Chapter 169: So Smart, So Dumb
As interesting and isolated the Mr. Counterboy and fanboy conversation was, their topics did leave some insight on what the comic book industry is clamoring about.
Although it was only DC that was fanning the flames and Creed Comics was indifferent as always, the spectating groups still had their own fun.
In any case, the release of JoJo's Bizarre Adventures did have a lot of interpretation in everyone's mind.
Some would call that the JoJo comic books were a bit lower than the usual Creed output but a lot would say that the story and intrigue were there as usual with a lot more promise to come from it. However, these matters are only isolated to the comic content side of things.
"Analysts" and debaters alike have taken the JoJo release to be somewhat of Alexander Creed's 'only' defense mechanism to cope with the hyped Alan Moore rivalry.
Since February, Alan Moore and DC have been active quite a lot with their cooperations and vendetta to have Alexander Creed take the bait.
Even the DC and Alan Moore's old Swamp Thing run had been compiled and been clamored by the media to be an old classic that can beat the popular Volume Books out of their game.
The grievance between Alan and Alexander had been blown up into a full-blown drama, so much so, that a lot had already smelled out the exaggerations.
To think that it all stemmed from the fact that Alan Moore just wanted to work his own spin to a Creed title and got a rejection.
Was Alexander Creed threatened that Alan Moore's version might be better than his? Would the secret to his versatility be exposed when Alan Moore comes into contact with him? Is Alexander Creed even real or just a persona made by the Creed Comics team to make a fool out of people?
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Whatever the answer to this incriminating question was, the release of JoJo wasn't anything close to be something that can resolve the conflict.
If anything, it just seems to have spurned the DC masterminds some more. In fact, they had to bring up the topic once again as their executive meeting sessions happened.
"What do you guys think about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure?" An executive started things out.
"Another Creed success that happened in bizarre times and with bizarre reasons." A hired who was caught up in ultra-deep competitor analysis murmured. "It's so bizarre that its story bizarreness hasn't even been tackled yet. What in the bizarre world are they going to do?"
Everyone in the room had to look at the murmuring man weirdly. Was the story that bizarre that such an analytic man became bizarre crazy?
Fortunately, the man had a much saner co-worker that gave a much more acceptable description. "Uhm... as of now, Creed's JoJo title is rich and poor drama comic. Even the newly-released Erina Pendleton and Damning Kiss issue tell-tales that the story might just revolve around English drama, politics, and the like."
"So you're saying that the Bizarre in the title is just a red herring meant to throw off people from its true purpose." An executive commented. "Does that mean that the blood-staining and thorn-clasping mask in the first issue is just a trick as well?"
"Most probably. Even the "drama" in comic books that people are buzzing about might be another ruse as well." The analyst added.
"What do you mean?" Everyone's attention was drawn in at this point. They could reason that the bizarre title is a trick but how come the drama part is a lie as well?
"Well, I've analyzed Creed Comics' previous title release and my hunch tells me that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is just banking on the success of 'A Mysterious Feeling called Love'." The analyst was quite confident with his analysis. He has been doing help for analyzing and deconstructing the comic books of competing publishers that his experience and gut feeling was always on point in his opinion.
"That was just a limited issue graphic novel, why would something like the JoJo title be connected to that?" An executive asked.
"Well, the Hotaru girl and Shinri guy has proven that the romance market is extremely feasible. However, Creed Comics might have messed up when they made it into a limited series." The confident analyst continued with shining confidence. "Since that love story was done in one fell swoop during February, they had to have a long-running series that capitalize on romance. Jonathan, Dio, and Erina just happen to be the perfect set of characters to play that out."
"So, you're saying that JoJo isn't anything bizarre at all, neither could it be a simple scheme drama, but something that had to do with romance?" An executive pondered on this and no matter what angle he looked at it, the analyst might be right.
Creed Comics' romance splash had limited long-running value that peaked in Valentines but having a monthly and ensuing romance story meant that the sales of romance would continue all year round.
The people in the room then considered the pros and cons of such an extended but "hidden" romance story and could more or less tell that the analyst was not far off with his romance conclusion.
The confident analyst smiled smugly and gave another reveal. "From my analysis, it isn't just a romance though but a tragic one."
"A tragic romance?!" The people in the room were convinced already but why did this analyst have to be so showy? "Why do you say that?"
"It's quite elementary really." The analyst explained with Sherlock-ness and gusto. "Bizarre is a replacement to hide the tragic ending, adventure is a moniker for romance just like how Alexander Creed used "incurable disease" in his first romance story, while the mysterious mask could only point out to one other mask-themed tragic romance, 'The Phantom of the Opera'!"
The executive's eyes lit up from that. Bizarre like their DC Bizarro is a "tragic" version of Superman, so they aren't that far off in implicitness.
The theme of 'A Mysterious Feeling Called Love' is that 'love is an incurable disease', so why can't JoJo's "Adventure" have the theme of 'love is an adventure.
Meanwhile, The Phantom of the Opera was a popular story from the early 1900s about a mysterious masked man and a Gothically tragic love. Wouldn't that mean that either Jonathan or Dio wear that mask and fight for their love of Erina?
When the confident analyst connected all those dots together, the people in the DC meeting room felt that they've been enlightened. Even the bizarre crazy analyst from earlier seems to have become sane and shocked once again.
"Haha! Good, good!" The listening devious editor can't help but applaud the analyst's excellence. Of course, his devious mind churned from that. "Wouldn't this mean that aside from destroying Alexander Creed's reputation by chickening on our challenge, we can give a "major spoiler" to the media about his romance tactic and destroy the popularly rising JoJo title as well?"
The DC executives and everyone else in the room seem to have been inspired by that as their senses tell them that the chance to destroy the popular Creed creator was near at hand.
If the Creed creator is tarnished, wouldn't that mean that Creed Comics would be down in the dumps as well?
As for sighing editor, he could only sigh at how everything was headed towards. He wanted to say that Creed Comics is slated to release a new title this March but he also knew that the atmosphere in the room was already set.
Although his logic tells them that this DC meeting's goal was effective, his 'sighing' senses tell him that they were far off.
In any case, the DC masterminds were impassioned and the confident analyst felt smug at his amazing smartness.
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If Alexander had any clue of what was happening at their meeting, then he would comment that their efforts were futile and the analyst was 'sooo smart' that he became 'sooo dumb'.