NOVEL NEXT 8. yuyu hakushu.
March 1989.
To everyone's surprise, the two months following the comics' publication, the groundbreaking changes in comic history have generated a sense of anticipation. The first to reach 100,000 copies was "Informe Fantasma" ("Ghost Informer"). In reality, the progressive comic sales increased steadily, with Dark Horse Comics' positioning followed by the surge in sales of Slam Dunk, and the new series "The Terminator," which has gained significant traction in the market.
[Reincarnated wish:
-
Publish a comic. Sell over 100,000 copies.
To discover your next repressed desire, you must fulfill the first one.
-
...]
Mission fulfillment: 160 excitement points.
[Reincarnated wish:
-
Sell over 1,000,000 copies with YuYu Hakusho/Ghost Informer.
To discover your next repressed desire, you must fulfill the first one.
-
...]
The sales numbers are 108,430 copies for Ghost Informer/YuYu Hakusho and 103,480 copies for Slam Dunk, and sales are only increasing due to the freshness of the comics. With these sales, father and son paid off half of the bank loan, and Invertron paid the rest on the "North San Jose" property, paying the first and second installments in advance. A single payment of $90,000 was still pending.
-Now, there's little money, and sales projections are on the rise. And the quarterly payment of taxed revenue to the company is on the fifteenth of April, and we have $33,545 ready for these quarters, - his father murmured in the kitchen while reviewing the accounts. Even though he had some knowledge of what accounting was, he failed to grasp these statistics.
The goal initially is to open up the distribution market in Canada, which doesn't have the expense intensity of the UK. Even in the future, it's better to buy or lease a small building in Manchester Enterprise Zone and establish a Dark Horse Comics zone across the UK or start with Ireland. But it's an unknown and difficult-to-access market compared to Manchester.
That's the tradition of the comic market.
It's unheard of that these two series are causing a small sensation in the world of comics. In previous years, according to Mike, they would have sold double or triple, but comics are on the decline. Issue 7 premieres next Saturday of this month. And reprints are happening every day, with a new print run of 500,000 copies. Two employees were hired for the complete process.
The first batch of prints, with the help of four employees due to time constraints, took a total of three weeks to assemble 400,000 comics. Now, they started a month earlier, with two employees, and the count stands at 150,000 copies ready. It's possible that next month, two more employees will be hired, making it a team of five.
The world of comics isn't a very lucrative one. Compared to other entertainment media, it only yields enough. The issue is that it couldn't be enough if one wanted to generate savings in case of a crisis. That's why both DC and Marvel went into recession during the '90s. In both situations, it was due to a lack of innovation and creative strangulation. One is cushioned by the large Warner chain, the other by selling its characters and the challenge of starting new projects in marketing, animated series, and the cinematic field.
The next goal is to hoist the world of fantasy and science fiction, perhaps handling different works composed in literature, to generate an amalgam of drawn series capable of generating a great chain of comics that will subsequently be reflected in animated series and comics, providing a joint idea to a great animation channel like Cartoon Network or later Crunchyroll as a streaming platform.
-Mr. Mike, it's a pleasure to speak with you over the phone, - said Billy, still lost in his thoughts as he conducted a brief meeting.
-The pleasure is mine, - replied Mike Richardson, jotting down notes. - In these two months, sales have exceeded our imagination. I've had a meeting with the sportswear brand Nike for advertising in your comics. I know you've developed up to the final arc of Slam Dunk, and it's printed 15 issues so far. As an initial form from the following titles, you can include Nike advertising in your comics, especially in your drawings, - said Mike.
-Fantastic, -replied Billy absentmindedly.
-Can you redesign the entire layout to include the Nike brand as a period of advertising while the comic lasts? - Mike Richardson asked pedantically.
-It's possible, but it would mean reworking the design of the books in general, which is a long and tortuous process, - replied Billy, with some hesitation, knowing that starting from scratch is not very easy to swallow.
-But, starting from issue 16, adding the ads won't be a problem. The next print run of all issues will already include the advertising, and in the color comic books, it's a done deal. The color design will feature all the elements, - said Billy.
-We need to get the structuring done, take it as a quick fix for some cash to sponsor your drawing work. It's not normal for good brands to approach for sponsorship, - commented Mike.
-How much is the brand sponsorship? -asked Billy, already starting his reprinting process, luckily he has the drafts and whole pieces they used for hand printing.
-A lot. -
-I'll do it, just give me time. -
-Billy, that's perfect. I'll call them and discuss this matter with Nike. I don't think it'll be a problem; the CEO is willing to make a payment of $2 million for including Nike in your books immediately, as long as they have a right of first refusal: meaning they would be our exclusive sports sponsor for this comic, - Mike replied, pressuring the boy. - If you think about it, it's a net income of over a million dollars. Dark Horse Comics will take a 3% cut of the payment, and the rest will go into your coffers, - said Mike cheerfully.
-It's a joy for me to accept Nike's advertisement, - said Billy, with some doubt. His father listened to the conversation while Billy picked up the phone, with a gesture as if to say, - Shouldn't you be doing this? – He asked.
-Well, I'll send the contract to your father; there will be a few loopholes they'll use to exploit the spending. Be careful with these sharks; they're quite terrible, and before you know it, you'll find yourself in a disadvantaged position, - said Mike.
-Billy thought about it.
-Well, I'll adjust the volumes, but I want you to hire assistants who focus on the comic factory process. Currently, I only have two people helping me with the volume creation process, and this is for the packaging process. I need a specialized artist to help me with the small processes that take up my time, - replied Billy, loading Mike with operations.
-I have plenty of people who can do that, - added Mike, resolved and quick.
-I'll do it, but I want those gentlemen! - said Billy.
-Deal, - replied Mike.
-Then I'll start editing the volumes; however, the brand visibility would begin in May and pause in June until September when the summer season ends, according to the established plans, - said Billy.
-We'll discuss it; we could advance the distribution of the Slam Dunk series by a month. It depends on the final negotiations your father agrees to, - said Mike.
The logistical expansion of the company isn't particularly good for him, especially considering the time he has to draw the series that he already has as a support point. For the summer, the 90s are the next year, and time doesn't wait. How would he fare with his acting career; will it be possible to succeed in this new challenge? Upon reflection, with more points of sale, it's more likely that he'll reach the million-copy mark. Depending on the sales volume, a portfolio of investments could be created, investing in potential stocks is in his next steps.
...