Batarang

The batarang is a roughly bat-shaped throwing weapon used by the DC Comics superhero Batman. Batarangs are a staple of Batman's arsenal, appearing in every major Batman television and film adaptation to date.

Inspiration

The name "Batarang" is a portmanteau of bat and boomerang, and was originally spelled "baterang".

The earliest depictions were of scalloped, metal boomerangs used to attack opponents, which quickly flew back to the thrower.

Usage

Batarangs are customizable throwing weapons,[1] based on shurikens and boomerangs, and are collapsible so that a large number of them can fit inside of Batman's utility belt.[2] Batman uses batarang as a weapon of ranged attack, the primary alternative to firearms, which he refuses to use.

They also serve as Batman's calling cards to alert criminal elements of his presence (much like the character's antecedent Zorro, who leaves the mark "Z" to his defeated foes) and props to create an illusion to the superstitious that he commands bats when he throws them.

Variants

The use of the batarang has been in a state of constant development since its early appearances.

According to The Essential Batman Encyclopedia[3],"'The most consistently used versions of the Batarang included ones with micro-serrated edges; a hard-impact version for stunning criminals; a remote-controlled one linked to his Utility Belt; and an aerodynamically edged model with a throwing top.'"

History

Batarangs first appeared in Detective Comics #31 (September 1939), in the story "Batman Versus the Vampire".

A 1957 story called "The 100 Batarangs of Batman!" (Detective Comics #244, June 1957) included an "origin story" for the batarang, which was given to Batman by circus performer Lee Collins.

In Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #2, illustrates one use of Batman's batarang; one criminal thought it was a bat chasing him, and when it hit his hand, revealing to be a batarang, alerting him of Batman's presence.

Later, in Batman #575 (January 2000), that during the hero's fight with the terrorist Banner, the villain thought he saw Batman grabbing two bats from a flock and throws them during their fight.

A rifle-like grappling gun first appeared in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1. However, the now standard hand-held version of Batman's grappling gun first appeared in the 1989 Batman film. It gradually replaced the batarang and a rope in the comics after artist Norm Breyfogle introduced a grapple gun in Batman #458 in January 1991.

That tool became the standard in the subsequent animated series, comics, films, and video games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum and in Batman: Arkham City a more advanced version called the Grapnel was introduced which could be used to launch Batman into the air to glide using kinetic energy.

In other media

Replicas

Toy and prop replica company NECA produced a batarang replica based in the Arkham Knight design, which can be purchased through video game retailer Gamestop.

This batarang replica can be folded at its middle hinge and rapidly opened with the press of a button, and also has a removable LED light panel.

Cultural legacy

A Batarang prop from the 1997 film Batman & Robin has been donated to the Smithsonian Institution, and is in the National Museum of American History's entertainment collection.[11]

It was donated by Warner Bros. studio chairman Barry Meyer in 2013 along with other film props, including a golden ticket from 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and models from Gremlins 2: The New Batch.[12]

See also

• Batman
• DC Universe
• Deux ex machina

Further reading

• "Image Schemas and Conceptual Metaphor in Action Comics", Elizabeth Potsch and Robert F. Williams, in Linguistics and the Study of Comics (Palgrave McMillan, 2012) uses the motion of the batarang to demonstrate how the reader interprets the action in a comic panel.
• "Batmobile Gets New Air-Cushion Ride", The Cincinnati Enquirer (May 27, 1966)
• "Batcollection earns money, spot in movie" by Tom Forstrom, Salem Statesman-Journal (March 9, 2003)

External links

• IGN: Holy Bat-Gadgets!