This issue is exactly what I wanted it to be.
First, Layman firmly establishes Emperor Penguin as a permanent member of Batman's rogues' gallery, capping off an amazing origin arc. Oglivy proves that he's prepared for every eventuality, including (actually, particularly) his climatic fight with Batman. In fact, we learn that the whole point of his rise to power was specifically to fight Batman, to prove that he wasn't a nobody. As such, he has brought the full brunt of his attention to the task, using the Man-Bat serum to make him agile, Venom drug to make him strong, and Poison Ivy's chemicals to make him invulnerable. It all leads to Batman being genuinely surprised, something that we don't often see happen but feels totally organic. It's just so well executed, both in terms of the plan and the writing, that you believe that it's legitimately something Batman didn't predict. Both Layman and Oglivy really took their time getting us here and it shows.
Why Oglivy developed the plan in the first place is a brilliant touch of characterization on Layman's part, presenting him as Bruce Wayne through the glass, darkly. His father labored in obscurity as a low-level thug until he wound up getting killed (along with Oglivy's mother) as players higher up the food chain moved pieces around the board. Oglivy's father told him not to rock the boat after he erroneously got blamed (and lost two fingers) for betraying the boss, but Oglivy, in his own words, decided not only to rock the boat, but to own it. Now, he finds himself the "boss" in Blackgate Prison and you wonder if he hadn't been planning on exactly that all along.
Interesting enough, Penguin himself is essentially reduced to collateral damage. Although he plays an important role in springing Batman, he's pretty much a background figure for most of this issue, regaining control of his kingdom essentially because Oglivy didn't want it anymore (having already proved his point). But, Layman's decision to have the Penguin fade into the background was brilliant. He's playing off someone else's script here, having inherited an assertively public Penguin from Daniel, but he makes you feel like he had been planning this resolution since the first issue of the re-boot. After the events of the last few issues, it makes sense that Penguin decided that, in fact, he shouldn't rock the boat and instead return to the shadows.
All in all, it's a really masterful conclusion to this part of Emperor Penguin's story and, to my mind, establishes this series as the pre-eminent Batman comic of the moment.
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