The Penguin, Vol. 2: All Bad Things

The Penguin (2023)

by Tom King, Rafael De La Torre (Artist)

The Penguin is dead, long live the Penguin!

Since his "death" and subsequent return to Gotham City, Oswald Cobblepot's world has been anything but mundane. Now he finds himself in the perfect position to make the ultimate power grab for Gotham's underworld, but it won't come without a price! Are the risks worth the potential rewards? Or will Oswald's gambit prove to be a deadly miscalculation with even deadlier consequences?

Collects The Penguin #7-12.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Batman, Superheroes

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2025

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penguins don't scream psychopath to me.



However, Tom King has managed to change my mind a bit about at least one of them.
This was quite a ride into the inner workings of Cobblepot's mind and the working relationship he has with Batman. And if he's not completely bananas scary, then I'm not sure if we read the same thing. Every time I'd start to think he had a teeny bit of humanity to him, King would jerk that rug right out from under me.
Yikes.



I will say that this didn't end as strongly as I thought it would. For whatever reason, it felt like it went out with a bit more of a whimper than I thought it would.
Maybe because Penguin had no redeeming qualities. So yes, this incarnation is much scarier than anything that came before, but he's also just slightly less interesting than I thought he was going to turn out to be after I read that King's first volume.
I'm not saying I didn't like this, just that I wanted him to care about someone. Other than birds, that is.



But you don't always get what you want.
And this is still such an interesting take on Penguin and on his relationship with Batman that I think it will probably be how he is written for the foreseeable future.
Wak. Wak. Wak.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Penguin continues his campaign to retake his criminal empire in Gotham City from his children, Addison and Aiden Cobblepot. In this mean and gritty crime noir, his tools are murder, manipulation, lies, betrayal, and the occasional umbrella.

If you were entertained by the first volume, this is more of the same, bringing the tale to its bloody and bitter conclusion.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contains material originally published in single magazine form as The Penguin (2023) #8-12.

Contents:

• The Apartment [from Penguin (2023) #8] / Tom King, writer; Rafael de Latorre, illustrator
• Good Old Bruce [from Penguin (2023) #9] / Tom King, writer; Rafael de Latorre, illustrator
• Got a Light [from Penguin (2023) #10] / Tom King, writer; Rafael de Latorre, illustrator
• Penguins (Usually) Can't Fly [from Penguin (2023) #11] / Tom King, writer; Rafael de Latorre, illustrator
• All Bad Things [from Penguin (2023) #12] / Tom King, writer; Rafael de Latorre, illustrator
• [Covers/Variant Covers] / Carmine di Giandomenico, Dustin Nguyen, Francesco Mattina, Christian Ward, Tirso, Felipe Massafera, illustrators
• The Penguin #12 Layouts / Rafael de Latorre, illustrator

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the events of the “Failsafe” storyline from Chip Zdarsky’s Batman run, as well as serving as a semi-sequel to his miniseries Batman: Killing Time, Tom King wrote The Penguin, a twelve-issue limited series that explores the return of Oswald Cobblepot is forced to work for the federal government where he has to rebuild his criminal empire in Gotham. Picking up where the first volume left off, the Penguin has assembled his team and now he is ready to take back his city from his bastard children Addison and Aiden Cobblepot.

Whereas the previous volume was all about the set-up, this second volume that covers the remaining five issues showcases a deadly family reunion set within the seedy streets of Gotham. Given that the Penguin as a character is commonly written to be a grotesque figure, somewhat owing a debt to Danny DeVito’s cinematic portrayal, it is interesting that King downplays that trait as seen in the first issue here where he is interacting with normal folk, who are instantly terrified just to be in his presence. However, instead of a monstrous response, Oswald maintains a quiet demeanour as he is a villain, even if there is an element of tragedy with no longer the quiet life that he was enjoying.

If there is one character who evokes the nastiness that defined the Penguin originally, it would be his two children, with his daughter Addison resembling that classic design of her father. The dynamic between the three Cobblepots showcases King’s twisted characterisation where despite the few scenes of father-and-child bonding, it is a subtle device that all are using to threaten one another. While there are other antagonists like the corrupt federal agent Nuri Espinoza who was the one who forced Oswald to get back into the game, the conflict with her R-rated self is not as interesting. As for the Force of July themselves, they ultimately feel like an excuse for King to continuously tackle obscure characters from DC’s back catalogue.

With these issues taking place in Gotham, it allows for King to partially write a Batman story. As this series featured a two-issue arc that flashes back to Oswald's first years as the Penguin where the Dark Knight was a key component, the remaining issues explore this interesting relationship, which often comprises Batman using brute force to interrogate the Penguin. This is perhaps a more brutal take on Batman than what King had written previously, but it fits well here, which is a gritty crime narrative where Batman and the Penguin must be somewhat on the same page, despite being two sides of the same coin.

And speaking of a gritty crime narrative, with an element of costumed villainy, it is good that Rafael de Latorre is drawing this, due to his previous credentials of being a recurring artist on Zdarsky’s Daredevil run. Along with the muted colouring by Marcelo Maiolo, who occasionally uses red boldly for the most violent panels, de Latorre’s art gives a neo-noir vide in the streets of Gotham with some iconic Batman posing that makes you wish he drew more of this world.

With the many characters narrating throughout this twelve-issue series, most of which give their own perspective about what they think of the Penguin, it is only in the final pages that the titular Oswald invites us to his internal thoughts. In recent years, the character has been a punching bag, but through Tom King’s handling of the Penguin, it felt like we were giving a new perspective on who this iconic villain is and where he could go, as it will be interesting to see if future creators will take a cue from what King and de Latorre achieved.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The penguin reclaims Gotham by killing his competition (which is mostly his son and daughter), teaming up with Batman and the federal government and then gets out to enjoy himself.

The penguin is such a little bastard! He has no care for anyone but himself and his best stories always end in betrayal after betrayal. This was a good story although not as engaging as the first few issues.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Penguin is actually a semi-sequel to Tom King's Batman: Killing Time, bringing back a couple of characters from there, including Agent [expletive of choice], and The Help. One of these is more fun than the other, because Agent [swear word]'s gimmick wears thin after about three pages, while The Help is just superb whenever he's around.

But that's not what we're here for. We're here for a Penguin story. Tasked by the US Government to come out of retirement (read: pretending to be dead) and retake Gotham City's organized crime, Oswald Cobblepot has nothing to work with, and that's where he thrives. Over the course of these twelve issues, he accumulates assistance both familiar and new, weaves a web of lies around himself that protects him from his children, the Batman, and retribution in general. It's a masterpiece of plotting on Oswald's part, and it's got the most bittersweet ending I've read in a while too. Yeah, we all get what we want - but what do we have to lose to get it?

The artwork is mostly by Rafael De La Torre, whose neon noir style was kicking up a storm over on Daredevil for a bit. There's also a two issue arc that flashes back to Oswald's first years as the Penguin with art by Riddler: Year One artist Stevan Subic, whose depiction of Oswald is both terrifying and sympathetic all at once.

Another excellent entry into the Tom King line of 12 issue maxi-series that make you think, and make you question everything you thought you knew about the characters you know and loathe.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 The bleeped expletives get old immediately, the changing perspectives each page make everything needlessly confusing, and I don't know how we were ever supposed to care about the kids. I find it hard to believe in Penguin being a lifelong snitch, but maybe that's just me. And I don't know if I really believe in SilverII. That being said, long live the Help.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Другий том «Пінгвін: Все погане» від Тома Кінґа продовжує тримати ту саму напружену атмосферу, що й перший. Навіть би сказав, що все стає ще більш жорстокіше й кривавіше. Проте, як це часто буває у Кінґа, емоції та глибина персонажів місцями губляться у надміру тексту й роздумів. Це типовий для нього «баланс» — амбіційні ідеї, що можуть втомити через їх перевантаження.

У цій частині Пінгвін остаточно стає «павуком», що плете свою павутину, захищаючи себе від ворогів, власних дітей і навіть Бетмена. Освальд змушений маневрувати між урядом, який використовує його як маріонетку, і злочинним світом, який тепер до нього вороже налаштований. Ця історія показує, наскільки далеко герой готовий зайти, аби зберегти свою позицію в Ґотемі.

Друга арка може запропонувати цікаві моменти психологічного тиску й цікаві повороти сюжету. Проте, читаючи випуск за випуском, я просто «загруз» у текстових хмаринках і внутрішніх монологах персонажів. Це має додавати глибини, але сильно уповільнює ритм, в руках такого майстра. Дванадцять випусків — це випробування для терпіння, коли важливі моменти починають губитися серед постійного потоку роздумів.

Візуальна складова лишається одним із головних козирів коміксу. Роберто Де Латорре і його стиль продовжують задавати тон історії. Похмурі кольори, деталізовані сцени і вдало підібрані візуально кадри створюють ідеальну атмосферу для історії Освальда Кобблпота. Це той випадок, коли малюнок компенсує всі недоліки тексту.

Уся серія показує Пінгвіна не лише як злочинного генія, але і як маніпулятора, який тонко грає на слабкостях інших. Його складні стосунки з ворогами, союзниками й власною родиною відкривають нові грані персонажа. Цей Пінгвін — холоднокровний стратег, але водночас глибоко людяний (якщо так доречно казати) у своїй мотивації. Що часом, якось може не складатися в голові.

Історія наповнена цікавими ідеями, що страждає від надмірної текстової перевантаженості. Том Кінґ створив атмосферну і багатогранну оповідь, але під час читання часом виникала думка: «Можливо мені не читати роздуми усіх персонажів». Проте, незважаючи на всі недоліки, я все ж рекомендую цю лімітовану серію. Коміксів про Пінгвіна небагато, і цей є вартий уваги хоча б через оригінальний підхід до персонажа.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's one mistake you shouldn't make: never ever underestimate the Penguin.

A fine exercise in plotting and counter-plotting from Cobblepot. Tom King would surely be proud of him! All right, it's an awful carnage, but you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, can you?

All joking aside, these 2 volumes are excellent crime fiction disguised as a Batman comic book. It's very, very dark, twisted and with no hope of redemption. Love it!

[Spencer Greenwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great unconventional Batman story with two glaring issues. Tom King relies way too heavily on character narration over a scene. So for about half of the book you are switching back and forth between reading a half a sentence narration, then a half a sentence of dialogue. It might bother me more than most but it was used constantly and find that it detracts from both points the writer is trying to get across. The second issue is the overuse of curse words, which are of course censored. But with 10-15 curse words per page, sentences start to not make any sense when half the words are bleeped. I understand King is purposely using this to send a message but I just found it to be over the top and distracting. All that said, this is a really interesting crime drama with some underutilized characters in the Batman universe.

[Rick Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oswald Cobblepot, formerly the ruthless crime boss known as the Penguin, has left behind his life of crime to live in relative retirement. But pressed into action by one of Amanda Waller's underlings to take control of Gotham's underworld, the Penguin assembles a crew mixed with new faces and old to take down his primary competition - his own children. The first volume served as setup for the eventual war to come, with the Penguin putting together his new organization with the aid of his manservant, the Help, and a former lover, Lisa St. Claire. Revealed in the first volume was the relationship between Batman and the Penguin - one that served both men mutually. The Penguin got to head up organized crime, while Batman got to use the Penguin for information on bigger threats. But who was really using who? That served as the central mystery to be answered in this volume.

And unfortunately, this volume resolves little. It's tough to find much interest in the antagonists of this story as the Penguin's children aren't really very well established characters. And thus, the ensuing gang war has very little emotional heft. And as for the Penguin/Batman partnership - the story doesn't really feel the need to dig much further beyond the initial premise. Sure, we get to see the Penguin be a ruthless figure that pulled a lot of strings, but ultimately it doesn't actually do anything for the character that hasn't been done before. It's clear that the series is taking tonal queues from Matt Reeves' film and television iteration of the character by using a more grounded crime story aesthetic, but the execution is quite bland. Leaving it open ended just shows a desire to return to a status quo that isn't all that interesting. A shame, because the initial hook to the series was quite good.

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Majorly surprised by this series and the plot is absolutely great with it connecting a lot with what was happening with main Batman plot at the time. King’s writing isn’t my favorite at times but his storytelling is good which can’t be denied.

[Bryce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit better than the previous volume. Still don’t like the portrayal of the characters

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Penguin's efforts to unseat his children from atop Gotham's crime empire come to fruition in All Bad Things, making this a dirty, nasty, twisty ride back to the opening scene of the first volume (Batman and Penguin injured and about to drown in the Batmobile).

Where the first volume was more cerebral team-building, this one's action-heavy. It's a fine adjustment, though I liked the cerebral flow a bit more (and there might be one too many twist here). Ultimately, you kind of forget why Penguin is doing all of this (oh yeah, Amanda Waller, huh). It's never less than an engaging read, though, and you'll think again when Penguin pops up in future Batventures.

Give Tom King the reigns to more Batman rogues, please.

[Derek Moreland · Rating 3 out of 5]

...if you're going to use that many swears, let the book release through DC Black Label so people can at least read the damn thing.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like this volume quite as much as the first, but it’s still a great read. Ozzie’s smarts weren’t shown quite as much but I did enjoy more Batman. Can’t wait to read more.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the most infuriating thing about Tom King’s storytelling, for all the fans who hate him, is that his heroes are almost never even the heroes of their own stories. His Batman, for instance, even when seemingly promised that happy ending, in multiple forms, didn’t get it. He was really just that wounded boy fighting the boogeyman in the alley who killed his parents, the shadow, who contemplated suicide. Just another obsessive. Who, in the previous volume of The Penguin, needed Oswald Cobblepot’s help. And in this volume’s conclusion, needs his help all over again…

Often he’s accused of getting lost in the telling, that he sets up something complicated and then doesn’t deliver the ending that justifies it. And maybe that’s deliberate.

This is the kind of story that will only complicate that legacy. Last volume he pulls the ace out of his sleeve, the secret agreement between bitter foes. This volume we see Penguin triumphant. I mean, it’s his name in the title, though, right? We’re a particularly cynical era, all around. We really do believe the villain wins. And Tom King is ideally suited to explore how. That’s what this one is. And it’s sad, seeing Batman so ineffectual.

But if the Penguin was ever successful, and he surely needed to be, to be the only Batman villain with a regular gig, at the very least, he had to have something going for him. So a story that begins with his retirement and then forced return, has to see results play out that demonstrate what he is made of.

So if it’s not a great Batman story, if you need the version that seems capable of overcoming anything, it’s certainly a great Penguin story. Probably the best one ever written. Sure, there’s the TV show, which King and probably DC counted on bringing more eyes to the comic, which saw how he developed his spot in Gotham and not just his Iceberg Lounge. But the established Penguin? Or reestablished?

The whole story is built on moving parts, a diverse group brought into the act, and arguably the most forced element being the Force of July, or maybe that’s just how things have to be, in a story like this, and it just emphasizes how powerful this guy really is, just so he can feel comfortable. He doesn’t really have ambition, and that’s the point. He carves himself out a space, and then he’s satisfied. King’s creations, like the Help (surely the counterpart to the late Alfred, and maybe someday someone will give him a name) or Agent %#@$ (anyone else just uses her name, but here it really is King leaning into the reputation), they fill their roles, fill their spaces, leave room for everyone else.

Or just the Penguin. Wak wak wak.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this one takes the man returns to his city to take it all back and yeah it can get messy and all that but I like how it shows so many things like him meeting with Riddler and Batman confronting him and there's active involvement of Batman in this volume and it may feel like his story and maybe thats why I like it more as Batman has to again work with Penguin to take down the Twins who have become so dangerous.

There's a sequence of how Batman is fighting all the goons of the twins and how he is taking them down and that montage is awesome and then seeing how Addison confronts Batman and well the Penguin is trapped and everyone leaves him as its been revealed he is a snitch and he even threatens the FBI agent that he will turn on her, and then its like everyone is hunting for Oswald and the Force of July have to protect him from Aiden and his co. who are here to kill him and the FBI agents too and then mic drop moment as its revealed what his plan was all along!

Batman to the rescue but what happens to him then which connects to the very first issue of them drowning and its such a great moment of closure that it makes for one heck of an ending and you see how the bird is back as the crime boss of Gotham and his new deal with Batman and its an interesting take and really shows how manipulative and smart Oswald is, like did he wanted these forces to make him work for them.. was it something he considered later on to take back Gotham?

Seriously makes you question and maybe thats the hallmark of this volume. My only problem was there was way too many slangs used and that kinda breaks the flow and rhythm of the reading thing.

Aside from that the art was freaking amazing, the neo noir art style really makes the whole volume plus the accompanying text and captions easy to read and pleasant on the eyes and it compliments each other really well.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has a lot of potential, but the constant smattering of symbols to censor out swear words was beyond obnoxious and made it difficult to read to the point of having to skip a few pages because 90+% of the dialogue was just strings of symbols when characters were swearing literally every other word. What makes it even more irritating is that it's wholly unnecessary to censor out the bad words anyway since it's abundantly clear based on the rest of the content that the comic's target audience isn't kids or younger teens, unless we're fretting about exposing them to swear words but not gratuitous violence; on the off chance that that's the case I think the author/publisher's priorities might be misplaced. If you're going to have the character swear, especially as frequently as they do in this volume, then commit to and just put the words in, otherwise don't bother having them swear at all rather then throwing in symbols in place of words that just make reading and comprehending what's being said more difficult than it needs to be.
The art style of nice, and were it not for the poor choice to censor swearing, the writing would have been good too were it not that one issue that, personally, I couldn't look past.

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concluding volume of this series (issues #8-12) is a bit of a letdown, but does come full circle with the first issue's prologue and leaves open a new path for The Penguin. The tone is similar to the HBO series, more of a crime thriller than superhero tale. It's dark and the characters don't display a whole lot of potential for redemption. The Penguin is wilier than he seems, with people constantly underestimating him to their detriment. Writer Tom King loves giving internal monologues to every character, which gets old. The dialogue is liberally interspersed with @#!@# expletives that make it harder to read; I wish they would have made this a Black Label book and left the actual words in. Rafael de Latorre's art is excellent.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A largely compelling crime drama that would have done much better to leave the Bat out of it. This series as a whole was probably necessary, to restore the status quo of Penguin as chief legitimate businessman of Gotham, not his children, but it also works to make Penguin threatening, calculating, and unpredictable. Not a bad set of goals. Even the odd choice of rotating POVs narrative boxes, almost none of whom are actually Penguin, worked for me. It made him a character who is only observed from the outside and can't be fully understood. It's Batman who doesn't work here. The idea that Batman would allow Penguin to operate undisturbed because he's his informant simply doesn't square with the Batman you'll see in literally any other book.

[Ian Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Tom King did it again with this second installment of The Penguin limited series. Not a mind blower, but definitely a new look at a classic villain. King turned Oswald Cobblepot from a caricature-like jester playing second fiddle to darker and more popular villains like the Joker, Riddler, Bane, etc. to a stand-alone mafioso psychopath. He even made him into someone who rats out other criminals to Batman and A.R.G.U.S. before killing his own kids. This was the level of villain The Penguin always should have been turned up to.

[Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Penguin's return to Gotham continues...
and it's still disturbing.

This volume has ANNOYING internal monologues for EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER. Never fails. Never changes. Gets old very fast.

Ultimately, nobody gets out of this in one piece. 'Even when you win, you lose'. All of the characters can (and do) turn on each other at the drop of a hat.
-=----=-----
Bonus: taking some of the shine from 'The Penguin' HBO series (in the 'The Batman' movie-verse)

[Néstor Vargas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think he nailed the landing. It does feel a bit rushed towards the end, but the conclusion makes sense for what The Penguin represents in Gotham. The dynamic that King establishes between the Batman and Oswald is very interesting, I like it. The ending is just what I was expecting and returns everything to its exact place. Art was very good all this run, it enhanced the reading. Not my favorite King story, but one worth reading.

[Evan Lew · Rating 2 out of 5]

The inner monologue of the Batman specifically in this volume compared to the first 6 issues seemed out of character. The whole Batman and penguin dynamic was weird. Batman is letting penguin off on too much.
I really liked the first 6 issues but the ending issues just did not land any of the set up from the first volume.

[Dave Lester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comic star writer Tom King concludes his mini series on The Penguin with a dark take (even for a long time villain). Don't read this before reading volume 1 of his series.

I realize King's run on Batman was controversial. I like what I read so it is great that DC keeps finding ways to bring King back into the Batman saga. Recommended.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars.
Didn't love this one. "Quiet - I'm retired, but not really - old man Penguin, who is willing to kill his own children to keep his criminal empire from them" vs "Batman who doesn't feel like Batman at all"
If you really like deep stories about the inner psyche of Cobblepot, then read this. Otherwise, skip it.

[Emiliano De Napoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memorabile finale di una saga davvero ispirata. Disegni stupendi, tom king in forma. Gotham sullo sfondo un po meno al.centro dell'attenzione rispetto ai protagonisti. Unico appunto, i personaggi secondari (force of july, i federali,..) mi hanno convinto meno.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

The multiple perspectives sometimes got confusing with colors too close together.

Gritty Batman street tale that shows how grimy even he has to get.

[Ethan Gohl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy grawlix, Batman!

[James Copley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it