Saturday, December 3, 2022

SUPER-VILLAIN YEARBOOK: THE PENGUIN 1941

What was the Penguin up to in 1941?

(Detective Comics v1 058) 'Untitled' **First Appearance**

Heeeey, it's the Penguin, the perennial second-tier Batman villain!


The Penguin really hits the ground running: he's already got his look and his suite of trick umbrellas, so all he really needs is his weird bird-obsession, which kicks in in 1942. 


As is frequently the case with a recurring villain, the Penguin's first outing is one of his most successful: he takes over a gang using his gift for planning crimes and then when Batman starts to butt in he frames him but good.


To really stick the landing, Penguin's men kidnap Batman while he's being transported to jail - Gotham's finest are convinced that he is a crook! The Penguin is getting ready to bump him off! 


Too bad for the Penguin that Robin shows up and the whole plan comes crashing down. Too bad for Batman and Robin that the Penguin actually manages to get away. The next story picks up where this one left off but that's in 1942 so I'll be telling you about it in like six months.

BODY COUNT: 2

END-OF-YEAR STATUS: At large.

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