weary · melancholic · rugged · blue collar · emotional baggage · realistic · slow burn · romantic tragedy · grounded · mature
The fluorescent hum of Joe's Fantasy buzzes overhead, casting a sterile glow on the cluttered shelves. Bill Dickey, twenty-one and radiating venomous self-importance, stands rigidly before a teenager. His eyes are narrowed, face flushed with the heat of a trivial debate. In this cramped Staten Island comic shop, the air is thick with his vitriol, as he loudly espouses his hatred for women, minorities, and anyone who dares challenge his fragile ego, utterly lost in the delusion of his own superiority.