Detective Comics #140

Detective Comics #140

Originally released in 1948

Written by Bill Finger

Art by Dick Sprang

I wanted to read something on the shorter side today, and I haven't read many older Batman comics, so I went with the first appearance of the Riddler.  His origin is told rather quickly - he cheated at puzzles, and he quickly found that winning (by cheating) felt good, so he decided to prove that he was better than Batman and turned to a life of crime to do so.  That's the extent of it.

Thankfully, he didn't call himself the Puzzled; I don't think that name would have stuck as well as the Riddler did. The Riddler's riddles usually have a double meaning that obscure their true target, though Batman and Robin catch on too late in these stories.

His taunts come in the form of crossword puzzles that Gotham broadcasts on skyscrapers, along with enormous jigsaw puzzles. (Having as many men as Batman needs to put together a giant jigsaw puzzle can't be a great use of the police's time)

The Riddler's costume at this point consists of a green leotard covered in question marks, and I've got to say, I greatly prefer the modern suit and bowler hat interpretation.  Though the Riddler's smug facial expressions throughout this story are great.

There are other stories in this as well - one about Robotman (a robot who disguises as a human, and who is seemingly unrelated to the Doom Patrol character of the same name), private eye Slam Bradley, and a group of Boy Commandos - though they aren't all that interesting compared to the Batman story.

Still, it's interesting to see what other stories DC included in this anthology series, and how most of them maintained the detective theme while doing their own twists on the subject.

I'm willing to read more comics from the post-WW2 era and see at what point the series crosses into science fiction - we haven't reached the era of "the Batman of another world" or "Bat-baby" or "Superman tries to have Batman burned at the stake for witchcraft" yet, though things do seem zanier/less serious than the 1930s comics. (Dick Sprang's artwork likely helps with that)