In The Penguin #7, former crime boss Oswald Cobblepot must team up with…. Batman?
Title: The Penguin #6
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Stevan Subic
Colors: Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Main Cover: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Variant Covers: Francesco Mattina
Please note: This comic book review contains spoilers.
The Penguin #7 variant cover by Francesco Mattina (Images courtesy of DC Comics)
This issue picks up from the last one (The Penguin #6) where Penguin is now in charge of the Iceberg Lounge after taking control of it from Carmine Falcone. Penguin stabs one of his men in the neck. Oswald then calls Jim Gordon, saying one of his men has been killed and wants something done about it. Gordon then calls Batman. Batman looks at the murder weapon and traces it to Franco Bertinelli Jr. who is the head of the Bertinelli crime family.
Batman arranges a meeting with Oswald and questions Penguin if he is framing Bertinelli (he is of course), but once again, Oswald is clean. Batman knows Penguin is lying but lets him play his game because Batman thinks “he is as corrupt as I allow him to be.”
Penguin’s gal pal, Lisa St. Claire, is out on a date with Franco as Batman busts in to take down the framed mob boss. Lisa narrates to herself that Batman is doing exactly as Penguin said he would do, taking the handkerchief that Oswald used to frame Franco. Lisa had stolen the kerchief and returned it just in time for Batman to take down Franco. She muses about how smart Oswald is.
Penguin then meets with the Help and hires him. Help tells Penguin that he needs to be careful about working with Batman because someone could hire him to take out Batman. That would not be beneficial to Penguin. Penguin meets with Batman again and tells him that all the other mobsters suspect that they are working together. He proposes that Batman takes him down and puts him jail just to throw people off the scent that they are together.
Oswald hatches a plan to seem like one of Batman’s crazy villains. Knowing if Batman just took him in he would be sent to Blackgate and get 20 years, but if he wore a funny outfit, had a funny name, and did a goofy crime, he would be sent to Arkham Asylum and get out in a month or two. “The Penguin” was officially born.
The issue ends with the Help completing his task for Penguin, and that task was to find out who bought the Iceberg Lounge. Help hands Penguin a piece of paper with the name Bruce Wayne on it.
For me, the highlight of this issue was seeing Oswald put together his Penguin persona as a way to serve small time in Arkham and not hard time at Blackgate. It makes sense because throughout the years Penguin has never been seen as crazy as Joker, Two-Face, or Ventriloquist or in need of a special cell like Poison Ivy or Mr. Freeze. He would most likely go to Blackgate over Arkham, so he played the role of a nutty costumed villain for a vacation in Arkham.
Subic’s art gives off that Year One tone. Gritty, dark colors never really see Batman without him being in shadow. My only complaint is how Penguin looks. He looks like a giant egg, like Humpty Dumpty. I know Penguin is supposed to look like a goof, but the poor guy is portrayed here as having droopy skin and no neck. Shout out to him for still pulling a girl like Lisa St. Claire. Good thing he’s got a good personality.
I think I have enjoyed this interlude into the past and seeing the rise of Oswald Cobblepot as an oafish fool to assume the Penguin moniker more than the main story. At least here there is a little more action and not Penguin putting a team together for 5 issues. I am also interested to see how Bruce Wayne plays a role in the Iceberg Lounge and if Penguin is smart enough to put together that Batman is Bruce Wayne.
Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with an advanced copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
