The Riddler: Year One

DC Black Label Originals

by Paul Dano, Stevan Subić (Artist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

Actor and writer Paul Dano understands the Riddler’s every motivation… come see Edward Nashton evolve into the menace known as the Riddler.

As depicted in Matt Reeves’s hit movie The Batman, the Riddler wasn’t simply an amusing eccentric with an affinity for wordplay and baffling clues, but as terrifying a villain as any in the annals of the Dark Knight. How did an unknown forensic accountant uncover the dark secrets of Gotham’s underworld and come so close to bringing down the entire city?

This collection is an immediate prequel to The Batman—the detailed, disturbing, and at times shocking story of a man with nothing to lose.

Artist Stevan Subic makes his American comics debut, collaborating with Dano to deliver a shadowy and gritty tale of a society’s forgotten man who refuses to go unnoticed any longer. Subic’s recent Conan the Cimmerian for French publisher Glénat has brought him great acclaim in Europe, and he’s about to break out globally with a Batman series unlike any you’ve seen before.

Collects the entire six-issue The Year One !

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Batman, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

232 pages, Hardcover

First published November 21, 2023

About the author

Paul Franklin Dano is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway. He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in L.I.E. (2001) and gained wider recognition for playing a troubled teenager in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). For playing identical twins in Paul Thomas Anderson's period drama There Will Be Blood (2007), he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Dano had critically acclaimed roles in 12 Years a Slave and Prisoners (both 2013). For his portrayal of Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy (2014), he earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He played The Riddler in The Batman and a caring father in The Fabelmans (both 2022), receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for the latter.

Dano made his directorial debut with the drama film Wildlife (2018), based on the novel by Richard Ford; he co-wrote its screenplay with his partner, Zoe Kazan. Also in 2018, he starred as a convicted murderer in the Showtime miniseries Escape at Dannemora, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Dano has also written the comic book The Riddler: Year One (2022).

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. Well.



The premise of the comic is a weird one to me. See, I didn't realize there was a gimmick to this until I got into it a bit and started to realize something was off.
The actor who plays Riddler in the new Batman movie wrote this, and it's an inside look at what makes that character tick. It tells the story (from Riddler's perspective) of what happened leading up to the finale of the movie.
I am personally not a fan of movie tie-ins, as they are usually complete cash grabs that smell of flaming garbage.



For what it was? Not bad.
But you have to enjoy those scribbly, scratchy graphic novels that portray the inside of a mind that's deteriorating with a bunch of spirals, repeating words or phrases, and "meaningful" imagery.
Not that there is anything wrong with that.
And in small doses, it works for me, too. But toward the end, especially, this one has pages and pages and pages of this guy's inner nonsense.
I've said it before, and I'm sure I will say it again, but I don't like walls of text in my comic books.
There was basically an entire issue of this:





And to say it tested my patience would be an understatement.

But I was actually surprised (once I found out who was writing this) that there was a pretty readable story here. <--for the most part.
The art kind of varied. Some of the panels were cool and some...were less cool.



If you're interested in what was going on in the inner recesses of the mind of the goggled incel in The Batman, then this will probably hit with you.
Unfortunately, I was one of the 3 people on planet Earth who didn't love the 2022 film. Three hours of Pattinson's emo Bruce Wayne didn't do it for me, and I will never be able to hear Nirvana's Something in the Way again without laughing.
Cool car chase though.



Recommended for fans of Smells Like Teen Batman.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh. I was really enjoying this up until that gimmicky 5th issue.


If I wanted to spend my time reading the writings of mentally disturbed individuals I'd just switch to the "For You" tab on Twitter...

Still a pretty decent character study by someone whose primary profession is other than writing comics. Well done to him, and perhaps with better editorial guidance he could have brought it to a neater and more satisfying conclusion.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly dark and twisted view into the mind of the Riddler prior to the events of The Batman movie.

We get the inner workings of Riddler before he becomes the twisted monster he is in the movies. No riddles here, except for every single thing he does and thinks feels like a riddle for himself to crack. Paul Dano gives realistic dialogue and the art plays in service of the dark and twisted story by giving us a weird, kind of haze like feel to it.

The only negative is this all takes place before the movie so we know how it ends. However, it's still very well written and fun to travel through. A 4 out of 5.

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This retelling of the Riddler origin has a lot to say about corruption in society and how a sense of powerlessness can fuel people into committing heinous acts. It also expresses the idea that some people may get the wrong kind of inspiration from Batman, and it feeds into the idea that Batman sometimes creates his own enemies simply by inspiring them to take action. Unfortunately, there is one issue of this comic that is just Riddler's scribblings on accounting forms. In other words, a whole issue without art. That was a bit demotivating to read, and I probably wouldn't be interested in reading this again because of that weird issue.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Riddler: Year One collects issues 1-6 of the DC Comics Black Label series written by Paul Dano with art and colors by Stevan Subic.

The untold story of The Riddler’s origin from Matt Reeves’ The Batman film. Edward Nashton is hardly noticed at the forensic accounting business he works for even though he has an amazing skill at numbers. He is constantly bypassed by up and coming hotshots that know how to work the managers and get promotions, leaving Edward on the ground level. Quiet and reclusive, Edward does what he is told but when he discovers a series of accounting errors that develops into a pattern leading him down a rabbit hole of conspiracy of crime and fraud going all the way to the mayor’s office, no one believes him. Edward’s psyche begins to crack when no one will take the time to listen to him and he sees Gotham’s promise of a better tomorrow as nothing but a lie.

This book is written by Paul Dano, the actor who portrays the Riddler in The Batman. For a first time writer, this is pretty good. The Riddler: Year One started out as Dano’s study and character work, fleshing out more and more into a story as Dano continued work on the movie. He brought it up to Director Matt Reeves who made the connection with DC Comics to take a look and the rest is history.

This book is dark and depressing. It’s one of the most realistic psychotic breaks I have seen in a comic book before. There is a whole issue that is just scribbled notebook ramblings reminiscent of a manifesto that is truly disturbing. But like so many of these types of stories, they are repetitive as the character continues to spiral deeper and deeper into their own mind. The one missing piece to me is how Edward got to become so physically imposing by the time of the movie, as he is portrayed a scared geek in the book with a throw away journal entry just brainstorming on how he could become stronger. The art is also very gritty and gets progressively scratchy as Edward descends into madness. There are definitely scenes I couldn’t not decipher what was on the page.

Overall this is an interesting character study, but I would only recommend it for the most serious of The Batman fans.

[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This duo really did an amazing job!
Quite dark, loved the scene with that crocodile.
And I absolutely loved 5th issue, it was brutal to go through all those notes, but in a good way.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

the divas completely queened

[Milan Kovačević · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ovo je – bez preterivanja – najveće dostignuće nekog regionalnog umetnika u svetu stripa; barem ako se ja pitam. Na stranu naši prekaljeni crtači koji već decenijama sarađuju sa Francuzima i Italijanima, "Zagonetač" je prešao igricu.

Naravno, kada kažem "Zagonetač", mislim na plodnu saradnju crtača Stevana Subića i odličnog scenariste Pola Dejnoa, kojeg sigurno znate kao vrsnog glumca iz klasika poput "There will be Blood" i "Prisoners".

U ovom delu, pratimo život čuvenog Ridlera, pre zbivanja iz filma "The Batman" (2022), sagledajući niz događaja koji su ga doveli do konačnog mentalnog pucanja. Važno je napomenuti da scenarista ovog stripa u pomenutom filmu glumi upravo titularnog karaktera (Zagonetača), pa je veza između kreacije i kreatora utoliko intimnija.

Nisam siguran da se slična stvar dogodila ranije, pa je to još jedan razlog više da nabavite ovu stripčinu, i to u ovom, impozantnom, izdanju. Pored nešto uobičajnijeg narativnog metoda, bićete u prilici da bacite pogled i na psihotični dnevnik ispisan na računovodstvenoj hartiji. Taj me je deo posebno kupio, pružajući mi vrlo vividan uvid u psihički slom nesrećnog pozadinca, kao i na njegove planove vezane za Gotam i žitelje trule konurbacije.

Topla preporuka.

[T.R. Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I binged this in one sitting during a night shift. It was brilliant. It adds so much flavour to the film. I highly, highly recommend this. The art is amazing, too.

P.S. I am genuinely depressed that Batman Part II has been delayed all the way to October of 2026. That's just awful.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This prequel to the Matt Reeves movie written by Paul Dano (Riddler) himself actually impressed me. Dano really got into the character didn’t he?

So here are six unhealthy issues dealing with the deranged mind of a guy feeling- righteously in some way- that the System fucked him up and over.
So Dano writes a very decent story. The typical downward spiral of a psychotic mind until he convinces himself his way is the best but well-done. The way Nashton breaks down and reacts is coherent and credible. His monologues are not boring. Even the diary entries of the fifth issue are creative enough not to break the reading pace. It perfectly ties-in with the movie and it smoothly leads right to its beginning.

Stevan Subic’s art perfectly fits the story. Some kind of mix between Bill Sinkiewich and Andrea Sorrentino it adds a grim and tormented atmosphere with nauseous colors and sometimes distorded art and storytelling. Doesn’t sound like it but it’s a compliment.

I didn’t expect much of this book. The pleasure I got from reading it is all the more remarkable.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off strong with artwork reminiscent of Morrison's Arkham Asylum, but the final two issues felt oddly out of place, giving the overall story a lackluster ending.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every comic book character gets their Year One, and this time, it is the Riddler. However, instead of a standalone title, it ties into the world of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, in which Paul Dano played the creeper that reflected more like the real-life Zodiac Killer than the bowler hat-wearing supervillain. Whilst James Gunn’s upcoming reboot of DC’s cinematic universe will feature its own Batman, Reeves’ gritty and grounded take on Gotham City will be its own franchise, from next year’s television series The Penguin, the aforementioned comic book miniseries, The Riddler: Year One.

Written by Dano himself, this does seem like the comic book equivalent of an actor creating an extensive backstory for the character he’s playing that you will never see on film. As a prequel to The Batman, we see how Edward Nashton, an unknown forensic accountant, uncover the dark secrets of Gotham’s underworld and how he plans to shake up the city.

From its initial issue, you get the sense that you have seen this narrative before, most notably in Todd Phillips’ Joker, which takes a comic book source that tells a story about an oddball adult with mental issues who has been abused by the system and attempts to break it. Like that film, the comic doesn’t attempt to sympathise with its titular figure but digs deep into his psyche with his narration throughout the six issues as he goes on about his social issues and living in a city that is consumed by darkness.

Batman does pop up but is very much a background character as Edward witnesses him preventing a crime and considering how the vigilante is perceived as an outsider by the city, Edward sees him and the Bat as kindred spirits. The story is not one of great violence, even if it’s about someone becoming a serial killer, but with the occasional cussing, it is the atmospheric and disturbed visuals that haunts these issues.

Making his makes his American comics debut, artist Stevan Subic has a familiar style to David Mack and Bill Sienkiewicz – the latter of which does covers for this comic – in that the art is stylised that cam range from photorealism to surrealism. Despite taking place an established cinematic world that leans hard on realism, Subic does not hold back on how to visually represent Edward’s fractured mind, as best seen in the fourth issue where we see Edward’s hellish upbringing in the orphanage.

As much as I can praise Subic for making this a visual treat, the fifth issue was a chore to get through as nearly the entire issue is done in the scribbled writing without any pictures as Edward maps out his master plan. One final criticism is its final issue that heavily reminds that this is a prequel and the tropes of being one, seeing how Edward becomes the Riddler without very little surprise that make you rethink about this character as he is presented in the movie.

Whilst I’m curious to see how Matt Reeves’ The Batman will be expanded as a franchise from movies to other media, The Riddler: Year One is both a visual feast and a compelling enough exploration of one of Batman’s greatest villains, if ultimately non-essential.

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am pretty biased since The Batman is one of my favorite movies, and I will gobble up anything related to Matt Reeve's Epic Crime Saga. This is no exception. But bias aside, this comic book is nothing short of excellent - I loved how Paul Dano dived deeper into his character, you can see how well he understands and cares about the Riddler. The art style by Stevan Subić kinda needed some time to grow on me, but then I realized how perfectly it fits the Riddler's mind and Gotham's atmosphere, a few of the panels are brilliant and decently bone-chilling. I really enjoyed the 5th issue composed of the Riddler's notes, doodles, and photos - truly an exceptional way of immersing you further into the story. I wouldn't mind getting more projects like this one and I definitely can't wait for The Batman Part II.
P.S. Reading this while listening to The Batman score was a top-notch experience.

[Tzeetzah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional, in every way.

[kacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE ART IS AMAZING I LOVE THIS BOOK AGHHHHHH

[Ric · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first through fourth issues were really good, and I think it shows how good of a writer Paul Dano is, along with how good of a character study this is. But the fifth issue was frustrating to read because of the format, and I didn’t love the way the sixth issue ended the story (until The Batman that is). So I think this one is 3.5 stars for me, pretty good for sure, just not totally what I was hoping for.

[Declan O'Keeffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Dano absolutely killed this story!!!! His portrayal as the riddler in The Batman was superb and then to come up with a backstory, being so resistant to the idea of turning it into a comic and then writing the whole thing himself.

Such a great indepth look at the psychosis of a man and how he becomes the mad antagonist he is in the movie. Such a fun, unique and interesting comic, written and drawn beautifully

[Eli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really didn't like the artwork, and the panelling was confusing. That being said, I get what they were trying to do, which was be chaotic and dark and hard to follow. It just dragged on for me. And it ends on a cliffhanger! Whyyyyyy... I'll never know, but that's okay.

[Christian Reinhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great prequel to The Batman movie. It isn’t necessary to read but adds a lot more character to The Riddler. Highly recommend and the art is beautiful.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting movie tie in comic! I usually don't read comics that tie into movies or games as the main creators often don't consider them to be canon and often retcon it later in a sequel anyway. However, this one is written by Paul Dano himself, who played the Riddler in The Batman movie, so it has a better chance of staying canon to the universe. I don't love this take on the Riddler but I do like how Matt Reeves and Paul Dano reinvented the characters look with a more Zodiac killer vibe.

As for this book, it basically explains how Edward Nashton figured out the corruption behind the Thomas Wayne renewal fund. We see him start as a very socially awkward guy until he one day sees Batman in action which inspires him to do something about what he's found. The story overall was just okay and you don't see him in his Riddler costume until the last page which was a little disappointing

The art itself is not my usual cup of tea, but they do some very creative things with the art in how they depict Riddler's inner thoughts and anxiety which I thought was cool. But overall, this was a decent tie in book, but a little less eventful in the grand scheme of things. Still a nice read if you liked The Batman movie.

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2022 film The Batman is by far my favorite film version of the character. So I was interested to read this graphic novel, which tells the backstory that actor Paul Dano created for his Riddler. Though the book is a movie tie-in, it feels completely legitimate as a graphic novel of its own. I love the artwork—the main pages by Stevan Subic, covers by my favorite, Bill Sienkiewicz, and variant covers by almost all of my other favorite artists. Dano's story and writing work really well, keeping the grounded, real-world feel of the film. It's all typical super-villain-origin-story stuff, of course, but it fits the film character and doesn't feel derivative.

The one disappointment: an entire issue comprising pages and pages of handwritten scrawls by Edward. A little of that goes a long way, and I grew weary of trying to figure out which order to read everything in, and which of the teeny-tiny scribbles were significant enough to spend time deciphering. But all the other pages are beautiful crafted. It sounds like Dano and Subic had a great time working on this, and I'm glad DC took a chance on it.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars. Definitely not a bad outing for a first time comic writer on a book. Picked this one up because of how much I enjoyed The Batman and while this book didn’t deliver in every issue, it definitely fit the tone well and acted as a decent prequel as a little peak into the Riddler’s mind before the events of the film. Was not a big fan of the last couple issues, but the first four were done very, very well.

[Ronald · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear, This was written by the actor who played the Riddler in the most recent Batman movie, a movie that could have been better. But the Riddler in the movie was just an evil incel bastard and his plot to save the regular people of Gotham killed so many of those people and the rich/evil people were not hurt at all unless he killed them himself. Batman had to save the day.
So a comic that was written as an exercise to get into character is fine, but just like the movie not needed, confusing and well bad (worse than the movie). The story makes no sense and the lettering is so bad such a bad choice and hard to read. The art was also a choice and it was the wrong choice. I don't think I would mind the bad art if I could read the dialog. I mean it was a "descent" into madness look.

[Joakim Ax · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to experience everything this Batman universe have to offer. The Batman movie, The Penguin series and now most definitely the Riddler Year One mini-series written by Paul Dano.

I intended to rewatch the Penguin on 4k but I wanted to prep with rewatching the movie for the 10th time...But now before that I wanted to go even further back with the Riddler´s backstory. And so I knew this was a must buy for any who loves the Matt Reeves Batman-universe.

Let me just say that I love this book but what really stands out for me is issue #5 which I´ve seen is very controversial. Depending if you know about it before hand or not I think played a part in my view of that particular issue. Let´s call it experimental story telling.
I for one loved it! It was like getting to look into a prop from the batman movie first hand and reading all of the plans and notes leading up to the movie.

Can´t wait for The Batman Part II

[James Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great prequel to The Batman (2022). Writing is good and the artwork is gritty. Really enjoyed it.

[Ahdom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Riddler: Year One, penned by Paul Dano, the actor who portrayed the enigmatic villain in The Batman film, is a graphic novel that excels in multiple aspects. The artwork is nothing short of fantastic, bringing Gotham's dark and mysterious atmosphere to life with vivid visuals that capture the essence of the Riddler's world.

However, what truly sets this graphic novel apart is its narrative depth. This graphic novel serves as an exceptional prequel, providing invaluable insights into the Riddler's origins and motivations. Dano's understanding of the character shines through in the writing, offering readers a more profound understanding of the villain.

Overall, The Riddler: Year One is a must-read for Batman fans and graphic novel enthusiasts alike. It combines stunning artwork with a compelling story that fleshes out one of Gotham's most iconic and intriguing antagonists, making it a valuable addition to the Batman mythos.

[Dania · Rating 4 out of 5]

God damn. This is genius. Genuinely transformative. every page is like a deeper dive into who edward nashton really was, and that’s accompanied by the complex art that represents his darkness. It’s just so beautifully woven together that it’s like watching a film. The story itself provides a lot of insight to him as a person and his feelings to gotham as a whole; i really am glad that it explored himself as a person as well and his ubringing. It closes off neatly right into the film, genuinely love how complex this makes the reeves verse and the amount of detail carved into this is brilliant. The physical pages of his diary were some of my favorite parts, it’s insane how much essentially took over his head

[FrontalNerdaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lead in to 2022’s The Batman, Riddler Year One is a ‘must read’.
The story shows us how the Riddler we meet in the movie comes to be. It’s an interesting read as we’re shown how the world is seen by the ‘lower’ and ignored Gothamites and how hard some have it. Having Nigma presented as a sort of grey ‘hero’ was an interesting approach and Dano’s writing works well within the world established in the movie. The art is the true star though. The mood is set from the off and the pages of Nigma’s ‘working out’ are great.

4/5

[Kirsten Quong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Dano obviously has so much love for this character and such a deeply developed understanding of him that surpasses what’s portrayed in the movie by miles. Add Stevan Subic’s hauntingly beautiful art and you have the perfect villain origin comic. 1000/10.

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Shhh. Just breath Edward."