Chapter 56: Comics

Come October, the Hunter family was in complete chaos. This wasn't just a market correction; it was a blatant market manipulation. Honestly, these folks were having a tough time. When the price of silver approached twenty dollars, many chose to cash in on their profits. Although they tried to be discreet, they were determined to get out. Now, they were in a pickle. Silver looked like it was all the rage, but without enough followers jumping on the bandwagon, there wasn't much momentum, and the futures brokers weren't too fond of those conditions either. These folks were being a bit naive. Sure, you can go all in with your investments, but who would want to invest in something that's leveraged a hundred times? After decades of scamming, there weren't as many gullible people around anymore. That's the state of Wall Street for you: too many cons and too few fools. Sure, there might be some who take their money and run with obvious market manipulations, but the institutions weren't going to play that game, no matter how crazy the Hunter family got. The Hunter family was now puzzled. The oil barons from the desert had decided to invest again, which made the current strange situation even more inexplicable. Their initial judgment had obviously been wrong, and the long-term holdings that were being reduced certainly didn't belong to the local big spenders. William White wasn't worried at all at this point. Even if the Hunter family discovered his position, it wouldn't matter much. He only owned about 40% of the contracts, at a very low cost. The Hunter family sure was in a jam now. If they wanted to push silver prices higher, they'd need the banks' support. But bank interest rates were absolutely terrifying. Without adequate collateral, those banks weren't going to lend a dime. Even the clearing banks of the futures companies were getting jittery. They were well aware of the current situation -- a single mistake and they'd all go down together. The desert investors' renewed confidence seemed to buoy these fellows. Since they were already on the tiger's back, they felt they might as well stick it out. These guys were also very curious about who exactly was behind the long-term positions. While the reduction was slow, the actions were resolute, untouched by external factors. After figuring out the cost of those positions, everyone was at ease. Finding out who was behind it wasn't easy. Their accounts were spread out and under names of mining companies. ... "Fulton, our family's security is lacking. We aren't hurting for money, so let's expand." William White had a serious look. He hadn't anticipated that such cautious operations would still attract attention. "Yes, sir. We'll use this opportunity while you're hiring bodyguards to recruit some talented folks." Fulton was also concerned. "Fulton, we need to train some ourselves. Use our connections to find some ex-special forces, and bring them back to train," William said. "Yes, sir." Many American families had their own security forces, especially in Texas. The more timid folks had long had their farms swallowed up by others. Texans were tough; they faced America's most severe weather. Everything seen in westerns, you'd find in Texas. ... William White was still building his strength, methodically selling off silver futures. With disturbances in the financial market, other banks dared not act rashly. The Hunter family's reputation wasn't the best, so it wouldn't be hard to get information via government channels. At this point, the Hunter family's hand was forced. If they didn't want to lose it all, they'd have to keep boosting silver prices. They had backup plans. The Russians were clearly increasing troops; Afghanistan was on the brink of war. If war broke out, gold prices would surely rise, which would be great for silver too. If America got involved, their family would stand to make a fortune this time. Their last ace in the hole was the government. If silver collapsed, at least a dozen banks would go under. Nobody wanted that weight on their shoulders. In the worst case, blame it on the Fed. They wouldn't risk the financial system collapsing. ... Looking at the stack of comics in his hand, William White couldn't help but feel nostalgic. Whether it's Marvel or DC, they're absolutely treasure troves that make people drool. It's kind of strange. DC did quite well with adapting their comics, but Marvel didn't have much going on. They had Superman, didn't they? And Marvel had Captain America. They had Batman; you had Spider-Man. In a past life, some comic book fans said it would be best if Marvel acquired DC, and then the Avengers could battle Justice League. They thought this IP was amazing and could make loads of money. I have to say, these guys must've been fake fans. If it really had that much value, the two companies working together wouldn't be that hard. You've got to understand how Hollywood operates. The movie companies don't have money themselves. Whenever there's a big production, there are countless fools willing to throw in cash. They got burned by big productions like Pearl Harbor, Windtalkers, and the infamous Heaven's Gate. Each of these massive productions toppled an entire company. Don't think James Cameron was some genius. When Titanic was released, the box office earnings were terrifyingly low. The studios were ready to shut down, and James was about to go back to driving trucks. If it weren't for stellar word of mouth, yet another giant would've fallen due to a big production. Shawshank Redemption was brilliant, wasn't it? But its box office performance was dreadful. If it weren't for video rentals, Castle Rock would have gone bankrupt too. Silence of the Lambs was impressive. It won both an Oscar and did well at the box office, but Orion still went under right before dawn. With these painful lessons, Hollywood's model turned into crowdfunding. The movie companies would present a script and provide the director and distribution channels, taking care of some shooting issues. Investors would join depending on their circumstances. A million dollars was acceptable, even ten million wouldn't be an issue. In Hollywood's heyday, capital from all over the world rushed in. The major studios quickly realized they had nothing to lose and no need to take risks. Of course, these investors each had their own agenda. Some planned to make money, some wanted to advertise, and some were set on promoting a star. Naturally, some had ulterior motives for certain stars. In Hollywood, it's an open secret that if you've got the cash, it's your playground. William White was conflicted. He wanted to buy Marvel but was worried it might impact Marvel's development path. Even though it's the Bronze Age, there's still a lot of good stuff coming out. Stan Lee was a charming old man who practically created everything for Marvel. If they lost this old guy, Marvel's development might truly suffer. America's comic golden age was something they ruined for themselves. They even came up with the notion that comics were bad for kids' intelligence. Honestly, many comics weren't for kids anyway. Personal likes and dislikes destroyed an entire industry. American politicians are indeed reckless, doing whatever it takes to boost their reputation. Encouraged by various forces, they finally came up with the "comics are harmful" theory. If America hadn't crippled itself, where would Japanese manga come from? Back in the 40s, American comics were already well-established. The U.S. comic market has a consumer capacity of billions of dollars. The stakes were immense, yet they managed to ruin it themselves. Didn't the Japanese do well with their manga? Just classify the comics. Children's books could be sold in bookstores, and adult comics at newsstands. Just don't sell them to kids. The Japanese knew how to play the game; their manga reached a point where even some adults found them inappropriate. Film ratings are an American invention; why can't comics be rated the same way? What kind of status does the manga industry hold in Japan? It's a crucial industry. If it were only economic factors, it'd be easier to say. But this also involved cultural exports. Do you know how many Americans love Dragon Ball? It's definitely no less popular than Iron Man! ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.