Chapter 23: Creed Toys

Sullivan held the stack of papers as he saw once again the Top Gun front page and poster perfect art.

He flipped the pages and read the story. It was another thrilling tale with non-conformism and conformism on its implicit message.

What is a considerable difference from this set to the previous Back to the Future pages is the fact that Alexander focused on drawing a lot of a jet's trajectory of flight.

The maneuvers seemed unappealing on paper but Sullivan could already picture it being recorded and put together in a film.

The dangerous and thrilling stunts while using it in battle were what added to the novelty of the idea. Sullivan could dare imagine that it would be much better than last year's helicopter flick, Blue Thunder.

There are a lot of memorable lines and the fact that it is much more mature, patriotic, and had a signature character growth.

The death of Goose... and Maverick working alongside his academy rival is quite appealing.

Sullivan didn't question much on his grandson's early knowledge on love innuendos as it is only a passing thing on the multitude of great moments in the Fighter Weapons School.

The boy practically deduced his true business from his hot nannies. It is no surprise that the boy already has a passing knowledge of adult matters.

"Another one for my grandson's library of movie viable stories." The old man commented while Bob Gale could only reluctantly look away as that story should be exclusive to Creed Pictures. It may even be a prime resource given that the film company is just starting out.

Although working with a previous adult film company is no easy thing to stomach, the hidden drive of porn insiders is what makes Sullivan the kind to not be underestimated.

"I guess I'll be on my way, Mr. Creed." Bob put those stack of papers in the back of his mind as he said goodbye and prepared to tell the good news to his friend, Zemeckis.

"Well, Mr. Gale. I do hope you have a nice weekend." Sullivan nodded as their meeting has come to an end.

Sullivan saw his guest screenwriter off to his ride while holding on to his grandson's finished work to put its safety as a priority.

The copyright registration could very well be on its way. After testing the market with Back to the Future, this should be on the agenda.

His grandson's future and actualized vision is depending on his first feature project.

"Failure is not an option now." This was Sullivan's words as his old bones that should have already been senile were filled with energy.

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Alexander had no idea about curious Bob and his grandfather's thoughts as he ventured through the store that inspired his prized CREED.

Creed Toys is just another toy shop in the San Fernando district. The secret adult stuff is a behind-the-counter transaction while the shelves are filled with a variety of kid toys and a section for comic books.

Essentially, Creed Toys is a hybrid store of children's toys, adult toys, and a library for comic books.

At this time and age where the Comics Code Authority is dominating the newsstands selling childish and tame comics, comic book shops would become the direct market to sell mature and influential comics.

However, it is still early as Frank Miller's Dark Knight series still hasn't been made along with Alan Moore's Watchmen. Hence, the CCA is still a notable mark on this store's merchandise.

The quality of the art is also representative of the 80s and not the detailed and high-quality inkings that the 2000s and 2010s are pursuing.

Alexander could only chuckle when he heard some of the visiting nerds debating on why their favorite artist's art is the best.

In the internet era, these people would probably defend their 80s masterpiece because they were ashamed to worship them whilst modern art has advanced more than they could have imagined.

All those Golden Age, Silver Age, and Bronze Age die-hard fanatics are essentially a gathering of shamed people that were foolish enough to idolize what was hip in their youth become cheesy in the eyes of youngsters.

This was a Saturday so the bunch of lurkers looking around had Creed Toys as their place to go to. Comic books are also a niche so the lurkers are typical 80s nerds with glasses.

All this while, the man at the counter was lounging just as Alexander did in the future-past. Too bad that the Internet and smartphones still haven't been invented so the counterman could only read some comics to pass the time.

Creed Toys also has its hidden reputation already spread so it wasn't a kid-friendly zone. Only 9-year-old him was messing about while geeky teens and secretive adults were deciding which and what to buy.

It surely isn't as messy as Alexander's CREED but walking along the shelves and reading the catchy Marvel and DC titles is still a nostalgia trip for him.

He was also spotting rarities in the shop that is being disregarded now but would be fought over in auctions and Comic-Con tradings in the future.

Aside from the rare comic books, the toys also had some notable oddities and mint conditions on the shelves. Alexander easily sited a stack of Star Trek transponders that would become a major episode prop in one of Sheldon Cooper's episodes of fake nerdiness.

If Alexander nitpicks and hordes them now, he would have a long-term investment that would pocket him sizeable pocket money.

"If I want, The 40-year-old Virgin's toy collection would be outclassed." Alexander muttered as he took a Superman issue and went back to his previous seat.

Secret Wars and Crisis on Infinite Earths still hasn't started so enjoying a comic storyline at this time period is just a matter of chance.

Continuity is such a mess that Alexander could pretty much label every comic writer at DC and Marvel as a professional version of fanfic writers. Although they say they are artists of the highest regard, most of them are just playing out their fantasies and not making concrete stories.

Spiderman has a lot of romantic interest and every other issue and story of different writers are playing out their ideal of Spidey romance with each of them.

In the long run, it is the character and set personalities and powers which are special and not the story and their growths.

Alexander was already fed up with following a superhero's story and being invested in it, only to find that the character has been retconned or the story discontinued.

Japanese manga, Korean manhua, special one-shots, and true graphic novels have done a better job on this than most American comic companies.

Unknowingly, his attention had already stopped from the pages of the Superman comic and cited the faults of the comic book industry.

This thoughtful rant only served to sink him deeper into thought.

In any case, Alexander was debating against himself inside his head while the geeks were nerding out and the adults trying not to be recognized.

Creed Toys was much livelier than what CREED could hope to surpass.