Batmobile Begins
Ken_from_Chicago
BEGINS and
the current THE DARK KNIGHT movie, there has been one bat in the
ointment:
The Batmobile.
It has been truly a hideous, horrific, awkward, untenable, unworkable
element in the BBverse. It's not designed for, meant for, or fits in
an
urban environment but a rural environment, a battlefield, not for
main
street or any street but environs where there are no streets.
That's not a personal knock against the Nolans. The Batmobile has long
been
a sore spot in the Batman mythos in general. The tradition of
awkward,
hideous or garrish Batmobiles has long existed before the Nolans came
on the
scene. It's been an occupational hazard:
--From the '60s camp tv version--which only by sheer tradition and
history
remained popular
--And garrishly designed Batmobiles in comics over the decades, often
with
silly tall dual fins, or worse with silly tall solo fins.
--To the ridiculous Tim Burton BATMAN movies with Batmobiles with so
minimum
ground clearance that they had to stop on a dime because they couldn't
roll
over it
--And even the vaunted BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, which many
consider the
best version of Batman, at least pre-BB (and some wouldn't stop
there), but
had a ridiculously long Batmobile that looked more like a locomotive
engine.
Speaking of size, that's often been the curse of the Batmobiles,
designed
far too long for an urban environment. They would easily need several
lanes
to turn and turning from a one-lane street to another one-lane street
would
take forever or driving on the curb.
The BB Batmobile however eschews length for ridiculous width. No way
could
that be driven on any street with any kind of traffic. It might barely
fit
in one lane, but there would be no room for anyone to stand on the
side much
like one can enter your parked car while another car drives past.
Moreover the BB Batmobile compounds its problems by being ugly. It
likes
almost any effort at aerodynamics much less aestethics. While there
have
been many too long or big or overly flashy Batmobiles (sheesh, how
many
wings / Bat symbols does one need?), they tend to be somewhat
aerodynamic
and thus have some aesthetic appeal, even if impractical for an urban
environment.
Tis easier thus to discuss which Batmobiles got it right:
Aerodynamic,
Aesthetics and Urban practicality:
--The animated Batmobile from the '70s, on SUPERFRIENDS and on the
CBS
Saturday morning Batman cartoons. The latter had a Batmobile so sleek
it
could double as a boat with minimal effort. It had the traditional
dual
Batfins but not ridiculously high as often drawn in the comics while
the car
itself fit in standard traffic.
--The animated Batmobile from THE BATMAN series on The Kids' WB. While
it
eshews the traditional Batfins, it makes up for with a simple elegant
sleekness, but not tiny like many an exotic sports car, but more
compact,
like a muscle car, like a Ford Mustang or Dodge Charger. It had clean
crisp
smooth aerodynamic, eye-pleasing lines, like the Cadillac XLR or Chevy
Volt. It looked
powerful and could travel into and out of busy urban traffic while
standing
up to machine gunfire, maybe even a bazooka round or two.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&pwst=1&q=cadillac%20xlr&um=1&ie=UTF-8&resnum=1&sa=N&tab=iw
http://www.chevy-volt.net/chevrolet-volt-picture-0b.htm
Yeah, there have been some comic book Batmobiles that got it right, by
dent
of the sheer wide ranging designs of them that made Janet Dyne Pym's
wardrobe look like Bruce Banner's. (Those of you who know translate
for
those who don't.) However the two above are the ones that stand out.
Speaking of electric vehicles, I think the Volt, natch painted black,
would
be a great basis for a Batmobile in BB3. Imagine the Batmobile
charging down
the street at you or past you--WITHOUT IT MAKING A SOUND! It's one
thing for
Batman to sneak off, but the entire Batmobile? Way cool.
-- Ken from Chicago
P.S. "He does that a lot."--'Jim Gordon', THE DARK KNIGHT.
newto...@mypacks.net
it moved incredibly, and made enough sense to justify its existence.
If you're Batman you're gonna need a car that is either impossible to
catch or impossible to stop. In a dense urban environment, it's easier
to get stopped in traffic than to have a high-speed chase, so having a
vehicle that can drive right through (or over) a roadblock actually
make more sense than a super fast sports car.
It should be noted that the Tumbler has no front axle and independent
rear wheel hand brakes, meaning that it can take MUCH sharper turns
than any other vehicle despite its size and weight. It also does have
a "stealth mode" which is essentially an electric motor which allows
it to move with little or no noise.
As for the look, I grew to love that, too. It looks like a believable
military vehicle - tough, practical, durable. I like that it's not
"designed" - no fins, symbols, art deco details, etc. It IS ugly -
ugly like a tank or a hand grenade. But I also appreciate the way they
tried to make it look like a walking bat - the way they crawl with
their wings curled around them.
I agree that they will likely replace it for the third film, but I
wonder if they might go with some sort of aircraft instead - batjet,
batcopter, batVTOL perhaps? That really makes the most sense for an
urban crimefighter who wants to make quick getaways, quick chases, and
who models himself after a flying animal.
Kevrob
> I hated it when I first saw it but I loved it in the movie......
Ken and anyone else interested might want to check out Bill Spencer's
site,
http://www.batmobilehistory.com/index.html and this article that
references it:
http://www.lifewhile.com/cars/16781638/detail.html
Ken might like the Neal Adams design that first appeared in `Tec #400.
Kevin
M.O.R
I gotta say I love the new Batmobile. It works in the universe, it's
functional, and it is kick ass to boot. The Burton and Schumacher
Batmobiles were not suited for the job they were needed for, and tho
nice to look at, they were not really vehicles needed for a full scale
war on crime, which the current Batmobile is. I admit I didn't like
it at first, but now it rocks, and has the best gadgets in it's
arsenal
.
Dingo Warrior
I had some issues with the Tumbler as the first Batmobile -- it should
have been traced to Bruce Wayne far earlier than it was because of its
unique nature. If I was the designer or the manufacturer of the
prototype I would have become somehat suspicious if I saw it zipping
around Gotham. For it to work, Lucius Fox should have come up with
some story that it was "sold" to an unidentified buyer.
Otherwise, it would have made more sense for a modified supercar (ie
the Lambo) as the first Batmobile.
Anim8rFSK
<611f1018-fa7f-44ce...@k30g2000hse.googlegroups.com>,
"M.O.R" <pred...@esatclear.ie> wrote:
> On Aug 26, 3:50 pm, Kevrob <kev...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> > On Aug 26, 9:55 am, newton58...@mypacks.net wrote:
> >
> > > I hated it when I first saw it but I loved it in the movie......
> >
> > Ken and anyone else interested might want to check out Bill Spencer's
> > site,
> >
> > http://www.batmobilehistory.com/index.html and this article that
> > references it:
> >
> > http://www.lifewhile.com/cars/16781638/detail.html
> >
> > Ken might like the Neal Adams design that first appeared in `Tec #400.
> >
> > Kevin
>
> I gotta say I love the new Batmobile. It works in the universe, it's
> functional, and it is kick ass to boot. The Burton and Schumacher
> Batmobiles were not suited for the job they were needed for
Well, the Schumucker car was designed to pick up underage boys, so the
neon all seemed very appropriate.
--
Multiple root canals; hopped up on multiple pain drugs.
It's an explanation, not an excuse!
M.O.R
> In article
> <611f1018-fa7f-44ce-8f3b-29f8d8c60...@k30g2000hse.googlegroups.com>,
>
> - Show quoted text -
Excluding the Schumacher ones, or at least the Batman and RObin
version, which was lame. In Batman Forever he was at least portrayed
as hetero, but the vehicle looked poor, but he was still hetero. Such
was the line 'It's the car right, chicks dig the car' when he hits on
Kidman's character. The second one of Schumacher's was poor. The
cars seemed designed for speed, but not so much for battle. And the
60's one was designed just to get one from A- B.
Anim8rFSK
<80a04630-5b42-4fb9...@i76g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
"M.O.R" <pred...@esatclear.ie> wrote:
Nah. That whole "hang out much in biker bars Bruce?" line was designed
to show us that Dick thought Bruce was 'adopting' him as a boy toy.
> was the line 'It's the car right, chicks dig the car' when he hits on
> Kidman's character. The second one of Schumacher's was poor. The
> cars seemed designed for speed, but not so much for battle. And the
> 60's one was designed just to get one from A- B.
But in style!
Edward McArdle
stood out was *how empty the roads were*! I don't know how accurate this
was, but in those circumstances a Batmobile made sense. Today, unless the
Batmobile is allowed to have flashing lights, it is untenable. And I
remember a holiday in New York, thirty years ago, when I was interested to
see a police car, lights flashing, attempting to go down a street with
immobilised traffic. If the traffic can't move, it can't get out of your
way!
--
Edward McArdle
Jack Bohn
>I have been watching a few old serials, including the Batman ons, and what
>stood out was *how empty the roads were*! I don't know how accurate this
>was, but in those circumstances a Batmobile made sense.
I amplify the not knowing how accurate traffic was. The streets
they shot on would have been as controlled an environment as the
sets, with as much or as little traffick as they wanted (or,
given serial budgets could afford and/or handle). For a
counterexample, I could give the traffic in the Laurel and Hardy
comedy "County Hospital."
I wonder if one can see the streets from the top of the building
they filmed Harold Lloyd's "Safety Last." They presumably
wouldn't have blocked off whole blocks away from the building.
(Harold Lloyd comes to mind because of "Speedy" (1928) about the
phasing out of horse-drawn omnibuses. Freaked me out when I saw
it a few years ago... A few years before the creation of Batman,
we have movies, Babe Ruth, and horses roaming the streets of New
York City!)
--
-Jack
M.O.R
Chuck Dixon spoke about that in an article he wrote for Sketch
Magazine, but this applies to the comic books, and may apply to all
live action versions. Anyway, one thing that always stuck in his
craw, was how Gotham's streets always seemed to be empty, with little
to no people on the streets. Chuck decided that Gotham was so
notorious for it's crime, and such a dangerous place to be at night,
that the people of Gotham city didn't venture out during the night
hours.
This could explain away why Gotham's streets are so empty when Batman
is about.
Ken from Chicago
"M.O.R" <pred...@esatclear.ie> wrote in message
news:611f1018-fa7f-44ce...@k30g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
On Aug 26, 3:50 pm, Kevrob <kev...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> On Aug 26, 9:55 am, newton58...@mypacks.net wrote:
>
> > I hated it when I first saw it but I loved it in the movie......
>
> Ken and anyone else interested might want to check out Bill Spencer's
> site,
>
> http://www.batmobilehistory.com/index.html and this article that
> references it:
>
> http://www.lifewhile.com/cars/16781638/detail.html
>
> Ken might like the Neal Adams design that first appeared in `Tec #400.
>
> Kevin
~I gotta say I love the new Batmobile. It works in the universe, it's
~functional, and it is kick ass to boot. The Burton and Schumacher
~Batmobiles were not suited for the job they were needed for, and tho
~nice to look at, they were not really vehicles needed for a full scale
~war on crime, which the current Batmobile is. I admit I didn't like
~it at first, but now it rocks, and has the best gadgets in it's
~arsenal
The Tumbler might have been okay for emergencies (like if the original had
been bazookad by a certain clown) just like Batman occassional had special
batsuits for underwater, winter, battling an Alien or two, but not for the
main Batmobile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gVRID0uHKc&feature=related
-- Ken from Chicago
Ken from Chicago
<newto...@mypacks.net> wrote in message
news:1bdc9f1e-9d39-4825...@b30g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
>I hated it when I first saw it but I loved it in the movie. I thought
> it moved incredibly, and made enough sense to justify its existence.
> If you're Batman you're gonna need a car that is either impossible to
> catch or impossible to stop. In a dense urban environment, it's easier
> to get stopped in traffic than to have a high-speed chase, so having a
> vehicle that can drive right through (or over) a roadblock actually
> make more sense than a super fast sports car.
>
> It should be noted that the Tumbler has no front axle and independent
> rear wheel hand brakes, meaning that it can take MUCH sharper turns
> than any other vehicle despite its size and weight. It also does have
> a "stealth mode" which is essentially an electric motor which allows
> it to move with little or no noise.
I would have something like the Cadillac XLR or Chevy Volt modified so that
all the wheels are truly independent and capable of turning so the car could
swivel in place around its own center. It could also be used so the car
could drive sideways.
Also the suspension for each of the four wheels would be telescoping so able
to increase the ground clearance an extra 3-6 feet for going offroad and
over obstacles. It would also be great for when landing from heights the
suspension autoextends and then contracts to absorb the blow like a super
shock absorber on offroad dune buggies.
Bonus would be to have the wheel suspensions extend the wheels not just down
or out but forward as the car is coming in from a landing like a cat's legs
and when having to make jumps they extend, swivel forward and then the car
pushes off the front to lift the front in the air while the back wheel
suspensions telescope out to launch the car into the air--essentially it
would leap into the air like a cat does.
> As for the look, I grew to love that, too. It looks like a believable
> military vehicle - tough, practical, durable. I like that it's not
> "designed" - no fins, symbols, art deco details, etc. It IS ugly -
> ugly like a tank or a hand grenade. But I also appreciate the way they
> tried to make it look like a walking bat - the way they crawl with
> their wings curled around them.
Ah, okay, I can see that--altho still not the aesthetics I would have gone
with. I think THE BATMAN got the Batmobile design right. A simple sleek,
compact muscle car.
The Tumbler might have been okay for emergencies (like if the original had
been bazookad by a certain clown) just like Batman occassional had special
batsuits for underwater, winter, battling an Alien or two, but not for the
main Batmobile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gVRID0uHKc&feature=related
> I agree that they will likely replace it for the third film, but I
> wonder if they might go with some sort of aircraft instead - batjet,
> batcopter, batVTOL perhaps? That really makes the most sense for an
> urban crimefighter who wants to make quick getaways, quick chases, and
> who models himself after a flying animal.
Or Batboat or Batmobile capable of turning into a batboat considering
BBverse's Gotham has a river running thru it and a significant harbor.
-- Ken from Chicago