Storyline: The Riddle Unanswered
Date: June 4, 2008
Price: $2.99
Writer: Paul Dini
Artists: Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs

Synopsis: A killer stalks the city, taxing the wits of Batman, the Riddler and every other detective in Gotham. The Dark Knight’s quest to unravel the truth behind the seemingly unrelated murders is complicated by the surprise return of a fan-favorite character. What sinister secret lies at the bottom of the gruesome murders plaguing Gotham City?

Opinion: Wow! This comic is definitely worth your hard-earned cash. The story is interesting and flows well, the dialogue is believable and good, and the art is fantastic. There’s very little to complain about here. Check out my full review after the jump.

Three victims in three weeks, each with the same execution: the left hand cut off and a white lily floating in the victim’s blood. Right off the bat (no pun intended) you’re sucked into the story. At the scene of the latest murder, Batman and Jim—who are discussing the homicides—are soon joined by the Riddler, who is looking to cash in on the crimes by declaring to find and bring in the culprit.

What’s great about this is all three characters are prominent. Each of them is true to his nature and has a strong, flavorful voice and presence. Paul Dini does an amazing job at making their interaction fun and alive. I love how they’re drawn and colored, too. Batman, always at least half covered in shadow (as he should be), is intimidating and enigmatic (sorry, Nigma). There’s no mistaking this is the Dark Knight.

I loved the panel where, as the Riddler is whining about Batman being privy to the police investigation when he isn’t, Batman grapples off into the night. Classic. When he gets to the Batmobile, he finds none other than the seductive Ms. Selina Kyle waiting for him. The disappointing thing is she’s only in a few pages of the comic, despite what the cover seems to imply (aka something big and dramatic), but it’s a nice introduction nonetheless, and hopefully this means we’ll be seeing more of her soon.

And if Catwoman’s cameo gets you all wound up like a ball of string, then hold on to your catnip. This comic just gets better when Bruce, stumped over the murders, enters an online chatroom of amateur sleuths called “The Heirs of Dupin” to read some fresh theories on the case. Among the other “detectives” is the Riddler, who is searching for new insight into the murder mystery as well. (And brilliant as always, Bruce knows it’s him behind the screen name.) As amusing as this scenario is, it’s worth it even more just to see Bruce type “BRB.”

Plus, there’s some amazing dialogue between the Riddler and Batman near the end of the comic, which finishes off with a great note of Batman’s trademark sarcasm.

Two thumbs up!

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