You Too Will Believe A Flightless Water Fowl Can Fly, Maybe – Review of Penguin: Pain And Prejudice #1-2

Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin, made his comic book debut in Detective Comics #58 in 1941. Like Batman, he too was conceived by Bob Kane, but his origins have varied over the decades to suit the needs of the writers. In this most recent incarnation, as is being detailed in Penguin: Pain And Prejudice, written by Gregg Hurwitz with art by Szymon Kudranski, The Penguin’s back story seems to be along the lines of being from a well-off family, but rejected by his father, brothers and school mates for his short stature, beak-like nose and generally milquetoast personality. Indeed, the only person in the world who loves him unconditionally is his mother. He returns her love with a burning affection that would make Oedipus blush.

Well, a boy needs something hold onto in the crazy world of ours, right?

Nah.

It’s just kind of icky and sad.

But does any of this have to do with Ozzie’s rise to the top of the Gotham crime scene beyond making us feel vaguely uncomfortable as we read it?

Spoilers after the jump!

Poor, poor Penguin. Years and years you spend at the top of the Gotham crime world’s food chain and when Batman drops by to tune you up for information in front of associates, paid friends and lackeys, you get all bent out of shape.

Why so serious? Whoops, wrong guy.

You shouldn’t take it so personally, man. It’s what Batman does. Frankly, it’s all he does. It’s like he’s on some sort of driven mission or something. I think it has to do with the death of his parents.

You understand about the relationship between a boy and his parents, right? I mean, I know your dad flat out hated you so much that he dropped you on the floor right after you were born (in issue #1) and that he thought it was ok to have sex with your mom in front of your toddler self as a hint that maybe you were a big enough boy to go sleep in your own bed (again, issue #1), but everything else with him was cool, right? No? Oh.

Wow, dude. Your dad seems to solve all of his problems by abusing you and then having loud sex with your mom. I mean, he's *totally* going to have sex with your mom! Right there in the next room. Dude! No wonder you're so screwed up.

So, what about mom? When she’s not being your dad’s dick puppet, what’s she like?

You know she'll kiss anything, right?

Well, you know, now that you mention it, she does seem to love you very much, which is why The Penguin, who is now taking care of his very elderly, wheelchair bound, and more or less comatose mother, has committed a series of brutal heists in order to demonstrate his love for her. With jewelry. Son of the year, this one. These heists are also what put The Penguin on Batman’s radar to begin with and get him tuned up in the first scene of issue #2. Everybody with me so far?

When The Penguin isn’t mooning around about his shitty childhood in these books, we get scenes that demonstrate what a total gangsta (!) he is now that he has power. For example, some guy in his club accidentally bumps into him and makes the grievous error of almost, almost calling Oswald a fat ass. So, he frames the guy for embezzlement, burns down his apartment building with his elderly neighbor still inside, and kills the guy’s parents by cutting their car’s brake lines (issue #1). Oh, and infects the woman he loves with some kind of super AIDS, delivered by a derelict with a dirty needle and too much free time. Because that’s how The Penguin rolls now. You know, when Batman isn’t kicking his ass. However, we find out in issue #2 that the guy The Penguin has just set up tried to kill himself out of grief. And that he’s a friend of Barbara Gordon’s…so Jim Gordon would like this looked into…by Batman…again. So, one suspects there will be another ass kicking around the corner shortly.

Oh, Oswald. I don’t think mommy is going to be able to help you now.

Should you read this book? Yes. As much as I’m snarking on it, Hurwitz does an admirable job of trying to make The Penguin the hero of his own story. While you may not necessarily find yourself rooting for him to come out on top, you will find that you may, at least, empathize with him. Who didn’t find themselves the odd man out at school? Or feel like the outsider in your own family? Or get beat up by girls?

Wait, there I go projecting again.

Still, the story does resonate on the “underdog who rises up against all odds” level. Further, Szymon Kudranski’s art – a mix of skewed and sometimes blurred, almost photorealistic panels, shadows and lines, work together to provide the gothic and creepy tone the book needs atmospherically. Indeed, it is a bit reminiscent of Tim Burton’s take, as director, on The Penguin in the second Batman movie, albeit more restrained.

If it’s too easy for me to poke fun at The Penguin, indeed it probably means that Gregg Hurwitz hit all the right notes in writing him. My inner nerd understands his lack of belonging, while my inner jock wants to stuff him in a locker. The complexity is appreciated.