): "Class, remember to express gratitude for The Redistribution Act."

Panel 2 (Close on Maya's skeptical face)

  • Maya (thinking): "Sustainable for who?"

Panel 3 (Group shot of the four kids)

  • Kenji: "My analysis is done. Guys... this protein isn't soy. It's not algae. It's—"
  • Alert Klaxon: "BWAAAAM!"

Panel 4 (Chaos in classroom)

  • Visual: Students duck as drones fly past windows. Red emergency lights.
  • Intercom: "ATTENTION: SECTOR CURFEW IN EFFECT. REMAIN INDOORS. REDISTRIBUTION ENFORCEMENT IN PROGRESS."

Panel 5 (Four protagonists exchange glances)

  • Zara: "Meet at the old factory. Tonight. We need to talk."

PAGE 4: THE NIGHT MISSION

Panel 1 (Establishing shot)

  • Visual: Night. The four kids sneak through dark alleys. Searchlights sweep overhead. Propaganda posters: "PROSPERITY THROUGH REDISTRIBUTION."

Panel 2 (Medium shot)

  • Visual: They reach an abandoned factory with broken windows.
  • Javi: "Are we sure about this? If the Enforcers catch us—"
  • Maya: "Then we better not get caught."

Panel 3 (Inside the factory)

  • Visual: Dusty, dark interior lit by Kenji's tablet glow.
  • Kenji: "I hacked the supply chain database. Look at this."

Panel 4 (Close-up on tablet screen)

  • Visual: Shipping manifests, lists of names, locations labeled "PROCESSING CENTERS."
  • Kenji: "The Nutri-Blocs aren't made from synthetic protein. They're made from people."

Panel 5 (Shocked faces)

  • Zara: "What?!"
  • Javi: "That's impossible... that's..."
  • Maya: "Show us the source facilities."

PAGE 5: THE TERRIBLE TRUTH

Panel 1 (Full width)

  • Visual: Kenji pulls up documents on tablet.
  • Kenji: "It started during the Collapse. Food riots. Revolution brewing. The plutocrats were terrified."

Panel 2 (Flashback style, sepia tones)

  • Visual: Angry crowds with torches and signs: "EAT THE RICH!" Corporate towers burning.
  • Caption: "The poor were starving. The guillotines were being built."

Panel 3 (Flashback continues)

  • Visual: Shadowy boardroom. Wealthy figures around a table.
  • Caption: "So the Council of Commerce made a proposal. A 'modest' solution."

Panel 4 (Return to present)

  • Kenji: "The Redistribution Act. They said they'd feed everyone. They just didn't say HOW."
  • Zara: "They're processing the rich? The politicians?"

Panel 5 (Close on Kenji's grim face)

  • Kenji: "Not exactly. Look at the name lists. These aren't billionaires. These are whistleblowers. Activists. Union leaders. My... my dad's name is here."

Panel 6 (Horrified realization)

  • Maya: "They're killing anyone who speaks out and calling it 'justice for the poor.'"

PAGE 6: THE HORRIBLE IRONY

Panel 1 (Wide shot of group)

  • Javi: "Wait, so all that talk about 'eating the rich' and 'making them useful'—"
  • Maya: "—was propaganda. A cover story."

Panel 2 (Close on Zara, tears forming)

  • Zara: "My father. He found out. That's why they took him."
  • Visual: Zara clutches a photo of her father.

Panel 3 (Kenji scrolling through data)

  • Kenji: "It gets worse. The REAL elite—the actual billionaires, the corrupt senators—they're exempt. They're the ones RUNNING the program."

Panel 4 (Maya stands, determined)

  • Maya: "So they turned a revolutionary slogan into a nightmare. Made us cannibals while they stay safe."
  • Javi: "What do we do?"

Panel 5 (Four kids in circle, planning)

  • Zara: "We expose them. We show everyone what's really in those cubes."
  • Kenji: "I can hack the broadcast system. But we need proof. Video evidence."

Panel 6 (Close on Maya's fierce expression)

  • Maya: "Then we go to a processing center. We film everything. And we burn it down."

PAGE 7: INFILTRATION PLANNING

Panel 1 (Establishing shot)

  • Visual: Map of city on tablet. Red markers show processing centers.
  • Kenji: "Closest facility is Processing Center 7. High security. We'll need a diversion."

Panel 2 (Group discussion)

  • Javi: "My uncle works maintenance there. I can get us an access code."
  • Zara: "I can handle security systems. My dad taught me before..."

Panel 3 (Maya thinking)

  • Maya: "They collect 'candidates' every Tuesday. Tomorrow. We go in with the transport trucks."

Panel 4 (Montage panel - split into mini-panels)

  • Visual A: Kenji coding on multiple devices.
  • Visual B: Zara studying building schematics.
  • Visual C: Javi talking to his uncle, getting a keycard.
  • Visual D: Maya packing supplies: camera, water, rope.

Panel 5 (Night sky, ominous)

  • Caption: "Tomorrow, we learn what monsters look like."
  • Caption: "Tomorrow, we realize they look like us."

PAGE 8: THE PROCESSING CENTER

Panel 1 (Full page establishing shot)

  • Visual: Massive industrial complex. Smoke stacks. Delivery trucks. Armed guards. Sign: "PROCESSING CENTER 7: FEEDING TOMORROW."
  • Caption: "Tuesday. 0600 hours."

PAGE 9: INSIDE THE FACILITY

Panel 1 (Narrow corridor shot)

  • Visual: Four kids sneak through service tunnel. Industrial pipes overhead. Red emergency lighting.
  • Zara (whispering): "Guards change shift in five minutes. We need to reach the observation deck."

Panel 2 (Kenji at security panel)

  • Visual: Kenji's hands flying over a hacked terminal.
  • Kenji: "Looping security feeds... now. We're ghosts."

Panel 3 (Climbing metal stairs)

  • Visual: They climb to an elevated platform. Machinery sounds grow louder: "CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK."
  • Javi: "What IS that sound?"

Panel 4 (Maya reaches the window first)

  • Visual: Maya's face, lit by harsh industrial light from below. Horror in her eyes.
  • Maya: "Oh god..."

Panel 5 (Perspective shot looking down)

  • Visual: Massive factory floor. Conveyor belts. Processing equipment. And people in cages—but NOT wealthy people. They're in rags. Poor. Desperate.
  • Caption: "The terrible truth."

PAGE 10: THE REVELATION

Panel 1 (Wide shot of processing floor from observation deck)

  • Visual: Workers in hazmat suits. Conveyor systems. Digital screens showing faces and "SOCIAL CREDIT SCORES: INSUFFICIENT."
  • Zara: "Those aren't billionaires. Those are... us."

Panel 2 (Close on selection process)

  • Visual: A hologram displays criteria: "TROUBLEMAKERS. DISSENTERS. LOW PRODUCTIVITY. GENETIC UNDESIRABLES."
  • Kenji: "They're not processing the rich. They never were."

Panel 3 (Group reaction shot)

  • Visual: All four kids stunned, horrified.
  • Javi: "They told us it was justice. They told us the corrupt would feed the people."
  • Maya: "They lied. They're culling us. Making us EAT ourselves."

Panel 4 (Close on Maya's rage)

  • Maya: "It's eugenics. It's genocide. Wrapped in revolutionary rhetoric."

Panel 5 (Zara points to a prisoner)

  • Visual: Among the caged people, a familiar face.
  • Zara (crying): "That's... that's my father."

Panel 6 (Overhead speaker crackles)

  • Speaker: "ATTENTION. INTRUDERS DETECTED IN OBSERVATION ZONE SEVEN."
  • Alarm: "WOOP WOOP WOOP"

PAGE 11: THE ESCAPE

Panel 1 (Action shot)

  • Visual: Security door bursts open. Armed guards flood in.
  • Guard: "FREEZE! UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL!"

Panel 2 (The kids scatter)

  • Visual: Javi throws a wrench, hitting a guard's helmet. Zara slides under a table.
  • Javi: "RUN!"

Panel 3 (Vertical panel - descending stairs)

  • Visual: Kids racing down metal stairs. Guards pursuing above. Gunfire: "BLAM BLAM."
  • Kenji: "The loading dock! This way!"

Panel 4 (Action sequence)

  • Visual: Maya tackles a guard, grabbing his radio.
  • Maya: "Kenji! Can you broadcast from this?"

Panel 5 (Kenji working while running)

  • Visual: Kenji types on his tablet, connected to radio with wires.
  • Kenji: "If I can boost the signal— yes! But I need time!"

Panel 6 (Zara at a junction)

  • Visual: Zara looks back at the processing floor where her father is imprisoned.
  • Zara: "We can't leave them. Not my father. Not any of them."
  • Maya: "We won't. But first, everyone needs to know."

PAGE 12: THE BROADCAST

Panel 1 (Wide shot - maintenance room)

  • Visual: Kids barricade themselves in a control room. Equipment everywhere. Guards banging on door.
  • Guard (outside): "OPEN UP! YOU'RE ONLY MAKING IT WORSE!"

Panel 2 (Close on Kenji's tablet)

  • Visual: Screen shows: "HIJACKING CITY BROADCAST NETWORK... 73% COMPLETE."
  • Kenji: "Almost there..."

Panel 3 (Maya sets up camera)

  • Visual: Maya positions a camera to face them. The processing floor visible through window behind them.
  • Maya: "When this goes live, there's no going back."

Panel 4 (Group shot - four kids standing together)

  • Visual: They stand shoulder to shoulder. Scared but determined.
  • Kenji: "We're live in three... two... one..."

Panel 5 (Close on Maya speaking to camera)

  • Maya: "Citizens of New America. They told you the Nutri-Blocs were made from the rich. From the corrupt. From those who exploited you."

Panel 6 (Reverse angle - their message broadcasting on city screens)

  • Visual: Split panel showing their faces on massive public screens across the city. People stopping to watch.
  • Maya (on screens): "They lied."

PAGE 13: THE TRUTH REVEALED

Panel 1 (Maya continues, passionate)

  • Visual: Close-up, backlit by processing floor.
  • Maya: "The Nutri-Blocs are made from US. From activists. Whistleblowers. Anyone who questions the system."

Panel 2 (Camera pans to show processing floor)

  • Visual: Live footage of the cages, the conveyor belts, the prisoners.
  • Zara (voiceover): "These aren't billionaires. These are teachers. Workers. Parents."

Panel 3 (Kenji displays data)

  • Visual: Documents flash on screen: shipping manifests, kill lists, exemption forms for the wealthy.
  • Kenji: "The real elite are safe. Protected. They created this system to eliminate dissent and hide it as justice."

Panel 4 (Javi speaks, emotional)

  • Visual: Javi holds up photo of a happy family.
  • Javi: "They made us cannibals. They made us complicit. They turned revolution into extermination."

Panel 5 (Wide shot of city - screens everywhere showing the broadcast)

  • Visual: People in the streets watching. Shock. Anger. Horror dawning on faces.
  • Citizen 1: "No... no, this can't be..."
  • Citizen 2: "We've been eating... oh god..."

Panel 6 (Control room - door breaking down)

  • Visual: The barricaded door splinters. Guards forcing their way in.
  • Guard Commander: "SHUT IT DOWN! SHUT IT ALL DOWN!"

PAGE 14: REVOLUTION IGNITES

Panel 1 (Full width - chaos in the streets)

  • Visual: Citizens riot. They destroy Nutri-Bloc dispensaries. Propaganda posters torn down. "LIARS!" "MURDERERS!"
  • Caption: "The truth spreads like wildfire."

Panel 2 (Processing Center exterior)

  • Visual: Workers walk out. Guards throw down weapons. Crowds gather outside, demanding entry.
  • Worker: "I'm not doing this anymore. Never again."

Panel 3 (Back in control room - confrontation)

  • Visual: Guards burst in. Kids stand defiant. Lead guard stops, lowering weapon.
  • Guard: "You... you're just kids."
  • Maya: "And you're just following orders. Where have we heard THAT before?"

Panel 4 (Guard's moment of decision)

  • Visual: Close on guard's face. Conflict. Humanity winning.
  • Guard (to others): "Stand down. Let them go."
  • Other Guard: "What? But Commander Voss said—"
  • Guard: "Voss can feed himself to his own machines."

Panel 5 (Liberation)

  • Visual: Prisoners released from cages. Zara reunites with her father. Tearful embrace.
  • Zara's Father: "You found me. You saved us all."

Panel 6 (Establishing shot - dawn)

  • Visual: Sunrise over the city. Fires burning (controlled). People gathering. The four kids on a building rooftop, exhausted but alive.
  • Caption: "Day One of the Real Redistribution."

PAGE 15: AFTERMATH

Panel 1 (News broadcast style)

  • Visual: New citizen-run media. Legitimate reporting.
  • Reporter: "The Council of Commerce members have been arrested. Senator Golding and twelve corporate executives face trial for crimes against humanity."

Panel 2 (Processing centers being dismantled)

  • Visual: Workers tearing down machinery. Converting buildings to housing, hospitals, schools.
  • Caption: "The processing centers are being destroyed. Never to operate again."

Panel 3 (Community gathering)

  • Visual: People of all backgrounds together. Food gardens being planted. REAL food.
  • Older Woman: "We'll grow our own food. REAL food. Together."

Panel 4 (The four protagonists at a memorial)

  • Visual: Wall of names. Victims of the Redistribution. Flowers. Candles. The kids place photos.
  • Maya: "We remember them. Every single one."

Panel 5 (Group conversation)

  • Visual: The four kids sitting together, older-looking. Tired but hopeful.
  • Javi: "What do we do now?"
  • Kenji: "We rebuild. Better this time."
  • Zara: "We make sure this never happens again."

Panel 6 (Maya looks directly at reader - breaking fourth wall)

  • Visual: Close-up on Maya's face. Strong. Determined. Speaking to US.
  • Maya: "They told us to eat the rich. Instead, they made the rich eat us."
  • Maya: "Remember that. Remember who the real monsters are."

PAGE 16: THE WARNING

Panel 1 (Establishing shot - one year later)

  • Visual: The city rebuilt. Gardens on rooftops. Solar panels. Cleaner. Hopeful.
  • Caption: "One year after the Truth Broadcast."

Panel 2 (The four friends, older, working together)

  • Visual: They're at a community center, teaching others. Coding. Critical thinking. Self-defense.
  • Caption: "The work continues."

Panel 3 (Close on a new student asking a question)

  • Student: "Could it happen again? Could they trick us like that?"
  • Visual: Young child looks up at Maya with innocent concern.

Panel 4 (Maya kneels to the child's level)

  • Visual: Warm but serious expression.
  • Maya: "Only if we stop asking questions. Only if we stop thinking for ourselves."

Panel 5 (Wide shot - new memorial/education center)

  • Visual: Building with inscription: "NEVER FORGET. NEVER AGAIN. QUESTION EVERYTHING."
  • Caption: "They tried to turn justice into genocide."
  • Caption: "They tried to make us destroy ourselves."

Panel 6 (Final panel - the four friends silhouetted against sunset)

  • Visual: Maya, Javi, Kenji, and Zara standing together, looking toward future. Strong. United.
  • Caption: "But we remembered something they forgot:"
  • Caption: "The people united can never be defeated."
  • Caption: "Not by the rich. Not by anyone."

Final Caption Box: "THE END... or the beginning?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE / EPILOGUE TEXT

In 1729, Jonathan Swift wrote "A Modest Proposal," satirically suggesting the Irish poor sell their children as food to solve poverty. His savage satire exposed the cruelty of the British ruling class.

This story inverts that premise—but reveals an older truth: those in power will always find ways to make the powerless consume themselves, then call it justice.

Real revolutions require vigilance. Real change requires questioning everything, especially solutions that seem too simple.

Stay angry. Stay critical. Stay human.

Never stop asking: Who benefits?

ARTISTIC STYLE GUIDE

Overall Aesthetic:

  • Gritty, high-contrast panels inspired by graphic novels like "V for Vendetta" and "Watchmen"
  • Color palette: Industrial grays, blues, and oranges for dystopia; warm earth tones for hope/humanity
  • Processing centers: Cold fluorescent lighting, harsh shadows
  • Street scenes: Neon signs, layered urban decay, propaganda everywhere

Character Designs:

  • Maya: Natural hair in braids/locs, intelligent eyes, lean build, worn but clean clothing
  • Javi: Athletic, kind face, expressive, protective posture
  • Kenji: Slight build, always with tech devices, nervous energy, quick movements
  • Zara: Confident stance, hijab with practical clothing underneath, fierce determination

Panel Composition:

  • Use Dutch angles for tension and unease
  • Wide establishing shots for dystopian cityscape
  • Tight close-ups for emotional moments
  • Dynamic action sequences with motion lines and impact
  • Breaking the fourth wall in final panels

Influences: The Hunger Games aesthetic, Snowpiercer's class commentary, V for Vendetta's revolutionary themes, modern graphic novel storytelling.

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