The Penguin controls Gotham
The One Bad Day series offers out of continuity insights into familiar Batman villains. In the Penguin’s story, Cobblepot gives an insight into his crucial role in Gotham.
Gotham city is a place no one in their right mind would move to. Beyond the fact it is always dark and appears to rain constantly, there is a corruption and depravity that is almost supernatural in its ingrained existence in the city.
The reason the Batman was created and continues to exist is a consequence of the city itself. In the immortal words of Christoper Nolan’s The Dark Knight, he is the hero the city needs, not the one it wants.
The Penguin’s One Bad Day story provides a reason why the Penguin is the criminal the city needs.
In keeping with other One Bad Day stories, a familiar Batman villain is given a different context. In some stories, the situation is very different from our understanding of the character.
What is different about the Penguin one Bad Day story, is it depends on our knowledge of the Penguin’s as a character and a crime boss working out the Iceberg Lounge.
The story begins after the Penguin has been kicked out of Gotham and replaced as the kingpin of Gotham by a criminal known as the Umbrella Man (he is the Umbrella Man because he used to hold the Penguin’s umbrella before he organised a takeover).
The Penguin has been humiliated and beaten. He has no allies, no support, no power. It is a story of a broken character and what they do next.
No spoilers here, but what is very interesting about the story is the Penguin’s motivation.
In a confrontation between Batman and the Penguin, the Penguin tells Batman in no uncertain terms that the city of Gotham needs the Penguin more than it needs Batman.
The reasoning of the Penguin is given credence in light of the Umbrella Man’s open season approach to crime in Gotham. Whereas the Umbrella Man’s has an almost destructive approach, the Penguin tells Batman that he kept the balance in Gotham, not Batman.
The Penguin presents himself as a business man and delivers a cold and logical business plan, which is to provide the necessary materials to criminals, suggest as the Joker and the Riddler. However, the Penguin knows as a good business man that his business cannot become obsolete. As a result he only provides a limited amount of resources. Never enough for the Joker or the Riddler to be successful or to defeat Batman.
For the Penguin, the Batman is merely a component in his business. The Penguin elevates himself to the balancing force in Gotham that ensures that the city does not slide further into the corruption and depravity that makes it such as terrible place.
It’s an insightful view of the nature of Gotham and the continued need for the Batman, as well as giving a sense of the Penguin’s significance beyond a merely costumed villain.
There is a great deal more going on the story. A good bit of action and an interesting insight into the Penguin’s rise from being a broken man to…well, no spoilers here. But we are given a sense of the Penguin’s sense of importance alongside
Beyond the Penguin’s story, is an insight into the workings of Gotham city and the limitations of Batman. Shocking to say, Batman could be limited. The story presents him in a very convincing way as an individual attempting to do the impossible and stand against and overwhelming tide of crime. Batman is presented as an individual faced with anxiety and indecision as he attempts to select which crime he will stop.
For more about the Penguin’s control of Gotham, pick up The Penguin: One Bad Day.
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