What do you think?
Rate this book
Superman: On Trial
This exclusive special edition of the BBC Radio full-cast drama with never-before-heard scenes features Adam West, Jenette Kahn (President, DC Comics), and Dave Gibbons (Co-creator, Watchmen).
This long-awaited release features Stuart Milligan as Superman, Shelley Thompson as Lois Lane, William Hootkins as Lex Luthor and Bob Sessions as The Batman and was written to celebrate Superman’s 50th birthday.
Accused of crimes against humanity, the Last Son of Krypton stands powerless before a court dominated by Lex Luthor - criminal genius turned prosecutor. Has Superman really corrupted our children? Can he justify his continued interference in world affairs? Do we know the truth about his powers? Can Lois Lane defend ‘50 years of the Man of Steel’?
Packed with spectacular sound effects and a thrilling orchestral score, mixed in cinematic Dolby Surround, this specially-extended, remastered, and unedited recording can now be heard as writer/producer Dirk Maggs originally intended.
Guest appearances include Adam West (TV’s Batman), Jenette Kahn (President, DC Comics) and Dave Gibbons (DC Comics artist/Co-creator, Watchmen).
©2010 D.C. Comics (P)2010 AudioGO Ltd
This long-awaited release features Stuart Milligan as Superman, Shelley Thompson as Lois Lane, William Hootkins as Lex Luthor and Bob Sessions as The Batman and was written to celebrate Superman’s 50th birthday.
Accused of crimes against humanity, the Last Son of Krypton stands powerless before a court dominated by Lex Luthor - criminal genius turned prosecutor. Has Superman really corrupted our children? Can he justify his continued interference in world affairs? Do we know the truth about his powers? Can Lois Lane defend ‘50 years of the Man of Steel’?
Packed with spectacular sound effects and a thrilling orchestral score, mixed in cinematic Dolby Surround, this specially-extended, remastered, and unedited recording can now be heard as writer/producer Dirk Maggs originally intended.
Guest appearances include Adam West (TV’s Batman), Jenette Kahn (President, DC Comics) and Dave Gibbons (DC Comics artist/Co-creator, Watchmen).
©2010 D.C. Comics (P)2010 AudioGO Ltd
1 pages, Audio CD
First published September 10, 2010
24 people want to read
About the author
Dirk Maggs
105 books151 followersDirk Maggs, a freelance writer and director working across all media, is principally known for his work in radio, where he evolved radio drama into "Audio Movies," a near-visual approach combining scripts, layered sound effects, cinematic music and cutting edge technology. He pioneered the use of Dolby Surround in BBC Radio. He was among the first nominees for the Directors Guild of Great Britain Outstanding Achievement in Radio Award, and in 2005 he was invited to become one of the first Honorary Fellows of the University of Winchester for his work in the dramatic arts.
From 2003 to 2005, Maggs produced new episodes of Douglas Adams' science fiction comedy series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, adapted from the novels based on the original radio series that Adams wrote. The books that Maggs adapted were written after the radio series ended its original run.
He co-founded Perfectly Normal Productions Ltd (PNP) with Paul Weir and Richard Adams to create compelling high quality popular audio drama in serialized form for delivery to personal digital players and cell phones.
Early in his career Dirk became known for directing adaptations of comic book storylines. He started in 1988 with the 50th Anniversary Man Of Steel docudrama Superman on Trial, carried on with a 50th birthday tribute to the Dark Knight: Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome. This was followed by The Adventures Of Superman, Batman: Knightfall, The Amazing Spider-Man and his final BBC Radio superhero series, Judge Dredd in 1995. Along the way his production of Superman: Doomsday and Beyond ("Superman Lives" in the USA) won the 1994 Audie Award for Best Dramatisation from the American Booksellers Association and Spoken Word Audio of The Year from Publishers Weekly.
From 2003 to 2005, Maggs produced new episodes of Douglas Adams' science fiction comedy series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, adapted from the novels based on the original radio series that Adams wrote. The books that Maggs adapted were written after the radio series ended its original run.
He co-founded Perfectly Normal Productions Ltd (PNP) with Paul Weir and Richard Adams to create compelling high quality popular audio drama in serialized form for delivery to personal digital players and cell phones.
Early in his career Dirk became known for directing adaptations of comic book storylines. He started in 1988 with the 50th Anniversary Man Of Steel docudrama Superman on Trial, carried on with a 50th birthday tribute to the Dark Knight: Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome. This was followed by The Adventures Of Superman, Batman: Knightfall, The Amazing Spider-Man and his final BBC Radio superhero series, Judge Dredd in 1995. Along the way his production of Superman: Doomsday and Beyond ("Superman Lives" in the USA) won the 1994 Audie Award for Best Dramatisation from the American Booksellers Association and Spoken Word Audio of The Year from Publishers Weekly.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 28, 2015
Review taken from my blog, The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia.
Story:
Generally I am not the biggest fan of Clark Kent/Superman-for some reason his perfection and boy scout-ness annoys me. So I was pleasantly surprised by how much I had enjoyed listening to Superman on Trial.
Superman on Trial is definitely more of a plot driven story, rather than a character driven one. Usually I prefer my books to be an even match of plot and character action, but I thought that things went quite well the way the story was told in this one. I really enjoyed just being pulled into the story and wondering how it would end and whether or not Superman would be let off ten hook...although the way it ended was really no surprise at all.
Did I mention that a certain caped crusader makes an appearance. Just thought I'd throw that out to all the fans of his. I thought it was definitely interesting that they pulled Batman into the story, plus excited since because I like it when he pops into other characters stories.
Surprisingly enough, the characters that really stole the show were Lois Lane and Lex Luther; mainly because Superman's role actually was not all the big. He spent must of the time kinda catatonic do to a nasty trick of Luthers that kept him from speaking up on his behalf.
One of the reasons Lois Lane came across as such an interesting character in Superman on Trial is how passionately she defended him and how she believed that his presence was a benefit to mankind.
On the flip-side I enjoyed listening to Luther try and sway the judge with his smooth talking and lies that the best thing for humankind would be to send Superman to the phantom zone for eternity.
What I really liked about Superman on Trial would have to be the plot. I loved how the plot centered around whether or not Superman had committed crimes against humanity. I sight this as my favorite plot point because it does bring up an interesting question, is, Superman a help or hindrance to humanity. Not only is it an interesting question, but I liked the way the story dealt with it and how Superman was willing to be banished to the phantom zone if he was found guilty.
If I had to name just one thing I did not like about the story, it would have to be this: why on earth was Lois Lane (reporter) standing as Superman's defence attorney???? I was extremely confused over this-and that was putting it mildly. While that did throw me off a bit, I thought it actually worked out quite well since she probably knows him better then most others.
Narration:
As for the readers of Superman on Trial I thought that did an excellent job, especially the ones for Lois Lane and Lex Luther-I really enjoyed listening to them both argue their respective points on whether or not Superman was interfering too much with the way things worked. I thought that both of their readers nailed the personalities and perfectly captured what made them tick.
The one thing I did not like about this audio book would have to be that there was a lot of back round noise-even though it played into the story- it kind of distracted me. It also did not help that when I was trying to listen to this one everyone was being loud and making it impossible to hear what was happening. I would have liked to have had the voices of those arguing in the back round tone down just a little bit. Other than that Superman on Trial was quite good.
Final Verdict: Superman on Trial very, very good. So good in fact that it has changed my opinion of Superman.
Superman on Trial earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.
Story:
Generally I am not the biggest fan of Clark Kent/Superman-for some reason his perfection and boy scout-ness annoys me. So I was pleasantly surprised by how much I had enjoyed listening to Superman on Trial.
Superman on Trial is definitely more of a plot driven story, rather than a character driven one. Usually I prefer my books to be an even match of plot and character action, but I thought that things went quite well the way the story was told in this one. I really enjoyed just being pulled into the story and wondering how it would end and whether or not Superman would be let off ten hook...although the way it ended was really no surprise at all.
Did I mention that a certain caped crusader makes an appearance. Just thought I'd throw that out to all the fans of his. I thought it was definitely interesting that they pulled Batman into the story, plus excited since because I like it when he pops into other characters stories.
Surprisingly enough, the characters that really stole the show were Lois Lane and Lex Luther; mainly because Superman's role actually was not all the big. He spent must of the time kinda catatonic do to a nasty trick of Luthers that kept him from speaking up on his behalf.
One of the reasons Lois Lane came across as such an interesting character in Superman on Trial is how passionately she defended him and how she believed that his presence was a benefit to mankind.
On the flip-side I enjoyed listening to Luther try and sway the judge with his smooth talking and lies that the best thing for humankind would be to send Superman to the phantom zone for eternity.
What I really liked about Superman on Trial would have to be the plot. I loved how the plot centered around whether or not Superman had committed crimes against humanity. I sight this as my favorite plot point because it does bring up an interesting question, is, Superman a help or hindrance to humanity. Not only is it an interesting question, but I liked the way the story dealt with it and how Superman was willing to be banished to the phantom zone if he was found guilty.
If I had to name just one thing I did not like about the story, it would have to be this: why on earth was Lois Lane (reporter) standing as Superman's defence attorney???? I was extremely confused over this-and that was putting it mildly. While that did throw me off a bit, I thought it actually worked out quite well since she probably knows him better then most others.
Narration:
As for the readers of Superman on Trial I thought that did an excellent job, especially the ones for Lois Lane and Lex Luther-I really enjoyed listening to them both argue their respective points on whether or not Superman was interfering too much with the way things worked. I thought that both of their readers nailed the personalities and perfectly captured what made them tick.
The one thing I did not like about this audio book would have to be that there was a lot of back round noise-even though it played into the story- it kind of distracted me. It also did not help that when I was trying to listen to this one everyone was being loud and making it impossible to hear what was happening. I would have liked to have had the voices of those arguing in the back round tone down just a little bit. Other than that Superman on Trial was quite good.
Final Verdict: Superman on Trial very, very good. So good in fact that it has changed my opinion of Superman.
Superman on Trial earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.
April 24, 2012
As a Superman story I thought it was only so-so, but as a meta comment on the history, state, and influence of Superman specifically and comic books in general, it was brilliant - and also hilarious to hear people such as Adam West (as himself!!!) on the stand testifying to the importance of superheroes.
Favorite part - learning Kryptonite and its effects were invented to give a Superman actor time for a vacation from the radio show.
January 18, 2014
Awesome story based in a universe where DC Comics and the superheroes themselves exist. Where graphic novels are great literature and comic books are compared to the bible. Where Adam West and Batman shake hands. It's a nerdy good time.
January 31, 2020
A fun and exciting drama that blends both comic book history and a classic cast of characters. The voice performances are particularly impressive.
October 10, 2025
Entertaining. A different kind of Superman story that goes through the history of Superman through the various types of media. Plus, some fun and notable voice cameos.
August 22, 2013
Lex Luthor finally has the Man of Steel right where he wants him. Using all the power and influence money can buy, Luthor has managed to drag Superman into a court of law, charging him with crimes against humanity, and set himself up to be the chief prosecutor. Normally, Lex is no match for Superman, but for some reason the Last Son of Krypton is oddly speechless, and seemingly too weak even to defend himself. What nobody knows is that the manacles Luthor bound Superman in are laced with traces of Kryptonite, a radioactive substance that is deadly to Superman. So it’s Lois Lane, feisty, hotheaded Daily Planet reporter, to the rescue. It will be up to Lois to defend Superman from Luthor’s trumped-up charges, but is she up to the task?
I hate to admit it, but I think Lex Luthor has a valid point here, that point being that maybe Metropolis would be better off without Superman. I mean, let’s face it, 90% of the super-villains that come around Metropolis, are only there because they want to destroy Superman. He’s like a magnet to them. And property damage? Supes can’t even flex his muscles without knocking down a skyscraper or two.
Okay, okay, I’m being a little too hard on the guy, and to tell you the truth, I collected quite a few Superman comics in my day. If we start over-analyzing comic books, where will it end? Next thing you know we’ll be criticizing a judicial system that allows power-hungry tyrants to drag superheroes into court, and sets up newspaper reporters as defense attorneys.
Superman: On Trial was written to celebrate Superman’s 50th anniversary, which would put it somewhere around 1988. The story is, admittedly, short on plot, but it’s still an entertaining recap of the life and times of one of our planet’s greatest superheroes. Through the various witnesses called to testify in the trial, we are treated to glimpses of Superman’s life: how he came to earth, his upbringing, the first time he met Lex Luthor in person, and the origins of his complex relationship with Lois Lane.
My favorite part of this audiobook actually came at the very end, when Luthor’s evil plot is revealed and he is arrested. At the police station, Luthor demands his phone call, and he uses it to call his legal staff. Here, Lex begins to rant and rave, beginning with “I want you to sue…”, and then he proceeds to read off the list of actors who lent their voices to the production. This was William Hootkins shining moment. I really got a kick out of that scene, and I thought it was a pretty clever way to read the credits.
Along with Hootkins’ convincing portrayal of Lex Luthor, I thought all of the voice actors did a decent job in their roles, with the possible exception of the guy who voiced Jimmy Olson. He didn’t do a bad job necessarily, he just sounded too old for the part.
Superman: On Trial is not a display of brilliant story telling, but I think you might get a kick out of it, especially if you enjoy radio dramas.
Steven Brandt @ Audiobook-Heaven
I hate to admit it, but I think Lex Luthor has a valid point here, that point being that maybe Metropolis would be better off without Superman. I mean, let’s face it, 90% of the super-villains that come around Metropolis, are only there because they want to destroy Superman. He’s like a magnet to them. And property damage? Supes can’t even flex his muscles without knocking down a skyscraper or two.
Okay, okay, I’m being a little too hard on the guy, and to tell you the truth, I collected quite a few Superman comics in my day. If we start over-analyzing comic books, where will it end? Next thing you know we’ll be criticizing a judicial system that allows power-hungry tyrants to drag superheroes into court, and sets up newspaper reporters as defense attorneys.
Superman: On Trial was written to celebrate Superman’s 50th anniversary, which would put it somewhere around 1988. The story is, admittedly, short on plot, but it’s still an entertaining recap of the life and times of one of our planet’s greatest superheroes. Through the various witnesses called to testify in the trial, we are treated to glimpses of Superman’s life: how he came to earth, his upbringing, the first time he met Lex Luthor in person, and the origins of his complex relationship with Lois Lane.
My favorite part of this audiobook actually came at the very end, when Luthor’s evil plot is revealed and he is arrested. At the police station, Luthor demands his phone call, and he uses it to call his legal staff. Here, Lex begins to rant and rave, beginning with “I want you to sue…”, and then he proceeds to read off the list of actors who lent their voices to the production. This was William Hootkins shining moment. I really got a kick out of that scene, and I thought it was a pretty clever way to read the credits.
Along with Hootkins’ convincing portrayal of Lex Luthor, I thought all of the voice actors did a decent job in their roles, with the possible exception of the guy who voiced Jimmy Olson. He didn’t do a bad job necessarily, he just sounded too old for the part.
Superman: On Trial is not a display of brilliant story telling, but I think you might get a kick out of it, especially if you enjoy radio dramas.
Steven Brandt @ Audiobook-Heaven
April 9, 2012
Superman on Trial is a BBC Radio dramatic presentation created in honor of the Man of Steel's 50th Anniversary.
A few quick thoughts about this 1-hour programme (I spell program in the British way since this is a BBC production):
If you aren't very familiar with the comics, some of the stuff in this show is a little weird. Mostly, they don't do a very good job of explaining who the judge (Ganthet) is. He just rumbles and sounds ominous, as if Michael Clarke Duncan were the judge.
Maggs' decision to put Supe on trial by using testimony from creators of comic books demands a suspension of suspension of disbelief. In the world of the story, the Superman tales were created as promotional/ documentary material about Superman, but the show conveniently takes the Umberto Eco "Myth of Superman" approach, forgetting that if the comics were documenting real events, Lois and Lex would both be elderly. Once you're willing to forgive that convenient collapsing of time, it's an amusing development.
I particularly like the sections in which Batman appears, testifying both as Adam West and as the Batman himself. In the case of the latter, Lex brings up the uncomfortable idea that Batman's own worries about Superman's potential as a world-changing force spawned the Superman/Batman fight in The Dark Knight Returns. Oddly, despite the fact that Lex calls Dave Gibbons to testify, he doesn't bring up Gibbons' own exploration of this very subject through the character of Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen.
William Hootkins does an excellent job chewing the scenery as Lex Luthor. Most amusing, for my money, is his angry rant to the Luthercorp legal department at the end, in which he delivers the credits by threatening to sue all the people involved in the radio play, especially William Hootkins.
The end wasn't all that satisfying to me, as it returns to the overall message of Superman itself: nurture beats nature.
An amusing audio play, well worth the time. I'm not sure it's worth the money though.
A few quick thoughts about this 1-hour programme (I spell program in the British way since this is a BBC production):
If you aren't very familiar with the comics, some of the stuff in this show is a little weird. Mostly, they don't do a very good job of explaining who the judge (Ganthet) is. He just rumbles and sounds ominous, as if Michael Clarke Duncan were the judge.
Maggs' decision to put Supe on trial by using testimony from creators of comic books demands a suspension of suspension of disbelief. In the world of the story, the Superman tales were created as promotional/ documentary material about Superman, but the show conveniently takes the Umberto Eco "Myth of Superman" approach, forgetting that if the comics were documenting real events, Lois and Lex would both be elderly. Once you're willing to forgive that convenient collapsing of time, it's an amusing development.
I particularly like the sections in which Batman appears, testifying both as Adam West and as the Batman himself. In the case of the latter, Lex brings up the uncomfortable idea that Batman's own worries about Superman's potential as a world-changing force spawned the Superman/Batman fight in The Dark Knight Returns. Oddly, despite the fact that Lex calls Dave Gibbons to testify, he doesn't bring up Gibbons' own exploration of this very subject through the character of Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen.
William Hootkins does an excellent job chewing the scenery as Lex Luthor. Most amusing, for my money, is his angry rant to the Luthercorp legal department at the end, in which he delivers the credits by threatening to sue all the people involved in the radio play, especially William Hootkins.
The end wasn't all that satisfying to me, as it returns to the overall message of Superman itself: nurture beats nature.
An amusing audio play, well worth the time. I'm not sure it's worth the money though.
March 19, 2016
Too Short. A Lost Opportunity to Create Something Truly Amazing.
Published in 2010 by BBC Audio
Multicast Performance
Duration: 1 hour
Superman is captured and on trial. Lex Luthor is the prosecutor, Lois Lane is Superman's sole defender. A Guardian of the Universe is the judge and if Superman is found guilty, he is to be sentenced to the Phantom Zone. The charge? Superman is not the defender of humanity - he is actually committing crimes against humanity.
Luthor's arguments go along this line - Superman is an alien and he is interfering with life on Earth. As Lois Lane makes her arguments that Superman is actually helping, Luthor blunts them with his own arguments. For example, Luthor calls Batman to the stand to testify that Batman feels the need to monitor Superman to make sure that he does not abuse his powers to enslave humanity.
The audiobook ventures into some fairly unique territory. Not only are Superman's peers questioned but the assumption is that a real-life Superman literally inspired the creators of Superman's comic books (Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster) to create his comic book. There is a discussion of comic book censorship controversies in the 1950s and Luthor asserts that comic books are bad for the morality of the America's youth.
My favorite part of the book is the surreal moment when Adam West appears as himself and testifies as to the influence of TV and movies on young people. Meanwhile, the real Batman the he portrayed on TV is also waiting to testify...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2016/...
Published in 2010 by BBC Audio
Multicast Performance
Duration: 1 hour
Superman is captured and on trial. Lex Luthor is the prosecutor, Lois Lane is Superman's sole defender. A Guardian of the Universe is the judge and if Superman is found guilty, he is to be sentenced to the Phantom Zone. The charge? Superman is not the defender of humanity - he is actually committing crimes against humanity.
Luthor's arguments go along this line - Superman is an alien and he is interfering with life on Earth. As Lois Lane makes her arguments that Superman is actually helping, Luthor blunts them with his own arguments. For example, Luthor calls Batman to the stand to testify that Batman feels the need to monitor Superman to make sure that he does not abuse his powers to enslave humanity.
The audiobook ventures into some fairly unique territory. Not only are Superman's peers questioned but the assumption is that a real-life Superman literally inspired the creators of Superman's comic books (Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster) to create his comic book. There is a discussion of comic book censorship controversies in the 1950s and Luthor asserts that comic books are bad for the morality of the America's youth.
My favorite part of the book is the surreal moment when Adam West appears as himself and testifies as to the influence of TV and movies on young people. Meanwhile, the real Batman the he portrayed on TV is also waiting to testify...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2016/...
February 12, 2012
This short (1 hour?) BBC documentary was a lot of fun! With Superman on trial for his life, witnesses from and evidence from all aspects of his past (including writers, actors and even Wertham!) . It's a bit dated now having come out in the 80s, but it shows a fascinating look into the world of comics just as graphic novels were beginning to take off.
August 7, 2012
The geek in me adored this CD, a great crash course in Superman lore without making it dry or boring. Well done BBC!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews