Chapter 11: The Gathering of Geniuses
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**February 27, 1990 – Los Angeles**
**William's Point of View**
The next morning, I'm up at dawn. Today is a crucial day. I have a meeting scheduled with the authors and illustrators I just recruited, a very important step in my plans for Majestic Publishing. Excitement and determination keep me going despite the little sleep I had last night preparing for the meeting. It hasn't been easy, but with money and my knowledge of the future, I've accomplished a lot in such a short time. My plans are progressing rapidly.
When I arrived in this world and discovered the huge lack of entertainment, I felt very lucky, like a tramp finding a gold mine. Even more so when I got access to the internet. However, my abilities are very limited and, being an ordinary human, I could never create and develop even one of the masterpieces from my old world to its full potential. Aware of my own limitations, I started looking for solutions. By recruiting Charliz, the actress from my old world, I realized she had nothing to envy from her counterpart, possessing all her qualities, if not more competent and beautiful. So, I launched rigorous and costly investigations, which paid off. I discovered that Charliz was not an exception and that many artists from my old world were much better versions in this one.
So, I decided to recruit the talents from my old world, who are currently unknown, but have nothing to envy from the versions of my old world, except for the lack of opportunities and chances to prove themselves. I decided to form a team called Dragons, composed solely of Elites who created masterpieces, to whom I will entrust their own stories, warn them of the mistakes their counterparts had made, and have them work together to overcome each other's weaknesses, thus creating an improved version of their other works.
Due to my limited means, I decided to ignore, for now, talents in cinema, video games, shows, series, animation, and authors, to focus on comic books, dead in this world since the Great Depression, and which never had the chance to develop. Comic books do not require a lot of financial or relational means to be completed, since I already own a publishing house, I had practically nothing much to do. I managed to recruit 17 people, pillars of Marvel, DC, TMNT, INVINCIBLE, THE BOYS... I am in a very good mood. Today will be our first meeting, so I made sure to be very presentable. As I go down the stairs, I have the breakfast Helena prepared for me.
Ding ding.
The doorbell rings.
I look at the clock showing 8:30. "Right on time," I exclaim. I look at Helena. "Have a good day, Helena."
"Good day, sir," she replies.
As I step outside, I see Charlize waiting for me, leaning against the car with a cheerful smile. "You seem to be in a very good mood, sir."
"Well, yes, my projects are advancing, of course I am."
"Happy for you, sir, but don't forget you'll have to pay me more, I'm your driver and secretary now," she says, laughing.
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When I arrive at the Majestic Publishing headquarters,
"William. Everything is ready for the meeting. The authors and illustrators are all seated in the conference room," she says, handing me a coffee.
I take the coffee, smiling. "Thank you, Charlize. This is an important day. Let's make sure everything goes well."
We walk together to the conference room. As I enter, I am greeted by an awkward silence and curious looks. The biggest names in the comic industry, at least from my old world, are gathered here, ready to hear what I have to propose. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and many others are present.
I take a seat at the end of the table and greet everyone with a confident smile. "Good morning, everyone. I am honored to welcome you to Majestic Publishing. You are here because you all have exceptional talent and need an opportunity to exploit it, and I am here to offer you that opportunity."
They don't seem impressed, but I knew that. If they accepted my invitation, it's largely for the money. After all, I'm offering them three times their old salaries.
The looks turn to me, attentive. I continue: "I have an ambitious project to propose to you. A project that could redefine the standards of an entire industry. This project is called 'Dragon'." I wait a moment. "But I won't take just anyone."
I pull out a thick folder and place it on the table. "How to Train a Dragon is an epic story, mixing fantasy and adventure, with complex characters and a rich universe. However, this project is not perfect. It needs your talents to reach its full potential."
I start telling them briefly the story I had already improved, I present the drawings and sketches. I pause, scrutinizing their reactions. The faces are focused, some intrigued, others fascinated. Even more when I tell them that I wrote and drew it myself.
"Here's what I propose," I say, closing the folder. "Your first task at Majestic Publishing will be to improve this project to the maximum. Consider this your final test before being officially hired. You have one month to work on it, individually and as a team, to bring your ideas, your vision, and your expertise. In a month I want you to give me the best story possible. Once you succeed, you will join my team and I promise you glory and fortune."
I see Stan Lee smile, the spark of creativity in his eyes. "This is an interesting challenge, William. I'm in."
Frank Miller nods, his gaze intense. "Count me in."
Alan Moore speaks up. "Dragon has enormous potential. I'm curious to see what we can do with it."
Charlize takes notes, satisfied with the positive reaction. "Perfect," I say, smiling. "We will hold regular meetings to track progress. You will have access to all necessary resources."
I stand up, marking the end of the meeting. "Thank you all. I look forward to seeing what you will create. Charlize will give you the detailed documents and access to our facilities."
The authors and illustrators start to get up, already discussing their first ideas. Charlize and I leave the room, leaving the geniuses to their work.
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Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well. I'm sorry I couldn't post a chapter on Wednesday, it was my birthday and I was very busy. I hope you liked this one. Feel free to give me suggestions on issues or characters I could include in the story, as long as they are consistent with the year 1990, of course. And especially, feel free to tell me what you think of this chapter, as it was difficult to write.
Your favorite author 😊