Chapter 425: Wonder Drew I

Not that the next whammy was as obvious as the first. It was more in a sense of DC's competitors doing their own thing, in their own way...

It's not even necessarily targeting DC whatsoever.

Normally, they are matters to be mildly or moderately concerned about. Even if they do have a way of affecting them in some shape or form.

But... that's just how competition in business is. Or that should be how most business competition is.

It's just that getting worked up on the progress of others instead of working on one's own... isn't exactly normal.

Despite normal not exactly fitting DC's catering of superheroes, is it really their blame for reacting the way they are?

Especially with all that they've felt that they've gone through with Creed Comics.

And to think that after all that... Marvel would now be following in tow.

These two comic companies aren't just any other competitor in business, after all.

One has been the other half of "Big Two" and an enduring rival for decades. The one that they've fenced off of... to create many significant periods in comic book-ing history.

While the other is relatively fresh in the rival-hood, so a rival isn't exactly the right term to go for.

Maybe... perhaps... an ever-growing tumor is more like it. Festeringly situated in their heads, it induces a headache after the next.

Yep... that's about right. Creed is a tumor!

Not really cancerous nor malignant per se... but it's likely infectious.

Take the other trailing titles that Marvel published this February for example...

Like 'Mutant Massacre'.

Primarily involving teams like the X-Men, X-Factor, and the New Mutants... with Power Pack, Thor, and Daredevil. This was a crossover involving the sewer-dwelling mutant community of the Morlocks, who suffered multiple casualties at the hands of a mercenary team of murderous mutants called the Marauders.

A story stalled due to upheavals that have happened... and now publishing its last as the remnant of the old Marvel.

Same with a title like 'The Death of Jean DeWolff'.

Wherein... with the help of Daredevil, Spiderman finally hunts down who murdered police captain Jean DeWolff.

Also, in it's last issue, and a product of the old Marvel.

Obviously, when there's old, there's a new Marvel at that.

Most blatantly would be 'Deadpool', of course.

In a new storytelling directing, in a new art style, in a new limited copy release... with a very avante-garde creator at the helm!

This new Marvel is very Creed-y though.

Which very much means that Marvel was on their way to Creed-itization... Creed-ization...or Creed-ation... if any of those are even a thing.

Which, at this point, might as well be...

Creed doing its own thing, in its own way... has never been a good sign.

With them also encroaching all of that into Marvel... it doesn't really bode well for DC altogether.

By the looks of it, a ploy must be ploying!

Still, what can DC even do?

Except, perhaps, overthink things like this and inadvertently sigh at the circumstance.

And... who better to do that than the inadvertent sighing editor of DC himself?

Whose thoughts inadvertently drifted to the man, or kid, responsible for it all.

Alexander Creed!

With all that he's done and all the implications of it... it really makes one wonder what the DC-messer he'll draw next.

Granted, wondering what he'll draw next may not even be the only thing they'll worry about.

Since something called "Wonder Drew" came up...

Which is a glaring reminder of how Creed happens to also be prolific in different fields... and the supposed whammy that targeted DC's Wonder Women, or so they say!

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Well, that's what they say.

Others have contradicting reactions and thoughts, of course.

And for them, it's nowhere near to being a subtle stab at DC's Amazonian at all.

Take the famous director, Steven Spielberg, for example, who was at a loss...

Or more like in a streak of losses... when it came to this new development, which also concerns this newly developed Wonder Drew.

As a matter of fact, the pixelated Drew in his TV screen has not gotten past this wave of kooky assaulters for a fair while now.

As the represented girl's godfather and as the gamer representing the controls of the Drew character, he really felt doubly conflicted!

Fortunately, in his current setting, there's another famous director in the form of George Lucas, who can't help but ask. "Is that Creed kid a fan of Drew?"

This whole Wonder Drew thing sure screams that way.

To which, Spielberg shook his head, saying. "More like Drew's a fan of him. So much so that I heard she's been staying over at his place for a while."

Admittedly, after he got hold of that information, the Jaws director did get slack-jawed for some while.

On the other hand, Lucas ruminated on those words and after, he could only word out. "Well... that explains... some things, I guess."

"I also take it that your poor showing of video gaming skills is because of this news then?"

Spielberg only sighed and shrugged at that. "I'm just the girl's godfather. Not her father. Besides, I kind of helped facilitate the whole meet-cute with that Sullivan Creed, under Drew's own request... and that's about as far I'll meddle with that."

Lucas wasn't too surprised at his friend's self-Jedi mind tricks.

It's pretty much Steven's patented and mostly-arms-length-slash-hands-off approach to Drew, that Paltrow girl, and the others in that long line of godchildren he has.

If he were in those ever-expanding Hollywood godfather-to-go-to role, he'd probably do the same. Thankfully, he, George Lucas, was mostly not.

Which was why the Star Wars director wondered. "So, what's really got you down then?"

Spielberg evoked a grimace as he reasoned. "I guess I looked back at that E.T. game, compared that to this, and still processing the stark contrast..."

Sharing that grimace, Lucas patted his friend's shoulder in pitying comfort. "Don't feel too bad since a lot of us are in the same boat. My whole Lucasfilm Games department is coming up with something called Maniac Mansion and it might as well be like your E.T. game when up against this."

That's not even mentioning the fact that his old and sold Graphics Group could be wholly instrumental in all this. And just being reminded of it, kind of also put George Lucas at a loss.

Long story short, the director duo inevitably shared that sentiment altogether.

Gazing at the screen displaying Wonder Drew...

Thinking that while 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' video game dived, the girl who kissed him was on her own way to thrive...

Who would have guessed that?!

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Not a lot could've guessed that actually.

Especially with Drew Barrymore's child actress stock being continuously depleted as of late.

Not even her mother, Jaid, hoped for much!

She had been in quite the worry about her daughter's prospects, after all.

Luckily, the scales of fickle Hollywood tipped in their favor.

And her hedged bet pulled through.

This whole "Wonder Drew" may not seem like much but Jaid can attest that not much "celebrity" out there has that going for them.

And if she could get Drew to double down on that stuff... Jaid was sure that there was plenty more to come.

Since that Creed boy is really something else.

If they take that communist girl as precedent, what's stopping her little girl from a taste of those benefits as well?

Hopefully, that Lolita book she's instilled in Drew wasn't for naught.

As long as the takeaways from that weren't locked to perverted middle-aged men and could charm some mature kid as well, it should be enough.

Still, Jaid wondered whether Drew could do it.

She knew her daughter... and she was a far cry from being the "Wonder Drew" that everyone's been recently clamoring about.