Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman and Danny DeVito's Penguin Find Love in Comics
In a tale fit for DC's "Imaginary Story" branding, Gotham villains Penguin and Catwoman, inspired their Batman Returns performers Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer, have found love in a non-canon comic penned by DeVito himself. The story features a team-up of the two animal-themed foes on a journey to save the world from a global pandemic. The adventure brings them closer than ever before and the two share several intimate moments that will leave any Batman fan perplexed.
The story appears in DC's Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant, a 100-page anthology centered around some of Batman's most famous enemies. The short comic "Bird Cat Love" is written by Danny DeVito with art by Dan Mora. DeVito notably played Oswald Cobblepot, also known as the Penguin, in Tim Burton's Batman Returns, which also featured Catwoman, played by Michelle Pfeiffer.
"Bird Cat Love" embraces its non-canon status from the get-go, describing its setting as "Another time, another place." Before readers even have a chance to question this Penguin's notably soft demeanor, scenes depict Cobblepot and Selina Kyle cuddling and canoodling with one another in a shocking revelation. Even more surprisingly, the two have plans in motion to save the world. The story moves at a brisk pace as the duo venture the globe, hitting greedy corporations where it hurts and stealing vaccinations with plans to distribute them freely and equally in a bid to save humankind and the animal kingdom. All the while, Catwoman and Penguin lovingly work together, dancing and stealing kisses as they rob the elite blind.
While not a direct sequel to the series, DeVito seems largely inspired and draws from the aesthetics and whimsical storytelling of Tim Burton's Batman films. Though Catwoman's costume is closer to her comics incarnation, Penguin is drawn to resemble DeVito's take on Cobblepot, namely his long, scraggly hair, three-fingered gloves and giant feathery overcoat. He even eats fish raw in one scene, just like DeVito in Batman Returns. Ultimately, the story is a fun one-off that isn't meant to be taken seriously. But DeVito finds something new to work with by connecting the two villains over a shared love of animals. Add in a bit of commentary about the elites hoarding the world's wealth and profiting off of misery and the result is a unique story that has more to offer other than the shocking pair of Catwoman and Penguin's romantic escapades.
There have been plenty of non-canon comics that have such outlandish set-ups, they have to be read to be believed, such as DC's heroes crossing over with the Looney Tunes. But more often than not, they make for entertaining reads since the lack of canon allows writers to go in any direction they'd please. In that regard, having a Batman Returns-inspired tale where Danny DeVito's Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman fall for one another is the perfect hook that should draw in any curious comic fan.
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