Certain staples of Batman lore never get old, and the Batmobile is definitely one of them. Batman’s car is iconic to multiple generations, and everyone tends to have their favorite. That means that any new Batmobile designs that DC debuts (whether on the screen or the page) are going to get a whole lot of scrutiny – and today is no different.
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DC has debuted Batman’s latest Batmobile design – and it makes The Tumbler from The Dark Knight Trilogy look like a Hot Wheel toy.
Absolute Batman is the new series set in DC’s Absolute Universe imprint, which was launched as part of the comics’ new DC “All-In” imprint. In Absolute Batman #2, Bruce Wayne/Batman gets lured into a trap by the crimeboss Black Mask, after tracking down leads on the “Party Animals” gang to Mayor Hill’s Campaign offices. Batman gets a video message from Black Mask, who lets him know that it’s a trap, and the Party Animals and GCPD are both surrounding the building.
Covert operative Alfred Pennyworth has been tracking Batman all along and tries to aid Bruce by making contact with him in the building and helping with an escape route. But Batman doesn’t need the help: he has an exit plan of dropping down the elevator shaft to the basement, escaping through a secret hatch. Alfred thinks the hatch lead into a sealed room of some kind – until Bruce reveals that it’s the cabin of his massive new Batmobile!
Absolute Batman’s New Batmobile Revealed
Absolute Batman’s version of the Batmobile (the ‘Absolute Batmobile?’) is actually a rigid hauler (aka a rigid dump truck) on steroids. The dump body has been converted into a large black spiked covering that evokes the look of Batman’s cowl and cape; the massive tires have a Bat-insignia-style battering ram covering their front, which is able to bulldoze through the squad of cop cars like they’re toys. The massive cabin and platform of the vehicle include big yellow lights (a signature of past Batmobiles) as well as a massive cannon next to the cabin, with another smaller weapon mounted on the battering ram bumper.
We only get the one big splash page reveal of the Absolute Batmobile before the comic ends – but artist Nick Dragotta makes sure that readers understand its scale. The cops jumping out of the Batmobile’s path are dwarfed by the tires of the vehicle alone, and as stated, the battering ram in front is so much bigger than the police cars it can scoop them up like nothing. The mayhem conveyed in the image makes it clear: this new Batmobile is meant for some heavy-duty destruction.
…Or maybe construction? Clearly the design of the new Absolute Batmobile is tied to Absolute Batman reframing Bruce Wayne as a city engineer and construction worker, who is quite literally building a new Gotham while trying to clean up its streets as Batman. That said, some immediate questions come up: like how Absolute Batman can steer a rigid hauler through the streets of Gotham, and park it under a skyscraper without anyone noticing.
In terms of the “wow factor,” however, it’s definitely a kind of Batmobile we haven’t seen before.
Absolute Batman is on sale at DC.
