The Batman will likely go down as the biggest superhero movie from Warner Bros in 2022, with the dark thriller introducing new iterations of classic heroes and villains. Perhaps no character was as radically altered as Paul Dano’s The Riddler, who traded in his question mark-laden costume for a leather-bound outfit that made Eddie Nashton look closer to the Zodiac Killer than any previous iteration of the master of riddles. With the actor who portrayed the Riddler coming on board to write his character’s origin, does The Riddler: Year One live up to expectations despite this being the actor’s first work in comics?
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To start, it’s clear Dano has spent a lot of time thinking about Eddie Nashton’s motivations, his life up until the events of the film, as well as the dire circumstances in Gotham City that would push a man to become an icon of terror. The Riddler’s back story doesn’t start from his unfortunate circumstances as a dark reflection of Bruce Wayne, in that he too was an orphan without millions of dollars and a butler to rely upon, instead, Nashton is working a corporate day job in which his accolades are taken by management and Eddie is unable to push back against this abuse. Dano as a writer also has a clear understanding of story structure, using the layout of the panels to explore the Riddler’s twisted mind from this latest vision of Gotham City. There’s a stylized combination of first-person narration along with pages of Riddler’s journal that work symbiotically with one another to paint a twisted picture.
With the story told from Eddie’s perspective, readers are able to see how his online activities radicalized him, while his mental health issues are also being laid to bare thanks to Dano and Subic using the landscape of entire pages to present an unorthodox introduction to Nashton’s mind. Dano also does an effective job of showing how Eddie was able to discover the secret that hovered over the events of The Batman long before Bruce Wayne even knew there was a mystery to solve.
Dano and Subic work exceptionally well together, which is evident throughout this first issue, as the artwork is appropriately terrifying and disorienting for a character that has clearly been struggling with their mental health for many years. There are countless images in The Riddler: Year One that aren’t quite like anything else seen at DC Comics before and it’s in these unsettling panels that the miniseries really shines. Readers never quite feel like they have their footing, which works well in helping fans relate to what Nashton is experiencing daily.
Much like The Batman‘s real-life portrayal, this version of Gotham City is one that is oozing atmosphere along with a bleakness that forged this future villain. There’s a specific moment readers see The Riddler’s first interaction with the Dark Knight, wherein this issue takes the opportunity to imagine Batman as something other than human – making a conscious decision to not highlight the skin he leaves available for all to see on the lower half of his cowl. This take on Batman works well in not just showing how terrifying Bruce can appear to average citizens of Gotham, but also shows how a warped mind can look at the Caped Crusader and create their own concept of the masked crime fighter.
Paul Dano and Stevan Subic hit the ground running with their take on The Riddler, presenting a story that can stand on its own outside of The Batman, while also giving cinema lovers an excuse to pick up a comic book that reveals grotesque beauty in the early life of Eddie Nashton. Whether you’re a fan of the latest Dark Knight film or are simply a fan of all things Batman, The Riddler: Year One offers a fresh perspective on Gotham City and devilishly details how a mind becomes twisted by its surroundings.
Published by DC Comics
On October 25, 2022
Written by Paul Dano
Art by Stevan Subic
Colors by Stevan Subic
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz
