Cool Comic Book Gadgets for the Real World

Over time, society has become increasingly gadget dependent. As a result, most people would likely agree that when a device, such as, a personal mobile phone is either left behind or forgotten at home, a sense of helpless panic sets in. Mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets like portable music players and ultra-portable computers often seem like they are part of our being, and it seems as though we have gadgets that do just about anything practical we can think of.

If we were to refer to the gadgets that our favorite comic-book heroes have, we would likely think of the impossible and the extraordinary. On the other hand, admittedly, we would also find both excitement and practical use for them if they existed in the real word.

Jack Nicholson may have said it best in the 1989 Batman film with his portrayal of the Joker when he said "Where does he get all of those toys." Batman first appeared in the Detective Comics in 1939, and has been a favorite superhero in comics, television, and film ever since. As Batman is unlike other superheroes, in that he has no actual superpowers, he relies heavily on his own strengths and his own gadgets. From the campy television series from the 1960's to the most recent films, Batman always has something unique in his arsenal to use in the fight for good. Regardless of the version of Batman, any of his gadgets are worth having, with the number onetime being his utility belt. No matter the need, the utility belt has lasted the test of time, with seemingly endless storage space; it always provides the correct solution to any situation at hand.

Batman isn't the only one with all the toys in Gotham City. Mr Freeze, has continuously tried to freeze the word with his freeze ray. With the non-stop humidity that can often be experienced during the dog days of summer, a freeze ray would come in quite handy to freeze a few bodies of water for some winter in July refreshment.

When the name Dick Tracy is heard, the first thing that it is most likely thought of is his trusty wrist watch. Fighting crime since the early 30's, Tracy always relied on his watch. Originating as a two-way radio, and eventually upgraded to a two-way television in the 60's, his watch is the envy of gadgets freaks everywhere. Even though watches have advanced incredibly in the real world, nothing compares to the nostalgia and functionality of Dick Tracy's.

Spiderman has one of the coolest abilities - web slinging. However, early on, Spiderman didn't always have the ability to create spider like organic webbing of his own. In the Amazing Spiderman comics, Peter Parker designed wrist worn web shooters that operated by pressure, and used cartridges filled with adhesive synthetic webbing. Web slinging could just be the next convenient form of rapid traffic free inner city transportation.

Green Lantern is one of those secondary heroes that doesn't quite get into the limelight like Batman and Superman do. Also a member of the Justice League, Green Lantern's special ring is capable of translating languages, telepathy, time travel, flight, creating a force field, invisibility, and more. Stated as the most powerful item in the universe, a ring like this could like make one's 9-5 job a bit easier to handle.

Cool Honorable Mentions: Iron Man's suit of armor, Wolverine's skeletal structure, Captain America's Shield.

Sources/Resources: Wikipedia