BATMOBILES ON DISPLAY IN THE MOTOR CITY

In addition to showcasing more than 800 classic cars and customized hotrods, the 2024 AUTORAMA that took place this weekend (March 1 - 3) included five generations of batmobiles and two batcycles on display. Holy Hotrods Batman! Featured were the original batmobile from the 1966-live action television series along with motorcycles ridden by Batman and Batgirl in the show as well as the cars the Dark Knight drove in the movies Batman Begins, Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Justice League.

1960 ERA BATMOBILE

From January 12, 1966 though March 14, 1968, the adventures of Gotham City's caped crusader and his boy wonder sidekick were broadcast across the country on the ABC network. Batman, played by Adam West, and Robin, played by Burt Ward, engaged in a variety of comic book style battles with epic villains during the television series 120 episodes that spanned over three years. And while the show was filled with great actors and actresses playing its heroes and villains, it was a car that may had the most memorable role. Everyone knows and loves the Batmobile from this Batman tv series!

The vehicle was custom made for the show. Prior to this tv show, Batman drove a simple non-descript red sedan in the comic books and an average looking Cadillac in the 1940s film serials.  Television producers though wanted to have the hero have his own unique tricked out hotrod that would wow audiences. So, they purchased a Lincoln Futura concept car that Ford wasn't planning on bringing into production and transformed it into a crime fighting weapon. The concept of Batman having a cool looking, techy, super car was born! 

Autorama provided for a close up view of a replica of the original Batmobile and Batcycles from the 1960s era tv series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. The vehicles have been autographed by a number of the cast from the show. With its double-bubble roof, fins and rocket engine this sure is a sweet ride! 

TIM BURTON-ERA BATMOBILE (1989 - 1992)

The batmobiles driven by Michael Keeton in the Tim Burton directed Batman movies was meant to have a gothic vibe and darker tone for the film compared to the campier Adam West ride. This batmobile was inspired by the vehicles of 1930s era salt-flat racers and the sliding canopies of fighter jets. The movie car was powered by a Chevrolet V-8 to give it some Motor City muscle! 

BATMAN FOREVER (1995)

The Batmobile driven by Val Kilmer in the Joel Schumacher directed film had more of a sci-fi inspiration to it compared to the one utilized by Burton. Designers took inspiration from under the sea in jelly fish and outer space with creatures from the film Alien to design this adaption of the Batmobile. There was an emphasis from the movie studio to lighten up the imagery of Batman to make the toys based on the film more appealing to kids. 

While this Batmobile didn't take design cues from prior makes and models of cars, it was built on a Corvette platform and utilizes a 345-horsepower Chevy 350 ZZ3 V-8 engine. While the body of this Batmobile may look like a toy, it is the real deal if you were to take it out on a race track. The vehicle on display at Autorama also sports Val Kilmer's autograph on its frame. 

BATMAN BEGINS (2005)

Director Chris Nolan wanted to have his Batman, Christian Bale, driving a vehicle that had more a real life military vehicle image to it. He envisioned a mashup of a Lamborghini with a Humvee.  In essence, Nolan wanted a super-fast tank. The batmobile that resulted became known as the Tumbler.

The Tumbler is equipped with 44-inch monster truck tires and a Chevy LS1, 5.7-liter V-8 engine. This movie car was so fast that a Mercedes camera-car could hardly keep up with it while filming scenes for the movie. The Batmobile Tumbler is a beast! 

JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017)

Ben Affleck's Batmobile in the Zack Snyder DC Comics inspired movies is a leaner version of the Tumbler. It looks more like a fast, futuristic armored car versus the Tumbler's tank-like appearance. While the Justice League version of the Batmobile doesn't have working machine guns and missile launchers, it does have a real life Ford F350 Raptor 700 horsepower truck engine in it. Vroom! Vroom!

Five generations of Gotham City batmobiles on display in the Motor City. Which batmobile is your favorite? I'm torn between the Tumbler and one that wasn't on display at Autorama, the muscle car driven by Robert Pattinson in 2022's The Batman which had more of the appearance of a hotrod versus a techy super car. Yet, I would be GEEKED to take any of these batmobiles for a spin and it was awesome to get a close up look at these five cars at the Autorama display.

This year was Autorama's 71st annual event in Detroit. For more information about Autorama or other hot rod shows held around the country, including Cincinatti, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis and Kansas City, visit autorama.com. Also check out @hotrodshows on Instagram and Twitter. 

FIVE GENERATIONS OF THE BATMOBILE ON DISPLAY IN DETROIT

Holy Hotrods Batman! Five generations of Batmobiles will be on display in the Motor City at the 2024 Autorama show being held in the Huntingon Place convention center from March 1 - 3. Featured will be the original batmobile from the 1966-live action television series as well as the cars the Caped Crusader used in the movies Batman Begins, Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Justice League. Don't miss out on the chance to get an up close look at these super hotrods from Gotham City! 

The show takes place Friday, March 1, 2024 from Noon to 10 pm; Saturday, March 2 from 9 am to 10 pm, and Sunday, March 3 from 10 am to 7 pm. Adult general admission is $27; Kids (6 - 12) admission is $10; Children under 5 are FREE. Also discounted tickets are available at O'Reilly Auto Parts stores.

In addition to the batmobiles, hundreds of classic cars and hotrods will be showcased during this three-day event. For more information, visit autorama.com 

Spend the Holidays with Li'l Gothem

We've spent some of this holiday break the kids have from school reading DC COMIC's Batman: Li'l Gothem which is set in a FUNKOish stylized world with the publisher's iconic characters illustrated with big heads and squishy bodies similar to those funky vinyl toys.  There are two things that set these comics apart from the mainstream DC universe which makes me happy to give them a plug.

FIRST, the series is scripted to be enjoyed by readers of all ages.  DC COMICS books, television shows, video games and movies have become increasingly dark and violent which is edgy entertainment for a 40 year old dad like myself to enjoy but also media that I am hesitant to let me children have access to.  I don't want my 5 year old twins seeing Superman kill his adversary or Lois Lane being killed by the Joker.  Batman: Li'l Gothem though has limited violence and no gore in it making it more like 1960's Batman the tv show with Adam West compared to the more recent Dark Knight movies with Christian Bale.  These are fun light-hearted stories and very appropriate for kids to enjoy.  

SECOND, the artwork is done in water colors with sketchy drawings giving Batman: Li'l Gotham a whimsical feel similar to the illustrated books you see for young readers at the library.  The FUNKOized characters combined with the bright tones of the coloring make the comic enticing to young eyes and a fun change of pace for adult comic book readers.  I'd encourage you to check out the Li'l Gotham comics just for the fun of seeing its visual adaptations of the DC Universe.

I've been reading BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM VOLUME 1 with my kids at bedtime the last few nights. This is a paperwork collection of stories from DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #11, BATMAN ANNUAL #27, and BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM ISSUES 1 - 11.  What is nice about these stories is they also revolve around the holidays.  So this would be a nice book to pull off the shelf throughout the year to enjoy with your children during the various holidays.  Batman: Li'l Gotham Volume 1 has a stories with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, Mothers Day & Fathers Day.

For example in the Thanksgiving Day story, the Penguin attacks the Gotham parade in a bid to set all the turkeys free and save them from a fate of ending up on that evening's dinner plates throughout the City.  A cute and fun tromp through Gotham's city streets that includes parade floats and balloons in on the action.  Batman & Robin go trick or treating in the Halloween story and on accident walk in on a dinner gathering of all the City's super villains.  The Christmas story involves Dr. Freeze kidnapping some orphans who are on their way to sing carols at Gotham's tree lighting ceremony.  It has a touch ending you wouldn't expect.

The only downside to the publication is Robin is a real BRAT compared to the adaptations you may be familiar with but on the flip side of the coin that also presents some of the parenting challenges that Batman confronts and stories revolve around in the comic providing some good story lines and messages for young children.

BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM VOLUME 1 goes on sale February 25th, 2014.  For more information, visit http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Lil-Gotham-Vol-1.

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary digital pdf advance copy of Batman: Lil Gotham Volume 1 from the publisher to review.  The views and opinions in this post are my own.