DC Comics reviews for 9/11/19 – Batman #78, Event Leviathan #4

The Riddler: Year of the Villain #1

The Riddler gets the spotlight in this Year of the Villain spin-off. With so many villains getting amazing powers and gifts from Lex Luthor, Edward Nygma wants to know why he’s been ignored.

Commiserating with King Tut offers little insight, but it’s a visit from Luthor that changes everything for The Riddler.

Writer Mark Russell doesn’t introduce anything new to character and his portrayal of Riddler as a loser clashes with the work by Batman writers Scott Snyder and Tom King in placing Riddler squarely in the top tier of Batman’s Rogues. It’s a stretch to see the guy who waged a war with The Joker suddenly viewing himself on Tut’s level.

There’s a payoff for this pity party, but it still feels wildly out of character.

Stephen Godlewski’s art is fine for this lighter story, but he’s unable to draw Batman or Luthor like threatening characters. The fallout of this issue won’t be played out until later as all the Batman books are in this weird space while City of Bane continues.

This wasn’t an essential YOTV villain tie-in and one most readers can easily skip without fear of missing anything important.

Rating: 5 out of 10