The Penguin #8 – Tom King, Writer; Rafael De La Torre, Artist; Marcelo Maiolo, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: After a two-issue detour as we delved into Cobblepot’s past in Gotham, it’s time to return to the present—and to the city, as the Penguin has assembled his team and is ready to go to war. King is known for shifting his perspectives, and the POV character for much of this issue is none other than Jim Gordon—who seems to be back on the force, or maybe just consulting as a Detective. Gordon and Penguin actually have an odd understanding, as both grew up at the bottom of the totem pole. We haven’t seen much of Gordon’s youth before he was on the force, but there’s an anecdote here that somehow reflects both the inherent hopelessness of Gotham and Gordon’s willingness to resist it, even as a child. But it’s hard to hold on to that hope at the sight of the kind of massacre that opens the issue. It soon becomes clear everyone has reason to fear Oswald Cobblepot—but who does he fear?
One of the running themes through Penguin appearances ever since Jason Aaron had his brief say on the character has been how Cobblepot manages to create such fear—through having hands in every part of Gotham, and a willingness to pull those strings in the service of punishment. That creates some darkly funny scenes, as people who have minor interactions with him are immediately scared for their lives. But other people in the city aren’t scared of him at all—from Batman, who wants to remind him of their previous arrangement, to Riddler, who has an old score to settle. And then, of course, there’s his daughter—who has taken control of the empire and has no intention of giving it back. The last few scenes of the issue are twisted and inscrutable, hinting at a very strange relationship between these two, and I am already wildly excited to see how this new rivalry plays out.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
