Supermobile
Supermobile | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Action Comics #481 (March 1978) |
Created by | Cary Bates, Curt Swan |
In story information | |
Type | Vehicle |
Element of stories featuring | Superman |
The Supermobile is the fictional vehicle for the DC Comics superhero Superman. It is capable of duplicating all of his abilities in situations where he finds himself powerless.[1] It was introduced in a story entitled "It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Supermobile!", published in Action Comics # 481, cover dated March 1978.[2]
Writer Cary Bates says that the Supermobile was created as a promotional tie-in for the Corgi Toys toy line: "In my opinion, whenever merchandising needs are dictating story content, the odds of any real creativity or inspiration are severely compromised".[3]
Fictional biography
The Supermobile is a car made of the indestructible metal Supermanium that Superman uses to battle Amazo after temporarily losing his powers to red solar radiation.[4][5][6]
Superman later uses the Supermobile in a battle with the Atomic Skull and Titano.[7] Following this, the Supermobile makes minor cameo appearances.[8][9]
Abilities
The Supermobile replicates and enhances Superman's abilities, protecting him from red sun radiation.[10]
Besides invulnerability and flight, the Supermobile also channels Superman's other powers using the following devices:
- Large mechanical arms mounted on either side of the cockpit area, allowing Superman to both punch and grasp.
- A scope on the control panel which can be adjusted to work with each of Superman's vision-related powers: normal, telescopic, microscopic, x-ray, heat, and night vision.
- Air jets that pop out from various points around the vehicle, allowing Superman to use his super breath if he blows into a face mask attached to the control panel.
- A monitor and other communications and listening devices substitute for his super hearing.
In other media
Television
- The Supermobile appears in Super Friends.
- A variant of the Supermobile used by Lex Luthor appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Battle of the Super-Heroes!".
Merchandise
- Corgi Toys made die-cast models of the Supermobile in two different sizes, the "Junior" model (3 inches in length, about the size of a Matchbox or Hot Wheels car) and a larger, 1/36 scale version.[11]
- Kenner produced a Supermobile to go with their Super Powers Collection, one that was big enough to fit the line's action figures. The design differed a bit from the original, however; the two mechanical arms were absent, replaced by a front-mounted "Krypton Action Ram".[12]
- In 2022, McFarlane Toys produced a Supermobile scaled for 5-inch action figures as part of the first wave of its revival of the Super Powers Collection toyline. This version resembles the original Corgi / comic book design, with fists controlled by a dial on the bottom of the toy, a canopy opened by pressing the Superman "S" shield on the front, and two "jail cell compartments" in the wings.[13]
References
- ^ Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
- ^ Cary Bates (w), Curt Swan (a). "It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Supermobile!" Action Comics, no. 481 (March 1978). DC Comics.
- ^ Eury, Michael (2006). The Krypton Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 97. ISBN 9781893905610.
- ^ Cary Bates (w), Curt Swan (a). "Amazo's Big Breakthrough" Action Comics, no. 480 (February 1978). DC Comics.
- ^ Cary Bates (w), Curt Swan (a). "It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Supermobile!" Action Comics, no. 481, p. 13 (March 1978). DC Comics.
- ^ Cary Bates (w), Curt Swan (a). "This is a Job For Supermobile!" Action Comics, no. 482 (April 1978). DC Comics.
- ^ Martin Pasko (w), Curt Swan (a). "Beware the Eyes That Paralyze!" Superman, no. 324 (June 1978). DC Comics.
- ^ Gail Simone (w), Mike Norton (a). "The Man Who Swallowed Eternity (Part II of II) - The Entropy of the Universe Tends to a Maximum" The All-New Atom, no. 8 (April 2007). DC Comics.
- ^ Brian Azzarello (w), Cliff Chiang (a). "Architecture and Morality Chapter Five - Sugar Mountain" Tales of the Unexpected, no. 5 (April 2007). DC Comics.
- ^ Cary Bates (w), Curt Swan (a). "It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Supermobile!" Action Comics, no. 481, p. 10 (March 1978). DC Comics.
- ^ "The Corgi "Superman" Supermobile". Texastoyman.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
- ^ "Supermobile - Shields Superman From Kryptonite!". Actionfigureinsider.com. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
- ^ "Supermobile (Super Powers)". mcfarlane.com. Retrieved 2023-03-13.