Some thoughts about The Riddler: Year of the Villain #1

Can The Riddler become someone new?

Lex Luthor refused to give Edward the same offer that he gave to many other villains and there's a reason for it that Edward doesn't want to admit.

Mark Russell returns with yet another Year of the Villain one-shot, I was pretty excited for this one after the success he had with Sinestro and I'm happy to say he didn't disappoint here.

Russell plays with Riddler's character in a way that is pretty fitting. As a Year of the Villain tie-in, the story is centered around the offer that Lex Luthor is giving to most criminals and the fact that he didn't give to Edward is just making him more obsessed about it. This leads to a pretty interesting character work that focuses on Edward's history, about how he has never changed his gimmick and how he needs to become someone different if he actually wants to grow as a person which is a pretty interesting development for what mostly is a silly issue.

Yes, this issue can be pretty silly because of its cartoony nature and humour which is expected from Russell as well. He includes obscure villains like King Tut to emphasize the goofy nature of Batman's rogues gallery and contrast with Riddler's more serious dilemma. This doesn't really affect the theme though and presents a few funny scenes.

Scott Godleski handles the art and is perfect for a Russell story thanks to his semi cartoony and clean style that gets the expressions of the characters really well.

Good read, hope we're getting more like this.