Batman: One Bad Day Series of One-Shots

[tabo61]

Enjoyed Riddler.

[millernumber1]

Are all of these one-shots going to be trying to make the villains darker and edgier?

Almost certainly. The project was originally called The Killing Year.

[charliehustle415]

Almost certainly. The project was originally called The Killing Year.

oy vey, of course it was

DC and their edgelord fixation

[Caivu]

Apparently the Riddler issue also does a new take on his origin? King was not a fan of his comic or DCAU origins and decided to do his own take: https://www.thepopverse.com/tom-king...od-one-bad-day

Wow, King had a quote in here that was such a succinct description of his writing:

It was fun to ask, can I turn that into something wicked and cruel?

[Alpha]

Pretty great story. But yeah, the dead mother was a mistake. And the ending was a wrong choice. The ultimate dark encounter between Batman and Riddler is one where Bruce convinces Riddler to kill himself.

In my view this would happen if when Riddler was in that high tower, and nobody would dare cross him, Batman managed to convince everyond to worship Riddler, elect him mayor, give him all the acclaim and recognition he wants... and the responsibility to prove his greatness as a leader. And at that very moment Riddler would look at himself, realize that it was all downhill from here, this was his greatest moment and now that he had won there was no chance of him keeping this up, the rest of his life would be him failing and ruining his greatness, so he would pick up a gun and shoot himself in the head.

And this would all be according to plan for Bruce since there was no other way for Bruce to get to him other than convincing Riddler to commit suicide. This is the darkest and most fitting end to this story, at least for me

[millernumber1]

oy vey, of course it was

DC and their edgelord fixation

I mean...it's partly their fault, for marketing TKJ over and over and over again. But it does keep selling.

[Nero]

With Batman One Bad Day/the Riddler, it was a mixed bag for me. Then again, that's usually how Tom King's writing is for me. On a shallow note, I didn't like the way the Riddler looked. I know Mitch Gerads based his depiction of the Riddler on the new Batman adventures but it didn't do it for me. Prefer the classic look the Riddler had just recently in Batman Killing Time. But Mitch's art (which usually Tom King gets great artists to collaborate with) was outstanding. My favorite panels consisted of Batman and the Riddler on the basketball court. Didn't care for this version of the Riddler's origin, seemed too excessive. Prefer Chuck Dixon's Riddler origin in Detective Comics 1995 Annual 8. The Riddler's dad being the polar opposite of him and his dad resenting him for it works better to me. Tom King making the Riddler so blood thirsty comes as no surprise, he made this apparent during the War of Jokes and Riddles.

I don't mind the Riddler being deadly but when it gets to the point where the method of his madness is no longer in tact, he's no longer unique. He becomes no different than any other serial killer. Scott Snyder did a better job with this in Zero Year, IMO.

[TheJudge95]

Pretty great story. But yeah, the dead mother was a mistake. And the ending was a wrong choice. The ultimate dark encounter between Batman and Riddler is one where Bruce convinces Riddler to kill himself.

I think him killing his mother is the catalyst for why he tries to give up his riddle schtick. His self-conception as the Riddler that his abuse had hammered into him would be shattered if she explained his childhood and lingering issues to him and "solved" him, so the way I read it, him killing her was 2nd-degree murder, spur of the moment. So he tries to give up the game and the "dreadful reins" that pushed him to kill his mother.

I also like the implication that subconsciously he views Batman as an extension of his father, since they both administer corporal punishment to him. That's why he specifically says "If you touch me..." which has a connotation of abuse. So it's really a tragedy of Riddler trying to change his ways, and not to redeem himself but to try to rid himself of the psychosis that was beat into him in his traumatic childhood.

[Frontier]

I think him killing his mother is the catalyst for why he tries to give up his riddle schtick. His self-conception as the Riddler that his abuse had hammered into him would be shattered if she explained his childhood and lingering issues to him and "solved" him, so the way I read it, him killing her was 2nd-degree murder, spur of the moment. So he tries to give up the game and the "dreadful reins" that pushed him to kill his mother.

I also like the implication that subconsciously he views Batman as an extension of his father, since they both administer corporal punishment to him. That's why he specifically says "If you touch me..." which has a connotation of abuse. So it's really a tragedy of Riddler trying to change his ways, and not to redeem himself but to try to rid himself of the psychosis that was beat into him in his traumatic childhood.

I much prefer the idea that Riddler hates Batman because Batman always outsmarts him and basically emphasizes how petty and small Riddler really is.

[HsssH]

How does a guy who is fully Greg Land tier at this point with how blatantly he traces still manage to be so incredibly slow?

Or why it doesn't look like anyone really minds that he is tracing?

and if it was written in the 80's it would be a classic.

Thats the thing, it couldn't have been written in the 80's.

I much prefer the idea that Riddler hates Batman because Batman always outsmarts him and basically emphasizes how petty and small Riddler really is.

Yeah, sometimes simple solutions work the best.

[Batman Begins 2005]

I didn't like this Riddler issue but that's how I feel about nearly all Tom King's Batman stories. King's best Batman stories were one and dones (Batman Annual #2 and #4) butt this was nowhere near those.

[Coco Loco]

It’s either that or he beats him into a coma. But then why wouldn’t Batman just do that at the basketball court? He doesn’t have to kill Riddler to beat him. Only way the ending makes sense is if Batman has decided he does have to kill Riddler.

All he has to do is make the Riddler believe he MIGHT kill him. That’s the speech he gives him at the end - I made the mistake of assuming you’d continue to act the way you always have, and I paid for it. Now you’re making the same mistake - f around and you might find out.

[TooFlyToFail]

Are all of these one-shots going to be trying to make the villains darker and edgier?

Darker, sure. Edgier? I don't know what you mean by that.

Hopefully, you don't read "One Bad Day", and think you're going to get fun stories that aren't heavy in villain introspection and circumstances that may have pushed them or what will push them?

[TooFlyToFail]

Pretty great story. But yeah, the dead mother was a mistake. And the ending was a wrong choice. The ultimate dark encounter between Batman and Riddler is one where Bruce convinces Riddler to kill himself.

In my view this would happen if when Riddler was in that high tower, and nobody would dare cross him, Batman managed to convince everyond to worship Riddler, elect him mayor, give him all the acclaim and recognition he wants... and the responsibility to prove his greatness as a leader. And at that very moment Riddler would look at himself, realize that it was all downhill from here, this was his greatest moment and now that he had won there was no chance of him keeping this up, the rest of his life would be him failing and ruining his greatness, so he would pick up a gun and shoot himself in the head.

And this would all be according to plan for Bruce since there was no other way for Bruce to get to him other than convincing Riddler to commit suicide. This is the darkest and most fitting end to this story, at least for me

This version of Riddler isn't that type of Riddler. It's very clear from his origin in this continuity. The type of Riddler you described would've been far more hyped that he knew Bruce's entire life for years, without Bruce knowing. He wouldn't have been so nonchalant.

It's like he's been pretending here, and killing his mother killed the facade. He's uncomfortably cruel and unforgiving, like his father was to him. There's no pride in it, so I don't think your ending works for this Riddler.

[Frontier]

Darker, sure. Edgier? I don't know what you mean by that.

Hopefully, you don't read "One Bad Day", and think you're going to get fun stories that aren't heavy in villain introspection and circumstances that may have pushed them or what will push them?

I guess if they're trying to be true to the Killing Joke, but if not handled correctly I think it can be a tad excessive.

But it's multiple writers/characters so it probably won't be exactly the same.