"Who is Batman? (Who is Batman?)"

The world is right, early morning in New York.

Listeners who turned on the radio heard such a question on the CBS "Mercury Theater on the Sky" radio program hosted by Orson Welles.

Wells is a popular radio host in recent times, and the radio drama programs he directs have received support from many listeners.

When Wells asked this question on the radio, the vast majority of people were confused. Obviously they did not know what kind of existence Wells mentioned as "Batman". Of course, there were also a small number of listeners who were concerned about the broadcast.

The content makes them happy. They are loyal readers of the Courier, and the latest issue of the newspaper’s comics serializes the plot of Batman’s appearance.

Readers responded enthusiastically to this mysterious man in Gotham City.

They know very well that this Batman may be another brand-new superhero after Superman.

The ability of this superhero has become the most heated topic among readers of The Courier.

…

"Boss, this is the financial situation of New York City after Mayor Jimmy Walker took office that you asked me to investigate before..."

In the Courier newspaper office, Little John handed a thick stack of information into Colin's hands.

The investigation is not difficult. Perhaps Mayor Jimmy Walker and the Tammany Hall behind him are simply confident. As the most politically and economically powerful organization in New York City, Tammany Hall’s influence has encompassed the entire New York City government.

It can be said that once someone wants to touch Jimmy Walker, they are going against the entire New York City government and the political forces behind it.

"Although I already expected there would be problems with the city government, I didn't expect the situation to be so serious."

If he hadn't investigated it himself, Little John might not have known that the corruption situation in the New York City government had reached such a serious level.

According to the results of the survey, more than 60% of municipal officials are engaged in bribery and maladministration.

The police in some areas are even known to accept bribes to decide whether you have committed a crime or not.

His eyes fell on the thick information, and there was a look of worry on Little John's dull face.

"Boss, are you really going to publish this news in The Courier?"

Little John knew very well that the newspaper was targeting the current mayor of New York City.

Once reports of corruption in the New York City government were published, the Courier was the first to report them.

“Isn’t it what the news media should do to reveal the truth?”

After receiving the information handed over by Little John, Colin flipped through the contents and looked at the shocking corruption cases one after another.

The corruption in New York City not only exceeded Little John's expectation, but also exceeded Colin's expectation.

With a mayor like this, it's no wonder New York City is in such bad shape.

If the Great Depression was an inevitable disaster, then what current New York Mayor Jimmy Walker did was to push the already shaky New York City to the edge of the cliff.

And such a mayor actually openly plans to continue running for re-election for his third term.

This shows how far Tammany Hall, which is behind New York City, has influenced political operations.

Closing the information in his hand, Colin said something to the anxious little John in front of him.

Of course, he asked the other party to investigate corruption in New York City.

It's not a pure sense of justice. In fact, Colin knows it very well, even if he doesn't reveal it.

It won't be long before Mayor Jimmy Walker will also be investigated for corruption rumors, and as the presidential election approaches, the Democratic Party will finally abandon this scandal-ridden New York mayor.

What Colin did was just move the time when Jimmy Walker's corruption rumors broke out slightly forward.

At the same time, he also proved to LaGuardia that he supported him.

Because, after Jimmy Walker stepped down, the 99th mayor of New York City was the Republican candidate LaGuardia.

In addition, LaGuardia was successfully re-elected as the mayor of New York for three terms, becoming the most popular mayor in New York City.

After hearing Colin's reply, although Little John was still a little uneasy, he also knew that this was the boss's decision and could not be changed by him as a reporter.

Therefore, looking away from the investigation data in his hand, Little John hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but ask.

"So, boss, can you tell me what Batman's abilities are?"

He read the serial plot earlier than readers of newspapers, so he thought more about the character of Batman.

In fact, Little John has communicated with Jacob about Batman more than once.

I believe that since Batman can fight criminals in Gotham City like Superman, he must also have powerful superpowers.

As the second superhero to appear in "The Courier" after Superman, Little John has great curiosity about Batman's identity, especially Batman's outfit, the black bat-like uniform, and the shadows

The hidden figure is completely different from Superman's superhero image, giving him a completely new experience.

Little John even discussed with Jacob who would win if Superman and Batman fought.

Regarding this result, both Little John and Jacob agreed that it should be Superman.

"No."

Under Little John's expectant gaze, Colin opened his mouth and gave an answer that surprised him.

"What?!"

"I mean, Batman doesn't have any superpowers."

…

"...At that time, I had just completed an investigation that was enough to change the New York City Council, but my mind was full of questions about Batman. I gave the investigation information to Mr. Colin Looper, and I mustered up the courage to make a decision to him.

Question: Sir, what exactly is Batman's ability? Faced with my question... Mr. Colin Looper in the newspaper office seemed to have been prepared for it. He smiled at me and shook his head, and then said: No!

"

"When I heard this sentence, I thought I heard it wrong, but Mr. Colin Looper repeated it again. He seemed to enjoy the surprise on my expression at that time. A superhero without superpowers,

This had an impact on me no less than the birth of Superman. It’s hard for me to describe how I felt after learning that Batman had no superpowers. I was a little disappointed but also a little puzzled. But no one thought about it at that time. That’s it.

A Batman without superpowers will become a great superhero after Superman. No, maybe there is one person who knows, and that is Mr. Colin Looper..." - Excerpted from "Batman and Me 1932"
Chapter completed!