Mei Man: I drew Superman during the Great Depression

Chapter 139 Corruption Investigation
"Who is Batman? (Who is Batman?)"

Positive world, early morning in New York.

The listener who turned on the radio heard such a question on the radio program "Mercury Theater in the Air" hosted by CBS Orson Welles.

Wells is a popular radio host recently, and the radio dramas he directed have won the support of many listeners.

When hearing Wells' question on the radio, the vast majority of the public felt puzzled. Obviously, they didn't know what kind of existence Wells called "Batman".Of course, there are also a small number of listeners who are happy with the content of the broadcast. They are the loyal readers of the "Courier", and the comics in the latest issue of the newspaper just serialized the plot of Batman's appearance.

Readers have responded overwhelmingly to this Gotham City mystery man.

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

And the ability of this superhero has also become the hottest topic of discussion among the 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..."

Inside the Messenger newspaper office, Little John handed over a thick stack of materials to Colin.

The investigation is not difficult. Perhaps Mayor Jimmy Walker and the Tammany Association behind him are completely confident. As the most politically and economically powerful organization in New York City, the influence of the Tammany Association has covered the New York City government. It can be said that once someone wants to move Jimmy Walker, it is against the entire New York City government and the political forces behind it.

"Although, I had expected the city government to have problems, but I didn't expect the situation to be so serious."

If it wasn't for the personal investigation, perhaps Little John would not have known that the corruption of the New York City government had reached such a serious level.

According to the results of the survey, more than [-]% of the municipal officials have a large number of bribery and maladministration.

In some areas the police are even accepted to take bribes to decide whether you have committed a crime or not.

His eyes fell on the thick material, and Little John's dull face showed a trace of worry.

"Boss, are you really going to have this news in the Courier?"

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

When reports of corruption in New York City government were published, it was the Courier-Journal first.

"Isn't exposing the truth what the news media should do?"

After receiving the materials handed over by Little John, Ke Lin casually flipped through the above contents, looking at the shocking corruption cases among them.

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

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

If the Great Depression is an unavoidable disaster, what the current mayor of New York, Jimmy Walker, has done is to push the already crumbling New York City to the edge of the cliff.

And it was such a mayor who still grandiosely planned to continue his third re-election campaign.

This shows the extent to which the Tammany Association behind New York City has influenced political operations.

After closing the documents in his hand, Colin said something to the nervous little John in front of him.

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

It wasn't a pure sense of justice. In fact, Colin knew it very well, even if he didn't reveal it.

It won't be long before Mayor Jimmy Walker will be investigated for corruption rumors, and as the presidential election is approaching, the Democrats will finally abandon the scandal-plagued mayor of New York.

What Colin did was to push back the timing of Jimmy Walker's corruption rumors.

At the same time, it also proves to LaGuardia that he supports him.

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

And LaGuardia also successfully served three consecutive terms as mayor of New York City, becoming the most popular mayor in New York City, none of them.

Hearing Ke Lin's reply, although Little John was still a little uneasy, he also knew that this was the boss's decision, and it was not something he, a reporter, could change.

Therefore, turning his eyes away from the investigation materials in his hand, Little John hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help asking again.

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

He read the serial plot earlier than the newspaper readers, so he also thought more about the role of Batman.

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

It is believed that since Batman can fight criminals in Gotham City like Superman, he must naturally have powerful superpowers.

As the second superhero to appear on the "Messenger" after Superman, John Jr. has great curiosity about Batman's identity, especially Batman's attire, the black bat-like uniform, and in the shadows. The hidden figure is completely different from Superman's superhero image, giving him a brand new experience.

Even Johnny and Jacob discussed who would win if Superman and Batman fought.

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

"No."

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

"what?!"

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

……

"... At that time, I had just completed an investigation that would change the New York City Council, but my mind was full of questions about Batman. I handed over the investigation materials 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 already prepared for it. He smiled and shook his head at me, and then said: No! "

"When I heard this sentence, I thought I had heard it wrong, but Mr. Colin Looper repeated it again. He seemed to enjoy the surprised look on my face at the time. A superhero without superpowers, This impact on me is no less than the birth of Superman. It is hard for me to describe the feeling after learning that Batman has no superpowers. I am a little disappointed but also a little puzzled. It’s just that no one thought of it at that time. That’s it. A Batman without superpowers will become a great superhero after Superman, no, maybe one person knows, and that is Mr. Colin Looper..." - Excerpted from "1932 Batman and I"

Author: John Walker
(End of this chapter)