Shortly after The Batman hit theaters earlier this year, DC announced that Paul Dano would explore the history of his deranged supervillain, The Riddler, in a six-issue limited comic book series set before the events of the film. Now, the series’ first issue has finally hit stores. And to celebrate its release, DC has released a new trailer for The Riddler: Year One that shows Dano talking about his creative process with The Batman director Matt Reeves.
In the video, Dano explains that doing “backstory work” was already a major part of his acting technique prior to landing the role of The Batman’s lead villain. But after sharing some of his thoughts with Reeves, the director suggested he expand these ideas into a comic book. With this, Reeves called up DC publisher Jim Lee and pitched a Riddler origin series written by Dano himself.
“To really geek out about Batman and the history, it really gripped me,” said Dano. “The idea here was to enter the comic in a really subjective way, so a lot of this is about somebody like Edward Nashton and what is going on inside his head. And I always felt like the only positive affirmation Edward Nashton has ever gotten in his entire life was from solving riddles or playing games.”
RELATED: Matt Reeves Announces a Riddler Prequel Comic Written By Paul Dano
The trailer previews Edward’s lifelong fascination with problem-solving via artwork from Dano’s Year One collaborator, Stevan Subic. In some of his panels, the character is seen doing crossword puzzles on the subway. Others appear to show him at his job as a forensic accountant, a line of work that eventually leads him to uncover the truth about the Wayne family’s ties to Gotham’s criminal underworld. Readers will also see Edward study Batman’s vigilante activities from afar as he begins plotting the city’s downfall.
“Working with Paul was just amazing,” added Reeves. “I love to go on creative searches, and different people are different about that. And he’s always searching. He’s always so creative. But I’m dying to see what this is. I cannot wait to read it.”
The Riddler: Year One #1 is available in comic shops today.
Are you excited to dive into Dano’s new series? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Batman: Year One
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