I’m not sure whether this French version of Batman would rather take on crime or eat fruit, but you can’t deny that it’d be a shock to see him hanging upside down from a toilet cubicle…

[NimportequiThanks Nic!]

Man, if you thought it was tacky and gross when DirecTV used Chris Farley in their ads, you probably won’t like the Heath Ledger, JFK or Jesus Christ spots.

[LandlineTV]

I have to admit that this $US1 million 700hp Batmobile, built over a 1973 Lincoln Continental chassis, looks amazing. Even without seeing its interior, which apparently is loaded with gadgets, from rear-view cameras to a plasma TV.

However, if I had $US1M I would rather buy other things, like a house, 200,000 Shake Shack burgers or a green dress. Or, if I was living in Sweden—like the crazy Swede who made it—I would buy a kick arse sailboat to take my friends around, and fish out mackerels. [Bilfeber via Geeky Gadgets via Dvice]

Batman has everything. Awesome tech. Awesome man-cave. But his dark dwelling could use a makeover…a laser makeover. [Suryum via create digital motion via MAKE]

So you can’t afford a full-sized Batman Tumbler from The Dark Knight. But maybe you can afford a go-kart sized one! That’s something, right?

Well, it’s not for sale, but the plans for it are. Yes, you can build your own sad little Tumbler for $US30 and an existing go kart. Then you can drive up to Christopher Nolan’s house and pitch yourself as Robin in the next movie. I don’t see how you can go wrong! [eBay via Jalopnik]

Nonetheless, this Bat-replica for bikers is serious business. It features a heavy-duty Cordura base with four-way stretch inserts, leather and Kevlar plates, internal CE body armor and the classic wrist spikes. Outside of a helmet, you get the whole shebang here—jacket, gloves, pants and boots. And when it finally does go up for sale, I’m sure this calibre of superhero protection won’t come cheap. [UD Replicas via Hell for Leather via Auto Motto via Gearfuse]

Unlike its boring retro cousin, this hoodie has muscles, a utility belt and BATMAN’S FACE drawn onto it. You can zip it all up and peer out of two mesh eye holes, thereby completing your costume of the caped avenger (while making sure wind doesn’t get on your face)!

Unfortunately, it doesn’t also come with wedgie protection. And there’s no water-proof guarantee either for when those villainous currs at your school decide to give you a swirlie. $US74 for an XL. [Superhero Stuff via Craziest Gadgets]

Both Rolling Stone and the Times Online have written about the US’s superhero phenomenon. Labelled by some as a post-9/11 response and apparently spurred by Obama’s call for “active citizenry,” everyday people are dressing up in spandex to patrol the streets in a manner reminiscent of The Watchmen. From Times Online:

They must stand for unambiguous and unsponsored good. They must create their own Spandex and rubber costumes without infringing Marvel or DC Comics copyrights, but match them with exotic names..They must shun guns or knives to avoid being arrested as vigilantes, even if their nemeses may be armed. Their best weapon is not muscle but the internet – an essential tool in their war on crime is a homepage stating the message of doom for super-villains.

If the rules sound unfair, it’s only because they are. Rolling Stone explains that fair isn’t necessarily the point.

As the superheroes see it, the fact that they can’t project energy bolts or summon force fields only adds to the purity of their commitment. Their heroism, in a sense, derives from their lack of powers. What they have instead is the power to craft themselves anew. “This whole movement is more than just fat guys in spandex,” insists Superhero, himself a brawny guy in head-to-toe spandex.

If anyone’s interested, here’s a guide I assembled anticipating just this sort of movement. To the cave that is in no way affiliated with DC trademarks! [Rolling Stone and Times Online via BoingBoing]