the full piece i created for @thebatmanfanbook! this was one of my favorite zine projects ive participated in, and leftover sales are open now so please go check them out 🖤
Kinda my take on the riddler and ofc I had to give him a stupid haircut
Pretty much inspired by the Arkham saga (personality wise cuz that dude is hilarious and a total nerd) , Zero year and BTAS riddler¿ a lil bit of Gotham too. No hat tho bc idk how to draw hats
doodle of ed. i gave him a messenger bag to store his journals and other ed necessities. i drew this in art class and my art teacher scolded me for not being on task.
here is the first half of my references for my version of Edward Nygma aka The Riddler!!! these cover his early life before becoming the Riddler! im currently working on the other half of the references right now so check back in about a week if youd like to see more!!
i hope paul knows what he’s doing for a lot of people by writing riddler year one the way he did. i hope he knows he’s making a lot of people who might hate themselves feel a little bit seen and understood. i hope he knows how much of a service he’s doing for people who are traumatized, autistic, schizophrenic, anxious, paranoid, lost, trapped in the system. i hope he knows it’s so rare how gently and seriously he treated edward from the beginning and how revolutionary it is to make this story after the film paints his character as a villain. i hope he knows he and stevan made something that’s already touched so many people in so many different ways and offers an opportunity to reframe the villain in a story that makes his actions make sense.
Riddler who slowly hugs u tighter and tighter until you're whimpering and you can't breath or wriggle away before telling u that he knows u were trying to escape but that he doesn't blame you. Obviously you were being manipulated by that ex lover of yours. He was too merciful to let them off the hook that easily, and intends to rectify his mistake.
Of course he knew what those ropes on the floor stood for. He immediately knew you were attempting to escape. And on top of that, to see you fiddling with the door handle right as he makes his way in after a hard day of work...what a terrible thing to come home to, right angel? Of course the knew you were trying to leave him. Why wouldn't he? What, did you think he was stupid or something? Of course, you tell him no, that you could NEVER think that, and that he's the only remotely intelligent man in Gotham. But he doesn't believe you. Just look at those ropes on the floor. Clearly, the scum of the Earth still holds your tongue.
He gently, slowly, whispers their address into your ear, while brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. He traces kisses along the side of your head, while you try your damnedest to squirm away from him. He doesn't bother using the syringe to get you to sleep yet. He just wants a few more minutes like this with you. He just wants a few more minutes to tell you what he's going to do to everyone you ever loved, and what he'll do to you right after that. He'll play the event in his brain over and over again.
Enter their homes
Hear their screams
Come back home to you
The idea alone makes him feel just so…good. He could scream.
I cannot express how much I love zero year Riddler. He is 100% without a doubt my favourite depiction of Riddler in any dc media, his design and personality are so perfect for him. I just generally love pretty much all of the designs from the zero year comics, but he's definitely my favourite, I feel like the writers and artist really understood his character.