The Penguin might be one of the most terrifying villains in Gotham, but there’s one villain that scares even him. Oswald Cobblepot is out to rebuild his criminal empire and he’s been absolutely ruthless in doing so. But one person is so frightening that they even manage to give Gotham’s notorious crime boss pause.
In a preview for The Penguin #4 by Tom King and Rafael de Latorre, Oswald Cobblepot, going by his assumed identity, is traveling by plane and drinking to calm his nerves. While contemplating the next phase of his plan, the Penguin glumly states “She’s going to kill me”.
Penguin and his assistant the Help, check on the members of Cobblepot’s new crew, the Force of July. Everyone is staked out in key positions and ready to go at Penguin’s say so. But even the Penguin’s assistant the Help notices how apprehensive his boss is as Cobblepot looks at his target: Lisa St. Claire’s casino.
The Penguin is Scared to Death of Lisa St. Claire
In a bid to frame Batman and start a new life, the Penguin faked his death and moved to Metropolis. However, it wasn’t long before the United States government found him and turned him into a controlled asset. Cobblepot was ordered to return to Gotham and resume his duties as its number one kingpin. Knowing he can’t do it alone, Penguin began assembling a crew to help him and, in true Cobblepot fashion, used deceit, bribery, and murder to gather his new team consisting of the Help and the former superheroes, the Force of July.
Penguin has never been shy about using evil methods to get what he wants and rarely does he show fear. But this Lisa St. Claire has him sweating bullets, something that even Batman doesn’t bring out of Cobblepot. It should be noted that while the solicitation for the issue namedrops Lisa St. Claire, the only DC character with that name was the star of the story “The Life and Loves of Lisa St. Claire” in DC Comics’ romance title, Young Love. While that version of Lisa was merely the protagonist of a love story, this new version of Lisa has Penguin shaking in his boots.
Lisa St. Claire Must Be an Absolute Monster
Gotham has a lot of sinister villains, few more evil than the Penguin. But while Cobblepot is no stranger to torturing or killing people, even he has his own fears. What Lisa St. Claire is capable of or why Oswald would fear her is unknown. But it has to be pretty bad if it makes Oswald think twice about this plan. While he’s not exactly thrilled to be working for the government, he’s had no trouble so far on his quest. But the Penguin’s latest roadblock is showing that even the worst criminal in Gotham fears something.
The Penguin #4 is on sale November 28th from DC Comics.
