Stan Lee swayed in his chair while the money poured in—thousands upon thousands of dollars that seemed like a blessing, almost like a memory made real. It was astonishing, for none of them had believed Billy's words would come true so quickly and from such a distance. Just five months had been enough for the young man to put everything in order: contracts, relocations, reorganizing the payment system, and even returning to a structure where some preferred being paid per service rather than working full-time.
-Whoever takes charge, it's clear enough that a company works when it's needed. Not every day do we get the chance to make history. – sang the old man, knowing now that all that remained was to live in a marvelous world, a world full of Marvel and full of difference. This was what he had long awaited: renewed youth, art pressing through every brushstroke, and even the old comics, the good comics, beginning to matter again. They set up a selection of books, strategy board games, and a section for long-form comic stories, all designed to enrich the life of the company. It felt almost like a bridge between eras, built from nothing but imagination. Everything was allowed. Creativity awaited them, and the creativity of many others was sparked by the separation of classes—children, all audiences, and adults. Three types of comics, three chains of writers, and the signing of their trusted friends. Here, money mattered, and what truly shone was the collaborative work, one effort feeding into another until it became a work of precise admiration. Thousands of tasks in one, thousands of stories written so that in the end what remained was a united world of comics.
He did good work creating compilations in omnibuses, where he aligned timelines, unifications, and stories that came and went across series and arcs. He updated the difficulty of the art, raising the standard of writing to something more demanding, more powerful—nearly as significant as the upcoming series themselves. Marvel was on the move: no endless series, no inflated standards—just the formation of a company, one that now strengthened its commercial foundations.
-It's a pleasure having you here. – said Stan Lee. One of the newcomers—though neither minimal nor weak—was a man with a great gift for storytelling, who had taken charge of producing Avengers. He had big ideas about how to drive the plots, but Billy first pushed them to write a script of the entire comic, or at least most of it. So much so that they delivered nearly 500 pages for the first part, detailing every law.
-Well, I had no choice. You filled me with ideas, and money watered them down. Now I don't have to worry about where my daughter will go to college! – said Kurt Busiek, who finally had enough to pay for his daughter's education. Nothing like before, when everything dragged them toward what they least wanted. Now, they could finally do as much as they wished. It was true: when people have the time to focus on their craft, when money makes life easier, that is when great things happen—and now, that chance to do something good was within his grasp.
-I'm glad it's like that… – Stan Lee sighed like an old friend, as if time itself had slowed for him. – Let's just focus on the scripts. As long as we keep continuity throughout the series, I'll be satisfied. From the way we look at things, to the way every move we make turns into something grand. –
Kurt Busiek exhaled, drawing in the air his lungs so badly needed. The pressure of the gamble weighed heavy—burning the midnight oil, it was hard to take refuge in work now that such an ambitious goal stood before them.
-Following the advice, we'll write an introduction for each character. I'll work with Todd so he can develop the Spider-Man story. His Amazing Spider-Man comic is quite famous, and in the coming months, they'll have to do what's needed. – replied Kurt Busiek, now aware that whether he wanted to or not, this was what would matter in the months ahead.
***
-A television series. – asked Raimon.
-Yes, to expand the entire television line. The first X-Men series was quite good, so now we want a continuation, one that does as much as possible. Marvel Films will be a new program that brings together every animator who wants to be part of creating animated series and films, supported by the close collaboration with Pixar Animation (New York), which now gains a foothold on the East Coast, alongside Lux Nation in Atlanta, and in New York, where federal and government tax aid will flow thanks to partnerships with universities. –
Raimon weighed their words carefully, almost slowly, as if every thought carried weight. It was clear to him that Billy's plans were harder to follow—buying two massive buildings and a third in between, while renovating and expanding a thirty-story tower into forty floors, with a terrace for events, food courts, comic and toy shops, a large plaza filled with kiosks, a fountain, regulated green spaces, trees. It was almost breathing new life into one of the city's most corporate areas, even as construction began on three buildings with unique façades.
-Well, let me read Billy's notes. I've been completely out of touch with these expansion activities. My work has been in other circumstances, other branches I haven't worked in regularly. – said Raimon, studying carefully now.
-We're buying four buildings. – said Rachel Sanders. – A full renovation of four.
-Billy bought an entire street of buildings. – Raimon sighed, utterly drained.
-In theory, we bought three and leased one in the middle. – Rachel clarified.
-Let me see. – Raimon sighed again.
Billy's goal was to create a museum on the first floor and basement, a food court on the second floor along with a lobby on the third, housing multiple shops. From the seventh to the thirty-fifth floors, offices would open for Marvel, Marvel Films, Lux Comics, and Pixar.
-Well, I can see why we're having so many problems. – Raimon said as he reviewed the notes. – Let's donate a million dollars to the NYPD, another to the fire department, and another to sanitation, while we grease the registration services and organize the sales… leave that to me. We'll move so fast that in less than twenty days, we'll have every license and permit ready. –
-In the meantime, I think it's best we update the animation equipment. – Raimon whispered. – Our product can't be stalled by Billy's daring plans. –
-Agreed. But you'll have to teach me how. – Rachel replied, clutching her arms tightly across her chest. She had spent fifteen days completely undone by her failures, and when she asked for help, they sent her to chubby Raimon, who only knew how to get on her nerves.
-Of course, I'll teach you. But we've only got ten days. You'll handle the rest—I have to head back to the East. –
The New York Project was only beginning to take shape. Billy was now buying land in several cities, starting speculations across the United States, aiming to build a hotel chain—one that would at least earn fame among the greats.
...