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Comic Book Car: Jean Paul Valley’s New BeetleIn the runup to the No Man’s Land story arc, we get to see what car Jean Paul Valley, the alter ergo of the antihero known as Azrael, normally drives: a New Beetle. That’s right, a guy who puts on a mask to fight crime drives one of the softest, cutest little cars from the 1990s.
Learn about Batman’s Humvee.
While it would be easy to just mock Valley for his vehicle choice, and we could easily do that, we think the DC Comics writers selected the Volkswagen for a specific set of well thought out reasons. After all, the car is a symbol, not just some randomly selected ride.
Image via DC ComicsWhen he doesn’t have the Azrael costume on, Jean Paul Valley is meek to the point of it being painful. The man slumps, looks down, has trouble speaking up for himself. He’s broken, defeated.
What other kind of man would drive a Volkswagen New Beetle? Laugh all you want, the retro-inspired design of the little car was bubble and cutesy to the extreme. The interior even featured a potted plastic flower, making it clear the vehicle was made for women.
What kind of man would drive one? Especially back in 1998, when Azrael: Agent of the Bat #49 was published and the New Beetle had just been released, the answer would be a man who certainly isn’t very masculine.
Image via DC ComicsAnd that sums up Valley out of the costume. It’s interesting how in the course of the comic book, he decides to gain entry into a secure facility he will ride on the roof of the New Beetle (while in costume, of course) and crash the vehicle into a military Humvee.
It’s almost like he’s casting off his meekness, at least momentarily. That’s something the character struggles with as he wants to embrace the capable nature of Azrael but is frightened of his violent nature.
Images via DC Comics
