“The Rule of Thumb”
Artist: Rafael De Latorre
Color Artist: Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Review by Philip Clark
The Penguin #1 is here folks, and it is spectacular! Completely blowing any expectations I had for it out of the water.
After his apparent death, The Penguin tries settling down for a normal life in Metropolis. That is until someone comes along to ruin the peace he’s created.
The Peaceful Penguin
Now, I’ll get more into why I love this issue so much in a few moments, that being said however, I think a big selling point for this series is watching someone we’ve known as a hardened criminal for so long yearning for a simple life. This is a life that I’m sure many of Batman’s rogues’ gallery would love to have, but as we see in this issue, with a history like Oswald Cobblepot’s, it’s not a life that can last forever.
Opening a flower shop, walking through the park, and enjoying nature. If I asked you who that lifestyle suited most from Gotham’s unsavory types, you’d probably tell me it was Poison Ivy. You’d be wrong, however, as these are how Cobblepot is enjoying his time.
The book’s drawn, and colored like a noir film with muted tones and expressive panels. There are no pops of color, it’s like the world’s in a constant grayscale. Whether that’s De Latorre’s interpretation of The Penguin himself or the interpretation of how everyone in the world views him, it really works.
Conclusion
The Penguin #1 is my idea of a perfect comic. It’s full of suspense, never knowing when, or if Cobblepot will break. None of the internal monologues are his, instead, they are those of the people interacting with him. I find that simply fascinating, having an outside perspective of the central character reads something like a Martin Scorsese film, a real gritty gangster experience.
Wherever this goes, Tom King and the rest of the creative team have me strapped in for the ride!
Images Courtesy Of DC Entertainment