| 29 October 2010
Have a Batman costume and no utility belt? Might as well call yourself a commy
When you chose to dress up as a Superhero on Halloween or a costume party, the accessories are sometimes the most important part of the costume. Not to mention, the most fun.
Which is exactly why I put the strongest focus of my Batman costume on the utility belt, ala Adam West.
In the utility belt, (which is such a big deal it has its own Wiki page) items included can be a range of items such as Bat lasso, batarangs, Bat line, Bat Bombs, communications device, Batlight, grappling gun, smoke grenades, bat rope etc etc...
Important to note, all of these items require you say "Bat" before the name. For example, you wouldn't have a normal "lasso" on your utility belt but rather a Bat Lasso. Only reason for this is it makes it sound so much more bad ass.
Hit the title/read more to check out what items were used and how they were assembled in the belt
The Wiki history lesson on the utility belts quotes:
Batman historian Les Daniels credits Gardner Fox, (the first writer other than Bill Finger to write the adventures of Batman in Detective Comics), with introducing the utility belt concept in Detective Comics #29 (July 1939). In its first appearance, Batman's utility belt "contained choking gas capsules." Two issues after the utility belt debuted, Fox also wrote the first appearance of a bat-themed weapon, when the batarang debuted in the story "Batman vs. the Vampire" in Detective Comics #31 (Sep 1939).
Up until 1989, most artists drew the utility belt as a simple yellow belt with a buckle and cylinders around it. In 1986, Frank Miller drew Batman's utility belt with military-style pouches in the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. This rendition was utilized again in Batman: Year One and used by almost every artist in the Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight comics series. In 2000, the pouches became a standard feature in the depiction of the utility belt.
In order to start your quest for the ultimate Utility Belt, you have to start with the belt of course. Up until 1989, most artists drew the utility belt as a simple yellow belt with a buckle and cylinders around it. In 1986, Frank Miller drew Batman's utility belt with military-style pouches in the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. This rendition was utilized again in Batman: Year One and used by almost every artist in the Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight comics series. In 2000, the pouches became a standard feature in the depiction of the utility belt.
Batman Utility Belt $12.99 @ Amazon
The belt is basically rubber material but fits a girl's waste perfectly via velcro. I would have liked a nicer belt buckle but with all the other stuff, this suits just fine. The belt has 4 pouches and velcro on the sides to hold a small Batlight or something similar.
I got the belt, what's next?
Now that you have your belt, its the time to decide what is more important to have in your belt. Since I'm sort of a dork, I knew I wanted explosives, smoke grenades, Batlight, Batarangs, Shark Repellent spray (from the movie) and Grappling Hook.
If you're counting, of course this is too many items for only 4 pouches so a few adjustments had to be made to include adding more velcro to the belt itself to fit the additional items.
Bomb Bags (explosives) $8.47 for 72 of them @ Amazon
I've never heard of these little things before I started on my search for explosives but let me tell you, I WISH I would have found them earlier in my childhood. Basically they are little plastic bags filled with a chemical and small "water type" bag inside of it. You squeeze the water pack inside the bag, shake and then throw it. The bag explodes (or pops loudly) a few seconds later. It takes a few tries to get the hang of it, but they are well worth the $9.
Smoke Grenades $2.99 each @ Amazon
One thing that will make someone go slightly insane is to have pull string smoke grenades (yeah, I said pull m'effin string) in your house for a few weeks, unable to use them until the Halloween parties arrive. Apparently, they emit thick white smoke for a full minute. In case I need to make a quick getaway, or stall a losing beer pong game, these things will come in handy.
Batlight (includes plastic Batarangs also) $11.05 @ Amazon
To me, this item is absolutely needed for any credible Batman costume. The Batlight is your tool for people to say "I need help" and what better way to allow people to call you is this fancy flashlight. There are also 2 plastic Batarangs that come with the light. I don't plan on using these as I ordered a special type of Batarang explained later on. But they are still useful if you don't want to drop extra cash on another set of Batarangs.
Grappling Hook $9.25 @ Amazon
To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure why I needed a grappling hook, but dammit I got it anyway. Of course, you cannot use it to actually scale any walls but its still fun to throw around.
Batarangs (3 total) with Case $18.05 @ Amazon
For any Batman utility belt, the Batarang is simply a MUST. I didn't want to cheapen the costume by getting a flimsy plastic set of Batarangs so I opted for the ones made of stainless steel that include a snazzy pouch that has holders to CLIP ONTO YOUR BELT. Sold. The only negative I would say is that they are very very sharp but definitely display shelf worthy after you wear your costume.
Shark Repellent Spray $2 for each at Target (or similar store)
This item is sure to be a hit. For those unaware of the Shark Repellent, it is what Batman used in the movie to rid himself of the shark that attacked him while he tried to make a getaway in his Batcopter. In the movie, it looks like a spray paint can but what I decided to do is take a small travel sized spray bottle, fill it with my favorite liquor and use this as my "Shark Repellent" (sharks don't like Crown Royal after all). To get the authentic look, I created a little picture, printed it out and taped it to the bottle. Instant Shark Repellent!
(the actual Bat Sprays from the movie)
