Batman: TAS, episode #20: I've Got Batman in My Basement

Despite the seemingly subversive title, this episode marks the first appearance by one of the oddest Batman villains ever known: The Penguin. I say "oddest" not because of the bizarre nature of his particular psychosis, like many of the others, but because of the lack of genuine threat inherent to his character. He's a squat guy in an outdated suit who likes birds. There doesn't seem to be anything that truly gives him an identity, other than the strange compilation of all of his identities; from the name Oswald Cobblepot, whose mother always made him wear a bow tie and carry an umbrella, to the attachment to birds of all kinds, which helps lead to his nickname, alongside the constant presence of the old-style tuxedo ("penguin suit." It's not exactly what you'd call menacing, like a homicidal clown. In fact, it's mostly comedic (unlike the clown.) But he was one of the original Batman opponents (created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1941) and has been among the most enduring; often cited by many as a member of the top 4, alongside The Joker, The Riddler, and Catwoman. Perhaps its because he doesn't share the psychoses of so many among his colleagues, but is instead a straight-up mobster and thief, lending an aura of straightforward crimefighting to the Darknight Detective's milieu? But, then, there are much more "normal" characters to use in that respect whom have nothing to with umbrella weapons...

It's worth noting that this version of The Penguin (voiced by Paul Williams) is a derivation of the Batman Returns appearance, who was cast as a sewer-dwelling mutant, obsessed with vengeance on the world that rejected him. He has the malformed hands, but lacks the dead white skin tone and the savagery of Danny DeVito's character. But most versions of the character throughout the decades have portrayed him as a normal human, albeit with an oddly-pointed nose, and perfectly sane; motivated strictly by profit. This episode does, however, lean on the "unappreciated genius" theme that often accompanies the character, wherein his nerdy nature led him to be persecuted as a child and which motivated him to show how much more successful he would be than those who bullied him. This is reflected in the other main character of the episode, aspiring detective Sherman Grant, who is more akin to the original version of Robin: a kid who wants to work alongside Gotham's greatest hero. In that way, the plot seems set up to be a "kids" episode and it is pretty standard superhero fare, but the story and pacing are simply structured better than, say, our previous outing. Or maybe it's just the oddity of The Penguin who seems more textured than someone like The Scarecrow?

Still, there's almost no way to escape the goofiness of the main villain (using a trained giant vulture, employing a thug named Raven, etc.) and the nature of the episode (boy detective hides ailing superhero in his basement) is straight out of the 50s era of comics. There's certainly a place for that and, again, it may be the version of good ol' Batman that a lot of people enjoy. But that's what The Penguin carries with him and it's perhaps why I've always questioned the basic nature of the character in the first place. This is aside from little details in this episode, like the precision of a thief like The Penguin being brought into question by the indelicate nature of his henchmen's entry to the jewel vault (They let the glass fall and break!) or the seemingly omniscient nature of one of Sherman's books, entitled "Crimes and Its Cases." We haven't even gotten to how The Batman may have been dying on this kid's basement sofa, but Sherman was determined to protect his own reputation and prevent his friend, Roberta, from summoning the police (and, presumably, an ambulance.)  But we come back to the relationship between children and their parents, which shadows The Penguin's typical origins, when Sherman delivers the classic response to his mother's inquiries about 'what are you doing down there?': "Nothing, mom." That was the young Oswald, developing his first poison gas gun for his umbrella. Also, there's no denying the great line from the Penguin: "... the beauty of this egg, for which we have scrambled."

Another deviation is the abandonment of our usual noir approach for the much more Encyclopedia Brown meets Batman theme. There is no real darkness here past The Batman's initial encounter with the world's most dangerous vulture; the tossing of which over the edge of a building leading to the result you could anticipate. Even the encounter in the warehouse, where the kids do almost as well as Robin in degenerating a situation that our hero was fully in control of (again, The Penguin does not present a feeling of danger), is basically a set piece of standard 50s superhero action, lacking the shadows and intrigue that often follow The Batman's adventures. Even the final fight between villain and hero has the former uttering the caveat: "Still a little dazed, are we?" that would explain why the master of hand-to-hand combat is struggling with the guy who waddles and carries an umbrella. Other mysteries such as electrified phone lines that are still not powerful enough to affect vultures about, as well. I will never be able to see The Penguin as anything but an (ahem) odd duck, but that doesn't mean that interesting stories can't be told with him. It just depends on where you're aiming.

Next time, we follow two relatively loathsome creatures, in Detective Bullock and Killer Croc in Vendetta.