The Batman actor Paul Dano comes to comic books to tell the origin of The Riddler

If you couldn't get enough of Paul Dano's performance as the Riddler in The Batman - but maybe you were also hoping for a little more of his comic book style - you're completely in luck starting this October, as Dano himself is taking on the origin story of the Riddler in comics as the writer of Riddler: Year One.

Billed as something of an origin story for the movie version of the character, Riddler: Year One explores the background of how accountant Edward Nashton went from "a simple Gotham City nobody to becoming Batman's nemesis, setting them on a collision course in the blockbuster feature film."

Riddler: Year One will run for six issues to be released bimonthly (meaning, in this case, every other month) through DC's adult-oriented Black Label imprint which allows for darker, more mature themes and stories. The limited series will be drawn by Stevan Subic, known for his work on Conan and Tarzan stories in the European market. Subic makes his American comics debut with Riddler: Year One.

DC has enlisted actors to write comic book stories for the DC characters they've portrayed on film, including other Batman villains - most notably actor Danny DeVito, who played a particularly monstrous version of the Penguin in 1992's Batman Returns before writing a Penguin story in 2021's Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant anthology one-shot. 

That said, this may be the first time a major actor such as Paul Dano has taken up the torch to directly write the backstory of his film character in comic book form, making Riddler: Year One a particularly unique insight into the actual history and psychology of The Batman's version of the Riddler.

Riddler: Year One #1 is due out in October.

The Riddler ranks among the best Batman villains of all time.