Warning: The following contains spoilers for "First Flight," in Batman: Black and White #1, by Paul Dini, Andy Kubert, and Rob Leigh, on sale now.
There is seemingly no end to Batman's vast array of vehicles. From the Batmobile to the Batcycle, Batplane, and even Batsubmarine, the Dark Knight's transportation needs are covered on all terrain. Most recently, Batman just broke out his most ridiculous vehicle ever: the Whirly-Bat.
The ludicrous Whirly-Bat was reintroduced in Batman: Black and White #1, in a story titled "First Flight." During this short tale, Batman is attacked by a horde of man-bats from the League of Assassins. These assassin-bat hybrids have the Caped Crusader outnumbered and out-muscled within the Batcave. Realizing that he can't fight these savage assassins on their terms, Batman decides that he must claim the high ground.
After falling to the bottom of the cave, the Dark Knight triumphantly emerges in the Whirly-Bat. The vehicle's very appearance surprises the Man-Bats, as the Caped Crusader takes the fight to them. Indeed, Batman shoots net rockets from the Whirly-Bat, along with high-frequency scramblers to disrupt the Man-Bats' radar. While this strategy is initially successful, Batman ultimately leaps out of the Whirly-Bat so he can face the man-bats hand-to-hand. Before this can happen, however, the fighting is interrupted by the arrival of Talia al Ghul.
The appearance of the Whirly-Bat evokes a much goofier, whimsical period for Batman. This vehicle was introduced in Detective Comics #257, by Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris. By this point in his career, the Caped Crusader had created nearly every other kind of vehicle, from land to sea. When Karko, a criminal from the 26th century, disabled the Batmobile, Batman and Robin broke out their latest creation: the Whirly-Bats. These one-man helicopters were used to pursue Karko, although the criminal's future technology ended up destroying the Whirly-Bats. Still, the Whirly-Bat reappeared in Batman #120 by Bill Finger and Curt Swan, when the Dark Knight suffered a leg injury. To capture criminals, Batman used the Whirly-Bat, while his leg was healing.
Over the years, Batman and Robin used the Whirly-Bats as handy means of transportation, pursuing Mr. Freeze (Mr. Zero at the time), the Penguin, Clayface, Calendar Man, and several other villains. Unfortunately, the Whirly-Bats had a terrible safety record, as they were usually destroyed near the end of every chase.
With each new model, however, the Whirly-Bat was improved upon by Batman. A silencer device enabled the Caped Crusader to take the Whirly-Bat on more stealth-based missions. Additionally, the Whirly-Bat was made portable enough to fit inside of the Batmobile. The Whirly-Bat was also outfitted with a grapple device and smoke grenades over time. Robin even received his own custom Whirly-Bat, outfitted with an "R" and a personalized design.
One of the most notable modern appearances of the Whirly-Bat was in Detective Comics #850 by Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen, which saw Hush invade the Batcave. After he was defeated by Batman, Hush attempted to escape in the Whirly-Bat. In an unfortunate yet humorous turn of events, Hush's bandages got tangled in the vehicle's rotor, causing him to lose control and crash on the ceiling. For once, the Whirly-Bat's lack of safety played to Batman's advantage. The Whirly-Bat may be one of Batman's goofiest vehicles, but its return signifies its iconic place in Batman's history.