After retiring to Metropolis following his death, Oswald Cobblepot finds himself forced back into the unpredictable and violent Gotham City underworld as a pawn of the United States intelligence community! Gotham’s criminal element has been evolving since he was last in the city, with his bastard twin children ruling the Iceberg Lounge. And what of the man he framed for his death–Batman? Is the Penguin walking into a death sentence? The Penguin #1 kicks off the latest series from writer Tom King.

King has recently been on a roll with numerous maxi-series taking place outside of DC continuity. They’ve all been good, with a long term payoff of a mystery slowly teased out. The Penguin #1 keeps to that formula opening with the Penguin and Batman drowning in unknown water, each suffering from wounds obtained in an unknown way. How did they get there? That’s part of the hook King delivers in this debut.

The Penguin #1 is in continuity, part of Dawn of DC, making it an intriguing comic for King who has been mainly telling stories outside of that restraint. It continues the Penguin’s story, as he’s been generally away from his previous role as one of the leaders of Gotham’s underworld. He’s moved away. Settled down. And generally living a quiet and mundane life. He’s content. So, what does it take to pull him back in and why? The first issue takes us through that and makes Penguin somewhat sympathetic.

Yes, King makes Penguin’s fall again sad in a lot of ways. He’s pulled back in by government forces, a corruption by those that are supposed to protect him. He’s attempting to do good and has left the world of crime behind but the government rot that exists within the DC Universe drags him back. It’s a quick fall of a man delivering a lot to chew on, especially in the context of DC’s many villains as a whole.

The art by Rafael De Latorre is solid. With color by Marcelo Maiolo and lettering by Clayton Cowles, there’s a coldness and sadness visually in the comic. For the most part, it’s rather quaint and calm but as it progresses, you can feel an emotional tug as Penguin gets pulled in. His little reaction visually plays so well to where he’s at, the reader can only guess what’s going through his mind. Juxtaposed with his manipulators, it’s a stark contrast from the Penguin we knew to the Penguin here. We’re told things about this character that visually just aren’t there creating a very interesting commentary about those manipulating him.

The Penguin #1 is a solid start. It suffers from “Tom King formula,” a pattern that has developed in King’s recent releases. They all follow a similar pattern in their storytelling, for good and bad. It can distract from those who have read a lot of his works. Still, it’s a solid opening that makes you want to come back for the “how” of it all. Hopefully it can break out from the mold as the story progresses.

Story: Tom King Art: Rafael De Latorre
Color: Marcelo Maiolo Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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