The Penguin #6 – Tom King, Writer; Stevan Subic, Artist; Marcelo Maiolo, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Tom King has been weaving a fascinating story of Penguin’s return to power so far, but for this issue he goes back—way back—to explore the story of Oswald Cobblepot and his first rise to power. Set in the dawning days of Batman’s arrival, with guest art by Stevan Subic (last seen on Riddler’s origin), this tale starts with Cobblepot as a lowly barman at the Iceberg Lounge. When we first see him, he’s getting violently assaulted by the head of the Falcone crime family for… daring to exist in his space and serve him while being a weird, unattractive man. He’s a lonely, friendly man whose only companion is an addled old woman who feeds pigeons and seems to view him with contempt. As the indignities piled upon him build up slowly, Cobblepot searches for a way out, and that brings him to the only person who hates the Falcones as much as he does—Batman, who is looking for a way in.
The idea of Penguin and Batman working together at first has never really been explored, but it makes a ton of sense. Batman has always been willing to work with informants, while Penguin is the type of villain who is pragmatic enough to do anything that benefits him. The arrangement proves fruitful, with Cobblepot trying his best to con Batman and Batman using his info to climb his way up the food chain and arrest one Falcone goon after another. Both Batman and Penguin here are rookies, trying to use each other, and it plays a key role in how each of them get to the next stage of their journey. In fact, there’s a fascinating twist that really ties the two of them together. The result is a compelling, surprisingly likable Cobblepot here, who is genuinely sympathetic at points—and that makes what happens at the very end of the issue all the more shocking, stark, and horrific.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
