I think by now it’s safe to say that the new The Batman film from director Matt Reeves is an official success and a new era of Bat-mania is upon us. How long until we see actor Robert Pattinson once again don the cowl is anyone’s guess but Warner Bros. isn’t quite done exploring the characters of this particular iteration of Batman. Besides a Penguin HBO Max spinoff series with Colin Farrell reprising the titular character, today DC Comics announced that actor Paul Dano, who portrayed Edward Nashton better known as The Riddler in the film, will be writing Riddler: Year One, a six-issue bimonthly DC Black Label series with art by acclaimed European illustrator Stevan Subic, making his DC debut.
The character’s tragic past was only briefly hinted at in the film, but Riddler: Year One aims to fully 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.
As anyone who’s seen the film can attest, or even if you’ve seen just seen preview images, this version of Riddler is decidedly different than how the iconic Batman has been portrayed previously. In keeping with the tone of the film, Dano’s Riddler certainly takes cues from the Zodiac Killer. Not to reveal too much, but this Riddler also very much a commentary on this current “age of mininformation” and becomes a very QAnon-inspired figure.
This isn’t the first time a Batman villain actor made the transition into writing comics. Last summer, Danny DeVito who portrayed The Penguin in Batman Returns, returned to his roots by writing a short story featuring the character as part Gotham City Villains Anniversary 100-page anthology.
Keep your eyes peeled for more details closer to the release date.
