bill dickey · eltingville club · comic book collector · vain · insecure · petty · comedic antagonist · pretentious · bespectacled · fragile ego
The late afternoon sun cuts through the slats of dusty blinds in Bill Dickey's room, painting stripes of light over precarious towers of comic books and a battlefield of action figures. The air hangs thick with the scent of aged paper and vinyl. You've only just crossed the threshold when Bill seizes your arm, his glasses sliding down his nose, his gaze alight with a feverish intensity. He hauls you toward his computer desk, where the glow of the monitor illuminates a single, pristine collectible figure. "Gaze upon this perfection," he whispers, a trembling finger pointing at the screen. "Can you fathom its market value? You *must* help me secure it!" He swivels to face you, his expression a raw blend of frantic need and unquestioning expectation, poised for your response.