American comics: I drew Superman during the Great Depression

[Bronze Mark (14/100)]

【Faith(1688/10000)】

In the afternoon, Colin in the Courier newspaper office saw a significant increase in the "faith" in the text.

Apparently the result of Courier Comics being sold at newsstands.

Of course, there may be a bit or two of old newspaper influence mixed in.

"...Quick, Colin, let the factory print another 10,000, no, 20,000 copies of "Messenger Comics"!"

Pushing open the door of the Courier Newspaper Office, Harry Donnerfield shouted to Colin in an excited tone.

Since yesterday, he has been watching the printing progress of "Messenger Comics" in the factory.

After the printed comic books were loaded into the newspaper delivery truck, they rushed non-stop to newsstands around New York City.

I stayed at several newsstands to check the distribution status of "The Courier Comics".

Although, in different newsstands, the distribution situation of "Courier Comics" is slightly different.

Overall, the sales of the comics were better than Harry originally expected, no, it should be said that it was better than imagined.

For Harry Donnerfield, who started out by publishing pulp magazines for a long time, it was really difficult for him to understand why some people were so obsessed with the comic characters printed in the picture books.

However, this does not prevent him from being excited about the success of "Messenger Comics".

"How can 20,000 volumes be enough?"

A little later than Harry, he returned to the newspaper office.

Hearing the conversation between his friend and partner and Colin, Jack couldn't help but shook his head and said: "One hundred thousand copies. I have asked the factory to print another 100,000 copies of "Messenger Comics" overnight and put them into more newsstands in New York City for distribution. ”

"One hundred thousand copies?"

After hearing Jack's words, Harry's originally excited expression calmed down a little, and he said hesitantly: "Isn't this too much? Once..."

Harry's worries were not without reason.

Although, Courier Comics is doing well in major newsstands.

But after all, it was just the first issue, and without any accumulation from previous works, an additional 100,000 copies of the picture album were printed at once. If any problems arise during this period, the newspaper company will suffer a huge loss.

"The audience of "The Courier Comics" is larger than you think. Don't ignore the readers who have followed the "Superman" serialization in the "Messenger". They are loyal audiences of the "Superman" comics."

In the face of Harry's doubts, Jack Leibovitz was particularly persistent.

He firmly believes that the potential of "Messenger Comics" has not yet fully exploded. Once these readers flock to newsstands, the sales of "Messenger Comics" will once again usher in a wave of explosive growth, and the ten they have previously printed will Tens of thousands of comics are simply not enough to meet market demand.

In the newspaper office, Harry and Jack were watching a heated argument in front of them.

Little John thought silently in his heart. The selling price of 10 cents was still a large expense even for him.

But if it's for "Superman".

He would rather skip a meal than spend money to buy a book.

After all, this is a new color version of "Superman", and you can see a clearer image of Superman here than in the "Courier" serialization.

Here, Little John was struggling in his mind whether he could use his position to get a copy of "Messenger Comics" from his boss.

On the other side, Harry and Jack had stopped arguing and turned their attention to Colin at the desk.

The two knew very well that although they were invited by Colin to join the newspaper in the name of cooperation.

But in fact, the person who can really make the final decision is Colin himself.

"A hundred thousand copies?"

Feeling the gazes from the newspaper office, Colin's face showed a thoughtful expression.

He took a look at the [Faith] that was still growing in the text, and made a decision in his heart.

"Since the release of "Messenger Comics" has gone smoothly, as a publisher, we have no reason to back down. On this point, I agree with Jack. The potential of "Messenger Comics" has not yet fully exploded. Only 100,000 copies have been printed. The publication numbers are not enough to meet the market demand. I am confident in the prospects of the comics market, so..."

"Inform the factory to print an additional 200,000 copies of "The Courier Comics."

"Two hundred thousand copies?!"

Colin's decision obviously exceeded the expectations of everyone in the newspaper office.

Even Jack, who initially requested 100,000 copies, did not expect that Colin not only agreed to his request, but even doubled it.

"Two hundred thousand copies, isn't it a bit too much? Maybe we can try to print an additional 100,000 copies first to test the market's reaction, and then make adjustments to the printing quantity of the next issue of "Messenger Comics" based on the distribution status of the first issue. Adjustment?"

Looking at each other with partner Harry, Jack reversed his previous behavior and persuaded Colin.

In any case, printing an additional 200,000 copies is still a bit exaggerated.

Quietly listening to Jack's words, Colin was not worried about this.

If he remembered correctly.

Initially, "Action Comics", which serialized "Superman", soared from the first issue. The first issue sold a full 200,000 copies, and the subsequent seventh issue of the comic sold out in one month. The volume reached 500,000 copies, ushering in the golden age of American comics at that time.

With such a precedent as a basis, and the increase in the value of [Faith] in the text in his eyes.

Colin is naturally confident about the sales of the "Courier Comics" in his hand.

Seeing Colin's firm attitude, Harry and Jack did not say anything more. They passed Colin's request to the factory that printed "Courier Comics" with trepidation.

Faced with this order of 200,000 copies, the factory was naturally ecstatic.

The four-color printing machine in the factory began to print and color for 24 hours, and the factory worked overtime to reprint "Courier Comics".

At the same time, the deliveryman's truck ran all over the newsstands of all sizes in New York City.

The reprinted "Courier Comics" was delivered to the hands of these newsstand owners. With the experience of the successful release of the previous edition, the newsstand owners showed great enthusiasm for the reprint of "Courier Comics" this time, and many newsstands bought more comics than before.

The newsstand that bought the most copies bought 500 copies of the Courier Comics. The cover of Superman occupied all the layouts in front of the newsstand.

The more exaggerated news came from a deliveryman in the downtown area.

It is said that the owner of a newsstand there had a big fight with another newsstand owner in order to snatch the Courier Comics.