As with so much else in comics, Batman began the tradition of a specially themed vehicle. He had the Batmobile, Batjet, Bat-copter, Bat-boat and pretty much any other vehicle imaginable. It rubbed off on other DC heroes (and villains) who could have their own specially created vehicles. Marvel has likewise used it as the Avengers have their Quinjets while the X-Men boast their Blackbird. Even Thor has used a special chariot at times to showcase some fun ways of getting around.

However, some vehicles are notable for how they look…well, pretty weird. A lot of them come from the Silver Age, a time period in which creators went crazy on silly storylines (Imagine that!). Yet, a few are surprisingly modern. Some are actually good vehicles and have become a part of their driver's entire persona. Others were just used once, and fans prefer to just totally ignore them today. There are some created for heroes who didn't even need a car, while others were made just to promote a toy. Here are 20 of the strangest vehicles to have ever shown up in comics!

20 CATMOBILE

In the 1950s, it looked like there was an entire section of Gotham City mechanics dealing exclusively in themed cars. As if somehow trying to one-up Batman, nearly every crook in Gotham had to have their own specialized automobiles. The Penguin had some looking like umbrellas, Mr. Freeze of course acquired an ice truck, and plenty others found their vehicular groove. Naturally, Catwoman had to top them all with her own selection of cat-themed cars. They had a variety of names like the Catmobile, the Autocat and the Cat-aladic to show how she was ready to pull off some meow-riffic jobs.

The best versions weren’t just a cat’s head but a full on-cat design with huge paws at the front and even a giant tail extending from the trunk. Selina would continue to use a slew of them all the way through the 1980s. When the character was rebooted as more of a street crook, she dropped the whole car thing completely. Yet it shows how the Cat could match the Bat in terms of fun-looking automobiles.

19 THE FLYING OCTOPUS

In 1976, Marvel and DC finally got together for a mega-special pitting Superman against Spider-Man. The plotline has Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus joining forces for a major plot the Man of Steel and the Wall-Crawler have to stop. Before that happens, each hero deals with their arch-foe on their own. Spidey is breaking up what seems to be a normal robbery of a science lab. The leader is Octopus who gloats how he has the ultimate weapon to defeat Spider-Man, and out comes the Flying Octopus!

It’s a giant ,flying craft with a main body that looks like ... a giant head. Extending from it are various metallic arms. Rather than being intimidated, Spidey mocks the whole thing as “a giant conversation piece." It takes little effort to send the Flying Octopus crashing into the bay. Much like Ock himself, this craft was just too many arms for its own good.

18 THE SILVER SURFER'S BOARD

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby invented what would become known as the “Marvel Method" of making comics. They would plot out each issue; Kirby would do the drawings and Lee would concoct the dialogue. They used this when crafting the introduction of Galactus, the incredible Devourer of Worlds coming to Earth. Going over the issues, Lee was thrown by the sight of a solid silver figure on a surfboard flying through space. Kirby explained that he figured Galactus would have a herald to find planets for him. He threw in the surfboard “because I’m tired of drawing spaceships!”

It was a seemingly crazy idea, but it actually worked. The duo made the Surfer a noble figure who rebelled against Galactus and was exiled to Earth. He finally escaped and has become a beloved character. Somehow, the idea of him traveling the cosmos on this board works and it’s been shown the board even has a life of its own.

17 ATOMIC STEED

The original Black Knight was a pure villain who went around on an actual flying horse. His nephew, Dane Whitman, decided to atone for his predecessor by becoming a hero. He did well, working with the Defenders and also joining the Avengers. He was shown as a smart guy who utilized technology as well as his enchanted blade and making the armored look work well for him. He decided he needed an edge and so created his atomic steed.

This was basically a sled that looked like a hobby horse minus any actual horse-themed decorations. It did its job, serving as a mode of transportation for the Knight, however, it did look awfully silly. Dane flew around, even in space, on this weird-looking craft that lacked any distinctive royal features.

16 KITE MAN'S KITE

Batman is well known for having one of the best Rogues' Galleries in comics. However, he’s also faced more than his share of incredibly lame villains, too. Kite Man has to rank near the top of that list. Chuck Brown’s entire act is using a kite to sneak onto buildings and then make his getaway. Sure, he tries to spice things up by having his kites outfitted with rocket jets and some weapons. But it’s still an astoundingly bad act that’s turned him into a punching bag for various heroes.

Amazingly, the character has found a revival under Batman comics creators Tom King and Clay Mann, who’ve shown Kite Man's tragic origins. While that has led to a newfound popularity, it doesn’t take away from how ridiculous he looks with his vehicle of choice.

15 FLYING BATCAVE

In the Silver Age, Batman writers specialized in some truly nutty stories. They would constantly give Batman massive new weapons or vehicles he would never use again. The flying Batcave has to be one of the shining examples. In one story, the Dynamic Duo are forced into a legal mess that means they cannot step foot in Gotham City. Naturally, the criminals assume it’s open season on the town. Leave it to Bats to find a loophole: Since they can’t step foot on city grounds, they’ll just fly over it.

Yep, Bruce Wayne creates his own massive, flying Batcave to fly around in. It looks like a huge helicopter while containing its own mini-Batmobile, crime lab and, yes, a trophy room complete with the Giant Penny. Other touches included creating its own smoke screen and huge grappling claw. It was only used once afterward and counts as one massive money-pit for the Dark Knight.

14 BATSKIFF

In his audio commentary for Batman and Robin, Joel Schumacher relates that he was under pressure by the studios to make the movie “kid-friendly.” He also admits that he was pushed to add in a lot of gadgets and bits just for the toy companies to cash in on. Among them was the Batskiff which Robin uses in the big finale. On the one hand, it makes a tiny bit of sense as Mr. Freeze has turned Gotham into an icy plane -- so, you need something unique to get around in!

But this thing just looks ridiculous. A weird sled/skiff with a hovercraft engine, it looks more like a craft you’d use to get around the Louisiana swamps than Gotham City. It’s also pretty bad at maneuverability, defeating the purpose of getting around Gotham. The original script called for Batman, Robin and Batgirl to get into a chase/fight with Freeze’s goons but it was cut when it became obvious the vehicle couldn’t handle it. This one, clearly, should have been left in deep freeze.

13 THE WAR WHEEL

During that period in the 1950s when DC was backing away from superhero comics, they would use their war books for some fantastic stuff. The Blackhawks were a popular team of pilots from different nations joined in battling the Axis. Some of the enemies they faced could be pretty wild. One of them was the War Wheel, a massive Nazi weapon that was…well, a hundred foot tall metallic wheel that crushed all in its path.

You have to wonder what the German high command was thinking when they okayed spending a fortune on this thing. Sure, it looked intimidating with its multiple weapons and crushing stuff. However, the Blackhawks were able to take it down simply by knocking it on its side. Amazingly, it popped up later against one of the early versions of the Suicide Squad to show a weapon that, even by the standards of comic book Nazis, is pretty wild.

12 US 1

In the 1970s, America was hit by a fad in which folks became obsessed with CB radios. Marvel decided to capitalize on that with the US 1 title. This was based on a successful toy line of major cars and trucks. This being Marvel, it had to be something more than just a guy driving around the country. Instead, Ulysses Archer found himself able to pick up alien radio waves after a head injury. This led to him upgrading his truck so he could take on threats like the evil Highwayman.

The comic only lasted 12 issues and became famous for when Archer had his truck upgraded by aliens to travel into space. You read that right. A massive semi-truck just flying through space.

11 THE JOKERMOBILE

You know you’re a successful criminal when you can have your own likeness built into the front of your car. No one could ever excuse the Joker of being the humble short. So more than any other villain in Gotham, it makes perfect sense for the Clown Prince of Crime to flaunt himself in his very own vehicle. Many of the Jokermobiles had a huge Joker head at the front which could work like a battering ram. Other versions were a tad more low-key, but still stuck to a purple color with a variety of clown-themed decorations.

Like the Joker, the cars were more than they seemed. They had tricks like spraying oil or smoke to throw off pursuing police cars. More than one had an ejector seat designed like a jack-in-the-box. Many were huge cars that were big just for the heck of it. Even the 1960s Batman TV show had the joker in a nutty jalopy. No matter the design, the car was as nuts as its driver!

10 THE ARROWCAR

In Kevin Smith’s “Quiver” storyline, a newly resurrected Oliver Queen talks to Batman, discussing what's changed since his “death.” He starts pressing on such things as the Arrowcar, Arrowjet and Arrowcave, leading to Batman’s priceless response “Good lord man, did you ever have an original thought?” Indeed, throughout the 1950s, Arrow was being presented as a full-on Batman clone: A rich playboy who masqueraded as a costumed crimefighter with a unique motif.

Most of the Arrowcars were basically yellow jalopies with open hoods to allow Arrow and Speedy to fire arrows as they chased enemies. A couple of versions were shaped like arrows themselves to zip around at high speeds. When he was transformed into a social warrior, Oliver pretty much gave up these cars to show he was a different character from Batman after all.

9 THE FANTASTICAR

It’s been through some changes over the years. A few artists like to “modernize” it but others actually enjoy sticking to the original design by Jack Kirby. The very first vehicle created for the Fantastic Four, the Fantasticar looked like…well, like a flying bathtub. It would be improved a bit yet still keeps to the main design. The big touch is that the craft can break up into four different segments for each member of the FF to fly on their own.

A few versions have it sleek and even cool looking. Yet the “bathtub” motif still sticks around as something about the FF going around in this tight craft that can split into different segments. It has no real weapons (not that the FF need them) and the low-tech approach just makes Marvel’s First Family stand out even more.

8 THE MOONCOPTER

Moon Knight is often described as the Marvel Universe’s Batman. There is the difference in that Marc Spector is literally diagnosed as mentally ill, with personalities. One of them is a millionaire which has allowed Moon Knight to get some nice high-tech devices to help in his war on crime. Among them is the Moon Copter. It’s gone through a few shifts but it mostly keeps to the same design of a half-moon. It has some weapons but its biggest power is its nice maneuverability and a “whisper engine” to allow Moon Knight to sneak up on enemies.

Usually, Marc doesn’t even fly the Copter himself. Instead, he relies on his old buddy Frenchie, an expert pilot who doesn’t mind being a super-hero chauffeur. The Copter has been changed a bit to mirror Moon Knight’s mental health issues but remains a key part of the character.

7 THE BLUE BEETLE BUG

Ted Kord was a long-time favorite character in the DCU. The second Blue Beetle, Ted was an inventor who transformed himself into a crime-fighter. He had a variety of fun gadgets he’d use for his adventures. The big one was the Bug, a beetle-shaped craft Ted used to get around. Very fast and maneuverable, it was packed with weapons and a special hatch at the bottom Ted could use to leap out of and attack foes.

When Beetle joined the Justice League, he actually used the Bug to transport the team around. Even after they got their own shuttles, Beetle would still break the Bug out for some adventures. After Ted was shot by Max Lord, his successor Jamie Reyes would also use the Bug at times alongside Booster Gold.

6 TURTLE BLIMP

In the original 1984 comics, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a gritty foursome who stuck to street-based adventures. The 1987 cartoon series lightened it up and brought the Turtles into amazing adventures. Adding to the fun was how the Turtles became a massively successful toy line that included slews of various vehicles. Among them was the idea of the Turtles using a massive blimp to attack Shredder and his forces.

It doesn’t exactly scream “subtle” to have a massive blimp designed like a turtle shell with four mutated ninjas controlling it. It made its way into the comics as well with the Turtles using it in a variety of adventures that would win over fans. Yet it also shows how wildly over the top the Turtles could get.

5 THE THANOS COPTER

Thanos of Titan. One of the most evil and fearsome beings in ll the Marvel Universe. A man who has held the power of reality in his hands more than once and dedicated to universal genocide. Yet, in his early appearances, Thanos wasn’t quite the intimidating enemy fans know today. For some reason, he was among the bad guys chosen for Spidey Super Stories, a kid’s comic based on the Spider-Man segments of The Electric Company. In the story, Thanos finds that a child has an Infinity Stone and starts to hunt it down.

Spidey gets help from Patsy Walker, AKA Hellcat, to take Thanos down. The sight of Thanos flying his own helicopter is utterly hysterical. He actually uses it in combat with both Spidey and Cat before they defeat him. Sure, it’s not in Marvel continuity but the mere sight of Thanos flying this thing is priceless and worth writing about.

4 THE FLASH VAN

Toy companies love to put together cars for the Flash, ignoring the tiny fact that the Flash can go faster than any car on the planet. The idea of him having a van, of all things, to get around, is silly. But in an episode of the '00s animated series Justice League, Green Lantern is surprised to discover that the Flash has a van.

Wally explains it’s part of the various deals he has with sponsors, plus, he loves showing off the van’s nice TV set and refreshments. GL asks the obvious question of why the Flash would need a fan and Wally just shrugs back, “why not?” He hasn’t used it since, but it’s still notable how the Fastest Man Alive enjoys a nice set of wheels from time to time.

3 THE SUPERMOBILE

This actually turned out to be a pretty fun, popular toy. Based on Superman’s Kryptonian space craft, this nicely-designed ship could of course fly the Man of Steel around the planet. It was said to be made of “supermanium, the strongest metal in the universe.” The highlights were the pair of fists that could pop out for attacks.

Unlike a lot of toys, this was actually integrated into the comics. The idea was that every now and then, Superman might be rendered powerless and need to get around somehow. It was also handy for facing enemies powered by Kryptonite and if Superman was under a red sun. Sure, the idea of Superman needing some sort of aircraft seemed off, but the writers did their best to explain it away!

2 THE INVISIBLE JET

It may be an iconic part of the Wonder Woman mythos today, but it’s also ... silly. For years, Diana basically flew around in an invisible jet, which (convenient for us readers/viewers) was visible via a chalk-like outline in the sky. It was created on Paradise Island, designed with (of course) a cloaking device and some nifty weapons. Unfortunately, because of that pesky outline in the sky, it meant you could plainly see Wonder Woman sitting on thin air, which sort of defeated the entire purpose of a “stealth fighter.”

When the character was rebooted by writer/artist George Perez in 1987, he decided it was too silly and thus made Diana able to fly on her own. While it's made a comeback every now and then, the Invisible Jet has yet to make itself relevant again, a la Kite Man.

1 THE SPIDER-MOBILE

This has become a rather infamous comic book car. In a 1970s story, a car company approached Spider-Man with the idea of him endorsing his own car. Always in need of some cash, Peter agreed even though he didn’t even know how to drive (having long relied on his webs to get around). He went to his old pal the Human Torch for some help. Peter soon regretted it as Johnny came up with a bizarre dune buggy that Peter instantly called “a fiasco.”

It had fun tricks like being able to drive up walls, in addition to being able to pull off some nice stunts. But Peter pretty much hated it and thus wasn’t at all bothered when the thing ended up underwater in the midst of a fight. It’s actually made a few comebacks -- something about Spidey driving this buggy appeals to fans, and we're not sure why...