RustyCage
Come what may..
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So, I just finally got 'round to reading Penguin: Pain and Prejudice. I have to say, I'm decently floored by how good it is.
I was wondering two things:
1) Does anyone know if they're planning a Hardcover release of this?
Because it deserves it, and I would buy it.
2) What are some other Penguin stories you'd recommend?
Personally, I'd recommend Joker's Asylum: Penguin, but I think that's included with the Paperback collection of PAP.
My two cents on Pain and Prejudice:
And now, a pair of textless covers for your enjoyment.
I have these two in larger sizes if anybody would like them.
Pain and Prejudice #1:
Joker's Asylum - Penguin:
I was wondering two things:
1) Does anyone know if they're planning a Hardcover release of this?
Because it deserves it, and I would buy it.
2) What are some other Penguin stories you'd recommend?
Personally, I'd recommend Joker's Asylum: Penguin, but I think that's included with the Paperback collection of PAP.
My two cents on Pain and Prejudice:
I have a couple of nitpicks, such as the beheading early on being a bit of a corny and obvious 'shock factor' grab, and there are a few unnecessary 'BAM! KABLOOSH!' bits that take away from action panels that are more effective without them.
It feels like the climax could have done with more growth, but the story is still told, both deeply and engagingly.
The moral of the story is that the Penguin's own doing left him all alone. He did everything to be powerful, but he could never have an honest companionship .. because he didn't trust anyone to love him. Everything that he resented not having he, sadly, wound up pushing away out of his own paranoia and hatred. His existence is a sullen irony.
Tragic end of it is, despite all he lost to this behavior, and even though he's visibly sorrowed for a moment by the result of it, he doesn't fully acknowledge or respect it, and continues on as he was. The lesson is lost on him. All he sees is red.
The art wowed me. Penguin was portrayed more perfectly and poignantly than probably any other portrayal of a Batman villain that I'm witness to, and a lot of the set pieces oozed with their own personality and story. I particularly appreciated the page with Oswald's mother's funeral. There are autumn leaves drifting down the black patches of the page, framing the atmosphere. They use shadows and 'the little things' with a sense of poetry.
Not always the best visual depiction of Batman, though. There are a few awesome panels that evoke a bit of Tim Sale (but do it arguably better, if you ask me - not sure if that's blasphemy), but most of it, while not bad, isn't as impressive. Either way, they capture all the appropriate elements of him they needed to tell the story.
The artist cycled through several different chest emblems through the book, which was a fun distraction. The Nolan-style emblem makes an appearance in one or two panels, which brought me a smile. I love nods like that. Funny enough, even though he was chest-branded as Nolan's Batman, I mostly caught myself reading his lines with Michael Keaton's voice in my head rather than Christian Bale's. The attitude of his lines just felt more like Keaton's Batman than any other version.
If I had to whip up a number to score this book, I'd give it a 9.8. Ounces away from perfection.
It's short (5 issues), but it's so dense with thought-provoking content and emotional perspective that it feels like you've spent considerable time on it, experienced a lot, by the time you're through. The art is rendered with a care that reflects and expands this.
Thumbs way up.
It feels like the climax could have done with more growth, but the story is still told, both deeply and engagingly.
The moral of the story is that the Penguin's own doing left him all alone. He did everything to be powerful, but he could never have an honest companionship .. because he didn't trust anyone to love him. Everything that he resented not having he, sadly, wound up pushing away out of his own paranoia and hatred. His existence is a sullen irony.
Tragic end of it is, despite all he lost to this behavior, and even though he's visibly sorrowed for a moment by the result of it, he doesn't fully acknowledge or respect it, and continues on as he was. The lesson is lost on him. All he sees is red.
The art wowed me. Penguin was portrayed more perfectly and poignantly than probably any other portrayal of a Batman villain that I'm witness to, and a lot of the set pieces oozed with their own personality and story. I particularly appreciated the page with Oswald's mother's funeral. There are autumn leaves drifting down the black patches of the page, framing the atmosphere. They use shadows and 'the little things' with a sense of poetry.
Not always the best visual depiction of Batman, though. There are a few awesome panels that evoke a bit of Tim Sale (but do it arguably better, if you ask me - not sure if that's blasphemy), but most of it, while not bad, isn't as impressive. Either way, they capture all the appropriate elements of him they needed to tell the story.
The artist cycled through several different chest emblems through the book, which was a fun distraction. The Nolan-style emblem makes an appearance in one or two panels, which brought me a smile. I love nods like that. Funny enough, even though he was chest-branded as Nolan's Batman, I mostly caught myself reading his lines with Michael Keaton's voice in my head rather than Christian Bale's. The attitude of his lines just felt more like Keaton's Batman than any other version.
If I had to whip up a number to score this book, I'd give it a 9.8. Ounces away from perfection.
It's short (5 issues), but it's so dense with thought-provoking content and emotional perspective that it feels like you've spent considerable time on it, experienced a lot, by the time you're through. The art is rendered with a care that reflects and expands this.
Thumbs way up.
And now, a pair of textless covers for your enjoyment.
I have these two in larger sizes if anybody would like them.
Pain and Prejudice #1:
Joker's Asylum - Penguin:
Last edited:
t:
I think it is on par with the likes of comic books such as the Killing Joke. Do you know any other good stories, Joker? I've been reading a lot of good Penguin stories lately.
