There have been a number of stories regarding how the Penguin became a power in the underworld of Gotham City. In some, Oswald Cobblepot is a thug with pretensions of being a high class man of wealth and taste. In others, he is the scion of an old money family, fallen into infamy. The Penguin #6 by Tom King and Stevan Subic spins a new story, where the Penguin starts out as a stool pigeon helping Batman.
The first chapter of “An Unimportant Man” is set during the first year of Batman’s vigil. At that time, Oswald Cobblepot was a bartender, employed in a private club run by gangster Carmine Falcone. His life was a miserable one, as he was abused by his boss and the criminals with whom he socialized. This pushed the future Penguin to reach out to Batman, offering him information on Falcone’s illegal activities.
Cobblepot proved good to his word, and Batman was able to use his tips. Still, the Dark Knight was suspicious of the young bartender and his reasons for helping him. However, Batman could not dispute his claims of being an orphan with no goals beyond caring for a sick foster mother.
Batman Financed Penguin’s Rise to Power
Several months later, Falcone became determined to bring down Batman at any cost. This worried Cobblepot, who feared what would become of him and his mother once Falcone was brought to justice. He pointed out that he could still be helpful to Batman, but not as an unemployed bartender.
This leads to a devil’s bargain, with Batman giving Penguin the money to buy Falcone’s club. That nest egg allows Cobblepot to set himself up as Gotham’s premiere fixer, with the understanding he’ll continue feeding information to Batman. This new history reconciles the most popular origin stories for Oswald Cobblepot, while giving him deeper ties to the gangsters that once ran Gotham City.
The Penguin #6 is now available in comic shops everywhere.
