DETECTIVE COMICS #140 (1948)
by Bill Finger & Dick Sprang
cover by Win Mortimer
Riddle me this, Batman: if I’ve reviewed the first appearances of your villains in chronological order, why did I skip the Riddler?
Well, to be honest I forgot he was this old!
After this story he will return two issues later, but then he won’t appear again until 1965. That’s a 17 year gap!!!
We begin with the origin of the Riddler. Who has one of the very best supervillain civilian names, right next to Victor Von Doom and Wilhelm Van Vile.
I’m not a fan of Dick Sprang’s artwork, but he sure can draw a punchable face!
So E. Nigma grows up to be a con artist specializing in unfair puzzles.
So naturally that translates into being a supervillain.
Honest question: were crossword puzzles really THAT popular in the late 40s?
So the Riddler sends his first challenge to Batman, leaving behind a clue to his next crime.
I actually suck at crossword puzzles, so I’ll leave this one to Batman. Surely The World’s Greatest Detective can solve it.
Except the solution wasn’t a riddle at all, it was actually a pun.
Batman, you just got humiliated by a guy running around wearing a pajama with question marks.
Not sure why the Riddler needs to steal money when he can afford a GINORMOUS custom made puzzle!!!
At least THIS time Batman gets to the right answer.
The Riddler has taken a hostage, and Batman has to solve his puzzle before he suffocates thanks to a gas grenade. Batman’s deduction here is great.
He’s not using too many riddles, though, mostly puzzles and puns. But I guess “the Puzzler” and “the Punster” didn’t sound as good.
(there’s actually a minor Golden Age villain called the Puzzler, though)
Are Batman and Robin ever going to NOT fall for a villain’s trap!?
Batman manages to escape the maze in a somewhat interesting way…
…and seemingly dies when the bomb he left behind explodes.
Historical significance: 6/10
Like I said the Riddler completely failed to get traction in the 40s, for whatever reason, then completely skips the 50s and half the 60s. In the modern era he takes turns with Two-Face for the spot of “second biggest Batman villain” (there’s no way of kicking the Joker off the top spot).
Silver Age-ness: 3/10
We’re a long way from the gritty Golden Age, but the sheer insanity of 50s Batman is waaaay off.
Does it stand the test of time? 3/10
Some of the traps are good and the way Batman gets out of them interesting… but the story is incredibly simplistic and characterization is non-existent.
How close is this to the modern character? 4/10
There are way, WAY too many ups and downs in the Riddler’s history, and way too many incarnations and interpretations to cover.
But his core characteristic, his utter obsession with leaving clues behind and outsmarting Batman, really seems to be out of focus in his debut. Like I said he’s using puzzles and puns more than riddles, and I really don’t like the fact that he openly cheats.
Yeesh, that face – the only 50 year old schoolboy I’ve ever seen! And yes, I agree – decidedly punchable.
Coming to this article very late…but I’d say Ra’s al Ghul also has some claim to being Batman’s second biggest villain in the modern era. (And I imagine Catwoman is excluded because her relationship with him is not always adversarial?)