Chapter 190: Untouchable Taboo
It had to be said that P.I. hiring is a personal endeavor and Marvel was in the dark about it until now.
The entire group alliance had to commend Shooter for his nosy and semi-solo dedication and his attempt to reveal what's hidden inside the Alexander Creed mystery cloud.
However, what Magnum P.I.'s investigation had unclouded seems much cloudier in their opinion.
The cloud did burst but it ultimately just transformed into a mist that they had to wade through.
They did uncover what was lurking in that messy mist but what they found was something that they struggled to believe was real.
In a sense, the information verification did have its own form of fervor as everyone involved in it was trying to make sense of what was revealed.
In the end, the alliance members had more or less come to terms with things, however, some slivers of doubt still remained. After all, not everyone could accept a little child being able to achieve so many perverse things.
Making comic books at such a young age and then being the very center of a company that took the comic industry and beyond by storm.
When these working adults of the alliance thought back to their time as 9 and 10-year-olds, they mostly don't remember much besides being childish. Other than just being silly children doing silly things, nothing else was pretty notable in the way that Alexander Creed had done.
Making a lemonade stand and earning pennies from that is probably something could take pride in. That pride was easily crushed by a kid whose Volume Book sales still continue to accrue money as time passed by.
Even Alan Hassenfeld that grew from a business family felt overshadowed by such an achievement.
They did come to some terms with Alexander Creed's child identity but the deliberation on what they could do with that fact should still be discussed.
The Anti-Creed Alliance found the cheat sheet that corresponds to the 'little boss' that stood in their way.
However, can they even use it... if anything, the cheat sheet seems to have only made the 'little boss' much more formidable... nay... untouchable!
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As they ruminated and pondered, the alliance members turned to whomever they could turn to. It was clear from this that everyone had no idea how to process the new "crucial" information.
Sighing editor, who had relegated himself to the background, felt like he had reached the epitome of his sighing habit.
It is said that yawns are infectious but it would seem his sighs were as well. Everyone in the entire alliance sighed so much for not knowing what to do.
Ten-year-old Alexander Creed was big information but also something that crippingly dampered their entire Anti-Creed cause.
Jim Shooter's earlier alarmist talk was not unfounded. They mocked the man before but now they realized that he wasn't that far off.
Of course, not everyone has the analytic wit to understand the ten-year-old implications.
"Why have the lot of you become quiet and have expressions that convey that we are already beat?" The Marvel-er, who had been a vocal DC-disliker, was confused at everyone's reaction. "An incredibly talented kid is shocking but isn't this our winning opportunity? Shouldn't taking down Alexander Creed and Creed Comics be easier now?"
"Yes, we easily can if we're delicate enough but we will also be losing a lot if we make a single mistake." Shooter explained but he really had qualms about this insubordinate subordinate of his. "In any case, our earlier tactics are useless and our current crisis of being publicly hated would be even more damaging.
"Pssh! You make it sound like a delicate time bomb." The insubordinate Marvel-er was still clueless. "How can dealing with a little ten-year-old be that complicated?"
"Think back, you idiot!" Alan now found this Shooter-disliking Marvel man to be quite a pain. "We were forced into this alliance because our fictionalized counterparts schemingly ganged up on a fictional ten-year-old named Aleksei Kreid. Everything in that comic book court case is already quite close to the real world, imagine what were to happen if the public knew that Alexander Creed is ten-year-old as well?!"
"Some of your paid articles did not hold back about demonizing and antagonizing Alexander Creed to the fullest. What were to happen if the world knew that the person you were cursing was just a little kid?!"
Everyone didn't need to verbally say that answer as they already knew the implications themselves.
Aleksei Kreid the sympathizable, pitiable, and heart-tugging icon would become much more real and there was no doubt that the already-irk public would rage some more.
The most indignant Kevin Eastman didn't like where things are headed. The big players are already demoralized and it isn't something that he wants.
As such he sounded out and asked dryly. "Why don't we just expose this age information to the public? Maybe it wouldn't be that bad and we'll just be ripping off the band-aid at most. We'll just go full force and we might win as Creed Comics' mystery card would be used up by then."
"We will be hated by the public but we'll just stir into that skid. In exchange, our chances of destroying Creed Comics would be much higher." Since Eastman wanted to inspire hope in a daring sacrificial strategy, he had to put out balancers. Fortunately, he had studied lawsuits and Creed Comics with extreme passion these past few days.
"Isn't Watchmen and some other Creed comic titles quite graphic? Let's condemn Alexander Creed for such content making that isn't befitting of his age!" Eastman was sure that Alexander Creed would be put in the crux of the storm by this. Although his enemy was just a kid, he didn't have much sympathy as his envious grievance exploded at this moment.
"Also, labor laws that pertain to the unethical using of children?" Eastman had other cherries to add. "Why don't we just sue Creed Comics for that and be Alexander Creed's saviors?"
Surely, his outbursting rally must have convinced these people. Eastman turned to look but he found that even Peter Laird seems to be not in agreement with his choice.
"You had better not do that!" Alan sounded out with a discernable threat to his tone.
"Why not?!" Eastman was still in outbursts and was incensed. "We can take down Creed Comics! Isn't that what all of us want?!"
"Your strategy is commendable but we aren't working in a basement like you." Shooter explained. "You will probably be fine with that reckless strategy but our companies would not. Exposing Alexander Creed's secret is out of the question as it poses far greater risks than rewards."
"The world will know how Marvel, DC, Hasbro, a couple of small comic publishers, and a couple of no-named screenwriters ganged up on a little boy."
"I can't speak for the others but Hasbro's child-friendly credibility is already shot by the current crisis. Alexander Creed's age exposure would only up that trouble to unforeseen proportions." Alan was much menacing this time around. "You can tolerate being labeled as child bullies to resolve whatever hate you have but our companies can't! If you're still adamant, then we have ways to keep you quiet!"
Eastman was finally out of his grievance outburst now and read the new flow that this alliance was going for.
The exposure of Alexander Creed's secret was way too damaging for the big players and anyone who acts on it would probably be met with an unwanted fate.
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Eventually, the Anti-Creed Alliance settled themselves with all the new information they've got and come up with whatever feasible solution they could use.
Their new goal had pretty much been altered from what it had been previously intended for.
Their plans to deal with their crisis of being hated by the public were still there but their drive to take down Creed Comics had pretty much smothered down to the lowest levels.
Alexander Creed was now someone they did not dare to offend easily.
Their collaborative effort was just not enough to deal with a 'little boss' whose specs make him untouchable. Not in an omnipotent and overpowering way but by simply being a taboo to attack!