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Batmobile: The Complete History
Here for the first time is the complete history of the sleek, sophisticated, incomparable Batmobile. From its humble beginnings in the pages of Detective Comics , to its reimaginings every decade in the pages of DC Comics, to its unforgettable appearances on the big screen, this book explores each incarnation of the Batmobile in incredible detail and scope.
In addition to comic books, the Batmobile has been immortalized in nearly every imaginable medium, including film, television, toys, and video games. Most recently, it was given breathtaking new life—and incredible capabilities—in Christopher Nolan’s extraordinary film trilogy, which concludes with 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises . While each of the Batmobile’s incarnations will be explored, special attention will be paid to the "Tumbler" Batmobile from Batman Begins, The Dark Knight , and The Dark Knight Rises .
With stunning gatefolds and detailed specs, blueprints, and historical comparisons, The Complete History is an informational and visual delight for auto and Batman fans alike. It’s an unparalleled and high-speed journey that will leave you breathless.
BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics. (s12)
In addition to comic books, the Batmobile has been immortalized in nearly every imaginable medium, including film, television, toys, and video games. Most recently, it was given breathtaking new life—and incredible capabilities—in Christopher Nolan’s extraordinary film trilogy, which concludes with 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises . While each of the Batmobile’s incarnations will be explored, special attention will be paid to the "Tumbler" Batmobile from Batman Begins, The Dark Knight , and The Dark Knight Rises .
With stunning gatefolds and detailed specs, blueprints, and historical comparisons, The Complete History is an informational and visual delight for auto and Batman fans alike. It’s an unparalleled and high-speed journey that will leave you breathless.
BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics. (s12)
148 pages, Hardcover
First published June 12, 2012
2 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Mark Cotta Vaz
83 books178 followersMark Cotta Vaz is the author of over twenty-one books, including four New York Times bestsellers. His recent works include Mythic Vision: The Making of Eragon, The Spirit: The Movie Visual Companion, and the biography Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong, which was a Los Angeles Times bestseller.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 19, 2016
Atomic Batteries to Power! Turbines to Speed!
This is a reference book featuring the whole history of the Batmobile.
THE KING OF MEDIA CARS
I don’t know if the Batmobile was the very first customized media car, taking in account that it appeared first in 1939 (sure, it was just a red (yes, red) sedan and it was referred just like “the car”) but it already had Bat-like add-ons and its proper name as “Batmobile” in 1941. It was already in the roads way before of James Bond’s cars, therefore my assumption is pretty solid.
In any case, certainly the Batmobile is easily one of the most famous customized cars in all the media: comic books, novels, TV and movies. Each time adapting itself to have the latest technology and advanced weaponry in the crime-fighting field. Due that, the Batmobile has become as immortal as the dark knight that drives it.
DARK ENGINES
This reference book is a wonderful journey taking you to the history of the Batmobile, since its beginning in Detective Comics with its constant evolution, getting to one of its most iconic moments in the TV Live-Action series Batman starring Adam West, and it was the first Batmobile with a fire-throwing turbine, changing forever the following designs of the famous car in comics, TV and films.
Also, you can get some of its apparitions on animated cartoons.
Obviously, one of the longest section of this reference book is dedicated to the Film Batmobiles, starting on the Burton’s era and the sequels, and ending on the Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy.
The reference book is quite complete, full of color photos, schematics, and valuable detailed information, explaining the whole process of making a reality each Batmobile presented in live-action projects and its management in-and-out of the screen.
Priceless addition to any Bat-collection of reference books.
Roger. Ready to move out!
This is a reference book featuring the whole history of the Batmobile.
THE KING OF MEDIA CARS
I don’t know if the Batmobile was the very first customized media car, taking in account that it appeared first in 1939 (sure, it was just a red (yes, red) sedan and it was referred just like “the car”) but it already had Bat-like add-ons and its proper name as “Batmobile” in 1941. It was already in the roads way before of James Bond’s cars, therefore my assumption is pretty solid.
In any case, certainly the Batmobile is easily one of the most famous customized cars in all the media: comic books, novels, TV and movies. Each time adapting itself to have the latest technology and advanced weaponry in the crime-fighting field. Due that, the Batmobile has become as immortal as the dark knight that drives it.
DARK ENGINES
This reference book is a wonderful journey taking you to the history of the Batmobile, since its beginning in Detective Comics with its constant evolution, getting to one of its most iconic moments in the TV Live-Action series Batman starring Adam West, and it was the first Batmobile with a fire-throwing turbine, changing forever the following designs of the famous car in comics, TV and films.
Also, you can get some of its apparitions on animated cartoons.
Obviously, one of the longest section of this reference book is dedicated to the Film Batmobiles, starting on the Burton’s era and the sequels, and ending on the Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy.
The reference book is quite complete, full of color photos, schematics, and valuable detailed information, explaining the whole process of making a reality each Batmobile presented in live-action projects and its management in-and-out of the screen.
Priceless addition to any Bat-collection of reference books.
Roger. Ready to move out!
October 17, 2025
It's been over 85 years since the first appearance of Batman, the grim vigilante upholding justice from the shadows. Like Superman, he was first published in the comic books, not long after the arrival of his super-hero friend. (Superman was first published in Action Comics on April 18th 1938, whilst ‘The Batman’ was first published in Detective Comics on March 30th 1939.)
I think that it's fair to say that although interest over that time has waxed and waned, he, like his DC counterpart Superman, has been a consistent figure in American culture, if not globally. They are often thought of as similar, but they are really quite different. Whereas Superman is a man of Krypton, given superhero abilities as a result of that birth, Batman is a human being who relies on his training, Bruce Wayne's millions and the gadgets he surrounds himself with. The point that Batman was ‘just a man’; whilst Superman had abilities, Batman relied on gadgets that he could buy or make. Whilst Superman could fly, Batman needed a mode of transport that was more down-to Earth.
None of these is more identifiable is the Batmobile, the car used by Batman in his various guises and incarnations over those 85 years, from armoured vehicle versions to the sleek and sophisticated. Although my own experiences have been mainly through comic books, then television in the 1960's and then film from the 1980's, the book's authors point out that the Batmobile has actually been immortalized in nearly every imaginable medium, including not just comics, TV and films but also toys, and video games. This expanded edition covers the developments over the last decade, from the supercharged Batmobile from Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman to the gritty, DIY muscle car from Matt Reeves’ The Batman. The book also shows how Batman and the Batmobile reflects the times they were created in and the changing technology of their time.
The book has 14 chapters, which go through these changes. Chapter 1 puts the Batmobile into perspective with the character itself. Chapter 2 deals with the comic-book version of the 1930’s, when the car was initially an afterthought but over time was especially adapted. In 1944, we got a vehicle specifically named ‘the Batmobile’ – and the Batplane, again a sign of its times.
Chapter 3 looks at the car which I guess most fans (like me) were introduced to – the 1960’s Batmobile from the iconic TV series starring Adam West as Batman. (It was also an influence on young Christopher Nolan, too.) There are lots of great photos here, as well as patent drawings. Interestingly, but perhaps not too surprisingly, it was built mainly for looks and not performance – it had no power steering, which made it awful to drive! But it was front and centre part of the extravagant TV series.
Chapter 4 looks at the Batmobile of the 1980’s and 1990’s Tim Burton movies. Burton’s detailed sketches with explanations on form and purpose, of how things should look and work, are excellent. Here, the car becomes less camp and more of a weapon - according to designer Anton Furst, the car became “the most brutal expression of an image that suggests sex and violence”.
Chapter 5 deals with the gaudy, fluorescent imagery of the Schumacher era. An attempt to take the Burton imagery and add a campy element harking back to the TV series, the vehicles are definitely an acquired taste, and not mine personally, but the imagery here is impressive, admittedly, and definitely makes an impression!
Things then took a pause in the movies.
Chapters 6 and 7 look at the various vehicles of the Nolan trilogy of the 2000’s, where the vehicles become more functional and more militaristic. This perhaps the section with most detail. There’s some nice interviews with Nolan and various production staff that explains the thinking behind the redesign. The Batmobile become less ‘car’ and more ‘tank’ here.
Although there is little mention of The Animated Series here. Chapter 8 shows details of The Lego Movie, which clearly deserves its place in the Batman canon. Some of the production sketches shown here are stunning.
Chapters 9 & 10 bring us the Snyder years of Batman vs Superman and The Justice League, with its older Batman played by Ben Affleck. Computer production has now come to the fore, and we have the development of new vehicles such as The Flying Fox, perhaps the most versatile of Batman’s aircraft, and the Knightcrawler, both of which are given details here.
Chapter 11 passes the baton to Robert Pattinson’s The Batman, and as perhaps befitting the step back to basics, we have a car which is an adapted muscle car – or as one person puts it, “raw, real and you have to visually feel it.” (page 176.) With its V10 engine, the point is that stealth has gone - you are expected to hear Batman coming. The car is designed to intimidate, and the details given reflect that.
Chapter 12 deals with the Flash movie, and the welcome return of Michael Keeton as Batman. Here the car is a vehicle that is deliberately adapted from the Burton vehicles but with visual elements of the Snyderverse.
Chapter 13 deals with Batman: Caped Crusader, a return to the Animated Series in a deliberately Film-noir style. Echoing the style and art of the Animated series, the artwork here is impressive.
Lastly, Chapter 14 brings the book up to date by showing that the Batmobile has not just evolved in the movies, but also in the comics. It is a nice summary of events to this point.
Summing up then, Batman: The Complete History is a lovely looking book with impressive photos and design images. There’s some nice fold-out pages to allow you a detailed look at some of the vehicles, both inside and out!
More importantly, and what elevates this above many of these similar coffee-table books, is that the text has something meaningful to say. These details enhance the images, make points that are both relevant and interesting, and are important to making the reader realise how significant this vehicle has been to the Batman throughout all of its versions. Printed on glossy paper, this updated version is a great and surprisingly engrossing read. Recommended to all Batman fans.
I think that it's fair to say that although interest over that time has waxed and waned, he, like his DC counterpart Superman, has been a consistent figure in American culture, if not globally. They are often thought of as similar, but they are really quite different. Whereas Superman is a man of Krypton, given superhero abilities as a result of that birth, Batman is a human being who relies on his training, Bruce Wayne's millions and the gadgets he surrounds himself with. The point that Batman was ‘just a man’; whilst Superman had abilities, Batman relied on gadgets that he could buy or make. Whilst Superman could fly, Batman needed a mode of transport that was more down-to Earth.
None of these is more identifiable is the Batmobile, the car used by Batman in his various guises and incarnations over those 85 years, from armoured vehicle versions to the sleek and sophisticated. Although my own experiences have been mainly through comic books, then television in the 1960's and then film from the 1980's, the book's authors point out that the Batmobile has actually been immortalized in nearly every imaginable medium, including not just comics, TV and films but also toys, and video games. This expanded edition covers the developments over the last decade, from the supercharged Batmobile from Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman to the gritty, DIY muscle car from Matt Reeves’ The Batman. The book also shows how Batman and the Batmobile reflects the times they were created in and the changing technology of their time.
“An icon of American car culture, the steel and metal embodiment of an obsessed and driven crime fighter.” (page 26)
The book has 14 chapters, which go through these changes. Chapter 1 puts the Batmobile into perspective with the character itself. Chapter 2 deals with the comic-book version of the 1930’s, when the car was initially an afterthought but over time was especially adapted. In 1944, we got a vehicle specifically named ‘the Batmobile’ – and the Batplane, again a sign of its times.
Chapter 3 looks at the car which I guess most fans (like me) were introduced to – the 1960’s Batmobile from the iconic TV series starring Adam West as Batman. (It was also an influence on young Christopher Nolan, too.) There are lots of great photos here, as well as patent drawings. Interestingly, but perhaps not too surprisingly, it was built mainly for looks and not performance – it had no power steering, which made it awful to drive! But it was front and centre part of the extravagant TV series.
Chapter 4 looks at the Batmobile of the 1980’s and 1990’s Tim Burton movies. Burton’s detailed sketches with explanations on form and purpose, of how things should look and work, are excellent. Here, the car becomes less camp and more of a weapon - according to designer Anton Furst, the car became “the most brutal expression of an image that suggests sex and violence”.
Chapter 5 deals with the gaudy, fluorescent imagery of the Schumacher era. An attempt to take the Burton imagery and add a campy element harking back to the TV series, the vehicles are definitely an acquired taste, and not mine personally, but the imagery here is impressive, admittedly, and definitely makes an impression!
Things then took a pause in the movies.
Chapters 6 and 7 look at the various vehicles of the Nolan trilogy of the 2000’s, where the vehicles become more functional and more militaristic. This perhaps the section with most detail. There’s some nice interviews with Nolan and various production staff that explains the thinking behind the redesign. The Batmobile become less ‘car’ and more ‘tank’ here.
Although there is little mention of The Animated Series here. Chapter 8 shows details of The Lego Movie, which clearly deserves its place in the Batman canon. Some of the production sketches shown here are stunning.
Chapters 9 & 10 bring us the Snyder years of Batman vs Superman and The Justice League, with its older Batman played by Ben Affleck. Computer production has now come to the fore, and we have the development of new vehicles such as The Flying Fox, perhaps the most versatile of Batman’s aircraft, and the Knightcrawler, both of which are given details here.
Chapter 11 passes the baton to Robert Pattinson’s The Batman, and as perhaps befitting the step back to basics, we have a car which is an adapted muscle car – or as one person puts it, “raw, real and you have to visually feel it.” (page 176.) With its V10 engine, the point is that stealth has gone - you are expected to hear Batman coming. The car is designed to intimidate, and the details given reflect that.
Chapter 12 deals with the Flash movie, and the welcome return of Michael Keeton as Batman. Here the car is a vehicle that is deliberately adapted from the Burton vehicles but with visual elements of the Snyderverse.
Chapter 13 deals with Batman: Caped Crusader, a return to the Animated Series in a deliberately Film-noir style. Echoing the style and art of the Animated series, the artwork here is impressive.
Lastly, Chapter 14 brings the book up to date by showing that the Batmobile has not just evolved in the movies, but also in the comics. It is a nice summary of events to this point.
Summing up then, Batman: The Complete History is a lovely looking book with impressive photos and design images. There’s some nice fold-out pages to allow you a detailed look at some of the vehicles, both inside and out!
More importantly, and what elevates this above many of these similar coffee-table books, is that the text has something meaningful to say. These details enhance the images, make points that are both relevant and interesting, and are important to making the reader realise how significant this vehicle has been to the Batman throughout all of its versions. Printed on glossy paper, this updated version is a great and surprisingly engrossing read. Recommended to all Batman fans.
January 19, 2013
I'm not into cars and I'm not into comic books and I'm not into super heroes. I really enjoyed this book. There is an undeniable mystique around Batman, and this book is really a history about the phenomenon of 75 years of adaptation and adoration. The Batman universe is large enough now that focusing on the Batmobile gives a nice lens to focus with. The book begins with the original comic book episodes and issues, gleaning every reference to the car and the attitudes towards it. It takes us step by step in the progression of ideas and how they were shaped by world events, then takes us step by step through every film version, from the campy (but hugely successful) TV show to the blockbuster movies. But this is not about Batman, it's about his car. We learn how they were designed, how they were built, and how they function. This book has it all, plus a ton of great photography. A surprise hit!
April 20, 2018
I found “Batmobile: the Complete History” to be very informative and interesting. It was very detailed on the history of Batmobile through the comic books, TV shows, and movies. It also had a lot of interesting information about the lore of Batman.
“Batmobile: the Complete History” provides extensive details on the history of the Batmobile. It tells about the Batmobile’s beginnings in the comic books. Then it tells about the Batmobile’s appearance in the original Batman tv show. The book goes on to tell the different variations of the Batmobile in the comic books. Then the book describes the appearance and the making of the Batmobiles in the movies.
I recommend “Batmobile: the Complete History” for Batman fans of all age and gender. There’s no mature subject matter and the vocabulary isn’t too advanced.
“Batmobile: the Complete History” provides extensive details on the history of the Batmobile. It tells about the Batmobile’s beginnings in the comic books. Then it tells about the Batmobile’s appearance in the original Batman tv show. The book goes on to tell the different variations of the Batmobile in the comic books. Then the book describes the appearance and the making of the Batmobiles in the movies.
I recommend “Batmobile: the Complete History” for Batman fans of all age and gender. There’s no mature subject matter and the vocabulary isn’t too advanced.
July 16, 2020
Atomic batteries to power...turbines to speed. Ready to move out on a Bat-tastic read about the history of the batmobile!
October 19, 2022
A nice summation of Batmobile histories. The book emphasizes the Tumbler, in part because of its release during the theatrical run of Chris Nolan's last Dark Knight movie.
December 16, 2014
If there'd been a balance to the book, it would have been great. As it is, the lion's share of the book focuses on the Tumbler of the Nolan trilogy, and not enough on the others, like the Barris's Batmobile.
September 5, 2012
Love the photos! Learned a lot about the cars!
February 9, 2014
Its a book about the batmobile. Need I say more?
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews