American comics: You're asked to fish, but you catch a Superman template?

Page 679

"As soon as my vacation is over, I will travel to Africa."

"Africa?"

At the appropriate moment, a look of "surprise" flashed across Xu Fu's face, as if he could not connect Hemingway's identity as an author.

"I intend to create a book that is absolutely true and comparable to a novel."

Hemingway was clearly looking forward to his upcoming trip to Africa.

Indeed, he returned from Africa with "The Green Mountains of Africa," which described his hunting trip there.

"Then I wish you, Mr. Hemingway, all the best on your trip to Africa, and that you will create another wonderful work."

Hemingway responded to Xu Fu's blessing with a cold laugh.

"However, since Mr. Hemingway has already confirmed his trip to Africa..."

Immediately afterwards, Xu Fu's words changed, and he seemed to want to say something.

Hemingway seemed ready in front of him.

　(Great!) "I wonder if anyone is interested in saving up money to write a few articles about Africa as a guest reporter for my newspaper, The Messenger Daily, to enrich the newspaper's international section?"

Upon hearing Xu Fu's invitation, Hemingway cast another deep look at him.

"I have a lot of time on this trip to Africa, but I can't guarantee that the article will be published in a timely manner."

“It’s okay, they can wait until you come back from Africa and then they can be published.”

Xu Fu seemed to be prepared for this.

"Aren't you afraid I'll just write something about the lake to fool you?"

At this point, Xu Fu looked at him, smiled, and asked in return, "Who are you?"

"..."

Faced with Xu Fu's question, the tough guy remained silent for a moment, then shook his head: "No."

Hemingway's personality and his current status dictate that he wouldn't do something so cool.

Chapter 807 Robin and the Publicity

"Sponsored by Fisher-Price Toys, The Adventures of The Superman".

Xu Fu did not respond to the invitation for the first time; this strong man needed time to think.

Meanwhile, at 8 p.m. the following day, on CBS radio.

A new episode of the radio drama "The Adventures of Superman" aired as scheduled, accompanied by announcer Kang's impassioned lines.

Announcer: "He possesses incredible, unbelievable adventurous abilities, faster than a missile, stronger than a locomotive, and even exploding bombs cannot penetrate his tough skin."

Passerby A: "Look at the sky!"

...

That's Superman!

Announcer: "Yes, that's Superman, the great superhero."

Announcer: "Yes, tonight, young Batman's partner Robin makes his first appearance on screen, telling Superman why he so desperately needs his help, but before we join him on his thrilling adventure, let's hear what Herman Fisher has to say. Okay, go on, Herman."

Herman Fisher: "Friends, one day I met a customer I knew who came to my factory to see how our toys were made. When he saw our toys, he had a groundbreaking idea: why not create a more free toy that can do whatever he wants?"

Herman Fisher: "Yes, this familiar guest is Xu Fu, the creator of Superman, and the toy he was talking about as he walked was Lego."

Herman Fisher: "Fisher's latest LEGO Superman series adds two new characters, the Great Ape and Lois, to recreate the scene from the comics where the Great Ape grabs Lois. The new LEGO Superman series will be available in all stores tomorrow, so if you don't want to miss out on this classic collectible, go buy it now."

Herman Fisher: "Remember, the only place you can buy the latest LEGO Superman bricks is in the toy store!"

Hermann Fisher: "A common toy produced by Fisher's toy factory."

...

Announcer: "Now, 'The Adventures of Superman' begins."

Announcer: "After discovering suspicious vibrations in a mysterious letter addressed to Superman, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson chartered a boat to the Gulf of Tonkin..."

Jimmy Olsen's character was just a background character when he first appeared in "Superman," so Xu Fu didn't spend much time naming him.

However, when The Incredibles aired, Orson Welles' suggestion to Xu Fu to accurately distinguish the names of the characters in the show was adopted by the latter. He gave the name to a reporter, The Daily Express, who only appeared briefly in the comics.

Xu Fu was the only one who took a shortcut in the name Jimmy Olson, whose prototype is obviously a descendant of the newspaper writer Jimmy.

He simply took another person's name, added a new surname at the end, and created a cartoon character.

Although the process was somewhat lazy, it was clearly not the case for newsboy Jimmy. When he saw his name appear in the comic, he first went to "The Messenger" to thank Xu Fu and tell him that it was the most expensive gift he had ever received.

It was at this moment that Xu Fu learned the recruit's full name.

Jimmy Carter is, in a way, a remarkable name.

...

Announcer: "They found the boy unconscious in the wreckage of a car in the Gulf of Tonkin. As they were carrying him ashore, a speedboat suddenly crashed into them, threatening to sink them. Just then, Superman appeared and saved them."

Announcer: "At the doctor's house, the boy woke up and said his name was Dick Grayson. He said the situation was serious and passed a note to Superman, but he refused to do anything and only said it was Superman."

"Never discuss this with anyone."

Dick Grayson, also known as Robin, also made his debut in The Adventures of Superman. Unlike Batman, this character is one of the few who first appeared as a radio drama hero without any character development in the comics.

Even Lois and Clark's colleague, Jimmy Olsen, used his own image in the comics.

Of course, this is partly due to the fact that Batman comics do not have a specific version, because the superhero who appears in the Superman story operates in Gotham City, and this superhero still does not have his own version.

Despite this, Batman's popularity remains undiminished today, with many fans even urging the Messenger to publish exclusive Batman comics and even Lego toys, as readers are eager to learn about the story of this Gotham City superhero.

Given the current situation with The Messenger Comics, Jack has repeatedly suggested that Xu Fu separate the Batman story from the Superman story.

Xu Fu already had ideas in this regard, but he had to wait until he upgraded the [Bronze Mark] to [Silver] before he could release Batman Origins, otherwise he worried that rushing to release it would affect the subsequent series of [Face].

Of course, he could hand the story over to another artist at the publisher, such as Charles Adams, for revisions.

However, given Charles Adams' unique artistic style, the Gothic style does indeed complement the image of Batman.

However, this must be based on having complete sources; otherwise, Xu Fu worried that handing over the story to Charles Adams without any restrictions might distort the style of Batman.

Imagine, in Charles Adams's writing, Batman becomes a gothic version of a superhero who sleeps in a coffin and spends his days with skeletons.

While interesting, this is clearly not the kind of superhero image that most readers would want to see.

A good superhero story is built on a specific origin story. Once the preconceived image of Batman as a gothic figure created by Charles Adams is subverted, it will obviously be much more difficult for Xu Fu to subvert that image again.

So it's best to wait a little longer.

During this period, although the Batman story could not be published as a specific comic book, Xu Fu did not disappoint readers to some extent by releasing it as a radio drama.

...

Narrator: "Clark Kent took Dick to his apartment, then briefly reappeared as Superman, telling Dick that he saw the cape under his coat and the red suit with the letter R on it. The boy told Superman that he was Robin, Batman's new partner."

Chapter 808 This sounds very serious

Robin: "You have to help me, Superman, you have to help me!"

Superman: "Of course, I'll help you if I can."

Robin: "You're the only one who can help me."

Superman: "That sounds serious."

Robin: "Seriously, this is the worst thing that has ever happened to me!"

Superman: "That's a very strong statement, Robin."

Robin: "It's true, you see."

Superman: "YESIR..."

Robin: "Batman has disappeared!"

Superman: "What?!"

Robin: "Yes, Batman is missing."

Superman: "Oh my God! Where? When?"

Robin: "I don't know, he left me in a villa across the bay in Queens..."

Superman: "And then?"

Robin: "He told me to wait for him there, and he said he would be back in the evening, but he wasn't there."

Superman: "He didn't. When was that? I mean, when did he leave?"

Robin: "It was yesterday, when..."

Batman left after lunch. He said he would be back in a few hours.

Superman: "Did he say where he was going?"

Robin: "No, he just said he was dealing with the most important eucalyptus tree of his life, and he planned to do so after lunch."