Inside these pages, you’ll find the word “caper” used twice. Can I give the story a 6 out of 5? This was a blast. Penguin wants Bruce Wayne killed. Penguin makes arrangements to keep Batman busy so he can’t interfere with his plans. Bruce Wayne stays alive because he is being kept being busy as Batman. Bruce Wayne is not killed by Penguin. Nothing revolutionary, just kind of a fun, cyclical (?) plot device. Like Hurwitz did earlier this year, Layman is able to make Penguin feel like someone you really don’t want to mess with. Of all the major Rogues, I was never really fond of Penguin in the past but, under the right pen, this is starting to change for me. Dude can be terrifying. Maybe I’ve just been reading the wrong stuff. The cliffhanger worked for me because I absolutely love when Bruce is forced to deal with an attack AS Bruce. There was a bit of it in Snyder’s run in the main series and I’m interested to see how Layman deals with it next month. I enjoyed the back-up feature as well and how it offered another look into how Penguin’s plan played out. You just know it isn’t going to turn out well for this new arrival from the second he says “So this is Gotham”. Overall, a fun, competent debut that will definitely have me back next month. One nagging thing, though- I find myself really hoping that the villains prove to have something new to offer to the Batverse, some unique hook that can elevate them beyond just another group of assassins. Time will tell.