chapter 173 part 1
Chapter 172: The Radio Drama Airs
"Sir, it's almost time."
When Colin handed the weekend's serialized *Superman* comic to Old John, Little John checked the time and reminded him.
For the past half an hour, Little John had been distracted at the Newspaper Office, frequently glancing at the clock on the wall.
"Turn on the radio."
Hearing Little John's reminder, Colin glanced at everyone in the Newspaper Office. He saw their faces full of anticipation and nodded.
"Yes, sir."
With Colin's approval, Little John eagerly rushed to the office radio, flipped the switch, and carefully turned the dial to the CBS radio channel.
As Little John turned the knob, the impassioned voice of an announcer boomed through the Messenger Newspaper office: "...Boys and girls, pay attention, a brand-new, exciting radio program is here!"
Announcer: "Featuring incredible, unbelievable adventures! Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! And not even an exploding bomb can penetrate his tough skin."
Passerby A: "Look! Up in the sky!"
Passerby B: "Is that a bird?"
Passerby C: "Is that a plane?"
Passerby D: "It's Superman!"
"...It's Superman!"
Along with the shouts coming from the radio, Little John couldn't help but yell along, reciting the classic slogan created by Colin.
After a period of negotiation, Colin had signed a contract with CBS to produce a *Superman* radio drama.
CBS officially began production on the radio drama, inviting Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre to do the voice acting work for *Superman*.
At the same time, after discussions and confirmation with Colin, CBS also settled on a name for the radio drama—*The Adventures of Superman*.
What Little John and the others were listening to now...
Was the very first episode, "Baby from Krypton," adapted by Colin from the *Superman* comic.
Announcer: "Superman's appearance is no taller than an ordinary person's, but he possesses unprecedented strength and powers. He can leap an eighth of a mile into the air in a single bound, easily clearing twenty-story buildings, race a high-powered bullet to its target, and lift shockingly heavy solid steel bars with his bare hands as if they were as light as paper."
Announcer: "Superman..."
Announcer: "A visitor from a distant planet, a champion of the oppressed. This amazing individual, this hero, has sworn to use his powers to help those in need."
Announcer: "And now, our story begins. Join us on a distant journey through the radio, to the far-off, unknown universe—to the planet Krypton!"
Announcer: "It shines in the sky like a glowing green star. Here, civilization is the most advanced. It has produced a race of super-men, whose men and women look just like us Earthlings, but this is only an outward appearance. In fact, they have evolved to the absolute pinnacle of human perfection."
Announcer: "As we draw near to Krypton, we see high walls and gleaming turrets. We approach the magnificent Temple of Wisdom, and in a great hall there, Jor-El, Krypton's most renowned scientist, is about to face a meeting of the Kryptonian Science Council..."
In the *Superman* quarterly published by the Messenger Newspaper, the details of Krypton's explosion had already been revealed for the first time.
And in *The Adventures of Superman* radio drama, Colin had further refined this part of the plot.
This included the appearance of the Kryptonian Science Council, which was described in just a single panel in the comic but was expanded into a full discussion meeting in *The Adventures of Superman* radio drama.
In a way, the plot of *The Adventures of Superman* radio drama was actually a process of further perfecting the comic's story and setting.
Considering the differences between radio and comics, text can carry deeper information and ideas than images, and a radio drama adds tonal variations and sound effects on top of the text.
For example, when the voice actors described Superman's flight scenes, the sounds of birds chirping and airplanes soaring would play on the radio, creating a sense of immersion for the listeners.
Similarly, when the plot moved to the Kryptonian Science Council, the sound of hushed conversations could be heard in the background, giving the impression of a large number of members attending the meeting.
Chairman: "Attention, attention, gentlemen."
Chairman: "Jor-El, you have the floor."
Jor-El: "Members of the Council... I have completed my solar calculations, and though I dread to speak these words, I have concluded that Krypton is doomed."
Council Member: "Am I hearing this right?"
In the radio drama, as Jor-El's voice actor announced the prediction of Krypton's destruction, the background murmuring grew louder, and the entire Kryptonian Science Council seemed to descend into chaos over this prediction.
Chairman: "Gentlemen."
Chairman: "Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen, let him finish."
The voice actor for the Chairman repeated himself a few times before the chaotic Kryptonian Science Council quieted down again.
Jor-El: "For days now, we have been experiencing internal earthquakes... these volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, the gases leaking from giant craters—all of it points to one thing, gentlemen. Krypton is completely and utterly doomed to destruction!"
Council Member: "Why, the man is mad!"
Just as in the comic, the Kryptonian Science Council did not accept Jor-El's prediction, and the council's chairman refuted the hypothesis.
Chairman: "One moment, gentlemen, one moment."
Chairman: "There is no reason for alarm. I am certain Jor-El has made an error. Admittedly, we have had several minor earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but nothing of a very serious nature. Your calculations must be wrong..."
Jor-El: "No, there is no mistake, Rozan. I wish it were a mistake, but the sun is gradually pulling Krypton towards it. Within a month... perhaps only a week... the gravitational pull will be too great for Krypton to withstand. Then, our planet will burst like a gigantic bubble, destroying every living thing upon it..."
Chairman Rozan: "Gentlemen, quiet. If—and I say if—what you say is true, Jor-El, how can we avoid it? What can we do to stop it?"
Jor-El: "There is only one way. As you know, I have been working in the Space Factory, designing for interstellar travel. With time and a united effort, we could transport the entire population of Krypton to another world."
Chairman Rozan: "Impossible! Where would we go?"
Jor-El: "To... Earth? My research tells me that Earth's atmosphere is very similar to Krypton's."
...
Lara: "Is your spaceship model nearly finished?"