The Penguin Club

Just in time for the release of the Batman Heroclix set is the legitimate business front for a certain bird enthusiast villian's criminal empire. 

By Craig Dylke
For details on how to acquire a copy of this map click here.
Contact me about custom Heroclix maps at 3dfossil@gmail.com

As my favourite incarnation of Batman is the 90's cartoons, I've heavily modelled my map on the style of that show. 

I'll take you on a quick tour:

By Craig Dylke
Contact me about custom Heroclix maps at 3dfossil@gmail.com

1. Taking centre stage (pun definitely intended :P) is the iceberg stage. 
2. Bar space for the unsuspecting patrons to enjoy the venue, or areas for intruding vigilantes to hide...
3. Multiple Bars complete the lounge feel
4. Washrooms for guests to relieve themselves, or heroes to change into their alter-egos should trouble break out.
5. Fully functional kitchen
6. The "Club" store, full of all manner of (outrageously marked up) merchandise.
7. The Bird Enthusiast's personal loft office overlooking the operation
8. The criminal backroom
9. The private auditorium for auctioning discrete (but not fenced or illegal) goods..

 I had to include the gift shop, as it is one of my favourite moments from the comics. A certain Question Marked Villian and the Bird Enthusiast both reflect on being reformed members of society. Bird Enthusiast notes how charging $20 per T-Shirt was a far worse robbery than any he'd pulled as a super villian.

That left me with one clear line of merchandise, but what else could I include in a shop? Cups, darts, and the like are often sold in real bars, but I wanted something to would clearly show up on the map. The obvious answer was stuffed Penguins.

The other is the criminal backroom. Here I've included a vault, table for counting the money (which I'll have to crank the rendering up higher to see the full detail on... as there are currencies from multiple countries flowing through the "business"). I also had to include an area for Bird Enthusiast's umbrella arsenal.

Bat-Penguin

Given my science illustration hobby, attention to detail is really important in my art. That can lead to funny diversions in my Heroclix maps.

On my current map project, the Iceberg Lounge, I've gotten to one of my favourite areas of the lounge from comic's continuity. The lounge's gift shop. During Paul Dinni's run on Detective Comics the Penguin and Riddler discuss their recent reform, and how they've both making a dishonest living off honest livings. The Penguin points out the criminal rates he can sell Lounge T-Shirt for a horrendous mark up.

Not only do I love this bit, but it tells me there is a definite shirt vending locality in the Iceberg Lounge. However what else could a merchandise store sell that would be interesting from a map point of view?

Easy! Stuffed Penguins!

In addition to a normal Penguin, I thought a second variant of the Penguin dressed up as the Batman would be funny on a few fronts.