Comic book and film fans alike anticipate both of the upcoming sequels “The Batman,” as well as director James Gunn’s take on DC Superman in 2025. Now fans have also been gifted the HBO Max series “The Penguin,” a complex and grounded crime drama revolving around one of the side villains from “The Batman.” The universe of “The Batman,” and now also “The Penguin,” is set to be a separate story from the upcoming DCU, offering a hyper-realistic take on characters purely in the Batman continuity.
The most notable aspect of this show is how it does not feel comic book adjacent. Similar to the 2019 film “Joker” in which the story is more about mental illness and domestic terrorism with a comic book character slapped onto it, “The Penguin” views like a crime drama script that had a comic book character added to it to make marketing easier. With that being said, the show is still very subtly connected to the comics.
Spoilers aside, there are iconic Batman characters and storylines hinted at throughout the first episode, many of which have not been touched upon at all on the big screen. The Penguin himself is very comic accurate in terms of his ruthlessness as well as appearance. Although, the Penguins iconic top hat, monocle and umbrella firearm are all absent.
Other characters in the show, while they won’t be mentioned by name to avoid spoilers, are a bit more comic accurate. Although a newly introduced character in the series appears to be a very unique take on a popular Batman villain who has yet to see a big screen adaptation. If you’ve seen the first episode and are familiar with Batman’s rogues gallery, you know exactly what I’m referring to.
Honestly, the consensus after watching the first episode is definitely a preference towards moving away from comics and telling an original story with unique interpretations of characters.
“The Penguin,” despite being a vessel for fan service, is definitely not the place for comic book antics. It has a TV feel reminiscent of something like “The Sopranos,” where Italian mobsters are humanized and given unique and relatable stories, rather than a typical comic book show. This fusion of both giving the fans a desirable interpretation of Batman comic characters and creating an original, non-comic show is done perfectly.
The side characters and antagonists are all engaging, and viewers are left wondering if more iconic Batman villains will be introduced within the series with the same level of characterization. This show is way better written then it has to be, which only increases excitement for upcoming DC projects.
The atmosphere is surprisingly bright and open for a show focused on a “Batman” villain, and light colors and daytime are used for a good chunk of the scenes. There doesn’t appear to be a clear reason for this in the story, which captivates the audience more.
Fans should rejoice as this show is, so far, everything it has been anticipated to be and beyond. It is an excellent indicator of the quality of future DC projects and an absolutely worthwhile experience for both comic book fans and non-comic book fans alike.
5/5 stars
dwolf1@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @thebatman, Instagram
