10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Batman’s Utility Belt
5. Pouches Vs. Cylinders
In The Dark Knight Returns in 1986, Frank Miller drew the utility belt with pouches similar to those worn on the combat gear of the military. He repeated a similar design in Batman: Year One, and by 2000 every artist in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight had begun using that design. After that, it became the standard; a darkly yellow belt with at least ten pouches and a buckle at the center. It is primarily the design used to this day.
It begs the question which is better: cylinders or pouches? Certainly, the cylinder look is sleeker, more in keeping with a classic look for Batman, more “old-school” perhaps, but it is hard to discount the fact that the pouches are more practical, have more versatility, and allow Bruce to use them in ways that he could have never used the cylinders. For example, he could pick up a clue and hide it in a pouch. This would be impossible in the slim cylinders.
However, Batman had quick-release triggers set on the cylinders of his gas and smoke grenades. This was less viable with the pouches. It required reaching inside to get the necessary items. But the pouches also allowed him to modify them to carry specialty items the Dark Knight needs for his battle against crime.