Summary
The Penguinis as far from most comic book media as one could imagine. It’s a spinoff series fromThe Batman, which takes a lot from the comics while also diverting heavily from the material. Showrunner Lauren LeFranc moved away from the tropes to create something a bit more grounded. This look into Gotham’s underground feels as real and lively as the city has ever felt. Though it is an adaptation,The Penguinpulls from a greater body of source material than most comic book shows. Pulp noir is a great basis that helpsThe Penguinstand apart.
The risk of distancing oneself from comic book source material is that it can feel disingenuous or even disdainful toward the original works. It gives fans the impression of a franchisetrying to profit off of a recognizable namewhile casting aspersions on the art that made it famous. Given the considerable history behind these characters, there is a legitimate argument for characters like Batman and Superman as occupants of a higher level of fictional presence. They’re massive cultural figures, and the worlds they inhabit should be explored in many different ways.
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Streaming On
HBO Max
The Penguinfollows Oz Cobb, a mid-level criminal desperately working overtime to secure himself a position of respect in Gotham’s underworld. The character emerged duringMatt Reeves’The Batman, where his role was bizarre. The events of that film saw the people above Oz’s station receive a substantial shakeup. Oz starts this series in the midst of a transfer of power, dealing with the fallout from the Riddler’s killing spree and bombing rampage. The show is, broadly, quite realistic. It follows grounded characters at every level of Gotham’s darkest corners. The two central characters, Oz Cobb and Sofia Falcone, occupy the highest highs and the lowest lows. It’s a wonderful deep dive into a topic that felt lively andopen inThe Batman.
IsThe Penguinpulp fiction?
Pulp magazines emerged in the late 19th century and remained popular until the midpoint of the 20th. They covered a wide variety of tones and genres, but the medium is generally tied back to its most lurid subject matter. Gangster, crime, and detective stories were far from the only options, but they generally stand out.The Penguindefinitely has a lot in common with the standard pulp magazine story. It’s most comparable to pulp noir, a genre more common in visual mediums.Oz has a lot in commonwith the one-man-army style of hero that emerges from most pulp noir stories. That connection helpsThe Penguinstand apart from comic book adaptations, but it also helps it remain distinct from other prestige crime dramas.
How doesThe Penguinstand out?
The go-to comparison forThe Penguinrightnow isThe Sopranos. None of the creators have made a habit of mentioning HBO’s most popular gangster show, but commentators connect the two all the time. The comparison makes sense. Both shows explore the criminal underworld through the lens of a mid-level mafia thug fixated with an old-fashioned view of their own life of crime. There are plenty of accurate points of connection, though some seemingly obvious examples, like Oz’s mom, actually come from the comics. WatchingThe Sopranoswould actually be a great way to putThe Penguininto perspective. It’s a show whose events begin with a masked serial killer called the Riddler bombing a seawall to flood the city.
The Penguin Stays True to its Source While Charting a Fresh Path
Like mostBatmanstories, there is a limit to exactly how grounded they can get. It’s still a show about a heightened world of crime and chaos. It doesn’t quite reach thelevel of comic book superheroes, but it feels right at home in a pulp magazine. One of the key elements of pulp magazines was their length. They were short, straightforward stories that were at their best when they delivered non-stop lurid action. Oz’s journey is just that—a non-stop sprint through the life of a man who can talk his way into or out of anything. There’s no double-life here. Oz’s story is not subtle. It’s lurid, grim, and endlessly dark. It escapescomparisons toThe Sopranosby leaning past realism and into the realm of classic crime fiction.
Pulp fiction is one of many references that fit comfortably intoThe Penguin.The French Connection,Scarface, anddecades ofBatmancomicswork together to provide the backing for this series. Pulp stories were, in many ways, predecessors to superhero comics. Though no superheroes appear inThe Penguin, it’s still steeped in the same kind of mythology that enables them to exist. That dash of heightened reality allowsThe Penguinto outgrow comparisons to the most and least serious examples of the genre.
The Penguin
Cast
Created by Lauren LeFranc and starring Colin Farrell, The Penguin builds on 2022’s The Batman. The Max series chronicles the eponymous villain’s attempt to reach Gotham’s criminal peak, rising through the underworld in the middle of a power struggle.
