(Stock Image)
SOLD ON: Thursday, 12/07/2023 7:08 PM
This auction has ended.
PUBLISHER: DC
COMMENTS: ow pages
origin & 1st app. the Riddler (10/48) COMIC BOOK IMPACT rating of 8 (CBI)
Read Description ▼
ow pages
origin & 1st app. the Riddler (10/48) COMIC BOOK IMPACT rating of 8 (CBI)
The early months of Batman in Detective Comics were packed with the first appearances of supervillains and inventions like the Batarang. That was quickly followed by the Batman solo title that introduced the Joker and the Catwoman in the first issue. But there were vital firsts yet to come, including The Riddle making his debut in Detective #140 — over 100 issues after Batman began!
Bill Finger still crafted this classic origin story so that the Riddler immediately seems like a classic Batman bad guy. We get a look at the troubling early years of puzzle expert (and compulsive cheater) Edward Nigma, with his overblown obsession perfectly fitting into the existing Bat-mythos. The Riddler would become the perfect foil for Batman's own exacting self-discipline and Sherlockian-level detective skills. The Riddler even briefly eclipsed the Joker as Batman's most beloved foe, and was brought in as the first Bat-villain in the hit '60s TV series. (Frank Gorshin would credit this issue as the inspiration for his Riddler's particularly nasty personality.) This issue was released when DC and other hero publishers were experiencing a post-war sales dip, meaning that reduced print runs have made this an unusually rare key issue for a major Bat-villain.
Overstreet Guide 2023 FN (6.0) value = $10,875.
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