My Animation Era

Good for non-human beings!

As an animator, I like non-human characters the most. Because most of the protagonists of classic animated works are non-human, especially animal anthropomorphic characters.

Taking common cats and dogs as an example, there are many classic cartoon images, such as Tom Cat, Garfield Cat, Mechanical Cat, Blue Cat, Black Cat Sheriff, etc.

Non-human beings have always been the favorite of animation producers. It can be said that unless the planning background does not allow the protagonist to be an animal, in most cases, the protagonist will be non-human.

But comics are different.

Compared with animation, comics prefer human characters, and only works with relatively niche and unpopular themes will consider using non-human characters.

Therefore, Gu Miao was pleasantly surprised when he learned that most of the protagonists in the comics company's works were non-human characters.

"This is a good thing!"

"Non-human characters can reduce a lot of unnecessary troubles, and at the same time, the difficulty of adapting them into animation will be much lower..."

"I understand everything you said."

Nantong looked embarrassed and said, "Non-human protagonists are not very popular in the comic book market."

Gu Miao was stunned on the spot.

Yes!

Discussions went on and on. After all, this is a comic company. The main consideration is the market prospects of comics, not the prospects of the adapted animation market.

Then there's nothing we can do about it.

The comic company suitable for acquisition, that is, Mardete, asked for too high a price, and Gu Miao was not willing to take advantage of it. Other comic companies were either limited by their scale or limited by the popularity of their works, so they were not suitable anyway.

"Why don't we do it ourselves!"

After Nantong's introduction and a general understanding of the layout of the North American comics market, Gu Miao suddenly felt that instead of acquiring a company that was neither up to par, it would be better for Wanbao to invest in it and go it alone.

"How?"

Nantong was a little curious.

Although Wanbao has an animation production branch in North America, it does not have the qualification approval to publish comic magazines and paper comic books. Under such circumstances, how can Wanbao develop its comic business in North America without relying on acquisitions?

“Let’s find a North American publishing house with relevant qualifications to cooperate with!”

Gu Miao said with a smile: "We produce the content, and they are responsible for printing and selling it. If that doesn't work, you can also go through the export trade channel. We will print it domestically and then send it to North America."

The latter is more reliable.

But the problem with the latter is also obvious, that is, when entering the export trade channel, tariffs and transportation costs are not a small amount.

"Headache……"

Gu Miao thought for a while and felt that the most convenient way to solve the problem was to acquire an existing company with a relatively large scale and sound qualifications.

Mardete is the best choice.

But the greediness of that old man George completely exceeded Gu Miao's imagination. If he wanted to take over Mardete Comics Company from him at market price, it would be no more than a daydream.

"Forget it, just leave him alone for a few days."

Gu Miao raised her eyebrows and felt that even if she wanted to go to old George to negotiate the price, she would have to wait for a few days to avoid letting him think that Wanbao had to acquire Mardete.

"Then where are you going these days?"

"Go pick up the leaks!"

…

Before Gu Miao left for North America, she got clues about a well-known "superhero" comic through the information provided by Dave.

Superman, also known as Superman!

This is an alien boy who was born on Krypton and was sent to Earth by his parents as an infant. He was then adopted by a farmer and named Clark Kent.

"Is that a bird? Is that a plane? No! That's - Superman!"

Superman is the earliest American comic superhero, and he is also the brightest star among countless superheroes. From the day of his birth, he has gained the love of countless fans around the world.

There is also a Superman in this parallel world, and he was born very early. Comics were published about 50 years ago.

only……

Compared with the "Superman" in Gu Miao's memory, it is obvious that the development of Superman in this parallel world is not very smooth.

The comics were very popular in the early years and were praised as childhood memories for two generations. At that time, they were also adapted into movies, TV series and animations, which also achieved very good results.

But peaks are short-lived.

About ten years ago, the "Superman" series began to decline, with comic book circulation declining day by day. At the same time, film, animation, and TV series projects also encountered waterloo, and their results became more dismal one after another.

"Superman is a thing of the past. The hero wearing a blue tights and a red cape is no longer children's favorite cartoon character."

In just ten years, this super animation IP that was once popular all over the world and influenced two entire generations has reached its darkest moment.

When Dave told Gu Miao that Weller Comics, which produced the "Superman" comic series and held the copyright for the entire Superman series, was interested in selling the rights to the "Superman" series, Gu Miao was shocked.

That's Superman!

Are the top executives of Weller Company all brain-drained? Are you willing to transfer an IP as high as "Superman" to others?

"Because Weller is short of money and Superman is hopeless."

Dave explained: "Almost everyone feels that Superman is a thing of the past. This superhero from the last century is out of touch with the current era."

"fart!"

Gu Miao rolled her eyes.

Superman is a work from the last century. It is understandable to complain about his lack of new ideas, but it is out of touch with the times. It is too much to say that Superman is a thing of the past.

Superman will never go out of style no matter what era he is in. The reason why his current performance is so poor is simply because of the lack of an update.

"Will Weller Company really want to sell the rights to the "Superman" series?" Gu Miao asked again.

"Yes!"

"Then how much do they want to sell it for? If the price is right, we can definitely take over." Gu Miao said without thinking.

Needless to say, just for the name "Superman", if the price is right, you can buy it without any thought.

As for the fact that the "Superman" series is in decline and the performance of related derivative works is getting worse year by year, Gu Miao is not worried at all.

Superman series does poorly?

The anime character Te Miao has been used for decades, and even the hairstyle has not changed at all. It’s strange that readers and fans don’t get tired of it.

If you want to achieve results, you have to operate on the "Superman" series and significantly modify a series of settings, including Superman's own image, to bring freshness to fans.

Don’t change this, don’t change that. The current version of “Superman” looks the same as it did fifty years ago, and the results will naturally get worse and worse...

"Superman is underrated!"

Gu Miao said solemnly: "It is entirely possible that this seemingly old and outdated heroic comic character will be reborn when the time comes."

The downturn is short-lived.

Once this trough period is over, the future Superman will still be the world-famous superhero and a cultural symbol that symbolizes American comics.