With the dust settling in the aftermath of the Gotham War, Penguin’s gathering the final member of his team before his return to Gotham…but who is this mysterious villain and what’s his connection to the Dark Knight? The Penguin #5 adds one more piece to the puzzle as The Penguin fleshes out his new team.

Written by Tom King, The Penguin #5 continues what is one of the best new series of the year. The Penguin has been tasked to head back to Gotham and again take control. To do so, he’s been slowly building a new crew. He has his muscle, his consiglieri and now one more member before returning to Gotham to begin his takeover.

King has done an amazing job with every issue to add so much depth and interesting bits to each character as they’re introduced. These are people to fear and despise but they’re also characters to feel a little sad for. They’re tragic each in their own way and the latest recruit is another prime example.

The Penguin #5 focuses on addiction. Whether it’s to drugs, smoking, murder, or action, every character in the series so far is addicted to something in some way. The Penguin has his traditional cigarette but he’s also addicted to control and power and in some ways revenge. But under the focus of addiction, King hints at the hypocrisy of it all. The villains, the heroes, what drives them is contradictory in many ways. While the Penguin’s new recruit waxes poetically about his own history, and how he focuses on addicts and those that fuel them, he himself smokes a cigarette while ignoring his addiction to his mission.

The art by Rafael De Latorre continues to be amazing. With color by Marcelo Maiolo and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the comic takes King’s tick of writing and makes it interesting. In-between the action sequences, the comic features King’s often used nine panels of talking. Each panel adds small details to the story and characters as they go back and forth to discuss the current state of things. With it all, we get a good sense of the Penguin’s new warrior and entertained by the action and ass-kicking.

The Penguin #5 is another amazing issue that cements the series as one of the best of the year. It has taken characters and made them both frightening and sympathetic while taking us into the mind of each. Here’s hoping the next year can bring more of the same as the Penguin begins to really make his moves.

Story: Tom King Art: Rafael De Latorre
Color: Marcelo Maiolo Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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