Earlier this month, over two and a half decades after Jim Carrey antagonized Val Kilmer’s Bruce Wayne as The Riddler in Batman Forever, we finally got a new live-action cinematic take on the puzzle-obsessed supervillain. Paul Dano brought Riddler to life in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, and just two weeks after the movie’s release, it’s been announced that this creepier version of the longtime Caped Crusader adversary is starring in his own comic book.
As one can infer from the title Riddler: Year One, this comic book will delve into the backstory of Paul Dano’s Edward Nashton. In fact, Dano himself is writing this comic book series, and Stevan Subic is illustrating as his DC Comics debut. Check out the first look at Riddler: Year One, which kicks off its run in October, below:
Riddler: Year One hails from DC Comics’ Black Label imprint, which publishes books for mature audiences. Running for six issues, each one coming out bimonthly (as in every other month), this miniseries will explore “how accountant Edward Nashton went from a simple Gotham City nobody to becoming Batman’s nemesis, setting them on a collision course in the blockbuster feature film.” It’s unclear if Riddler: Year One will be set entirely in the past, or if our look back will be ushered in by Edward recollecting following the ending of The Batman.
Warning: SPOILERS for The Batman are ahead!
Partly inspired by the Zodiac Killer, Paul Dano’s Riddler was depicted as a serial killer targeting elite Gotham citizens tied to corruption in the city, and left behind taunting clues for Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight and the Gotham City Police Department at the scenes of his crimes. Following his capture, he was identified as forensic accountant Edward Nashton, who grew up an orphan. While Edward detested Bruce Wayne for growing up in luxury after his parents were murdered, he was ironically inspired by Batman to begin what he considered a vigilante crusade. Now The Batman fans can look forward to Riddler: Year One pulling the proverbial curtain further on how he became one of Gotham’s most feared criminals.
By the time The Batman ended, Riddler was locked up in Arkham State Hospital, and while his followers did succeed in flooding Gotham City, they were prevented from assassinating mayor-elect Bella Reál. However, Edward Nashton was able to strike up a friendship at the end of the movie with Barry Keoghan’s version of The Joker, who was kept off camera for good reason. Whether this means these two will team up in a sequel to The Batman remains to be seen, but considering that HBO Max has officially ordered the Colin Farrell-led Penguin series and Matt Reeves is developing a show about Arkham, there are other ways we can spend more time with Dano’s Riddler outside of Riddler: Year One.
The Batman is still going strong in theaters, having recently passed the $500 million mark worldwide. You’ll be able to watch it with an HBO Max subscription starting on April 19, and don’t forget to look through the lineup of upcoming DC movies, as there was recently a major shakeup with that slate.
