Unmasking the Shadows: The Comic Origins of Gotham's Gangs in 'The Penguin'

The latest episode of The Penguin, titled Gold Summit, showcases Oz Cobb, portrayed by the ever-charismatic Colin Farrell, as he makes what might be his most audacious move yet. He’s not just running a thriving drug operation alongside Bliss – oh no, my dear friends – he’s practically giving Salvatore Maroni and Sofia Gigante a run for their money, or at least their crime territory. Imagine the audacity! It’s like watching a dance-off and realizing one of the contestants is doing the moonwalk while the others are still just trying to remember the steps.

But wait! The real masterstroke comes when Sofia takes matters into her own hands by executing Oz’s Bliss dealers. How very *dramatic*! In a move worthy of Shakespearean intrigue, Oz gathers the fragmented gangs of Gotham and offers them a tantalizing invitation to his shiny new crime empire. It's like planning a fabulous dinner party and then realizing you didn't send out any invitations—except these invitations come with a side of potential betrayal. He’s luring them in like a cat with a particularly shiny toy, all while cleverly positioning himself against the looming threats of the Maroni and Falcone families. Talk about an ambitious social arrangement!

This episode doesn’t just bring the drama, it also rolls out some familiar faces from the Batman comics. You see, The Penguin has been practicing subtlety like a master painter—drawing inspiration from the palette of Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory, curated by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. The gangs Oz assembles, filled with characters whose backgrounds read like a who’s who of modern comic lore, are reminders that Gotham’s underbelly has always been a rich vein for storytelling. It’s as if Oz is holding a casting call for the most colorful rogues, promising their time in the spotlight.

Among the eclectic crew is The Low Boyz, led by the fierce Billie Peña. Alongside them lurks the Odessa Mob, flaunting their Ukrainian roots under the leadership of Fedor Laskin and Vasily Kosov. Now, let us take a little stroll down memory lane, shall we? Both gangs entered the scene during the infamous No Man’s Land storyline—an earthquake rattled Gotham to its core, literally and metaphorically, leaving it in the hands of thieves and vagabonds. Picture Commissioner Jim Gordon shaking his head like a beleaguered father trying to reason with a rowdy teenage party after it has gone too far. The tension could be cut with a knife, or at least a well-placed batarang.

We’ve already seen The Penguin allude to No Man's Land, but don't think this is the first time the Low Boyz have pirouetted into a Batman TV series. They made quite the splash in Gotham, which took a wonderfully fresh approach to the same narrative. Other gangs, such as the infamous Triads—which Oz and Sofia tried to broker a deal with—are lurking in the shadows, along with the Sullivan family, whose patriarch, Donald "Donny Boy" Sullivan, evokes a certain mobster charm that could put even a block of tofu to shame.

The Sullivans, who featured prominently in The Long Halloween, weren’t just casual acquaintances at the crime family picnic; they were well-established pals of the Falcones. But when you start talking about falling, let’s just say they took the plunge headfirst when Batman, Gordon, and Harvey Dent decided to shutter Falcone's empire. And spoiler alert: their fate became a little too grim when the Holiday Killer showed up with a personal grudge. But fear not, for in a shocking twist, our hero Oz has already done us the favor of dispatching Alberto, sparing the Sullivans from their theatrical demise…at least for now.

As we venture further into Gold Summit, we meet the Crowns, helmed by the enigmatic Able Crown and his brother Charles. Just like Oz and his strategist Victor, they call the impoverished Crown Point home—yet another dose of melancholy in Gotham's landscape. If you think their presence heralds safety, think again. In Batman: War Games, Stephanie Brown uncovers an ambitious plan of Batman’s that involved uniting Gotham's criminal factions only to see it backfire spectacularly. It turned out to be the social equivalent of a potluck where everyone showed up with potato salad and no one brought the chips. Chaos ensues! And in the end, Black Mask rises as Gotham’s formidable villain.

With only two more episodes left in this gripping series, the stakes are higher than ever, like a game of Jenga played at a bar after just one too many cocktails. Oz, wrapped in his criminal ambitions, will undoubtedly put his aspirations above all else—those gangs might see themselves as an empire, but Oz might just see them as stepping stones on his path to reign supreme. Stay tuned, dear viewers, because who knows what delightful whirlwind Gotham has in store?

New episodes of The Penguin air on HBO, streaming conveniently on Max every Sunday, recounting the volatile transformation of Oswald Cobblepot from a disfigured nobody into a notorious Gotham gangster. Because really, isn't that just the dream?