Batman #27 - Story 1
December 13, 1944
"The Penguin's Apprentice"
This is looking to be a fun issue of the comic. First, we have our Dynamic Duo on the front cover with Santa Claus, which suggests we'll get a Christmas story. Plus, there's a new installment of the adventures of Alfred. Finally, when you open the issue, the first story is a Penguin story! I never thought I'd see the day where I prefer the Penguin over the Joker, but he's a much more interesting character here in the Golden Age of comics. And this is a literary story according to the splash page. Let's get into it.
The story opens on a Sunday morning in Gotham City as Bruce and Dick are walking the streets. It begs the question, just where is their home? I'm guessing they are not 14 miles outside the city. We know they do not live in a manor, but just a house, but it is big enough of a property that they are able to have a barn some distance away that a plane can roll out from under it and take off without any neighbors being the wiser? Something to ponder on a Sunday morning.
But they are quickly called to action when it appears the Penguin and a 17 year old are stealing odd items from people on the street - a feather and a handkerchief. We learn that the Penguin has taken on an apprentice, the son of a career criminal. But the young man wants to be a writer.
Penguin catches him writing a book about the Penguin. He's impressed with the boy's writing style and the way he captured his exploits. He takes the book to a publisher, disguised as a literary agent, but is turned down as Bruce Wayne sits on and watches. Bruce realizes it's the Penguin after he leaves saying he will publish the book himself as he knows where to get a supply of paper. (Remember, paper is scarce during the war.)
Batman and Robin try to stop the robbery and are caught in the process. Penguin returns them to his hideout, "Penguin Manor". There, he and his apprentice get into an argument about the book. The kid looks at it as art and Penguin looks at it as a how-to guide for other criminals of the underworld that he can make a fortune from. Batman points out the book is useless as the underworld knows that he foiled every one of Penguin's schemes.
Batman though, in a moment of madness, agrees to endorse the book. He is given a pen to write out the endorsement and converts it into a small slingshot which he uses to take out his guard. Once freed, Batman and Robin track down Penguin to the counterfeiter he planned to use to publish the book. Penguin is captured and the book is published, but as the young man intended. Since he never wanted to be a criminal, no charges are given to him.
