It was announced in March that Matt Reeves’ The Batman would have a comic book spin-off title focused solely on the film’s terrifying antagonist, The Riddler. The comic titled Riddler: Year One was written by Paul Dano, who gave an unsettling performance as one of Batman’s most famous villains. In celebration of the first issue hitting shelves, DC Comics has released a first look at what fans can expect from the six-issue limited series.
Riddler: Year was drawn by European Illustrator Stevan Subic, who previously worked with publishers Soleil, Titan, and Delcourt. According to the official press release sent out by DC Comics in March, the six issues will “explore the background of how accountant Edward Nashton went from a simple Gotham City nobody to becoming Batman’s nemesis.”
In the trailer, Dano and Reeves talk about the research that went into creating the serial killer who terrorized Gotham in The Batman.
Riddler’s backstory was hinted at during the later scenes of Reeves’ film. Dano brought up the villain’s troubled childhood and how he wanted to approach the comic in a subjective manner.
“To really geek out about Batman and the history… it just really gripped me. The idea here was to enter the comic in a really subjective way, so a lot of this is about somebody like Edward Nashton and what is going on inside his head. And I always felt like the only positive affirmation Edward Nashton has ever gotten in his entire life was from solving riddles or playing games.”
Riddler: Year One takes some inspiration from Frank Miller’s 1986 title Batman: Year One. The story reimagined Bruce Wayne’s journey into becoming the Caped Crusader and his war against the mob in Gotham.
The first issue of Riddler: Year One is now available for purchase.
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