Fans of The Batman are getting fed thanks to Stevan Subic and Paul Dano’s The Riddler: Year One, a revealing prequel adding to the continuity. With three issues already out, The Riddler: Year One #4 releases today, switching gears on the ongoing narrative to show us the Riddler’s childhood. Given how nightmarish the series has been, prepare to be rocked by Subic’s haunting art.
The Riddler: Year One #4 opens with a close-up of a screaming baby with haunting, sunken eyes. Pulling back, we see in the next panel it’s in a shallow basket, alone, and eventually, we see they’ve been placed in front of a haunting brick orphanage. We soon see the orphanage workers who found him cold and uninterested in the baby, who arbitrarily name him Edward Nashton. A reoccurring theme in this issue is the lack of interest in Edward from outsiders, with his isolation and loneliness a key factor in his development.
As the story progresses, we see Edward grow up, refusing to speak but happy to sing in the choir. The plot of the story isn’t necessarily new – we’ve seen orphan stories before where bullies form a person into a fighter or a victim, and Edward is both. It’s the imagery by Subic that sets it apart. You will feel for Edward and understand he’s in a hopeless situation. Of course, his only recourse is to strike out and, as seen in The Batman, enact plans to gain some semblance of control of his life.
A very sad origin for the Riddler.
Credit: DC Comics
The visuals continue to be haunting, with great use of color to create a disturbing atmosphere and eerie vibe. Greens are used heavily, but also purple and blue. Subic’s art is incredible, with every panel a work of art. There’s an interesting use of glow in this issue as well, which adds a dreamy supernatural feel. It’d be interesting to see Subic take on a more positive and hopeful story someday because this series and this issue have been so crushingly disturbed. One can only imagine how well he could do with something hopeful.
Ties to Riddler are compelling, like why green is a color of choice for him. We also see an interaction between Edward and Bruce Wayne’s dad. This leads to an interesting connection between Edward being an orphan as a baby and Bruce Wayne becoming an orphan at a young age. Once again, Edward is forgotten even though he’s suffered longer than Bruce and has nothing to show for his loss, as Bruce does with the Wayne family fortune.
The Riddler: Year One #4 continues to show the disturbing mind of Edward Nashton and how, in more ways than one, his eventual turn as a villain is due to a life he was forced into. The Riddler: Year One adds fascinating layers to Batman’s greatest villain.
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