10 Best Comics To Read If You’re Watching HBO’s The Penguin

HBO’s The penguin is bringing a brand new addition to the world of Matt Reeves The BatmanAnd is already a hit with old and new fans of the titular character. While the TV show takes some original departures, its star is one of Batman’s oldest villains and, after more than eighty years of comics, he helped to tell dozens of stories. Some of that clearly informed the new direction with Colin Farrell in the leading role.

In HBO The penguinThe gangster found an opportunity to seize control over the Falcone crime syndicate in the wake of The BatmanBegin a tale deriving from the darkest and most corrupt inspirations of the comics (while still honoring the campy tone the character is synonymous with). With a whole new audience ready to meet the penguin, we have curated The perfect list of comics to read to prepare for the spectacle The penguin already proved to be.

10

Penguin: Pain and Prejudice

By Greg Horwitz and Simon Kudransky

Before Oswald Cobblepot was a depraved, immoral villain bent on seizing political power, he was a sensitive boy and a beloved son. grow up, Oswald was relentlessly physically and emotionally abused for the way he looked. His friends, his siblings, and his father saw that Oz was a little more than an insect, which messed up their lives more than it brought them any meaning.

The limited series follows the penguin as he tries to explore a new love and leave his mother to rest all while reflecting on the moments of his life that led him to his current position. Although the series establishes new elements of sympathy with the character, it is better to reveal the intimate relationship behind Cobblepot’s love for his mother. Already promised to play a pivotal role in the new HBO original series, Oz’s mother was and always will be his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.

9

Batman: The Long Halloween

By Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale

One of the most beloved and recommended Batman series of all time, Batman: The Long Halloween is the direct tonal inspiration behind Matt Reeves The Batman And, so far, serves as a similar plan for the pre-established tone of The penguin. In the early years of Bruce Wayne’s crusade as the Dark Knight, the series follows Batman as he investigates a methodical new serial killer while Harvey Dent slowly transforms into the monstrous two-phase. While the mysterious “Holiday Killer” is the primary “villain” of the series, The corrupt presence of the Falcone and Maroni crime families are the true antagonists of the series.

While they may not be as glamorous as Batman’s rogues gallery, the Gotham crime syndicates are Batman’s true greatest enemies and a crucially important presence in both The Batman And The penguin. Just as old as the Wayne family, the Falcones and Maronis have played a hand in running Gotham since the city’s earliest years. Understanding Gotham’s criminal politics is paramount to understanding the deeper conflict in Matt Reeves’ stories, and there is no better series to understand that conflict than The Long Halloween.

8

Penguin triumphant

By John Ostrander, Joe Staton, & Bob Smith

While the Penguin is modernly associated with high-brow white-collar crime and ruthless mafia practices, his original characterization was much goofier and more lighthearted. Cementing the transition between his Golden Age comic persona into his Modern Age mobster persona, Penguin triumphant Details the methodical nature Cobblepot took to reinvent his criminal exploits. Still teaming up with an old childhood rival, Cobblepot began a new life as a “legitimate” stock market investorEmbrace an array of legal loopholes to get away with his crimes.

While Oswald inevitably grew bored of the straight-man act, He continues to hide the burns of his criminal enterprise behind a series of legal techniques, blackmail and generous bribes. HBO’s version of The Penguin follows a similar lead. Oz Cobb is a ruthless and ruthless killer, but an educated one who wants to maintain a facade of class and intrigue.

7

Batman: No Man’s Land

By Bob Gale and Alex Maleev

In the finale of The BatmanThe floodwaters flooded Getham, leaving parts of the city destroyed and in disrepair. Likewise, in Batman: No Man’s Land Gotham is a crumbling lawless landDevastated by a powerful earthquake. With the opportunity to inflict their terror on a large scale, some of Batman’s rogue gallery claimed portions of Gotham for their own.

When Batman returned to the city, he first encountered the Penguin, relaxing in the Iceberg Lounge and surrounded by wealth. Cobblepot explains that he has no reason to leave the Chaos and that, in fact, he enjoys the opportunity to use Gotham of its resources. Oswald’s loyalties are to himself and his obsession with wealth is only because it makes him feel powerful. Even if there are only scraps of Gotham left, aAs long as there is someone to feel more powerful than, the penguin will remain happy.

6

Batman: Dark Victory

By Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale

Standing in opposition to Collin Farrell’s Penguin, Sofia Falcone is the show’s primary antagonist and the natural heir to the power of the Falcone family. Following The Long Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory Sees Batman investigating a new serial killer while Two-Face and Sofia Falcone engage in a turf war over Gotham’s underground. Still a relatively new character at the time, Sophia established herself as manipulative And strategic like her father but twisted With an uncontrollable rage and a strong aggressive nature.

While they behave differently, Sophia and Oswald share these two qualities. Individually, they live natural disasters, but when they are against each other, they are more of an apocalypse. As is to be expected of their relationship on the show, Inside The penguins debut episode, the competing criminals spare no time launching a crusade of rage-induced brutal violence against each other and their loved ones. To best prepare to watch the show, viewers should take a chance to look further into the monster that is Sofia Falcone.

5

Joker’s Asylum: The Penguin

By Jason Aaron and Jason Pearson

Joker’s Asylum: The Penguin is a stand-alone issue in an anthology series where The Joker shares with readers stories about some of Batman’s classic villains. His tale of ​​the penguin reveals how utterly corrupt and vindictive Cobblepot really is and how transactional he approaches relationships with others. Unlike a character like the Joker who enacts violence just for the thrill of it, The penguin often believes that his sadistic cruelty is a tool to bring justice Against those who wronged him.

Beneath the fine clothes and expensive cigars, Oswald Cobblepot is an unhinged psychopath. He sees others as little more than objects to be used or discarded as easily as he spends money simply to flaunt his wealth. The Penguin is much more than a simple mobster stereotype, he is a genuine monster.

4

Batman #23.3: The Penguin

By Frank Tieri and Christian Duce

The penguin hates nothing more than those he considers to be bullies. Oswald was terribly bullied and abused as a child, ridiculed for his unique abilities and interest in birds. finally, The young bear noddedUnable to handle the constant teasing, which leads to the mysterious death of his brothers and father, his most vocal abusers.

as an adult, The penguin’s mind latches onto the feelings of being bullied and underestimatedoften used to justify being tortured by torture against his enemies. In the issue of Batman (2011), The penguin reveals the depths to which he is willing to go to methodically destroy the families of his enemies before they lead them to suicide. Like the twisted presentation of Oswald Cobblepot, HBO’s The penguin Almost immediately establishes that Oz Cobb leans into that sneering, manipulative puppeteering which the comic version became known for.

3

Arkham Manor: Endgame

By Frank Tieri, Felix Ruiz, Roberto Viacava and Christian Duce

A surprisingly deep draw from DC’s collection of comics, HBO The penguin chose Mickey “Mike” Stone, a reformed criminal and guard at Arkham Asylum, to be a central character in the show’s plot. Mike Stone has only ever appeared in Arkham Manor: EndgameServed as the story’s narrator, detailing the chaos Arkham was thrown into after the Joker’s last attempt to escape. Similar to Cobblepot, Stone’s loyalties lie wherever he feels will best benefit his life.

Although he may not have much history in the comics, Mike can still play a significant role in the feud between the Penguin and Sofia Falcone. As an ex-criminal and current Arkham guard, Mike is sure to meet Sophia during her imprisonment, an asset that the Penguin will love to have in his arsenal. Unfortunately for Mike, neither Oz nor Sophia are known to play nice and both are Vindictive enough to destroy the life of their tools simply because the tool lost its purpose.

2

The Penguin (2023)

By Tom King and Rafael de Latorre

Oswald Cobblepot’s last solo series, The penguin Shows the titular mobster navigating his “retirement” from crime and the fallout from his decades-long control over Gotham’s underground while reflecting on his early days in the Falcone syndicate. as expected, The series highlights the transactional nature of his relationships with others and the complex machinations that his use of these relationships plays into. Oswald hates the Falcons, he hates his children, and he hates Batman, but he bonds with them all until they prove to be no longer useful to his cause.

Cobblepot lives his life under an elaborate web of lies and deception. Everyone knows that he cannot be trusted, but they still fall for his sneaky charm and his useful manipulations. Even Batman, both in this series and in Matt Reeves’ cinematic universe, turns to the Penguin to gather intel where the detective cannot.

1

Batman: One Bad Day – Penguin

By Marie Javins and Giuseppe Camuncoli

Armed with nothing but a gun and a single bullet, The Penguin has lost his empire, his reputation, and most importantly, his umbrella. Batman: One Bad Day – Penguin Watch the penguin slowly reclaim his lost criminal empire using little more than his wit and persuasive abilities to rebuild a new crew of loyal underlings. Cobblepot proves, not just to Gotham but to Batman personally, that the city is his.

Without the Penguin, the Gotham criminal underground cannot be controlled or contained. Cobblepot makes it clear to Batman that the Dark Knight only maintains a surface control over crime in the city, but without the Penguin’s influence and skill Batman cannot pretend to be the hero he thinks he is. Even with nothing to his name, Gotham is Cobblepot’s city; Without the Penguin, Gotham Falls.