This is not a deep character examination of Penguin. We don't learn anything new about him, nor is there some fresh take on what we do know. But it's a fun story that makes us want to root for Oswald all the way through. Read Full Review

It's a hard-boiled Gotham crime thriller that shows just how compelling one of Batman's most underrated villains can be. Read Full Review

Camuncoli and Smith deliver some beautifully detailed and visually engaging art throughout the story. They brilliantly capture the characters and the city. Read Full Review

For those of you who want a gritty Gotham comeback, this one's for you. Read Full Review

Batman: One Bad Day - Penguin #1, as with the previous "One Bad Day" issues, appears to have nothing to do with the "One Bad Day" concept. However, Penguin's quest to regain his former glory in a villainous version of a hero's journey has a surprising amount of heart and wit. Ignore the title, but enjoy the story. Read Full Review

One Bad Day has been a fun close-up on some of Batmans antagonists. Each one has had its own fingerprint. Ridley is wise to give the Penguin some momentum throughout an extended spotlight. It really SHOULD have been a mini-series at least, though. Ridley makes a strong case for Penguin as the protagonist of his own series, starting from the bottom and working his way up, but hes already come quite a ways between two covers, and it would feel strange trying to lift him up from where he is now at the end of this issue. Read Full Review

A fun take on the trading-a-paper-clip-for-a-car viral events of yesteryear, Ridley's script is a powerful look at how one of Gotham's villain came to be. Read Full Review

It's not every day you can get a story focused nearly exclusively on a villain like Penguin, but the One Bad Dayformat allows for it. Batman: One Bad Day The Penguin explores Penguin in a new way while showing that determination and a little luck can go a long way. Read Full Review

Batman: One Bad DayPenguin #1 is really a story about Oswald Cobblepot finding true friendship, more than it is about Penguin regaining his criminal empire. He doesnt fit in with society because of his looks, and he wants to be around people who will accept him, warts and all. It shows the Penguin in a sympathetic light, and many readers may be to relate to this aspect of his story. Overall, it was a good spotlight on this classic Batman villain and expanded upon the Penguins character in a fresh, new way. Read Full Review

Batman: One Bad Day: Penguin #1 is an effective and fun crime thriller that sees Penguin reclaim his empire. It's deep, thoughtful, and littered with heart. Read Full Review

I ultimately don't think this book can reach the heights it's aiming for and it's a shame, because those are some admirable heights. There's a fantastic premise here that gets a little lost in itself so whether you dislike it for its character decisions or simply because Ridley's worldbuilding is so-so, you're reading a comic that isn't quite what it wants to be. However, I think there are enough moments in this book to give it some credit for trying. Read Full Review

So far these One Bad Day specials have been bland and not worth their costly price. But surprisingly this one is an exception. It's definitely the best story featuring Penguin I've read in some time, that's for sure. I also liked seeing the character more as he should be and not based on Danny DeVito's portrayal.
This wasn't the first time, nor will it be the last that Penguin has had to rebuild his empire, but it was still very well told, with fine art as well. Though I doubt unless it's written by Ridley that we likely won't be seeing this new inner circle he's built for his newly refurbished empire.
Batman had little to do with the story, but it's obvious he let Penguin go in the middle of the story because even though if he succeeded in reclaiming his organization, at least Batman would be up against an enemy he was more familiar with, making it easier to prevent his crimes.
I'm still skeptical about the rest of these specials, especially since modern one-shot specials don't amount to much anymore outside costing more than they're worth, but this was a rare exception. A very fine story. more

I really liked the flow of this story, and I really liked the premise. The ending is hokey as all hell, and kind of detracts, but aside from that, I really liked this one.

it was not bad. It was pretty fun to be honest. Always thought penguin was a joke, not anymore

one mid day

This was hot garbage. There was honestly so much wrong with this story it would take way too long to list it all. The only reason this story gets a half point is because the art wasn't completely horrendous. The writing was atrocious, when the story wasn't bland it was just plain ridiculous, and the art was lazy and just plain not good enough, which is disappointing because I've loved some of Camuncoli's other work, especially Green Valley. There's more I could say, but I wasted enough time reading this that I don't want to waste any more reviewing it.