The Penguin #1 Review

Posted on by Alan Taylor

 

(W) Tom King (A) Rafael de Latorre

Tom King just can’t stay away from the world of Batman can he?  And I am all good with that.  However, instead of focusing on the Caped Crusader, he instead is interested in one of Batman’s oldest foes, Oswald Cobblepot.  It’s not a secret that I genuinely hate the portrayal of The Penguin in Batman Returns.  The character of The Penguin should be resourceful, feared, highly intelligent and not afraid of getting his hands dirty, especially if he has to make an example of someone to make a point.  And that is what King and artist Rafael de Latorre establish quickly in this new series.  The Penguin is a man to be feared and by the end of issue 1 he’s out to remind everyone of that fact.

However, where we find Oswald at the start of issue 1 is rather different to what you may expect.  His children usurped his power and he faked his death to get away from Gotham.  We find him in Metropolis, the city of hope to Gotham’s corrupt cesspool.  He has a loving wife and by all accounts seems content.  And none of it appears to be a front.  It all seems genuine.  But can you ever truly leave the underworld life behind, especially when there are people trying to pull you back into it?

What is really striking about the structure of this series, is that King is not interested in this point at Oswald’s internal dialogue.  He is not interested in showing us what he is thinking, instead focusing on how people in his world perceive him. Some of them see a loving husband, a cuddly man.  Some, like his tailor, still feel the gravitas of the man, and live in fear of what he could do, especially when they say the wrong thing.  We get inside the head of a law enforcement officer who believes none of this new life he has set up for himself and that criminals never truly change.  It’s so interesting to see all these different viewpoints of the same person.  And all of them are earned perspectives.

It’s clear from this first issue that the action will shift from Metropolis and inevitable end up in Gotham with a new and improved version of The Penguin, but the journeys getting there is going to be very interesting.

The art team on this book is firing on all cylinders.  De Latorre is perfect at capturing all these different sides of Oswald, whether it kind and caring, or menacing and ruthless, without it ever feeling like a different character each time.  The backgrounds are rich and detailed and the action moves along at a great, but deliberately thoughtful pace.

The colours from Marcelo Maiolo are just as important to the feel of the book, as they capture the mood of each scene.  Whether it’s conveying the bright and hopeful feel of Metropolis, or the barren, gray tones of a police station.  The last few pages in particular are very impressive as we get treated to a demonstration of how dangerous Oswald can be when pushed.

Overall, an absolutely excellent #1 and a series that looks like it will only grow in terms of pull lists in our store as word spreads as to just how good it is.  We started with 8 people on this title requesting the #1, that went up to 14 people for #2 and now it’s up to 18 for #3.  Don’t miss out while we’re still early in the run.  Another home run for the Cult of King!

Batman #136 Review

Posted on by Alan Taylor

(W) Chip Zdarsky (A) Belén Ortega

Since Chip Zdarsky Came onto Batman at issue 125, it has been a title that has moved at a breakneck pace.  From alternative Gotham, to Batman falling from Space (something of course he has a contingency plan for), it has been a blockbuster series that has barely paused for breath.  Until now.  With Issue 136, Zdarsky slows the pace down, and manages to catch readers up on everything that has happened in his run so far.

In other words, this is a perfect jumping on point for new readers.

Batman #135 was a love letter to all things The Dark Knight from the last 80 years (it was a legacy #900 oversized issue), and it was largely a lot of fun to read, despite the high stakes.  It was almost light-hearted in places.

Well, Batman #136 is the opposite of that as Zdarsky starts to weave all those threads he’s been playing with so far together.  We find The Dark Knight at one of his worst points.  He’s lost his hand, Zur-en-Arrh is still there as a backup in his mind, and worst of all, he is keeping all this information to himself.  Batman has always been a loner, no matter how many allies he surrounds himself with, but keeping everything to himself puts everyone around him in f danger.

With Zur-en-Arrh, it’s impossible as a Naruto fan not to draw comparisons with the Jinchuriki sealed inside of Naruto.  The 9 tails beast gives Naruto extreme powers and also the ability to push him further and faster than he ever should.  However, the 9 tails is also dangerous and it’s possible at any point that Naruto could lose himself completely to the tailed beast.  This is what Zur-en-Arrh’s function is.  It is a more dangerous version of Batman.  He even has a conversation with Bruce within his head, that he knows he can’t destroy him, because he’s going to need him for what’s coming.  Zur-en-arrh is even locked behind bars in the same way as the 9 tails.  This cannot be coincidence…

Bruce is filled with doubts as to his effectiveness as a Hero as he has returned to his Gotham.  So of course, he overcompensates and attacks Penguins minions, as well as confronting a Catwoman who has broken out of jail and is a on the run.  But despite this, she is bringing a form of peace to her area of Gotham.  Maybe her methods are more effective than Bruces?  These are the kind of questions rattling around Bruce’s mind as he continues to doubt himself.

This leads to Bruce being tricked into a family dinner, which gives us some wholesome imagery of the Bat-Family being together, beautifully drawn by Ortega, and I may have already ordered a print of it….but even amongst all the laughter and this seemingly positive moment, it’s clear that Bruce is racked with guilt, self doubt and has never appeared so alone.

Knight Terrors really interrupted these titles at the wrong time, I can’t wait for #137, and to jump back into the excellent run that Zdarsky and the likes of Jorge Jimenez, Mike Hawthorne and Belen Ortega have been serving up.

Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance #1 Review

Posted on by Alan Taylor

(W) Brian Azzarello (A) Eduardo Risso

I’ve spoken before that I was more of a trade guy for a number of years, but it was the DC event Flashpoint that cleared the decks (for better or worse depending on your point of view) and made it accessible for new readers to jump in feet first. Flashpoint was centred around the idea of Barry Allen going back in time to save him mother. However, the butterfly effect of that one action led to massive changes in the DC Universe. Suddenly it was Bruce Wayne who was shot and killed by Joe Chill, and his father Thomas Wayne became Batman and his mother, Martha, was driven mad with grief over losing her son and became The Joker.

That is where this titles comes in. It was originally published as a three issue tie-in miniseries to the main Flashpoint title, but has been collected into one edition here, as we prepare for the return of the Flashpoint Universe in Geoff John’s Flashpoint Beyond. It’s great to see that we’re returning to that world as it’s such a rich and epic re-interpretation of the Batman mythos.

In this oversized issue we take a look back at that origin story of Thomas Wayne’s alternate universe Batman in time for Flashpoint Beyond. In a different twist in the story to what we are usually told we follow a weathered Jim Gordon and Thomas Wayne as they take the battle to Gotham’s underworld.

The story takes a dark twist as the Joker kidnaps the District Attorney’ twin children so begins a race against time for the cowled hero, but it’s not the hero we know behind the cowl and that’s where it’s possibly even more tragic than the original Batman origin. It takes the pain of losing a child to extremes, and shows how that grief can manifest in different ways, whether it be anger and rage, or sorrow and madness. The DC universe (especially when dealing with Batman and Gotham) can often be accused to being dark. Well, this tale takes it up to 11.

The writing of Brian Azzarello is phenomenal, once you open the book you are taken on that dark journey and events from the book stick with you (especially from the third issue involving Gordon) and there’s tons of world building that you keep going over. His version of Batman is exceptional, and multi-layered.

Many of the traditional Batman trappings are completely absent from this story. When we visit Thomas’ “Batcave”, it’s almost empty, uncomfortably so. This is the complete opposite of the notion of ‘All of those wonderful toys.’ There’s no Batmobiles, no trophies from past cases, no hint of nostalgia. There’s just a giant computer. There is the silhouette of the iconic giant dinosaur, but it’s presence here is not a playful one I would venture. Probably just a symbol that is actually representative of Thomas Wayne as Batman – a lumbering old beast, that shouldn’t exist in this world. undoubtedly of more mundane origins than the one in Bruce’s possession.

It’s only in a stripped back story like this that we come to realise how many toys our traditional Bruce Wayne Batman really has. There is a wonderful confrontation with Killer Croc in this book. Perfect opportunity to use stealth or agility, mixed in with some Bat-a-rangs, knock out gas or his grappling hook to move around Croc right? Not this Batman I’m afraid. He likes to get up close and personal, so stabs a blade into Croc’s head instead.

On another occasion, when he comes across a victim of the Joker’s toxin, Thomas doesn’t attempt to cure him or take samples to better understand what has happened. He simply snaps the victims neck, and brushes it off as mercy. This version of Batman has much more in common with Miller’s take in the Dark Knight Returns as opposed to any traditional canon Batman.

Again, this has been re-released and presented as an origin story so it can remind you of the groundwork already laid for that upcoming miniseries, so I can’t wait to see what the creators build in this world.

The artwork is astonishing. I’ve always been a fan of Risso, particularly when it is in tandem with Azzarello, as in their crime epic 100 Bullets. His work is all long, terrifying shadows, vibrant, almost sleazy colours (the book is coloured by his long time colourist Patricia Mulvihill, who really does bring the best out of his work) and this of course suits this version of Gotham, which is all casinos, streetwalkers, bars and nightclubs. His characters are expressive and alluring, and his work is so rich and detailed.

As a three issue miniseries (as it was originally), this more than stands on its own. It achieves a heck of a lot in those three issues, in terms of characterisation and world building, and even manages to tell a three act story with a definitive ending. But it has always seemed a shame to leave it there. It may have taken over a decade but I am so looking forward to diving into this world again. Bring on Flashpoint Beyond!