(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!