Louie the Mustache Matos's Reviews > The Riddler: Year One

Although one might get the impression that the six-issue miniseries was a gimmicky cash grab, I liked the weird combination of painted pages with the stream-of-conscience writing by an actor playing the part of the enigmatic Riddler in The Batman film. I'm not saying that it wasn't a cash grab. It might very well have been intended to be. It probably was. I'm just saying that I liked it a great deal, and it fits well with other graphic novels (like Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum).

This is Stevan Subic's artistic debut for DC or even American comics, so one has to question the pairing of two inexperienced creatives brought together expecting alchemical gold. Clearly, I liked it although there are some misses, especially in that fifth issue. That issue is clearly a misstep in what could have been perfection in smaller doses or even spread out over the course of the entire series. A more hands-on editor would have made the entire series (especially that issue way, way, way better.

Considering that Dano played Riddler in the movie, having him write the piece felt a bit like an acting technique placed on display for the Batman fan to ooh and aah over. Here, Edward Nashton is a brilliant forensic accountant that detects discrepancies in the distribution of funds, but because he keeps his head down and tries to blend in with the regular people gets largely overlooked, except for the sharks who can always spot talent that can be exploited.

Of course, sometimes the sharks underestimate the fish they see as prey.

As many of these graphic novels generally turnout to be, this was a mixed bag, for me. I expect that somewhere in the Pattinson Batman movies, the Riddler will reclaim the Edward Nigma name or maybe not. The movies have their own continuity. However, I kind of like the idea of a universe where Riddler is a headliner over the Joker.