As Comic-Con reached the end of its first day, a panel for one of the most anticipated sequels of the year was going down. The Batman: Arkham City panel began with what we thought was the biggest news, Talia al Ghul being in the game, yet developer Rocksteady dropped a bomb on us by the meeting%26rsquo;s end. In a trailer meant to formally introduce us to the Penguin, we were stunned by the appearance of DC%26rsquo;s premiere homunculus, Solomon Grundy.
The video begins by introducing us to a more sinister Penguin than we%26rsquo;re accustomed to. For the past few years in the comic he%26rsquo;s been evil but mostly passing himself off as a legitimate businessman, not a guy who shoots cops in the backs in public. Though his Iceberg Lounge, filled with goons, looks lifted almost straight off the comic book page, however what was waiting beneath the floor was the real shocker.
Once Bats defeated Penguin%26rsquo;s goon squad, Penguin sent Batman beneath the club where he heard the familiar stanza, %26ldquo;Solomon Grundy, Born on a Monday%26hellip;%26rdquo; Familiar to comic fans and cartoon lovers who watched Justice League Unlimited or Super Friends, Solomon Grundy is the not so smart mega-zombie that%26rsquo;s been around for almost 70 years. A magic-based monster, Solomon is an undying plant elemental that often shifts personalities and power levels when defeated. His standard power set involves super strength, near-indestructability, and insane stamina. Batman has beaten him in the past, but not easily.
The inclusion of such a magic-based character crossing over into Batman%26rsquo;s Arkham world makes us wonder if other mystical DC heroes will appear, like Etrigan or everyone%26rsquo;s favorite witch, Zatana. We feel Zatana is even more likely because B:AC%26rsquo;s writer Paul Dini loves the character and has used her often in comics.
Jul 22, 2011
