DC Just Revived a Dead Batman Villain in a Surprising Way

When writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Jorge Jimenez took over as the creative team on DC Comics’ mainline Batman book they kicked things off with a bang, and a death. In their first issue, Batman #125, the pair seemingly killed off the longtime Batman villain The Penguin, and put the blame at the feet of none other than the Dark Knight himself. The larger plot of their series has moved on from this with Batman facing off against new villain Fail Safe, but playing out in the backup story of each issue has been a Catwoman story tied directly into Penguins demise, and now, his resurrection. 

In the backup story, featuring art by Belen Ortega, Catwoman has been tasked with finding the children of Oswald Cobblepot so that they might be present for the reading of his last will & testament. Batman #126 mostly wrapped this up, revelaing two surprise heirs but also noting that a bird sanctuary in Metropolis was to receive The Penguin’s entire fortune. This week’s issue, Batman #127, reveals that Catwoman put the pieces together and realized this bird sanctuary was a cover story, one that would allow Penguin to get a facelift and assume a new life. 

Living in Metropolis under the name Paul Meredith (a combination of Paul Williams, who voiced The Penguin in Batman: The Animated Series, and Burgess Meredith, who played the character in the Adam West Batman series), Penguin is now the owner of a flower shop, and sports a much shorter nose than readers may be used to seeing. 

“I just want peace,” Oswald, now featuring a blond hair cut, tells Selina. “I’m out. I’m not above begging, Catwoman. I don’t want to go back. Batman is an addiction all of us have…just let me finally break it..please?” As the scene concludes and Catwoman promise’s to keep his secret, Penguin’s endgame becomes clear: though he seems to genuinely want to be over with his life of crime, he’s hoping his kids can kill Batman and Catwoman for him.

You can find the full cover and solicitation for the next issue of the series below.

BATMAN #128
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(W) Chip Zdarsky (A) Leonardo Romero (A/CA) Jorge Jimenez
Failsafe has taken his family, his allies, and now his city…Broken and beaten, Batman retreats to the last place on Earth he can hide…but nothing can truly hide from Failsafe!
In the backup…Batman has prepared his mind for anything, or so he thought. We go back to his early days and a chilling case that led to…Failsafe!
In Shops: Oct 04, 2022
SRP: $4.99