#batgirl vs. the riddler

[just-an-enby-lemon]

This post is an apology to Tom King.

I recently re-read Riddler: One Bad Day and it's actually a masterpiece!

There's something truly fantastical about how Riddler's intelect is portrayed almost as a mystical power! The scene where Edward mind tricks all the cops into killing each other by laying on the floor and laughing like a maniac is pure art and I'm truly sorry for previously calling it "stupidly edgy", "the moment the comic lost all chance of salvation", "the final proof male power fantasies are a diservice to the entertaiment industry" and "soo dark is actually hilarious".

I also need to compliment the ambiguousness of if Riddler became who he is because of the abuse he endure or if his dad was abusive BECAUSE Edward was always bad is fantastically creepy and necessary. If your narrative does not have victim blaming as one of the possibilities in your moral debate about the inexistence of redemption and the need for violent cops ... I mean heros who kill the villains because evil will never stop nor change what's even the point?

I'm also sorry for my mean coments over Riddler reveling that he was part of Joker's attack against Barbara Gordon. It is actually a really nice nod to the original, specially in the way it reinforces Barbara's place as an useless plot point without agency that only serves to motivate her father. After all why would anyone ever want Babs to actually matter in an event that changed her life forever? Gordon is pissed. That's what matters.

The RIDDLER hating RIDDLES and using them to protect the world from himself by constantly re-living his trauma because actually the trauma was what stopped him from murdering for a long time and does that mean the story is retconing itself to show he was born evil? Is the BEST plot twist. If all future versions of Edward don't hate his gimmick and his own identity and think dorky people who tell riddles are actually stupid and puzzles are dumb than the comic industry will have to live in shame.

Back to talking about the portral of woman! I'm soo happy that the comic took away the voice from Edward's mother presenting her only by what her job as a sex worker represented to the people around her! Such a feminist take! And the snapy Riddler was justified in being mad that his henchmen sleept with his mother because being a sex worker is dirty actually. Gorgeus.

This comic also has the best teacher characther ever. He is so real for ignoring a kid's cry for help, considering their neurodivergent coded anxiety and dificulties are a case of needing to chill and seing all the most obvious sings of abuse ever as "very unchill kid behavior". And the comic is soo right for portraying this man as sympathetic and good and how if Eddie had stoped being a neurodivergent abused kid for a second and just chilled he would have been fine and never became a muderer. It's a life lession. Abused kids should just stop being anxious over the very real possibility of more abuse and neurodivergent people should just chill and everything will be fine. Doing nothing except blaming the crying desperated child for asking help is the right move!

Also Batman should kill. That's just a fact. Jason Tood has been saying it for years now and he is right. All heros should kill actually. Every comic should be exactaly like a Punisher run writen by an alt-right. Yes even the non-superhero ones. Yes even the manga. Yes even Donald Duck ones.

I could write pages and pages about how this is the perfect comic - bar the art style - but I think this is already a suficient apology for my previous misleading critics.

My next post will be a long explanation of why Batgirl vs Riddler: Prelude to the Wedding is actualy the best feminist comic ever written and Tim Seeley is actualy the only person allowed to represent woman in media ever.

#april's fool #this is my harmless prank #in brazil april's fool is lies day #the day where lying is a-okay #so I'm lying a lot in this post to represent my roots #riddler #edward nygma #edward tierney #edward nigma #riddler one bad day #one bad day #prelude to the wedding batgirl vs riddler

[theknightofivanhoe]

“I can break, I can be clogged,

I can be attacked,

I can be given, I can be kept,

I can be crushed,

Yet I can be whole at the same time.

What am I?”

#The Riddler #batgirl #the batman #the batman 2022 #paul dano riddler #leslie grace batgirl #paul dano #leslie grace #riddler 2022 #riddlebabs #batgirl x riddler #edward nashton #barbara gordon #hot nerds #nerd vs nerd

[t4tails]

Was gonna suggest that if you'd want an antidote for wanting to fuck the riddler you could just read Tom King's comics with him in it or other ones that make...interesting choices but then I remembered you read Batgirl vs The Riddler already and it didn't have an averse effect . Anyways totally unrelated question the Batman: Hush movie is coming up in your watchthrough isn't it?

okay see batgirl vs the riddler didnt sway me at all because it literally explicitly says that making people go through grueling riddle based trials is his way of flirting and thats fantastic. he is ugly in it, though. but i can look past superficial flaws

and kinda. i will certainly be getting to it eventually but it came out in 2019 and im currently on 2015 stuff lol

#og post #ask #anon

[golden-buddle]

Hay question about your cryptid au! What do the rogues think of the batfam? Because there’s quite the difference between fighting a man in a bat costume vs an actual inhuman cryptid!

Since theres way too many rogues, I'll just do the Big Ones:tm:

*glances at list* ...augh this is gonna be a long one.

Bane

Pissed the f off, since Cryptid!Batman is already supernaturally strong, Bane needs quite alot of venom to be able to match the Bat's strength.

Catwoman

Amused and very frustrated. Since the Bat isn't human- her flirting doesn't really do anything. The only reason she was lured to the good side was because of Robin and Batgirl. Both of them were fascinated by this weird human and her cats, and she can never say no to kittens.

Harley Quinn

Very very frustrated. At this point in time, she's fully under the Joker's grasp. And she hates that everytime they fight- it ends with her being dropped off at Poison Ivy's.

The Joker

Angry and frustrated. He's made it his life goal to make the Bat laugh/crack. Thing is..

I don't think the Cryptid!Bad has the capability to laugh. His kids, yeah, but as an adult? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Killer Croc

Out of all of them, I.. don't think Waylon's opinion changes that much. Maybe a bit more frustration? But that really depends on if he knows that the bat feeds on fear.

Mr. Freeze

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I don't really know Mr. Freeze's personality that much other than he's filled with grief because of his wife. He's probably in the same boat as Waylon with opinion changes.

The Penguin

Absolute FRUSTRATION! And fear :) Cryptid!Bats doesn't really wait for legality to nab Oswald like the original Bats does. So the Bats is constantly mucking up his plans as soon as they start.

Poison Ivy

Honestly? I feel like Poison Ivy would like Cryptid!Bats. Not anything romantic or sexual, but just like she's a force of the Green, he's a force of Fear. I can see them working together somewhat. The Bat does stop her if she goes too far, which ends up with them fighting a bit, but with Cryptid!Bats she's probably much more chill.

Ra's Al Ghul

They actually don't interact at all! Ra's isn't interested in Bats as a heir because, well, two completely different species.

The Riddler

SO much anger!! He doesn't understand how this 'lesser being' can manage to solve all of his riddles. Its not actually the bat, its Gordon lmao

Scarecrow

He's So Pissed Off its not even funny. Because the Bat feeds on fear, the fear gas doesn't even affect him. So their fights always end quickly with the Bat winning.

Twoface

In this world, Dent actually got help with his DID- So while Twoface does exist, he's less a Persecutor and more of a Protector.

#Long Post #Cryptid AU #Cryptid Batman #Cryptid Batman AU #I cannot remember the tag I gave this lmao

[mosthomoeroticenemies]

#tournement poll #babsquinn #harley quinn #batgirl #batman #the riddler #dc comics #most homoerotic enemies #poll 42

[surrender-souls]

character: edward nygma

my guy my riddle guy >:) Sexuality Headcanon: he's bi, this is like mostly canon from that strange love valentines special but never outright worded. but he's bi Gender Headcanon: it's something. there's something. he's trans there's that much but it's all a mystery A ship I have with said character: he is in love with batman, which would never ever work out . ever. but he is like damn. some of the stuff he does is like some weird bird mating dance but with like riddles. there's also some times where it's like, bruce is the guy he matches wits with and it's fun and getting that attention is also like. a big thing for eddie. like in all he endlessly craves attention, but bruce is like his own piece of it. also two face sometimes like batman forever (this was. kinda what got me into comics. great!) of course. and also lego batman the videogame A BROTP I have with said character: query and echo and also miss tuesday, i love his henchladies. query and echo respect him and he respects them and they work well together and also they robbed him when they first met him. miss tuesday doesnt respect him, i have no idea how he decided to keep her under his wing and why he hasn't fired her/she hasn't quit. theyre besties, i need to know more A NOTP I have with said character: barbara gordon, prelude to the wedding batgirl vs riddler haunts me night and day. i have not read it. maybe they'd be great as friends but i haven't really gotten into anything with them interacting (i still need to listen to batman unburied. once i get through all my school stuff) ALSO. query and echo. which i also hear is something that comic does wow. they're lesbians to me and if they did like men they'd still wouldn't be romantic with eddie. A random headcanon: he has bad handwriting. also is short. when he's wearing his suit he's wearing sneakers that don't even go with his outfit General Opinion over said character: i love him he's my special guy if i had a purse i'd keep him it it. frank gorshin's portrayal of him is like the damn blueprint i endlessly adore that one. detective comics annual 8 is one of my favorite comics and honestly integral to his character for me. aaaaaand. i love him. they were right lesbians do love that riddler

#THANK YOU :3 #riddler #dc #i speak #sighs and twirls and falls into my seat. im hungry

[batman66sexyrogues]

Round 3, Match 3:

Boasting an impressive seven-octave singing range, Lorelei Circe alias the Siren started out as a prominent singer and harpist before turning to a life of crime, using a special high note to put men under her control. She was first introduced aiding the Riddler, hypnotizing heavyweight champions so they wouldn’t be able to challenge his title. This seems to be what gave her the idea to deduce Batman’s secret identity, as her next appearance would have her hypnotizing those who worked with him in an attempt to infiltrate the Batcave and, when that failed, hypnotizing Bruce Wayne in order to commandeer his assets. Although her final confrontation with Robin and Batgirl seemingly resulted in the loss of her voice, Siren would later become a prominent rogue in the spinoff material, boasting a whopping seventeen appearances across mediums despite only appearing twice in the series proper.

With Julie Newmar unavailable for the filming of the movie (most sources I’ve read say she was filming something else at the time, with one or two claiming instead that she was recovering from a back injury) Lee Meriwether stepped into the role. Her Catwoman used her alias as Kitka to gain leverage against Batman, at one point even threatening to have Kitka killed if Batman got too close. Unlike Newmar’s Catwoman, Meriwether’s Catwoman did not seem to be attracted to Batman, or if she was, she never expressed it. While she teamed up with Riddler, Joker, and Penguin, she also seemed to enjoy escalating or at least watching disagreements between them, at one point even throwing her cat at them with the expressed desire that said cat would scratch them. While there is some question over whether her Catwoman should be considered the same character as Newmar’s or a separate one, the spinoff film Batman vs. Two-Face would portray her as almost a legacy character, initially a prison staff member who Newmar Catwoman swapped places with in order to escape, while the comic spinoff seems to see her as being Newmar’s Catwoman, since she never has a proper appearance in the books.

#66sexyroguescompetition #siren #lorelei circe #meriwether catwoman #catwoman #60s catwoman #polls and trivia

[dailycass-cain]

Batgirls #12 Review

Batgirls #12 capped off the series' third arc. Did it actually stick to its landing, did it fumble the ball like the first, or botch it completely like the second?

The answer is, yeah this series actually delivered its first arc when it focuses on Cass/Steph than the spotlight fully on Babs. That's not to say this issue has a few flaws.

For me, the biggest was something felt off with the coloring this issue than say the prior ones. I mean Oompa Loompa Maps notwithstanding. The Cass stuff by Neil Googe feels different than the prior issues.

Rico Renzi is the colorist for this issue like the last. But something of his Cass (along with Officer Brooks) just feels different than the last two.

The stuff with Stephanie vs. the Riddler is flawless by them. Yes, Steph has a pinkish tone to her skin again but I'm chalking it up whenever we see it as her flustered or in rage mode (which she is in both during this fight).

Speaking of Steph vs. Riddler, I loved it. Even if this series didn't tip the full hat to their prior encounter waaaaaaaaay back in Robin #93-94.

Steph isn't the only one having her own renewed rivalry as the main focus for Cass this issue is fighting the slasher they've been searching (or hearing about) since #1. Said obscure Batvillain Mr. Fun.

Cass encountered him in Batman: Family #7 and was one of those rare times she lost due to well, his calmness. It's also a loss she never really got back. In Batman: Family it's Black Canary who takes down Fun.

Likewise, Fun never really popped up as much with Family, I know Robin later had him and Tim easily took him out. One of those usual cases of a new character being introduced and then tossed to be a mere jobber.

Mr. Fun's old profession of being a mob assassin/enforcer is mentioned in this issue. Though as well this issue doesn't go into detail that these two have crossed paths prior. I'll give the narration allusions to this encounter with how the fight is described.

It's kind of surprising in one of those rare instants of the past (compared to now) of Cass (and Dick) being Worfed to Mr. Fun.

I fully confess it is a highlight more than her prior fight in #10 with KGBeast to see Cass fully unleashed here. The series finally does a better job of showcasing the past Batgirls' lives and what forged them to be who they are now.

Again, that's another strength this issue holds than the prior earlier stuff. At long last, the series is digging into both Cass/Steph's origins. But on the other hand, this does reveal a few things.

#1 Bendis's Young Justice seems to have been tossed into a lockbox and discarded. As Stephanie found out her father was alive in that and spent that entire series hunting for him. Here, it's teased to her that he's alive. Along with teasing what will come in January.

Overall, this arc was the series' strongest yet. It still had flaws, but it felt like Cass/Steph story without Babs (or Dick) taking away from them or their villains in the arc (#7-8 I'm looking at you for spending WAAAAY too much time on Babs/Dick than on Seer or the Saints).

I highly enjoyed this arc and loved the twists this story took. I love the "SURPRISE!" Riddler inclusion (nice job on hiding this) and a bit shaken when rereading stuff I didn't pick up on prior (namely Eddie out of costume with it being nearby).

Plus after One Bad Day: Riddler #1 with Eddie's monologue in that, this felt like satisfaction watching JUST Stephanie hand Eddie his ass.

Further, this arc did a better job juggling it's guest stars and supporting cast than prior. I still am not fond of Babs being Batgirl and feel like they should tone that down for more Oracle moments instead here.

Save the Babs as Batgirl moments to be more epic here and leave that stuff for the Nightwing ongoing. Really Babs is the weakest link of this series. I'm glad that Cass/Steph cracked the case here, and Babs didn't deus ex machina her way into the plot like in the first arc.

Likewise, the appearances of Maps, Kyle, and Alysia were pretty good.  They each served their purpose. Truthfully though the other highlight of this arc besides Cass/Steph? Was this goof:

Was this goof. I just found Killer Moth to be kind of refreshing a villain. He wasn't an assassin or edgy for edge's sake. He was just a minion doing stuff cause his boss asked. Plus Googe gave him a good design.

Add that to the way Conrad and Cloonan portrayed him. He was the unsung guy you were rooting to survive and sure enough he did. Like Tutor before him. I enjoyed him just being different than the main bads.

I hope they return to pester the Batgirls further because the idea of Moth flying around with a goo gun is fun fight idea. Even though I kind of dig Cass getting upgraded batwings now to fly.

Only because I kind want a criminal to be criminaling and suddenly Cass flies in they're all like this now.

So yeah. This series FINALLY delivered an arc that was fun from start to finish. It feels like they're only gonna get stronger with the next one having Mad Hatter, Cluemaster, and-- wait... does someone hear Wu-Tang Clan? .... Oh no. OH NO!!

Mom is coming to Batgirls annual coming out at the end of the month! I am terrified yet excited to see Cass/Shiva actually together and hope this doesn't de-evolve but continues the threads established prior.

#batgirls #review #cassandra cain #stephanie brown #dc comics

[deadletterpoets]

Well even though it wasn't a good issue overall and she wasn't really part of the actually fight in the end Batgirls gave me a Cass vs Riddler so I'm just gonna move on from wanting that anymore. And now the series will also be given me a silent Cass focused issue, we'll see if it's good, and for the record I am actually curious about that one and believe it has the potential to be good mostly cause I think the narration is the MOST ANNOYING THING (beside the ableism and terrible coloring and childish art) about the book so assuming by silent they are actually just gonna let the art tell the story maybe it could be something worthwhile.

However now I need new known/iconic villains I want Cassandra Cain to fight against and a new interesting story trope for a comic to tackle with Cassandra as the lead. I've got ideas, but I'm gonna wait to see what else Batgirls does before I start championing things. Though I'll be shocked if they do what I'm looking for.

Them doing something with Riddler was small anyway, but a silent issue has been a big thing many Cass fans have asked for for years so it's not a big surprise they're doing it. I just hope it's done well so we can get more unique story telling opportunities for Cass and Steph. The book is slowly starting to not feel like filler, but they NEED to do something with these characters that makes reading this book matter.

#cassandra cain #batgirls #batgirl #dc #dc comics

[just-an-enby-lemon]

Prelude to the Wedding is the one where he randomly tries to force Batgirl into marrying him right? and doesn't he even choke her when she says no and is just an all around entitled misogynist creep?

Yeah. I don't remember the details because I read it once and nevermore. But basically.

He also has a weird speech about being a womanizer and it's pure misoginy with some incel talk points and the audience hope that this is AT LEAST a lie and he is being portrayed as just a loser is throwed alway as they confirm that objectifying Query and Echo really worked to make them sleep with him (wich implies his other takes are right as well).

The whole thing with Query and Echo was the part that really stayed with me because there is a moment in a different comic were Query and Echo are working for a different villain and they coment that they preffer working with Riddler because different of other male villains they worked for he isn't handsy nor inapropriated at all. And I really enjoyed that moment because that comic was from a time where most henchwoman were specially misstreated (including Harley) by their bosses except those two and it was a nice subversion. And Prelude to Wedding brought the girls back after a long time of them just not being mentioned/existing only so they could show Edward was a creepy boss as well.

I hate how Batgirl is showed as pure and a exception for not looking at Riddler absolute misoginy and falling for him. Also they had the gal to justify Edward's misoginy with him being in the aroace spectrum. I hate that comic sooo much. I hate how for a Batgirl comic Riddler is the protagonist and Barbara ends the story as if she was a kere prop. Yes she fought well and was very badass but the only thing the comic gave her was that know she knows Riddler is a creep. She does even react to what should have been a very traumatic situation.Wich isn't even future knowledge as it is a one book only charactherization.

Oh and he calls women: FEMALES.

Sorry. It was a yes or no question and instead here am I slowly remembering details of the comic and wasting your time ny getting angry over them.

#riddler #edward nygma #barbara gordon #batgirl #riddler vs batgirl prelude to wedding

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

oh yeah forgot to add: the comic is called "Prelude to the Wedding: Batgirl vs. Riddler" in case you for some reason want to look it up

love that "versus" in the title really thoroughly undermining any POSSIBLE misconception that something sincerely romantic might be happening here. "this is an engagement" Eddie says, as Barbara is pulling out a steel chair.

#edward riddlehands

[dundunny]

Gotham Knights

I’m still finishing up Batgirl’s story, but I beat Gotham Knights. I inevitably compare it to the Arkham series, especially considering it’s the same studio that did Arkham Origins, but really it should be its own standalone.

Let me start off by saying it’s not a bad game. The battle system is much smoother than Arkham’s, and there’s quite a bit of variety between the characters, whether it’s Batgirl’s devastating, hard-hitting blows, Red Hood’s instant-kill headshots, Robin’s ability to sneak and take down an area group of enemies before the battle even starts, or Nightwing’s flowing acrobatics. Everyone is well-rounded and I never felt that any character was the weak, useless one. It just depends on your playing style.

I’ve stated before my love is in the environments, and I like Gotham here. The map is on the borderline of being too big, but the developers managed to keep each neighborhood unique with enough landmarks that you’re usually pretty good on mentally figuring out your location. The area around Wayne Industries vs. Robinson Park vs. the industrial area around the Cauldron allows me to subconsciously tell where I am and the general direction of where I have to go. It’s equally fun to climb and jump over the rooftops as it is to drive through the streets with the motorcycle.

The story is solid and pays good homage to the Court of Owls introduction in the comics, although there are some flaws. Like, we’re arresting Kane? For what? We’ve already established the Court gets whomever they want out on appeal. And Judge Moreno may be willing to sign the warrant, but that doesn’t mean she’ll be the presiding judge for the trial. So that whole section of the plot was silly. However other than that, it’s great to see the team come together to try and figure out Batman’s last case. The maze scene in particular is quite poignant. It really portrays Dick and Tim’s insecurities well, and Jason’s fears of being a monster, and I nearly cried with Barbara when I played Montoya’s call to HQ that Gordon got shot.

And it’s nice to see the Batfam act like human beings to each other for once. Batman’s video recordings where he describes his inner feelings, fears, and joys is something you rarely see in the comics nowadays. (Major shout out to Batman’s VA Michael Antanakos. He’s not Conroy, but his crooning voice was very pleasant to hear.) Jason is in therapy and taking steps to move forward. Tim adores his siblings and likes hanging out with them. Barbara and Dick, although broken up, maintain a strong relationship. Particularly post game, if you just sit in the Belfry and listen to the conversations, you can tell they’re moving forward.

However I need to address the biggest problem: There aren’t enough villains, and to compensate for that the developers made the game repetitious. This game has Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Harley Quinn, and Talia al-Ghul, and you fight the first two twice. Let’s compare that to Arkham Knight, where you fight Azrael, Harley Quinn, Penguin, Deathstroke, Firefly, Deacon Blackfire, Hush, Professor Pyg, Two Face, Nyssa al-Ghul, Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, and Black Mask. And you also had very involved plots with the Riddler, Man-Bat, and Mr. Freeze. You’re so busy juggling all these enemies and subplots that there isn’t any reason to fight regular criminals out on the street. Not only does Gotham Knights require you to fight these random criminals over and over, 90% of the sidequests are basically grind quests. Oh what does Montoya need? For me to break up a criminal deal at the same parking lot I’ve broken up six criminal deals in the past? All right, time to make it a seventh. That’s not interesting. You know what is interesting? Boarding a blimp-prison after hearing Killer Croc got out, only to discover they’re hanging prisoners in cages on the ceiling. Or duking it out with the Mad Hatter in this crazy book wonderland. Or the visceral horror and feeling physically sick when you walk in on Professor Pyg and discovering what he was doing to all those people.

DLC was super lame too. Literally it’s just the same six rooms repeated for twenty-five levels with the same enemies until you get to the bottom and meet Starro. I was excited to fight him, but really it’s just fighting massive group of regular enemies, whom you’ve already beaten just to get here, as you escort Starro to prison. That example I gave in the previous paragraph about the blimp-prison? That was Arkham Knight DLC. Yeah, they definitely could’ve done better.

Besides that, I think one of the best parts of the Arkham series was overhearing conversations from the criminals in the streets. They were so funny and I would stop what I was doing just to listen to completion. Gotham Knights had potential considering this was the first game with normal civilians wandering around, but everything is just one-line quips. They need to get those writers from Arkham back. They definitely worked on Origins, so what happened?

With all my complaints I did enjoy it; after all I played it four times just to see all the cutscenes with each character. The main story is relatively short, I’d give it maybe ten hours, and including sidequests maybe fifteen to twenty. So if you’d like to have a pleasant weekend or two, I’d say try it. And honestly it’s worth it for this scene:

One question though: Was that lapdog alive, or was she petting a taxidermy?

#gotham knights #batman #nightwing #red hood #robin #batgirl

[t4tails]

Love the development of your opinions on the Riddler as a character. Love that this somehow happened right after you read that Batgirl vs the Riddler sapiosexual comic too, which probably was a coincidence but still makes for great timing

honestly what made me start to like him is wally wingerts performance as him in the arkham games, hes obviously written to be annoying there which could easily get grating but his voice acting is so fucking good he ends up surprisingly charismatic. also his brattiness intrigues me and by intrigues i mean. well. closes my mouth before i say something i'll regret

#og post #ask #anon #batposting #ive always had a thing for characters who are really really fucking obnoxious #SAPIOSEXUALITY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS. FYI!!!!!

[inulatus]

2018 ARCHIVE

•

JANUARY

harley & ivy meet betty & veronica #4 - 1/03

injustice 2 #17 - 1/03

harley quinn #34 - 1/10

suicide squad #33 - 1/10

damage #1 - 1/17

harley quinn #35 - 1/17

injustice 2 #18 - 1/17

suicide squad #34 - 1/24

harley quinn #36 - 1/31

dc super hero girls: date with disaster - 1/31

FEBRUARY

harley & ivy meet betty & veronica #5 - 2/07

harley quinn #37 - 2/07

suicide squad #35 - 2/14

damage #2 - 2/21

harley quinn #38 - 2/21

injustice 2 #20 - 2/21

suicide squad #36 - 2/28

MARCH

harley quinn #39 - 3/07

batman #42 - 3/07

harley & ivy meet betty & veronica #6 - 3/07

suicide squad #37 - 3/14

harley quinn #40 - 3/21

batman #43 - 3/21

injustice 2 #22 - 3/21

suicide squad #38 - 3/28

dark nights: metal #6 - 3/28

APRIL

harley quinn #41 - 4/04

injustice 2 #23 - 4/04

suicide squad #39 - 4/11

harley quinn #42 - 4/18

action comics #1000 - 4/18

injustice 2 #24 - 4/18

suicide squad #40 - 4/25

MAY

dc nation #0 - 5/02

harley quinn: harley loves joker #1 - 5/02

injustice 2 #25 - 5/02

suicide squad #41 - 5/09

justice league: no justice #1 - 5/09

batman: white knight #8 - 5/09

justice league: no justice #2 - 5/16

injustice 2 #26 - 5/16

suicide squad #42 - 5/23

justice league: no justice #3 - 5/23

justice league: no justice #4 - 5/30

JUNE

harley quinn #43 - 6/06

suicide squad #43 - 6/13

batman: prelude to the wedding batgirl vs. riddler #1 - 6/13

harley quinn #44 - 6/20

batman: prelude to the wedding harley quinn vs. joker #1 - 6/27

teen titans special #1 - 6/27

batman giant #1 - 6/29

JULY

harley quinn #45 - 7/04

suicide squad #44 - 7/11

harley quinn #46 - 7/18

injustice vs. the masters of the universe #1 - 7/18

mother panic: gotham A.D. #5 - 7/25

AUGUST

harley quinn #47 - 8/01

dc super hero girls: out of the bottle - 8/01

suicide squad #45 - 8/08

aquaman #39 - 8/15

harley quinn #48 - 8/15

batwoman #18 - 8/15

injustice vs the masters of the universe #2 - 8/15

suicide squad annual #1 - 8/22

batman giant #2 - 8/26

harley quinn/gossamer special #1 - 8/29

SEPTEMBER

harley quinn #49 - 9/05

suicide squad #46 - 9/12

aquaman #40 - 9/19

harley quinn #50 - 9/19

injustice 2 #34 - 9/19

injustice vs the masters of the universe #3 - 9/19

batman giant #3 - 9/22

heroes in crisis #1 - 9/26

OCTOBER

harley quinn #51 - 10/03

harley quinn #52 - 10/17

injustice 2 #36 - 10/17

old lady harley #1 - 10/24

batman giant #4 - 10/26

heroes in crisis #2 - 10/31

injustice vs. the masters of the universe #4 - 10/31

NOVEMBER

harley q. #53 - 11/07

suicide squad: black files #1 - 11/07

suicide squad #48 - 11/14

harley q. #54 - 11/21

batman giant #5 - 11/25

heroes in crisis #3 - 11/28

injustice vs. the masters of the universe #5 - 11/28

old lady harley #2 - 11/28

DECEMBER

suicide squad: black files #2 - 12/05

harley quinn #55 - 12/05

suicide squad #49 - 12/12

batman: damned #2 - 12/12

harley quinn #56 - 12/19

batman giant #6 - 12/23

#harley quinn #harleyquinn #harlequinskulls10s #archive #dc comics

[forevercloudnine]

I know basically every Riddler fan unequivocally hates Prelude to the Wedding: Batgirl vs. Riddler, but I originally read it in a vacuum straight off of “War of Jokes and Riddles” after avoiding all modern Riddler content for years, and I thought it was both a) the most novel approach to Riddler having a “romantic interest” since Joker’s Asylum in 2010, and b) ridiculously loaded with (probably?) unintentional subtext. So here’s why I think it’s interesting, which for me is basically equivalent to being “good.”

The Wedding Thing

So, the inciting incident that leads Edward to seek out Barbara is the discovery that Batman is marrying Catwoman. The idea that Batman could not only fall in love with a criminal but decide to start a life with them makes him reconsider what he thought was possible, and wonder if he could potentially achieve something similar.

Arguably, that much would be a natural reaction to any supervillain finding out that Catwoman is marrying a superhero (“You can do that????”), but what’s decidedly less rational is Edward’s subsequent conclusion that if X = BatCat wedding, Y = Batgirl is his soulmate.

What makes this especially disturbing is that Edward and Barbara have clearly never interacted before; it’s stated multiple times in the comic. So Riddler basically just saw the bat symbol on the chest of an adult woman and assumed that they were kismet (I wonder if he just lucked out in not choosing Kate, or if he’d heard through the grapevine that she doesn’t swing that way). 

This is pretty fucked up. It’s also inherently self-defeating, which interestingly enough, seems intentional on Edward’s part. In their final confrontation, he notes that despite having led her on a wedding-themed riddle quest across Gotham (having her rescue a florist, a DJ, and a priest), he’s not delusional enough to think that they would ever actually get married. In his own words, he’s no Catwoman; this New 52/Rebirth version of Edward has killed too many people to believe that he could ever end up with a superhero.

(This is offtopic, and forgive me for momentarily pretending that comics have internal continuity, but this bit did remind me of how in Batman Annual #4, Edward gets angry at Bruce Wayne for getting amnesia and thus being able to escape his brokenness enough to get married and have a “happy ending.”)

Batgirl vs. Riddler ends with Edward saying that Batman marrying Catwoman has forever changed his perspective, and his confrontation with Batgirl was him trying to grapple with a question that has been eluding him ever since— “what if?” Readers might point out that if he was wondering “what if” he wasn’t a serial killer and could have normal relationships, then putting a bunch of people in death traps for a superhero to save was a really stupid way to solve that mystery for himself. Which... yes. Yes it is.

This comic is kind of the opposite of Joker’s Asylum, where Edward is trying to solve the riddle of how to “win” a woman... and then discards her as soon as he succeeds, because she was just a puzzle to be solved. Here, Edward seems to be trying to solve himself, and is using his “love interest” as a tool to do so. He might even be hoping that Batgirl will solve the puzzle for him, though obviously his ego would prevent him from actually saying that. The pageantry of leaving clues for wedding themed crimes is pretty clearly just an excuse to guarantee an audience for when he talks about himself. And he does A LOT of that.

The Monologuing

Nearly the entirety of this comic is just Batgirl listening to audio tapes that Edward left for her, in which he goes into uncomfortable detail about his personal life that Barbara clearly doesn’t want to hear. She learns his favorite music, that he considers himself a former “mild-mannered software engineer” (a career that doesn’t fit with any of the other canon information we have about his past, but... whatever), and that he is under the impression that he’s Batman’s archenemy (keep pushing that narrative, Eddie). She also learns about his “history with females” (his words).

He describes how in his previous romantic experiences with women, he was attracted to them “for a time, in a way,” but that after his initial curiosity had passed there was “no real feeling” to the encounters. He tells Barbara that Joker’s anger and distress over Batman marrying Catwoman caused him to reconsider why his relationships with women were always so passionless... and hilariously concludes that he must be a “sapiophile,” and he’s just never been with any women who were smart enough for him.

My Inevitable Riddlebat Conclusion

So to summarize: Edward heard that Batman was marrying a supervillain, was shocked by the fact that this was a possibility and started obsessing over it for himself, re-evaluated all his previous relationships with women and realized that he had never been fully interested in them, and decided that his real soulmate was a person wearing a bat costume. It really reads like Edward was halfway to realizing he was in love with Batman, then reversed gears and decided to project his sexuality crisis onto a woman he’s never met instead.

Through this lens, it’s pretty notable that Edward isn’t really doing anything to seduce Batgirl at all. He’s just doing the same riddle-crime routine he always does with Batman. Beat for beat, Batgirl vs. Riddler is actually incredibly similar in structure to “Alone,” one of my favorite Rebirth Riddler comics: the main difference is that the panels of Batman solving Edward’s riddle hunt is offset by Edward talking to his psychiatrist, not monologuing into a tape recorder. Again, not to imply that there is any internal continuity in comics, but that story also features Edward hoping someone else will “solve” him— Edward himself is confused and torn over why he continuously leads Batman directly to him in their games, and gets angry and disappointed when his psychiatrist misunderstands his motivations rather than figuring him out.

Unlike “Alone,” all Edward’s dialogue in Batgirl vs. Riddler is recorded ahead of his crime spree. When Edward on the tape recorder tells Batgirl that he anticipates that he might fall in love with her if she successfully solves all his riddles, it’s framing the entire escapade as an experiment for himself. Barbara’s feelings don’t even matter, since Edward is assuming from the get-go that she would never be interested in a mass murderer. He’s basically testing whether he would fall in love with a woman who checks off all the same boxes that Batman does, right down to solving his ridiculous riddle crimes while wearing bat ears. 

Regardless of Riddler’s feelings towards Batman, he obviously spends this story testing a hypothetical of what actual love would be like for him, even though he believes that it’s not something he can actually have. Barbara, despite having never met the man, is the unfortunate target of this self-exploration. Interestingly, she does come to some understanding: after kicking Edward off of a building, she decides to bite the bullet and call Nightwing, realizing that dwelling over the “what ifs” of their relationship was much more miserable than facing potential disappointment by being honest about what she wants.

#riddlebat #edward nygma #riddler #barbara gordon #batgirl vs. the riddler #prelude to the wedding #meta #everyone hates this comic but it's a huge part of how i see rebirth riddler's character so i feel compelled to defend it #of course everyone also hates rebirth riddler #so maybe it's just a lost cause #god knows rebirth isn't the hill i'm going to die on #but i still think this comic is gay so here #seven google doc pages of analysis. fetch

[lochlanoneildesigns]

"Riddle Me This! How's a policeman like an old penny? They're both dirty rotten coppers!"

Query Cosplay made by Me

Photography by Nlightened Designs

Check out more cosplays at my website http://lochlanoneil.com/

#query #echo and query #query and echo #query cosplay #cosplay #dc comics #dc universe #rogues gallery #gotham rogues #diedre vance #riddler #the riddler #batgirl vs. the riddler