Review: Detective Comics Vol. 3- Emperor Penguin

Quick Summary

Pros: Criminals are written well and add a lot to the story. The Penguin storyline is interesting and has plenty of potential to pay off in the future. The inclusion of the Bat-family and detective work is entertaining. Almost all of the artwork looks beautiful.

Cons: The Joker storyline is a bit predictable.

Overall: This collection tells an entertaining story on its own while also building up an even larger narrative in the background. Villains are handled well, the mystery keeps you hooked, and Batman is as cool as ever. Any negatives found here are overwhelmed by the positives in what ends up being a great quality book. Pick this one up if you’re interested in seeing the start of a solid new Batman adventure.

Story

Detective Comics Vol. 3: Emperor Penguin, by John Layman, follows in the footsteps of its predecessors by placing a focus on the pieces of Batman readers don’t get to see quite as often. This includes a clever examination of Gotham City’s criminals, organic appearances from other members of the Bat-family, and a look into the detective skills possessed by the Dark Knight. This volume even ups the ante by introducing an incredibly interesting background storyline that has a lot of potential to pay off in the next volume. The only real problem is that the Joker storyline is somewhat predictable and is eclipsed by all the other great material.

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About half of this volume is dedicated to Batman’s investigation into the “League of Smiles”. Though a lackluster and predictable mystery prevents this from being as fun as some of this collection’s other stories, it is still an entertaining read. The storytelling is still great and the emphasis on the Joker’s influences proves to be really interesting. The end result is an average quality storyline.

The other half of the volume follows the rise of the new “Emperor Penguin” who is set to usurp Oswald Cobblepot’s criminal empire. This storyline is incredibly interesting and gives a great level of character development to a villain who has plenty of potential. Emperor Penguin’s natural affinity for mob politics makes him a sizable threat and creates a number of exciting situations. It is also very satisfying to witness Cobblepot’s fall from glory, especially after his recent actions. Though this arc is mostly confined to the background, it is well written and left me incredibly excited for the next volume.

The portions of the book not following the Joker or the Penguin are able to give brief takes on other Gotham City villains. This leads to solid Clayface and Zsasz storylines and a fantastic Poison Ivy story. These shorter stories provide tension or action when necessary and also help break up some of the larger narratives.

It is also worth noting how well this volume is able to depict some smaller aspects of Batman’s life. Banter with the Bat-family and actual detective work are often lacking in modern Batman tales, which tend to focus on over-the-top action instead. This makes seeing it included here more satisfying and also helps make this volume a bit more unique. It is a subtle change but one that I appreciated.

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Art

The majority of this collection is drawn by Jason Fabok, whose gruff realism is the prefect complement to the dark streets of Gotham City. Fabok puts plenty of detail into this book whether drawing characters or backgrounds. This is especially noticeable when characters like Clayface and Poison Ivy are on the scene, characters who benefit greatly from additional detail and care. Overall, this is a great looking book.

In addition, Emperor Penguin contains a few backup stories drawn by Andy Clarke. Though Clarke’s work is not quite as beautifully detailed, it still contains the dark sense of gritty realism that these stories require. Clarke’s work also helps differentiate these backup stories and helps set them apart from the main event.

Continuity

Detective Comics Vol. 3: Emperor Penguin continues the story started in Detective Comics Vol. 2: Scare Tactics (Review).

The story here continues in Detective Comics Vol. 4: The Wrath (Review).

This volume also makes a references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Damian mentions Joker’s recent attack on the GCPD. This attack happened at the very beginning of Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (Review).
  • A majority of this volume ends up being affected by Joker’s actions in Death of the Family (Review).
• Poison Ivy’s history with the Birds of Prey is brought up. She joined the team in Birds of Prey Vol. 1: Trouble in Mind (Review) and left it in Birds of Prey Vol. 2: Your Kiss Might Kill (Review).
• In this book’s final chapter, Batman mentions something happening to his son. This is a reference to Batman Incorporated Vol. 2: Gotham’s Most Wanted.