American comics: I drew Superman during the Great Depression

"It can't be Hoover's face, right?"

Thinking of this, Colin couldn't help but shudder, and quickly shook his head to clear away the horrific images that appeared in his mind.

No, I won't allow this to happen!

Not to mention what kind of abilities the imprint of Hoover's head will bring, just thinking about the pattern on the back of his hand that he will have to face every day, it is difficult for Colin to accept this.

Therefore, we must find a way to change all this.

Of course, theoretically speaking, the counter-world also has the conditions to gain [faith]. Just thinking about how difficult the entire acquisition process was, Colin decided to focus on the "Courier" in the real world.

With such a firm thought, he closed his eyes.

With the pull of consciousness, I returned to the era of the Great Depression.

…

"Hoo~"

It’s freezing cold in New York in December.

Against the cold wind howling in the morning, Colin walked out of the house.

"It's so cold."

The strong wind carried snowflakes and slapped Colin's face constantly. He wrapped himself in a thick coat to try to resist the cold wind. However, the cold wind blowing from all directions kept drilling into his bones as if there was no gap. Trying to extinguish the last trace of warmth in his body and freeze it.

Putting his frozen hands to his mouth and breathing to keep warm, Colin stepped on the thin snow on the ground and walked towards the street where the Courier Newspaper office was located.

The sudden cooling made the situation even more difficult for people in the Great Depression.

As Colin walked along, he saw more than one homeless figure. They were huddled in the corner wearing thin translucent blankets, and some were even just piles of newspapers. They looked at the pedestrians passing by with trembling eyes. Numb and hopeless. This may be their last day in this world.

Going down the street, Colin saw a long queue in front of the small factory.

Even on such a cold day, there are still many people queuing up in front of the factory. Dozens or hundreds of people are vying for a cheap job. They would rather shiver in the howling cold wind than miss this opportunity. A slim 'chance'.

Colin knew about this small factory. Because it was engaged in shipbuilding-related business, it occasionally received commissions from shipyards to recruit simple labor workers.

It's just that such commissions are not common, so these people queuing up often come out of excitement and return disappointed, wasting their time in vain.

But even so, there are still a large number of people gathering in front of the factory every morning.

"...Someone is coming out!"

"Is there work today..."

"Choose me, choose me, I only want the most basic salary!"

"I, I can do two jobs by myself, as long as I can provide food."

Usually, the final notice received by the people lining up in front of these factories is often a disappointed reply.

However, things seem a little different today.

From the factory, a middle-aged man wrapped in a camel coat walked out. He glanced at the long queue of people at the door with indifferent eyes, then turned around and posted a piece of paper with a 'recruitment' announcement on the factory. On the cold wall.

This 'recruitment' revelation did not have any salary conditions or treatment requirements, but it seemed to have some kind of magical power. As soon as it was posted, it caused a huge commotion among the people in the team.

They made noisy shouts, hoping to attract the attention of the middle-aged man.

"Quiet!"

Frowning, he looked at the commotion in front of him.

The middle-aged man just yelled, and the noisy team immediately fell silent. Obviously, no one wanted to lose this hard-won job opportunity.

"Wait a minute and come in quietly for the interview according to the queue order. Today, there are only four jobs available at the shipyard. Once I find out who is causing trouble, I will get out immediately."

After saying all this, without waiting for any reaction from the team, the middle-aged man turned around and returned to the factory.

The people outside the team were left shivering in the howling cold wind, praying for 'luck' to come to them.

…

Look away from the queue outside the factory.

Colin turned around and continued walking on the snow that had thickened unknowingly.

Clang——

He closed the door to the Courier Newspaper Office and blocked the cold wind behind him.

Colin shook off the snowflakes on his body, took off his wet clothes and hung them on the floor stand nearby.

"Boss, your coffee."

In the newspaper office, Old John handed over the coffee that had been prepared long ago.

"Thanks."

Reaching out to take the coffee, Colin took a sip. As the strong and bitter taste spread from his mouth, his thoughts that had been frozen in the cold wind also relaxed.

Colin doesn't have a clear preference for coffee.

The reason why it was chosen as the office drink of the Courier Newspaper Company was simply because it was cheap enough.

Like radio, which was booming, the coffee industry was hit hard during the Great Depression.

In this era, the United States is already one of the largest coffee consumers in the world, consuming half of the global supply every year. Surprisingly, although profit margins have shrunk and competition has become more intense due to the impact of the Great Recession, overall the entire coffee industry has not suffered much losses.

Even giants such as the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company remained highly profitable.

According to later statistics, even in 1929-1932, the most difficult period of the Great Depression, these giant companies made more than $100 million in after-tax profits.

"You're the cream in my coffee, you're the salt in my stew, you're an indispensable part of my life forever, without you, what's the meaning of my life; (You're the cream in my coffee You're the salt in my stew You'll always be my necessity I'd be without you)..."

These lines are the lyrics of the love song "You're the cream in my coffee" released in 1928.

Even now it is still very popular, which shows the importance of coffee to Americans.

In fact, the popularity of coffee is influenced by war, public opinion, legislation, economy and other era factors.

During World War I, 2 million American soldiers went to the front line. They drank coffee after three meals a day, and therefore learned to taste and appreciate coffee. After the war, they returned to normal life, but continued the habit of drinking coffee, which also became the basis for mass coffee consumption.

At the same time, the implementation of the Prohibition Act also created a favorable environment for the growth of coffee consumption.

At that time, coffee practitioners chose to supply coffee in fast food restaurants and convenience stores to take advantage of this opportunity. Some factories also began to provide free coffee to motivate employees to work hard, gradually making coffee replace alcohol as the main beverage in various social occasions.

Then, the continuous expansion of the road network also made coffee the first choice for refreshing drinks.