Batman One Bad Day: The Riddler......3.5 Stars

 Batman One Hard Day: The Riddler



The Riddler is my favourite Batman villain, so if Tom King did something to really upset me (As he often does with comic fans) I would be sure to let you know by screaming at the top of my lungs in a fit of rage, in which in fact he has.....but because this is pretty much an elseworld comic. He is exempt from my rage. So what has he done you may ask???

Well, he has basically transformed the Riddler into Hannibal Lectur. A psychopathic killer on the same level of the Joker, but just with a genius level IQ, or not, depending how you read the story. Now I agree with the Riddler fan camp out there that states they need to make the Riddler more gritty to keep him relevant....but just not to the level Tom King takes him. The comic thus has violent scenes, a good reminder that when I pine for the violent DC comics of my youth...I'm often reminded by Tom king that....err perhaps I don't want it so much.

The premise of this story is interesting. What would Batman due if he encountered a villain intelligent enough to make himself untouchable, but dangerous enough that he might have to be killed. Would the Dark Knight commit the dirty deed for the greater good, or reach into his nobility to find an alternate route to this problem. It is on this premise that Tom King's writing really shines, as he is able to really capture how the Riddler uses his intelligence to make himself above the law for nefarious, if not maniacal reasons. 

So why the 3.5 stars instead of 4 or 5, if I'm not overtly upset about the direction of the Riddler? Well to be blunt, it's a really dry read. I appreciate a writer covering the origins of the Riddler, which I do not believe has been explored before, but.....if I'm honest....I was skipping over parts of this comic because the origin story dragged out to long, and began to put me to sleep. So why not lower than a 3.5, quite simply put, Mitch Gerads art is very, very good. 

By the comic for the art. 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

 

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