Does Anyone Remember Riddler's Emo Phase?

I just read issue 50 of Judd Winick's Green Arrow which guest stars the Riddler. Not to spoil too much but the premise is that Roy Harper gets kidnapped by The Riddler and Green Arrow and the Outsiders have to bust him out of the Riddler's secret fortress (which we never heard about before and is never seen again)

But for some weird reason, the Riddler isn't wearing his usual green boiler hat and suit, but a skin-tight black tights with a question mark around his neck! Even worse the heroes don't even defeat him, the Riddler just... walks off. I thought maybe the Arrow family fights him in the next issue, but apparently The Riddler doesn't show up to fight Green Arrow again. What?!


It took me half an hour to search the internet for context, but fortunately CBR did an article explaining the Riddler's status quo at the time:

[url]https://www.cbr.com/riddler-most-forgettable-makeover/[/url]

As someone who's actually really enjoying his Green Arrow run, I'll have to ask Winick what was the story behind this issue if I ever see him in person.

Maybe it was Riddler s reaction after being humiliated by Ollie and Dinah during Meltzer s run. Reinvent himself as what he thought is cool.

This was part of a story DC seemed to be building over some time.

After Hush (and Hush Returns?) Riddler was on the run with every criminal in Gotham wanting him dead (backups in 'Tec, iirc). We then got a Legends of the Dark Knight arc called Riddle Me That, which debuted the new look and retconned Riddler's origin so that he didn't actually cheat as a child and has been holding back his full genius due to trauma from his abusive father. He then attacked Green Arrow (revenge for an earlier Winnick arc) on his way to Gotham.

Winnick was also writing Batman (and Outsiders) at this time, so was probably planning to pay it off there.

Then Infinite Crisis happened, he was hit by Hawkman's mace. Winnick was out and, instead of a new, exciting and more dangerous Riddler, we got the good guy detective Riddler (in the same story like 5 times).

I was really excited to see what the new Riddler was going to do and see this as a massive miss for DC.

[QUOTE=exile001;6288271]This was part of a story DC seemed to be building over some time.

After Hush (and Hush Returns?) Riddler was on the run with every criminal in Gotham wanting him dead (backups in 'Tec, iirc). We then got a Legends of the Dark Knight arc called Riddle Me That, which debuted the new look and retconned Riddler's origin so that he didn't actually cheat as a child and has been holding back his full genius due to trauma from his abusive father. He then attacked Green Arrow (revenge for an earlier Winnick arc) on his way to Gotham.

Winnick was also writing Batman (and Outsiders) at this time, so was probably planning to pay it off there.

Then Infinite Crisis happened, he was hit by Hawkman's mace. Winnick was out and, instead of a new, exciting and more dangerous Riddler, we got the good guy detective Riddler (in the same story like 5 times).

I was really excited to see what the new Riddler was going to do and see this as a massive miss for DC.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for explaining the backstory to me. This makes a lot more sense.

Can't say I enjoy that look for 'ol Eddie myself.

I liked the "good guy detective" Riddler better.

For anyone interested, the "Riddle Me That" story from Legends of the Dark Knight #185-189 which ties into all this, for my money, may actually be one of the greatest Riddler stories of all time.

[QUOTE=marhawkman;6288756]I liked the "good guy detective" Riddler better.[/QUOTE]

I completely agree. I love the heroic Riddler in Paul Dini's Detective Comics. I wish that status quo lasted a little longer.

[QUOTE=PurpleGlovez;6289118]For anyone interested, the "Riddle Me That" story from Legends of the Dark Knight #185-189 which ties into all this, for my money, may actually be one of the greatest Riddler stories of all time.[/QUOTE]

Can't wait to check that story out some day! Some of the best Batman comics are in LoTDK.