Image via DC Comics
Back in March of 1939, Detective Comics No. 27 was published, giving readers their first glimpse not only of Batman but also the Batmobile. The world would forever be changed and gearheads would be treated to many iterations of the Dark Knight’s personal vehicle.
Batman once drove a monster truck to fight crime.
But this is the car that started it all and it’s far different from the rest. First of all, Batman’s car was bright red and showed no obvious modifications, although in the following issues of Detective Comics it’s referred to as a high-powered car repeatedly.
If you look closely in some of the drawings, the hood ornament is a bat with its wings extended. That’s the only indication the vehicle even belongs to Batman, a stark contrast from later Batmobiles emblazoned with the hero’s logo.
Most argue that red coupe wasn’t in fact the first Batmobile. After all, it never was called one in the comics. That title was reserved for another red car, a convertible which looks like a 1936 Cord with a Lincoln-like front clip, appearing first in Detective Comics No. 48 back in 1941.
In fact, in the very first panel of that comic which shows the vehicle, it is called the Batmobile, a title that has been applied to a number of cars the Caped Crusader has driven over the past 80-plus years.
That car, the convertible Batmobile, also didn’t feature a bat insignia anywhere. Like its predecessor, it features a bat hood ornament.
But when Batman is behind the wheel, everyone knows who’s driving. After all, not only is the cabin exposed, showing the Dark Knight along with his sidekick Robin, his cape flaps in the wind, billowing behind the hero as he drives.
It seems the choice of switching to a convertible was for dramatic effect. However, that car, what many consider the first Batmobile, only lasted until Batman No. 5, which has a Spring 1941 cover date and was published in April.
Images via DC Comics
