The Superman radio show began in 1941 and was in full swing for many years when Batman makes his first appearance. Unfortunately, because of the war, many of the recordings during the war were lost because the material used to record the episodes contained glass that was recycled for the war effort.
The two parts that are available actually do not introduce Batman, but Robin instead. The basic story is that Lois and Jimmy discover the unconscious Robin in the water as they are capsized by a speedboat. Superman saves them and brings all three to a nearby doctor. He removes Robin's costume and Dick explains who he is to Clark Kent. Robin explains he needs to speak only with Superman, so Clark obliges. Robin explains that Batman has gone missing. The only clue to his disappearance is a wax museum. When Clark and Dick go to investigate, they find a lifelike statue of Batman.
I've tried to find how the rest of the story plays out and can't, but what I listened to proved interesting enough. The voice of Robin is perfect for him. There were much too old young men playing Robin in the movie serials in 43 and 49, but the voice here works. In fact, when I read the comics of the 40s, I hear the voices of Batman and Robin. This may seem sacrilegious when it comes to having Adam West or even Olan Soule as voice options, but he honestly is the youngest sounding Robin ever, more so than even Burt Ward.
There will be a bunch more Batman appearances we will cover here from The Adventures of Superman, but what's next? It's back to Detective Comics, Citizens.
