The Penguinmight be over for now, but ifBatmanfans of the TV series are looking for more hard-edged Gotham crime/noir, DC Comics has more than eighty years of stories just begging to be rediscovered. Wading through all of those comics may sound like a Herculean feat, but fortunately, Screen Rant has done all the hard work and found the best of the best forPenguinfans to enjoy.
The list that follows acts as not only some of the bestBatman and Gotham City-related comicsaround, but some of the best comics, period. The Bat-books have always attracted strong creators, and the comics that follow feature work from the likes of David Mazzucchelli, Jason Aaron, Tim Sale, Frank Miller and many, many more. Whether they act as seminal examinations of the Penguin himself or merely reflect the grounded, seedy criminal world of the TV show, here are ten stories thatPenguinfans should read next:
by Ian Edginton & D’Israeli
This two-part story appearing inBatman: Legends of the Dark Knight#117 andBatman: Shadow of the Bat#85 was a part of the year-longNo Man’s Landcrossover event, which saw Gotham City officially disowned by the U.S. government and cut off from the rest of the world. Gotham is soon divided into different sections of warring territories, with several gang wars breaking out between the various Bat-villains.
“Bread and Circuses” is a Penguin-centric arc, which finds Oswald Cobblepot holding underground fights in his Iceberg Lounge over food rations. Batman winds up entering the fight, taking on the worst of Penguin’s henchmen before eventually taking control of the Iceberg Lounge himself. The story is a fascinating look at society pushed to the brink, and features one of the all-time great Batman/Penguin confrontations.
9Batman: Nine Lives
by Dean Motter & Michael Lark
The world of Batman meetsfilm noirin this Elseworlds graphic novel, where the denizens ofGotham City are reimagined as classic noir archetypes. The story sees club owner Selina Kyle murdered, and the masked vigilante Batman is ready to tear the city apart to find her killer in this alternate continuity set in an era of trench-coats, fedoras and slinky dresses.
What makes this OGN memorable is the grounded way the story reimagines many familiar characters, such as recasting Dick Grayson as a former cop turned P.I. or Mr. Freeze as a cold-blooded hitman.Batman: Nine Livesis also notable for the “widescreen” dimensions of the book itself, which not only acts as a showcase for Michael Lark’s beautiful artwork, but also adds to the feel that the reader is watching a classicfilm noirfrom the 1940’s.
8Joker
by Brian Azzarello & Lee Bermejo
Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo’s original graphic novel mirrors the relationship between Oz and Vic in thePenguinseries, as it follows the low-level criminal Johnny Frost as he tries to rise through the ranks of the Joker’s operation. Readers get a unique view into life as a Gotham City henchman, and it’s not pretty; filled with fear, paranoia and unexpected violence.
This street-level view allows for many a twisted set-up in this OGN, as readers get to see the petty schemes and ploys that go on through Gotham’s major villain gangs when Batman’s not around. Frost learns the hard way that – no matter how high he rises through the ranks – he’s never truly safe from the madman he works for. It may be bleak, but it remains an entertaining read, nonetheless.
7The Penguin (2023-2024)
By Tom King, Rafael De Latorre & Stevan Subic
Thisrecent twelve-issue miniserieswas a blast from beginning to end, and will likely go down in comics history as one of the quintessential Penguin tales. Oswald Cobblepot fakes his own “death” to escape to Metropolis, only to be recruited by the FBI to infiltrate Gotham City’s underworld. Cobblepot sees a way to rise to the top of the city’s criminal rackets, and part of the fun is watching him manipulate and cajole his way through the dark underbelly of Gotham.
The story sees Penguin eventually teaming with Batman himself to take back control of the Iceberg Lounge, and the various schemes put in place by Cobblepot result in a story just as paranoid and thrilling as any crime story featuring an undercover lead. The Penguin shines as a criminal mastermind throughout, showing off why he’s Batman’s most resilient villain.
6Gotham Central: Soft Targets
by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka & Michael Lark
Gotham Centralwas one of DC’s best seriesin the early 2000’s, taking Batman out of the equation and focusing on the men and women of the Gotham City Police Department. While the whole series was fantastic, the “Soft Targets” storyline that ran in issues #12-15 is perhaps the best example of what happens when one of Gotham’s super-villains embarks on a campaign of terror.
The street-level view of the chaos that follows Joker using a sniper rifle to kill random denizens of Gotham City makes the story all the more gripping, as readers are placed in the shoes of everyday civil servants trying everything they can to hold the city together while it’s ripped apart by fear and panic.Gotham Centralis a classic because it examines the effects of Batman’s battles with his villains from a perspective rarely shown, making it one of the great crime sagas in comics.
5Penguin: Pain and Prejudice
By Gregg Hurwitz & Symon Kudranski
Pain and Prejudicetakes a look at Oswald Cobblepot’s tragic origins, as readers follow the Penguin from his days of being bullied as a child to becoming one of the most feared gangsters in all of Gotham City. As an epic psychological portrait, this five-part miniseries delivers a Penguin who ruthlessly claws his way to the top by any means necessary.
Most disturbing is the way Penguin routinely gains his revenge upon those who have wronged him, as Cobblepot finds ways to destroy his enemies utterly and without pity. ThisPenguin is a far cry from the waddling troublemakerwho used to give Batman a headache with his gimmicked umbrellas, as the classic villain is refashioned into a villain who is truly terrifying to behold.
4The Joker’s Asylum: The Penguin
By Jason Aaron & Jason Pearson
This one-shot story is one of the very best Penguin stories, cutting right to the heart of what makes Oswald Cobblepot tick. The story sees a new lady enter Penguin’s life, as Oswald Cobblepot seems to find love in the most unlikely of places. Being who he is, however, the Penguin can’t help but turn the situation sour, and readers get a glimpse at just how cruel the Bat-villain can be.
It’s a story with a truly shocking denouement, one of those perfect, self-contained stories that accomplishes what it sets out to do in twenty-two pages.Joker’s Asylum: The Penguinhas the title character straddling the line between man and monster, telling a story that is every bit as heartbreaking as it is cruel and unusual.
3Batman: Year One
By Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli
When it comes to grim and gritty crime stories set in Gotham City,Year Oneis hard to beat. Frank Miller returns to the character he revolutionized inThe Dark Knight Returns, bringing artist David Mazzucchelli along for the ride to create another all-time classic. Thestory that ran inBatman#404-407has become the definitive origin for the Dark Knight
Miller and Mazzucchelli create a compelling criminal underworld that felt far more real than anything that had appeared in theBatmancomics up to that point, a grounded influence that can be felt all the way up toThe PenguinTV series. It’s a superb work from two masters produced during one of comics’ most exciting periods, and quite simply one of the best comic stories of all time.
2Batman: Dark Victory
by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
Sofia Falcone really steps into her ownwith this sequel series to Loeb and Sale’s earlierThe Long Halloween, as Batman finds himself on the trail of the Hangman killer.Dark Victorycontinues the examination of Gotham’s underworld begun inThe Long Halloween, showing how a city of traditional mobsters gave way to the freakish super-villains who took over the criminal underworld in their wake.
The saga of the Falcone family is cemented here, and it’s easy to see how the portrayal of Sofia inDark Victoryinfluenced the character as she appears inThe Penguinseries. Loeb and Sale’s clean storytelling makeDark Victoryan easy read for those new to comics, and the story even finds a moving way to retell Dick Grayson’s origin as the first Robin.
1Batman: The Long Halloween
Much likeYear One,Batman: The Long Halloweenhas gone on to influence every Batman adaptation since its original publication, including the Christopher Nolan films and the most recentThe Batman. Reading the landmark series, it’s easy to see why, as Loeb and Sale’s deceptively-simple approach remains captivating from the first page to the last.
The story follows the Holiday killer, a mysterious assailant who is wiping out major figures in Gotham’s criminal hierarchy on holidays over the course of a year. This just might be the late Tim Sale’s greatest work as an artist, as writer Jeph Loeb crafts a story that allows Sale to shine as the creative team explores every corner of the Bat-mythos in this crime noir masterpiece. Simply put,The Long Halloweenis a great murder mystery that fans ofBatmanandThe PenguinTV show absolutely must read if they’re looking for more Gotham City seediness.
The Penguin
Cast
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
