The Superman Radio Scripts: Superman Vs. the Atom Man (1)

On February 12, 1940, The Adventures of Superman hit the airwaves in a new syndicated radio series. An instant hit, the program ran thoughout the 1940s, with Bud Collyer playing Superman. The show introduced many of the characters and concepts that later became fixtures in DC's comic book stories, including Superman's first encounter with the deadly kryptonite and his adventures teaming up with fellow DC characters Batman and Robin.

Released first on CD and audiocassette in special boxed sets by Radio Spirits, in association with the Smithsonian Institution Press, the radio scripts of these shows are now being published for the first time in book form. The first volume of this series contains the classic 1945 "Superman vs. The Atom Man," which pitted the Man of Steel against his deadliest foe, a radioactive Nazi agent within whose veins flowed deadly kryptonite. Volume One also includes 16 sidebars focusing on such topics as Superman's comic book history as it relates to the radio scripts, the actors who performed in the series, the significance of the introduction of kryptonite, and the sociological context of the work given its airing during World War II.