Overview: In The Penguin #5, Oswald Cobblepot adds the final member of his crew to reclaim Gotham City.
Title: The Penguin #5
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Rafael De Latorre
Colors: Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Main Cover: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Variant Covers: Christian Ward, Ben Oliver
Release Date: December 26, 2023
This comic book review contains spoilers
Black Spider is sitting down with Penguin and surrendering to the “higher power” that is Oswald Cobblepot. Eric Needham, Black Spider’s identify, is recounting the past days that led him to this point. Needham is working for Penguin’s children and tells a story about how he busted up addicts who were selling drugs as well.
Penguin’s children are not happy with Spider, as he killed the whole crew despite being ordered to leave one person alive to spread word about who is taking over Gotham. Spider is being paid by the twins with venom. They are only giving him half of the payment because he did not leave one person alive. The venom is not for himself. The venom is for his boyfriend named Daniel who is sick and needs the drug to feel better.
After busting another drug deal for the twins, Eric loses control and kills the last person. Batman shows up, and they fight. Spider cannot afford to be captured because of what will happen to Daniel, so he dives into the Gotham River and escapes.
Spider returns home to Daniel, but Daniel has been kidnapped by Penguin’s children. Spider goes but is beaten by Penguin’s daughter Addison. She beats him up because, now that Batman showed up, he will start to look into the twin’s operations in Gotham and who is controlling the drugs in the city. Black Spider will still work for the twins but wants to take their organization down from the inside. The issue ends with Penguin saying how he has his muscle, his goons, his consigliere, and now his spy. Next stop- Gotham City.
The Penguin #5 Christian Ward variant cover
This issue is a fun character piece with Black Spider and why he is doing what he does. I have not read much Black Spider in my comic history, but the character has always looked cool. Tom King does a great job giving a backstory for Black Spider, illuminating readers into how he is a former drug addict and taking out the addicts in Gotham. The backstory about his boyfriend and how he is working for Penguin’s children to save Daniel is great. My only issue with King is that there is a lot of swearing. It’s not that I’m offended, but it is just that it is tough to read if every other word is a #@&%*ing censored swear.
The art is solid as always. It was great to see Batman show up and get a quick action scene. Hopefully that is just a small taste of what is to come now that Oswald is making the move to Gotham, which is what I feel like I have been saying for the past three issues. Just get me to Gotham.
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 through Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
