Bab 66: Chapter 61: Supply and Demand
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Chapter 61: Supply and Demand
"Technicolor invented a color film shooting technique that converts black and white films into color using three-color printing technology. Walt Disney is considering using it for animation production, creating the world's first color animated film..."
Colin continued flipping through the newspaper, and news about Walt Disney caught his eye.
During this period, Walt Disney had already made a name for himself.
A few years ago, "Steamboat Willie" was released and premiered at a theater in New York, achieving tremendous success as the world's first fully synchronized sound animated film.
"Steamboat Willie" laid a solid foundation for Walt Disney's future development, and its founder, Walt, even defined November 18, 1928, the release date of the film, as Mickey's birthday, symbolizing the birth of Disney.
Animation, huh?
Colin had thought about creating animation related to "Superman."
However, limited by the development of the era, the animation technology during the Great Depression was far from as advanced as in later years.
The production cycle of an animation was often astonishingly long.
Taking Walt Disney's representative work, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," a few years later as an example, it took a total of three years to produce this feature-length animated film. During the production process, Disney not only had to face technical obstacles but also overcome financial problems.
It is said that to complete the production of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," Walt Disney invested a total of one and a half million dollars. However, the final completion of the film was still uncertain.
Currently, the "Messenger News" and "Messenger Comics" in Colin's hands have earned him a decent profit, but it is still far from enough to support his independent production of the "Superman" animation.
Perhaps he could consider collaborating with Walt Disney?
Looking at the newspaper article about Disney, thoughts flowed through Colin's mind.
However, he quickly suppressed this idea.
At least not now. During this period, even Walt Disney was still in the experimental stage of animation production.
Moreover, with the success of "Steamboat Willie," Walt Disney was clearly focusing more of his energy on creating his own animated characters. Even if Colin approached them seeking cooperation, there was a high probability that Walt Disney would refuse. They were already too busy with their current animation projects, let alone having time to produce other animations.
So, he needed to wait.
Animation was not the first choice for the current "Superman."
Quietly suppressing the idea of creating a "Superman" animation in his mind, Colin continued flipping through the newspaper.
He frequently read newspapers not only to gather news but also to collect inspiration and materials for his comic creations.
As a comic serialized weekly in the "Messenger News," creating the plot for Superman was also a test for Colin.
Considering the characteristics of the Great Depression era, many "Superman" comic stories were not suitable for this period.
Especially many "correct" stories of later years were not appropriate during the Great Depression.
Fortunately, with the unlocking of his "Super Brain," although this ability was also limited in the real world.
However, with the convenience brought by his abilities, Colin maintained a certain level of inspiration for creating "Superman" comics.
At the same time, he would incorporate hot events of the Great Depression era into his comics. This method of breaking the illusion gave readers a sense of being immersed in a world where Superman was present.
The comics gained a following, and many fans wrote letters, swearing that they had seen Superman in person.
Colin's aunt, who lived far away in Washington, claimed to have seen Superman's figure on a farm.
The "Superman Syndrome" was also known as the "Clark Effect" and was a psychological phenomenon that emerged during the Great Depression. Due to widely circulated events, people lost the boundary between reality and fiction, mistaking the stories they read in comics and newspapers as things that happened in reality.
According to a survey by Time magazine, at that time, many people claimed to have seen Superman in reality. The witnesses were either their friends or even themselves. Superman seemed to be everywhere during that era.
...
At the Messenger News office, Colin was focused on reading the news in the newspaper.
Harry Donnafeld pushed open the partially closed door and walked in.
At this moment, his face was full of confidence and no longer had the previous impatience and anxiety.
"The first issue of 'Messenger Comics' has sold nearly 290,000 copies. It's time to publish the second issue's content."
Although the appearance of pirated copies had some impact on the distribution of "Messenger Comics," the sales of the comic were still not meeting the demand.
Perhaps some people couldn't understand this.
But during the Great Depression, newspapers and magazines became the most important form of entertainment for people after radio.
The price of 10 cents for one copy of "Messenger Comics" may not have been cheap, but that didn't stop more people, especially comic enthusiasts, from pursuing and loving the comics.
Not to mention, the positioning of "Messenger Comics" at a price of 10 cents per copy didn't mean it had to be purchased by one person alone. Readers who were short on money often gathered together, pooling their money to buy a copy of "Messenger Comics" from the newsstand and taking turns reading it.
"So, the first issue of 'Messenger News' has almost sold out?" Colin put down the newspaper and glanced at Harry, who was eager.
"Only a small number of newsstands still have a few copies of 'Messenger Comics' left. I asked the owners of those newsstands, and besides some who keep them for their regular customers, some owners simply intend to collect them for themselves."
As he said this, Harry's gaze swept over Colin in the newsroom, filled with admiration.
Initially, when Colin chose to print an additional 200,000 copies of "Messenger Comics," he had some hesitation. He was afraid that such a radical approach would undermine the comic's already good momentum and even lead to the bankruptcy of the publishing house.
Although, initially, Colin approached them with the intention of cooperation.
However, Harry and Jack were both aware that Colin was the true mastermind behind "Messenger Comics." Regardless of the comic's creation or the publishing plans, the final decisions were always made by him. What they did was only provide printing and distribution channels and assistance for the comic.
The combination of the publishing house and the Messenger News seemed more like a disguised acquisition rather than a collaboration, despite the initial cooperation intent.
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