A great rendition by the late master…
I like checking out the late Neal Adams’ old commissions because it’s in there where you’ll find characters he never much worked with in stories, but make you pause when you consider the possibilities.
Batgirl is a good example. So is Hawkman.
This time, it’s one of Batman’s great nemeses, the Penguin. Not a grotesque Danny DeVito-inspired version that most artists these days seem to prefer. No, we’re talking the classic Man of 1,000 Umbrellas.
Dig these illos colored by Tim Shinn and posted online by Adams’ widow Marilyn:
When Adams was a Bat-title regular in the early ’70s, the Penguin was on the shelf. So seeing these, and imagining what Adams could have done with one of the Masked Manhunter’s greatest adversaries, is a treat.
Would have loved more!
—
MORE
— If Only NEAL ADAMS Had Drawn More BATGIRL. Click here.
— Dig This Groovy — and Offbeat — NEAL ADAMS HAWKMAN Painting. Click here.
May 16, 2026
WAUGH! WAUGH!!
I have such a soft spot for the much more “Burgess Meredith” (original) version of ol’ Pengie & it’s really a delight to see Neal’s rendition of that take on the character!
May 16, 2026
Meredith was spot on perfect casting. Just one example of how comic book accurate the show was in its day. Still my favorite LIVE take.
May 16, 2026
I feel so fortunate that I grew up in a time when Batman and characters were still reminiscent of the models drawn by Neal Adams, as well as having the 1966 tv series being the most well known live action version of the characters.
I wasn’t 100% thrilled with many of the choices made in the 1989 Batman. But it was upon seeing Batman Returns, that I really took issue with the liberties taken with penguin. Not even remotely the same character as his comic beginnings.
May 17, 2026
Judging from these images, I don’t think Neal Adams brought anything new or distinctive to the Penguin, in the way that he did to the Joker back in the 1970s. There might be nostalgia value in seeing the old Golden Age Penguin drawn by Adams, but it doesn’t solve the problem with the classic version of the character: he’d become an outdated gimmick villain. Burgess Meredith did so perfect a job capturing the Golden Age version of the character that there wasn’t much left to add, revert to, or improve upon (unlike the Joker). So Batman Returns made a justfiable choice in trying to find a new approach to the character, as did the ’90s comics. Even Batman: The Animated Series had trouble with the character.
May 18, 2026
@revelator60 – i’m pretty sure I recall Bruce Timm saying that they were mandated to have their version of the Penguin resemble the Danny DeVito version from the movie. Even though they made the voice in personality seem more like a classic interpretation of the character. But once they got the chance to redesign all their characters, they scrapped the deformed Tim Burton-style Penguin and went totally classic and refined.
May 18, 2026
I’m a huge fan of the Pudgy Purveyor of Perfidy, but I admit he can be a tough villain for some people to enjoy, as he seems so silly a character. I brought this up years ago with another comics site and got this response:
https://comicsalliance.com/ask-chris-170-the-penguin-batman-dc/