บท 67: Chapter 62: Reader Interaction
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Chapter 62: Reader Interaction
Regarding the fact that the publishing house has been acquired.
Harry's attitude has transitioned from initial resistance to acceptance, and now to contentment.
Just as Jack mentioned before, they were just one of the many insignificant publishing houses among the unfortunate ones.
Even if Colin hadn't approached them, there would have been other publishing houses to take their place.
During the Great Depression, bankrupt publishing houses were in no shortage.
These guys would be more than willing to work for each other for a little money.
"So, what is the print run for the new issue of Messenger Comics?"
Harry collected his thoughts and looked at Colin in front of him, making an inquiry.
"Three hundred thousand copies."
In response to Harry's question, Colin replied straightforwardly.
"Printing only three hundred thousand copies, isn't that a bit too few?"
Upon hearing the quantity given by Colin, Harry's expression showed some astonishment, and he couldn't help but say, "Last month, we sold nearly three hundred thousand copies of the first issue of Messenger Comics. If we also take into account the number of pirated copies, it may have already exceeded four hundred thousand copies. Such a huge circulation has fully demonstrated the potential of Messenger Comics. It is only natural to print 500,000 copies for the new issue, or at least 400,000 to 450,000 copies."
Initially, Harry believed that Colin's approach of simply printing an additional two hundred thousand copies was too radical, but now he felt that he had been overly conservative.
The market had already proven the enormous potential behind Messenger Comics, and now was the time to capitalize on that success.
Quietly, Colin listened to Harry's analysis.
Undoubtedly, the other party's perspective had no major flaws.
In fact, even without saying it, Colin was well aware that three hundred thousand copies fell far short of Messenger Comics' potential.
And with that understanding, he still chose to print only three hundred thousand copies of the comic book, naturally having his own reasons.
"In addition to reprinting the three episodes previously serialized in Messenger Daily, I am also planning to add an interactive section for readers at the end of the comic. On that page, I will create a new villain character. Readers who buy Messenger Comics can participate in this activity by cutting out that page of the comic and leaving the name and backstory of the villain. Once selected, the villain created by the reader will make an appearance in the latest issue of Messenger Daily's Superman comic."
In the era of transitioning from newspaper serialized comics to comic books, Colin's proposal of "reader interaction" was undoubtedly a significantly progressive idea.
Even someone as knowledgeable in the publishing industry as Harry Donnafeld couldn't help but be amazed.
"So, your goal is to strike back at those pirate publishers?"
At the same time, he also sensed the implications behind this move.
As mentioned before, the pirated copies of Messenger Comics printed by pirate publishers generally couldn't match the quality of the official versions.
Colin's approach not only increased the buzz around the comic but also indirectly dealt a blow to piracy.
Once these readers realized that their purchased pirated copies of Messenger Comics couldn't participate in the activity, they would naturally reduce or even abandon buying Messenger Comics from pirate publishers.
"That is just one of the goals."
Without denying Harry's speculation, Colin calmly admitted this point.
Although he had previously comforted himself regarding the issue of piracy, if he had the opportunity to combat pirate publishers, Colin naturally wouldn't hesitate.
With the gain of his "faith," he wouldn't go bankrupt over piracy.
But as an adult, he always had to take both people and money into consideration.
...
The print run for Messenger Comics was finalized.
The factory immediately started printing, and to ensure the quality of the new issue, Harry practically spent twenty-four hours a day at the printing plant.
On the other hand, Jack took the inaugural issue of Messenger Comics and went to various states near New York City to expand distribution channels.
The two publishers devoted themselves wholeheartedly to building Messenger Comics into a new genre publication with an independent readership.
Meanwhile, Colin's comic serialization in Messenger Daily didn't stop either.
Wednesday morning.
The latest issue of Superman comic was freshly printed.
Soon, it fell into the hands of eager readers throughout the streets and alleys of New York City, delivered by newsboys.
In the new issue's comic storyline, a brand-new villain made an appearance.
Toyman, a guy who invents all sorts of strange toys to challenge Superman.
At the beginning of the comic, the newly introduced Toyman hadn't yet revealed his identity. He was low-key, reserved, and modest, even responding politely when cursed by passersby. This scene led the readers to mistakenly believe that he was a weak good person. Speculating on the direction of the story, they thought it might be about Toyman facing danger and eventually being saved by Superman.
However, the subsequent development of the comic greatly surprised the readers.
After returning home, Toyman, who had initially appeared mild and even weak, suddenly tore off his friendly disguise, revealing his evil and crazy nature.
He controlled his invented toys to launch a furious revenge against the passersby who had cursed him, and a comical toy monkey launched a deadly attack. Just as the onlookers were in a critical situation, Superman appeared, saved the person under attack, and crushed the toy monkey with one punch.
Although Superman's action saved the passerby, it also completely enraged Toyman.
He resented Superman for meddling in his affairs, questioning why he didn't appear when he was being cursed before and only showed up when he launched his revenge, destroying his invention.
In the subsequent plot, Toyman controlled his army of toys and used an evil toy ray to turn everything in Metropolis into toys. Anyone or anything hit by the ray would turn into a toy. In the face of the crisis befalling Metropolis, Superman made another appearance and successfully saved the crowd about to be hit by the ray.
Seeing the situation wasn't going well, Toyman concealed himself among the numerous toy soldiers, attempting to confuse Superman's sight and escape. At this critical moment, Superman showcased his X-ray vision, seeing through Toyman's disguise, and pulled him out from among the toy army.
In the end, Superman destroyed Toyman's toy ray, restoring everything affected by the ray to its original state. Toyman died in the explosion caused by his own army of toys.
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