Stan Lee was astonished when he arrived at William White's comic studio. There were many rumors about this wealthy mogul in the outside world. Although most were exaggerated, some things had gradually become common knowledge.
For instance, the industry didn't believe William White had that much creative inspiration for his comics. They assumed his ideas must have been purchased at a high price.
Upon seeing the studio, those thoughts were cast aside. The reason was simple: the studio was too shabby, unworthy of the exquisite building outside. It was reminiscent of his studio at Marvel, just a bit larger.
"Sir, Mr. Stan Lee is here."
"Great, thanks, Suzuki. Grab us a cup of coffee. Stan, I have about fifteen minutes, feel free to browse around while you enjoy some coffee, okay?"
"Sure, no problem."
"It's a bit messy here, so don't mind it. Just make yourself at home."
Stan Lee managed a wry smile; this guy wasn't shy at all. As an expert, he could tell that William White wasn't putting on a show. Without years of hard work, he simply couldn't reach that level of artistry.
Sketching was all about practice. Without a decade or so of experience, one couldn't handle it well.
"Is this a Transformers sketch?"
"Yeah, it's intended for a future movie, but it won't be used just yet." Stan Lee was taken aback. A movie? No wonder the artwork was so detailed; the gap between Marvel and this was substantial. Movies and comics were two different worlds.
William White rarely created hyper-realistic sketches as they consumed significant time. In Stan Lee's eyes, this technique was unique.
"William, do you have a specific method for your drawing?"
"Yeah, I've incorporated some oil painting techniques. I call it hyper-realism. It's a bit complicated, and I usually don't work this way, but I'm testing it out. Ahem, I'm using a scanner to digitize the sketches and then make this thing animate all kinds of actions. You know, Stan, if this works, I can start shooting the Transformers movie."
"Can today's computers really do that?" Stan Lee was shocked. If it was true, that would be amazing.
William White shook his head with a wry smile. "Not yet; it's just a prototype. Take a look."
He then showed the old man his computer setup.
"This 3D accelerator card is just a prototype, but technology is advancing fast. Soon enough, it will meet my needs."
A prototype? What stunned Stan Lee was now being downplayed by someone else. He realized without strong capital support, nobody could compete with Viking Comics.
Talking with William White was enjoyable, and all the rumors from outside were just nonsense. This guy's success was certainly not a fluke.
However, what was this DC versus Marvel business?
Thinking back on recent DC comics, Stan Lee was surprised to see they were exploring the concept of an ultimate universe too. The most significant point was that William White was talking about movies, not comics.
Heh, no wonder he wasn't suppressing Marvel. It seemed his empire had long been seen as a juicy target by someone else.
Feeling a bit sullen yet somewhat gratified, Stan realized how much attention the wealthiest man had on them. It suggested just how immense Marvel's potential could be.
William White's demands for Marvel were simple: make the comics good and bring those IPs to life without abandoning any characters.
Stan Lee couldn't think of a reason to refuse. Marvel's troubles stemmed from a lack of experienced management, long-term planning, and available capital.
If acquired, those pressing issues would become trivial. Without those reckless investments, Marvel could turn a profit. The failures of their shows and films weren't the comic studio's fault.
The most stubborn old man didn't object, so others had nothing more to say. They only cared about the benefits. William White's offer was 30% higher than that Wall Street jerk's.
Since it wasn't a publicly traded company acquisition, the transaction was blissfully simple, almost like buying a car.
...
The auction house on Lanai Island opened, with guests invited being either rich or influential. Thinking of how the golf course opening went, many were getting excited.
"Hey, Suzuki, let's go and talk to them. There's a charity auction themed on donating food to Africa, and it's being organized by the World Food Programme. If possible, it would be best if you could donate an antique in your name."
"Sure thing, sir. I got it."
William White had simple thoughts: socializing was fine, pulling in investments was also good, but there had to be a reason for attending.
...
In fact, whether it be members of the British royal family or business representatives from other nations, they were all on the same wavelength. William White was holding a charity auction; it shouldn't be seen as an informal meeting of leaders; that was an entirely different matter.
As the time approached, Lanai started to bustle. If it weren't for the two five-star hotels already completed, accommodating such a crowd would be challenging.
An island with limited pineapples suddenly became extremely valuable, making a group of real estate developers envious; sadly, they had no way to participate.
The American elite loved farming but preferred not to mess around domestically because related laws were strict. Even private property wouldn't allow much leeway.
Some places in South America were more flexible, and small islands in the Caribbean were very relaxed; you could even install missile defense systems, as long as someone was willing to sell.
Unfortunately, many loved farming, but very few succeeded. Most made a mess and left behind a disaster.
Looking at Lanai Island, not to mention a trading card worth two million dollars, even the so-called maintenance costs each year represented a staggering income. Now the wealthiest guy felt it was a bit too quiet and wanted to hold another auction.
What the heck, does this auction really need to be so far off? No matter where you're flying from, it would take nearly ten hours, and some places were even farther.
The strangest part was there were no flights. If you had a private jet, that was fine. If not, you'd have to go to Hawaii first and then take a yacht to Lanai Island.
*****
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