chapter 182 part 2
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"William Steig, congratulations."
Regardless, among the subsequent applicants, aside from a few who were still stubbornly trying their luck, the vast majority possessed some degree of drawing experience.
For example, William Steig, the applicant before Colin, possessed a wealth of experience in both drawing and creation. Before applying to Messenger Comics, he had previously drawn illustrations and covers for The New Yorker.
After reviewing William Steig's work for The New Yorker, Colin made the decision on the spot.
Nearby, Jacob felt a surge of pressure as he looked at William Steig's work.
In terms of creative skill and level, William Steig was clearly superior to him—as expected of a cartoonist who once worked for The New Yorker.
But if there was no problem with William Steig's work, why had he left The New Yorker?
Jacob's question was evidently one that Colin also harbored. After finalizing the hire, he asked.
"William Steig, I'd like to ask, since you were working for The New Yorker, why did you choose Messenger Comics?"
"Because I need money, and Messenger Comics pays more than The New Yorker, so I came."
William Steig's answer was simple, yet convincing.
In the future, Steig, who would be hailed by Newsweek as the "King of Cartoons" and become a writer of multiple award-winning, best-selling children's picture books and novels, later told Colin: "If I could have chosen my own path back then, I might have become a professional athlete, a sailor, a beach bum, or lived some other kind of vagrant life. Or perhaps a painter, a gardener, a novelist, a banjo player, a traveler—anything but a rich man."
"When I was a young man, Tahiti was my paradise. I was determined to settle there one day. I planned to become a crewman like Herman Melville, but the Great Depression forced me to become a cartoonist to support my family."
William Steig's life's trajectory was altered by the Great Depression.
His father had gone bankrupt due to the Great Depression; his older brother had married and started his own family, and his younger brother was only seventeen. Thus, he could only support his family by constantly drawing and creating.
"Believe me, William Steig, you won't regret this choice."
Perhaps because he had been supporting his family from a young age, William Steig appeared more mature than his years. After asking Colin a few questions about the job and its hours, he left the newspaper office to handle his remaining work with The New Yorker.
After William Steig, the performance of the remaining applicants proved less than satisfactory.
Among them were art academy graduates and staff who had previously created film posters, but none were particularly outstanding in terms of drawing skills. Of course, they were competent enough to work as ordinary colorists at Messenger Comics.
And so, a few future comic colorists were reluctantly chosen from these applicants.
Just as the interviews were drawing to a close, a peculiar applicant appeared in the newspaper office.
He was peculiar because his attire differed from most of the other applicants. Normal attire for an applicant was a suit, but this man defied convention, wearing a black overcoat with a skull lapel pin on his chest. He had a pair of well-groomed mustaches and wore a strange hat on his head.
Colin's gaze lingered for a moment on the hat, which had eyeballs embedded in two holes, before he finally sized up the applicant before him and asked with a calm expression.
"Charles Addams, may I ask if you have any experience in drawing-related work?"
Compared to his bizarre attire, Charles Addams's answer was much more conventional. He took off his hat and replied earnestly, "No, but I've studied drawing. I've tried submitting my work to newspaper offices before, but so far, none of my work has been serialized."
As he spoke, Charles Addams looked up at Colin. "In fact, I submitted to The Messenger before."
The Messenger had indeed received comic submissions for a time, but by then, Colin had already decided to serialize Superman, so he naturally hadn't contacted those cartoonists. Charles Addams was clearly one of those rejected.
"Then, Charles Addams, could you tell me why your work hasn't been serialized in a newspaper?"
It had been nearly half a year since The Messenger started serializing Superman. The fact that Charles Addams, who had submitted work back then, still hadn't managed to get a single comic serialized clearly indicated a problem.
"Perhaps it's due to a difference in style," Charles Addams replied, evidently self-aware.
"A difference in style?"
"That's right. Ever since I was a child, I've been fascinated by things like coffins, skeletons, and tombstones. I often make them the focus of my comics, and obviously, not everyone can accept my style."
Inside the newspaper office, hearing Charles Addams's explanation, Colin glanced again at his strange attire. A thought suddenly struck him, and he said, "In that case, Charles Addams, may I see the comic works you've created, to understand what this 'difference in style' you speak of is all about?"
Charles Addams raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by Colin's reaction. He clearly hadn't expected Colin to be interested. He had originally thought this interview would be another dead end. As the thought crossed his mind, his hands moved quickly.
"Of course."
He pulled a few rough drafts of comics from his overcoat pocket and handed them to Colin. As he moved closer, Colin noticed a bone-shaped ring on Charles's finger. Clearly, just as he'd said, he was very fond of things like coffins and skeletons, even in his choice of accessories.
"Just as I thought."
He reached out and took the comic drafts handed over by Charles Addams. Colin glanced down at the content, and a flash of understanding crossed his eyes.
Initially, the name Charles Addams hadn't meant much to him. But when the man appeared in his out-of-place attire and described the style of his comics, a suspicion began to form in Colin's mind.
And with the comic drafts from Charles Addams's hand, this suspicion was finally confirmed.
(end of chapter)