Chapter 49: "Messenger Comics"
Chapter 49: "Messenger Comics"
Positive World, New York
The delivery man maneuvered the truck through downtown New York.
The early morning streets were deserted, and the newspaper delivery truck sped along, navigating between dimly lit streetlights.
Inside the van, bundles of newspapers and magazines were neatly stacked, awaiting distribution to newsstand owners in the downtown area.
As the delivery truck turned the corner, the driver spotted a newsstand near the intersection with its owner anxiously waiting.
"It's a bit later than usual today," the boss complained to the delivery driver.
"There was a minor incident on the road. One of the newsstands changed owners and they were not familiar with the process, so it took some extra time," the deliveryman explained after stepping out of the newspaper delivery vehicle.
Handing over the newspapers and magazines to the newsstand owner, the deliveryman added, "Here are today's newspapers and magazines."
The boss skillfully counted the stack of newspapers and periodicals while asking, "Is 'Urban Men and Women' included?"
"No, I heard that the publishing house is planning to release a fashion magazine as a replacement," the deliveryman replied.
Upon hearing the deliveryman's response, the newsstand owner couldn't help but express a sense of regret. "It's a shame; 'Urban Men and Women' is quite popular with our readers..."
After confirming that all the magazines were accounted for, the boss retrieved the coins he had prepared in advance, handed them to the deliveryman, and casually inquired, "By the way, have any new newspapers or magazines been released recently?"
"The newspapers remain the same; there haven't been any new ones. However, there is a new comic magazine," the deliveryman replied.
"Is it similar to 'Famous Funnies'?" the boss asked.
"It should be similar," came the deliveryman's response.
"In that case, give me a copy," the newsstand owner said, his interest piqued by the mention of a new comic magazine.
The deliveryman retrieved a magazine from the newspaper van and handed it over to the boss.
As the newsstand owner reached out to take the comics from the deliveryman, his eyes fell upon the prominent words "Messenger Comics" emblazoned on the magazine cover.
"'Messenger Comics'?" he mumbled, feeling a sense of familiarity with the name.
His gaze continued down the title, "Messenger Comics," and he beheld a printed image on the first issue—a figure adorned in blue tights and a red cape, bearing a large "S" shield logo on the chest, triumphantly lifting a car above their head.
"Superman!" the newsstand owner exclaimed involuntarily.
Superman was certainly no stranger to him.
"So, the content serialized in 'Messenger Comics' is the comic series featuring Superman?" he questioned.
"I should have realized the connection between 'Messenger Comics' and 'Messenger Newspaper'," the newsstand owner mused.
With "Messenger Comics" in his hands, the newsstand owner wore a bewildered expression.
"Have you made up your mind, boss?" the deliveryman urged, interrupting his thoughts.
"I still need to rush to the next newsstand for deliveries," the boss replied. "Give me fifty—no, a hundred copies of 'Messenger Comics'!"
Grudgingly acquiescing to the deliveryman's insistence, the boss placed the order.
Due to the use of color printing, each copy of "Messenger Comics" was priced few cents higher than the average comic publication I.e. 10 cents.
For a recently launched comic, such a price was relatively high.
Even the well-established "Famous Funnies," which had achieved some success and was already available at newsstands, was priced at only eight cents per copy.
A two-cent difference could be a substantial sum for readers, especially during the Great Depression.
"I should have evaluated the situation first or bought a smaller quantity to test the sales. I shouldn't have been so impulsive..." the newsstand owner mused as the deliveryman left the one hundred copies of "Messenger Comics" and drove away.
Staring at the small stack of "Messenger Comics" in front of the newsstand, the boss's eyes revealed a tinge of regret.
However, it was pointless to dwell on regrets now. Placing "Messenger Comics" more prominently among the newspapers and magazines, the boss sighed while sorting through the publications.
...
March in New York still retained a slight chill in the air.
Having organized the day's newspapers and magazines, the boss sat inside the newsstand, awaiting customers.
As the streetlights on both sides gradually dimmed, the lower city's sky began to brighten. Passersby emerged on the once deserted streets, and the piercing sound of car horns disrupted the morning's tranquility.
"I'll take a copy of the 'The daily world,'" a passerby requested upon reaching the newsstand. They scanned the neatly arranged newspapers and books on the shelves, briefly pausing at the cover of "Messenger Comics" before proceeding with their request.
"Certainly," the boss replied, handing them a copy of the "The daily world." The customer accepted the newspaper, handed over the payment, and simultaneously pointed to the "Messenger Comics" in front of the newsstand, inquiring, "What magazine is this?"
"This is a comic book, sir," the newsstand owner promptly responded to the query.
"Comics?" The passerby's interest was piqued. They placed the "The daily world" under their arm, picked up "Messenger Comics" from the newsstand, and began flipping through its pages. They asked, "How much does it cost?"
"Ten cents," the newsstand owner stated.
Upon hearing the price, the passerby hesitated while gazing at the colorful cover of "Messenger Comics." Eventually, they placed it back on the newsstand.
"As expected, the price is a determining factor," the boss sighed from within the newsstand as they watched hurried pedestrians depart.
As the sky gradually brightened, the number of customers in front of the newsstand increased. Although some visitors showed interest in "Messenger Comics" due to Superman's image on the cover, they became hesitant upon hearing the ten-cent price.
Repeatedly witnessing such hesitations, the newsstand owner resigned themselves to the possibility of the comics being a loss-making venture.
"If only I had known earlier and ordered fewer copies of 'Messenger Comics'," the boss thought.
Inside the newsstand, as the boss pondered their regrets, a few passersby approached the newsstand with a specific inquiry.
"Boss, do you have 'Messenger Comics' here?"
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