Penguin (comics)
| The Penguin | |
|---|---|
Art by Brian Bolland
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics #58 (December 1941) |
| Created by | Bill Finger, Bob Kane |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot |
| Team affiliations |
Injustice League Iceberg Lounge Suicide Squad The Society Super Foes |
| Notable aliases | "The Gentleman Of Crime, The King of Gotham" |
| Abilities |
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The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly known as an adversary of the superhero Batman. Artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger introduced the character in Detective Comics #58 (December 1941). The Penguin is one of Batman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery.
The Penguin is depicted as being a short, portly, long-nosed man who uses specialized, high-tech umbrellas as weapons. A mobster and thief, he fancies himself as being a "gentleman of crime". The Penguin runs a nightclub called Iceberg Lounge, which provides a cover for criminal activity, and Batman sometimes uses the nightclub as a source of criminal underworld information. According to Kane, the character was inspired from the then advertising mascot of Kool cigarettes – a penguin with a top hat and cane. Finger thought the image of high-society gentlemen in tuxedos was reminiscent of emperor penguins.
Burgess Meredith portrayed the Penguin in the 1960s Batman television series and its movie. Danny DeVito played a darker, more grotesque version in the 1992 film Batman Returns. Subsequent Batman animated series featured him in depictions that alternated between deformed outcast and high-profile aristocrat, or a blend of the two. Robin Lord Taylor currently portrays a young Penguin in the television series Gotham. The Penguin has repeatedly been named one of the best Batman villains, and one of the greatest villains in comics and, paradoxically, has also been described by others as among the least convincing. Penguin was ranked #51 in IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time.
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