Chapter 297: The Phenomenon of Calabash Brothers and the Rise of Black Cat Detective
Qin Zhiye responded with a cheerful smile, "Understood. We've already prepared all the printing materials and labor. I've also contacted a printing equipment manufacturer in Japan. If needed, they'll deliver a new set of machines within a month."
"Good. Hopefully, the comic weekly gets so popular that your current equipment won't be able to keep up," Yang Wendong said with a grin.
Though the first comic was relatively simple, sometimes simple things were easier for the public to grasp. In an era where literacy and scientific understanding were still developing, introducing something like Doraemon might be too confusing. Many people wouldn't even understand how a "robot cat" worked — let alone something as abstract as Transformers.
A few days later, Yang Wendong visited the printing factory in North Point for the first time.
"Mr. Yang Wendong, we currently have one color printing line and three black-and-white printing lines," Qin Zhiye said as he personally escorted the boss and provided a detailed tour. "Every day, Oriental Daily and Kong Wah Daily distribute about 30,000 to 50,000 copies from here."
"Mm," Yang Wendong replied, casually flipping through a freshly printed newspaper. Noticing the layout, he asked, "Do we also print for other publications here?"
"Yes," Qin Zhiye answered. "Some smaller newspapers or literary journals don't have the resources to buy their own equipment or rent a full workshop. So they lease capacity from us.
Even among established competitors, when unusual situations arise, they might outsource printing to other firms. Not every paper has enough capacity to handle a sudden spike.
When Ming Pao's sales shot up recently, we helped them with overflow printing."
"Great," Yang Wendong nodded. "Since our printing capacity is sufficient early on, it's good that we're not letting it go to waste."
At Changxing Group, as long as management followed the company's core directives or strategic direction laid out by Yang Wendong, they were otherwise free to pursue side ventures.
If a manager identified a profitable venture that aligned with existing resources, they were encouraged to try it. But anything requiring additional capital investment still needed approval.
Soon after, Qin Zhiye handed over a copy of the color-printed newspaper. "Mr. Yang Wendong, this is the first issue of our Changxing Comic Weekly."
"Let me see." Yang Wendong took the copy.
The cover featured the seven Calabash Brothers, Grandpa Calabash, and the two villains. Each Calabash Brother displayed his unique superpower.
Boldly at the top of the page were the words (Calabash Brothers).
"Looks good," Yang Wendong said as he flipped through the pages. The story matched what he'd seen before — just a few changes in layout and formatting.
"How many issues are we planning for this story?" he asked.
Wu Hailin answered, "Mr. Yang Wendong, after discussing it with Mr. Qin Zhiye, we decided to break the story into 12 issues. Each brother will get one issue.
The final five issues will cover the part where the youngest Calabash Brother is tricked and causes internal conflict among the siblings. Eventually, they all unite to defeat the snake demon."
"So the whole story wraps up in a little over three months?" Yang Wendong asked.
"Yes," Wu Hailin said. "We feel it's a bit short too. But the story itself doesn't have enough substance to stretch it any further."
"Alright, that's fine. We'll go with that. It's launching the day after tomorrow, right?" Yang Wendong confirmed.
"Yes, the day after tomorrow," Qin Zhiye replied.
"How much are we pricing it at?" Yang Wendong asked.
"Fifty cents," Qin Zhiye said. "Comic newspapers are different from traditional ones. While we do use color printing, we don't incur costs like news reporting and fact-checking.
The average cost per issue is about 20 cents. We'll sell to vendors for 35 cents and leave them a 15-cent margin for transport and profit."
"Sounds fair. Let's stick with that price," Yang Wendong nodded. "We don't need massive profit margins at the start. As long as we build up a name, the real revenue will come from other channels later."
That was the essence of the cultural industry: recognition. Once something had name value, monetization opportunities would be endless.
Take Blue Cat Naughty 3000 Questions from the early 2000s. The show aired for free on major stations but made a fortune from merchandise and licensing.
Even Boonie Bears, with several movies under its belt, had grossed over 7 billion RMB in ticket sales by the time Yang Wendong had left the 21st century.
"Understood," Qin Zhiye nodded. "Also, I've arranged for staff to distribute the comic at bookstores near schools. Kids are sure to love it."
"Alright, but consider their buying power," Yang Wendong reminded him.
In any era, children were the core audience for animated content — even toddlers naturally gravitated toward bright, moving characters.
Qin Zhiye smiled. "Don't worry. If a family can afford to send their kids to school in Hong Kong, they're probably doing okay."
"Good," Yang Wendong then turned to Wu Hailin. "Old Wu, now that Calabash Brothers is done, the next project will be more complex. Focus on recruitment. Whether it's from Shui Wutong Mountain or local artists, bring them in."
It turned out that Shui Wutong Mountain was home to many kinds of talent. After an initial screening arranged by Lin Haoyu, over 300 people had already been hired by Changxing Industrial — including chefs, strong young men for security, and manual laborers.
Wu Hailin asked, "How many should I aim for?"
Yang Wendong laughed. "The more, the better. I won't complain even if you bring in dozens or over a hundred. The next comic will be far more intricate than Calabash Brothers."
In his past life, countless Japanese and American comics were far more layered than Calabash Brothers. Even just among 80s and 90s Chinese animations, many had more complex plots.
This comic was just an appetizer — easy to understand, and perfect for launching the brand.
But future titles needed deeper, episodic structures — like Detective Conan, with each chapter being a standalone mystery. Only such formats could run indefinitely without reader fatigue.
"I'll do my best to recruit as many as I can," Wu Hailin said. "Do you already have a story in mind for the next one?"
Yang Wendong paused and said, "It's about a crime-solving society of animals. The plot is long, so I'll explain it next time. For now, start sketching anthropomorphic animals — animal heads, human bodies."
"Animal heads on human bodies?" Wu Hailin was puzzled.
"Like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck," Yang Wendong explained. "We'll stylize them into something more visually appealing later."
In this era, hyper-detailed comics weren't feasible. The really complex visuals in American and Japanese manga were mostly aided by computers. Trying to animate something like Transformers manually would burn out any artist.
That's why starting with simpler visuals made sense.
"Alright, I'll start sketching right away," Wu Hailin agreed.
September 17, Launch Day of Changxing Comic Weekly
Outside St. Paul's Secondary School on Hong Kong Island, a small bookstore bustled with activity.
Several middle school students walked in.
"Here to buy extra workbooks?" the shopkeeper asked with a smile.
"Yeah, this crappy school gives out workbooks with no answer keys," a student grumbled as he entered the bookstore. "The teachers even ripped out the answer pages!"
The shopkeeper chuckled and said, "That's so you'll focus on doing the exercises yourself without distractions."
"What distractions could we possibly have?" another student laughed. "We just wanna check our answers after we finish."
"Alright," the shopkeeper smiled. "We've got most of the workbooks available in Hong Kong right here. Help yourselves."
"Got it," a few students replied as they scattered to browse the shelves.
Suddenly, one of them noticed a prominently displayed newspaper and asked, "Calabash Brothers? What comic is this? Never heard of it."
"Calabash Brothers?" the others perked up at the mention. Compared to schoolwork, anything else was more interesting.
The shopkeeper chimed in, "It's a brand-new comic. I skimmed through it — seems pretty fun. You guys can take a look, but house rules still apply: only the first page."
"Got it," the students replied. Everyone knew the rule.
[Snake demons… calabash brothers with superpowers… water jets and fire breath? Invulnerable to weapons? Super strength?]
After reading the synopsis on the first page, the boys were immediately hooked. One of them turned to the shopkeeper and asked, "How much is this comic?"
"Fifty cents," the shopkeeper replied.
"Alright, we'll take one," they said enthusiastically.
Most students in Hong Kong's secondary schools came from families with decent means. They usually had a bit of allowance, and with comics, novels, or regular papers, one copy was often shared among a group of friends. That made the cost even more manageable.
After they paid, the shopkeeper handed over a fresh copy and said, "There's a table over there — feel free to read it there."
"Thanks," the boys said, settling in to read the comic together, taking turns flipping through the pages.
"Man, that calabash brother with super strength is awesome!" one student exclaimed. "Too bad he got tricked by the snake demon."
"Yeah!" another chimed in, then turned to the shopkeeper. "When's the next issue coming out?"
"It's a weekly," the shopkeeper replied. "One issue every Monday."
"A whole week?" they groaned. "That's so long."
"Wait, shopkeeper — 'Changxing Comics'? Is that related to Changxing Group?" one student asked.
"Sure is," the shopkeeper nodded. "Comes bundled with Kong Wah Daily and Oriental Daily."
"No way," the boy exclaimed. "I've got a relative who's a senior exec at Changxing Group! He always tells me to study hard so I can join them one day."
"Same here! My family's been getting water from their distribution station lately. Tons of people go there."
"Yeah, and our teachers are always praising Yang Wendong like he's some kind of saint."
The shopkeeper smiled at their chatter. This was common now. First, Yang Wendong's rags-to-riches story was admirable. Second, everything he did afterward earned genuine public respect.
In Hong Kong, middle schools were everywhere, and around every campus were bookstores, newspaper stalls, and even street vendors selling books, comics, and other literature.
As students walked by, they couldn't help but notice new comics. After a few questions and a glance at the price — just fifty cents — they could easily split the cost. Even ten kids sharing one copy was enough for all of them to read.
After finishing the comic, they were full of excitement, fantasizing about what it'd be like to have superpowers of their own.
At Changxing Tower on Hong Kong Island:
Yang Wendong sat reading an English-language newspaper from the U.S. Now that many of his products were being exported overseas, he needed to stay informed on global news, especially in the West.
Knock knock knock…
"Come in," Yang Wendong said.
The door opened, and Qin Zhiye and Wu Hailin entered.
Qin Zhiye smiled brightly as he approached. "Mr. Yang Wendong, we've got the data from this morning. Changxing Comic Weekly sold over 2,000 copies."
"Over 2,000?" Yang Wendong raised an eyebrow. "Is that a lot?"
Qin Zhiye grinned. "It's quite good — I'd even say it's a hit. We can't compare a new comic paper with traditional newspapers.
Plus, we're targeting a narrow audience — mainly students and a few adults interested in comics. Compared to that market size, 2,000 is solid."
"Fair enough," Yang Wendong said, setting down his paper.
Qin Zhiye continued, "Also, since we're publishing weekly, sales will continue. People might even buy older issues later on."
"That's too far ahead to think about," Yang Wendong said. "What's the market feedback? Any customer comments?"
"We've done some preliminary surveys," Qin Zhiye reported. "The response is overwhelmingly positive. Especially among students — they're all eager for the next chapter."
"Good," Yang Wendong said. "Step up marketing, especially near schools."
Though Changxing Comic Weekly was technically a newspaper, its distribution model was entirely different.
School-area bookstores and newsstands were its primary outlets. Regular newsstands carried it too, but not as much.
"Understood," Qin Zhiye nodded. "Also, I've finalized talks with some distribution heads in Taiwan. We'll be shipping the comic there soon."
"Excellent. Expanding to other markets is important," Yang Wendong affirmed.
Traditional newspapers were hard to export due to content restrictions. After all, Taiwan had no interest in Hong Kong's daily news, and government approval for imports was difficult.
But comics — being literary and artistic — faced no such barrier. Especially in Taiwan, which shared Hong Kong's written language, it was easy to ship fast via express sea routes.
"They'll be one week behind our Hong Kong releases," Qin Zhiye added.
"That's fine," Yang Wendong nodded, then turned to Wu Hailin. "How's the hiring going?"
"We've added six new team members these past few days. That brings us to a total of 13 now," Wu Hailin reported.
"Keep going. We'll need more soon. I'm ready to tell you the plot and characters of our next comic."
Calabash Brothers was short — meant as a trial run. Given its early success, Yang Wendong was ready to greenlight the next project. With revenue on the horizon, he could now afford to invest more.
Wu Hailin straightened. "I'm all ears, Mr. Yang Wendong."
"The next comic," Yang Wendong said, "is set in a town populated by animals. Strange cases occur regularly. Our main character is a black cat — the sheriff — who solves them."
Naturally, the next story was the beloved Black Cat Detective, a 90s classic etched into the memories of many Chinese kids.
Wu Hailin's eyes lit up. "That sounds fascinating. Lots of story potential."
Yang Wendong nodded. "It's got more plot, more mystery, more characters. It'll be a longer series, with episodic structure — each chapter a new case. Like an animal-version of Detective Conan."
That's exactly what Yang Wendong was aiming for. Calabash Brothers had been an easy, explosive launch. But to sustain reader interest, the next comic needed complexity, replay value, and longevity.
That's why he'd chosen Black Cat Detective.
"Let's talk more next time," Yang Wendong said. "For now, just start designing various animals — humanoid bodies, animal heads. Think Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. We'll tweak the designs later to look even better."
In this era, high-detail animation or illustration wasn't feasible. Most iconic Japanese or American comics were drawn with heavy computer assistance. A series like Transformers would be exhausting to hand-draw.
That's why Yang Wendong emphasized simple, bold designs.
"Understood. I'll begin sketching immediately," Wu Hailin nodded.
September 17 — the first official release of Changxing Comic Weekly
Outside St. Paul's Secondary School, a local bookstore bustled.
A few students walked in.
"Looking for extra workbooks?" the shopkeeper asked, smiling.
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