Batman #58 Review

Writer: Tom King/Artist: Mikel Janín/DC Comics Issue #58 of Batman calls up another of the Caped Crusader’s legendary foes for an update. Mikel Janín is back on the art for this issue, and presumably the rest of this arc, after a run with Tony S. Daniels. The return is a welcome one. The last we saw Batman, he was maybe leaving someone to freeze to death. To switch gears, issue #58 takes place from the perspective of an entirely different character, in true King fashion. This time around, Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin, is getting the royal (pun intended) treatment in a story arc called “The Tyrant Wing.” The issue opens with Penguin being told that the love of his life has been slain. This prompts him to spiral into an emotional tailspin. It’s not clear how he decided to take out his frustrations, but Penguin crossed paths with Batman and things end up as you’d expect — a trip through the revolving door of the Arkham Asylum. The only difference this time around is that his visit has a purpose, to meet with Bane.

It was revealed in issue #50 that Bane has been pulling the strings in Batman’s life for the entirety of this run of stories. Revealing Penguin to be yet another piece in this puzzle proves that King was thinking about the big picture from the first pages of this 100-issue story. Bravo. This just makes it more exciting to see where things will go over the next 40-plus issues. Another component that should be praised is King’s acknowledgment that we don’t have …