DC’s New Releases Include Paul Dano Telling The Batman’s Riddler Origin

It’s a week for Batman fans with the release of Riddler: Year One, Punchline: The Gotham Game and the prequel tie-in to the Gotham Knights video game.

The Batman‘s Riddler is given an origin story in the new releases for DC Comics.

Out on Tuesday is the first issue of Riddler: Year One, a title written by The Batman‘s Riddler/Edward Nashton actor Paul Dano and illustrated by Stevan Subic. Set prior to the events of Matt Reeves’ 2022 film, Riddler: Year One will be a six-issue miniseries that explores how Nashton evolves from a forensic accountant into the villain that would shake Gotham City with puzzles and targeted murders. Dano and Subic both make their American comics debut with the series set to tell the «shocking story of a man with nothing to lose.»

Then, from other Gotham Cities across DC’s universes come Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City #1 and Punchline: The Gotham Game #1. The former title is a miniseries by writer Evan Narcisse and artist Abel that serves as a prequel to the Gotham Knights video game on sale now, which focuses on Batman’s protégés following his death. As for the latter, Punchline: The Gotham Game is a miniseries written by Tini and Blake Howard with art by Gleb Melnikov, picking up the story of the Joker’s girlfriend after she was acquitted of her crimes by the end of «Punchline,» a backup story featured in The Joker series released across 2021 and 2022.

Also out this week is Action Comics #1048 (continuing the «Kal-El Returns» crossover with Superman: Son of Kal-El), the finale of Catwoman: Lonely City and more. The full list of releases can be found alphabetically below, covers and solicitations included.

ACTION COMICS #1048

Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art by MIKE PERKINS
Backup art by DAVID LAPHAM
Cover by STEVE BEACH
Variant cover by DAVID LAPHAM
1:25 variant cover by RAFAEL SARMENTO
Black Adam movie variant cover by IVAN TAO
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
“KAL-EL RETURNS” PART 3—THE EPIC CROSSOVER BETWEEN ACTION COMICS AND SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL CONTINUES!
Superman, Supergirl, Steel, and the rest of the Super-Family have brought the Phaelosian refugees to the Fortress of Solitude, but before they can show the newcomers the ropes of heroics on planet Earth, a sneak attack from above turns the Arctic tundra into a war zone! Plus, the march toward Action Comics #1050 continues when Lex Luthor presents a disturbing deal to Metallo…

Written by SEAN MURPHY
Art and cover by SEAN MURPHY
Variant cover by FIONA STAPLES
1:25 variant cover by SEAN MURPHY
$4.99 US | 32 pages | 6 of 8 | (All covers card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
After years of rivalry, it’s the showdown you’ve been waiting for…Jason Todd versus Dick Grayson! Who’s the best Robin? Find out this issue! Plus, with the help of an unexpected new ally, Bruce Wayne aims to take Derek Powers down for good. But will the malevolent millionaire’s newfound powers prove to be too much for the former Batman?

BATMAN: FORTRESS #6

Written by GARY WHITTA
Art and cover by DARICK ROBERTSON
Variant cover by JORGE MOLINA
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 6 of 8 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
Having finally located the Fortress of Solitude, Batman and his hastily assembled allies quickly discover that it is as deadly as it is awe-inspiring. With an alien force holding the world hostage while the heroes hunt for Superman, can the Dark Knight find a weapon to repel the invaders? Or will his ragtag team succumb to dysfunction and betrayal before they can save the world?

BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS – GILDED CITY #1

Written by EVAN NARCISSE
Art by ABEL
Cover by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION
Variant cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
1:25 variant cover by CHRISTOPHER MITTEN
1:50 black-and-white variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Wraparound variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
$4.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 6 | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
A mysterious virus has infected Gotham City—turning its victims into rabid, yellow-irised maniacs driven to looting, theft, and bursts of anger. Batman and his Gotham Knights struggle to keep this strange virus contained while investigating its origins. But this is not the first time this unusual illness has overtaken the city. Take a trip to Gotham in the mid-1800s and meet the city’s first masked vigilante—the mysterious hero known only as the Runaway—as they, too, find themselves mired in the mystery of this infection! This thrilling and horrific tale, split between modern-day Gotham and the Gotham of 1847, leads directly into the upcoming video game Gotham Knights!
Each issue will also offer a code for readers to redeem in the Gotham Knights game for an exclusive item. For issue 1, readers will receive a code for an exclusive skin variant for the Batcycle! Readers who redeem the codes for all 6 issues will receive a special 7th item!

BATMAN: THE AUDIO ADVENTURES #2

Written by DENNIS McNICHOLAS
Art by ANTHONY MARQUES and J. BONE
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
Variant cover by MICHAEL ALLRED
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 2 of 7 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
Batman comes face-to-face with the ninjas who have been tearing through the Gotham underworld. As the Dark Knight stares down the menacing assailants, he learns more about their mission as well as the name of the one they serve: the Demon’s Head, Ra’s al Ghul. Meanwhile, something prowls the sewers of Gotham City, a being whose mind has been warped by The Joker’s dark purple dawn!

CATWOMAN: LONELY CITY #4

Written by CLIFF CHIANG
Art and cover by CLIFF CHIANG
Variant cover by CLIFF CHIANG
1:25 variant cover by JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ
$6.99 US | 48 pages | 4 of 4 | Prestige Plus | 8 1/2″ x 10 7/8″
ON SALE 10/25/22
One of the most acclaimed Black Label series ever reaches its conclusion! All of the sacrifice—all of the broken bodies and shattered relationships—was leading up to this: Selina Kyle standing in front of the Batcave, desperate to know the secrets inside it, secrets once thought to have died with Batman. But you should never open doors you can’t close—if opening them means swinging wide the gates of Hell!

DC HORROR PRESENTS: SGT. ROCK VS. THE ARMY OF THE DEAD #2

Written by BRUCE CAMPBELL
Art by EDUARDO RISSO
Cover by GARY FRANK
Variant cover by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
1:25 variant cover by KYLE HOTZ
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 2 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
Sgt. Rock and Easy Company are behind enemy lines, armed to the teeth, and ready to go up against the strangest—and deadliest—enemies they’ve ever encountered: zombies, and a whole lot of ’em! Strap in, soldiers, it’s you against the world…of the dead!

DC VS. VAMPIRES #10

Written by MATTHEW ROSENBERG and JAMES TYNION IV
Art by OTTO SCHMIDT
Cover by GUILLEM MARCH
Variant cover by NATHAN SZERDY
1:25 variant cover by JOHN GIANG
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 10 of 12 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
The war for Earth takes a decisive turn as the heroes prepare to strike back! Can Supergirl and her team in Australia escape to space? Will the Birds of Prey’s infiltration of Gotham City go unnoticed by the Vampire King? Can Green Arrow save the human cattle from the Blood Farm? The shocking answers await!

DC: MECH #4

Written by KENNY PORTER
Art and cover by BALDEMAR RIVAS
Variant cover by DAN MORA
1:25 variant cover by RICARDO LÓPEZ ORTIZ
1:50 variant cover by DAN MORA
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 4 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
PICKING UP THE PIECES!
Darkseid’s forces defeated the Justice Squadron and killed someone near and dear to them. The heroes will have to fix their mechs and their team morale in order to get back in the fight. But Superman is hiding in a town called Smallville, living with a family called the Kents while trying to fix his mech. He’s in grave danger, as the people of Smallville don’t take kindly to mechs or aliens…

DEATHSTROKE INC. #14

Written by ED BRISSON
Art by DEXTER SOY
Cover by MIKEL JANÍN
Variant cover by IVAN TAO
1:25 variant cover by MEGAN HUANG
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
Outgunned and overwhelmed, Deathstroke’s first mission takes a shocking and brutal turn as a new threat arises to steal his hit and his reward! Slade has to decide…live or fulfill his contract?

DETECTIVE COMICS #1065

Written by RAM V
Art by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
Cover by EVAN CAGLE
Backup written by SI SPURRIER
Backup art by HAYDEN SHERMAN
Variant cover by JIM LEE, SCOTT WILLIAMS, and ALEX SINCLAIR
1:25 variant cover by MARTIN SIMMONDS
1:50 pencil variant cover by JIM LEE
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
The Orgham family has dramatically arrived after traumatic events at the docks in Gotham, and they are ready to reclaim the land that belongs under their name…an English surname you may better know as Arkham. As Bruce Wayne and the young Orgham prince Arzen discuss how they both want to change Gotham for the better, it seems Batman and the Orghams might have different ways to go about doing so…

Written by STEPHANIE PHILLIPS
Art and cover by MATTEO LOLLI
Variant cover by LEIRIX
1:25 variant cover by RACHTA LIN
1:50 variant cover by MEGAN HUTCHINSON-CATES
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
Y’know, bein’ dead is just like ridin’ a bike. There’s a big white light, and then Prince shows up and offers you a chance to host a house party in the clouds with Marilyn Monroe and Abraham Lincoln. Then suddenly you’re brought back to life in a pit of goopy green snot, and you have to find the person who was rude enough to shoot and kill you. To make things even better…turns out that comin’ back to life could have some serious unintended consequences!

THE HUMAN TARGET #8

Written by TOM KING
Art and cover by GREG SMALLWOOD
Variant cover by JORGE JIMENEZ
1:25 variant cover by RYAN SOOK
$4.99 US | 40 pages | 8 of 12
ON SALE 10/25/22
The brutal, Eisner-nominated series continues as time is running out for Christopher Chance to find his murderer. His investigation into the Justice League International takes a violent turn when Rocket Red comes knocking, looking for his friend Guy Gardner!

PUNCHLINE: THE GOTHAM GAME #1

Written by TINI HOWARD and BLAKE HOWARD
Art and cover by GLEB MELNIKOV
Variant covers by DERRICK CHEW and ROSE BESCH
1:25 variant cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
1:50 variant cover by GUILLEM MARCH
1:100 variant cover by MATEUS MANHANINI
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
SALE 10/25/22
Punchline is out of jail and back on the streets of Gotham City. She’s not coming back for some of what Gotham has to offer, she’s coming back for all of it. She wants to be the queen of crime, and with the help of her Royal Flush Gang no one will stand in her way. But Punchline created a lot of angry enemies in Gotham before she was incarcerated, and they all want payback. Presenting a miniseries that will redefine the criminal landscape of Gotham City from the superstar creative team of Tini Howard (Catwoman, Knights of X), Blake Howard (Batman: Urban Legends), and Gleb Melnikov (Robin, Wonder Woman)!

Written by PAUL DANO
Art by STEVAN SUBIC
Covers by BILL SIENKIEWICZ
Variant covers by JIM LEE and STEVAN SUBIC
1:25 variant cover by GREG RUTH
1:50 variant cover by TULA LOTAY
1:100 variant cover by KOUTA SASAI
1:250 variant cover by JIM LEE
$4.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 6 | (All covers card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
As depicted in Matt Reeves’s hit movie The Batman, the Riddler wasn’t simply an amusing eccentric with an affinity for wordplay and baffling clues, but as terrifying a villain as any in the annals of the Dark Knight. Here you can see Edward Nashton evolve into the menace known as the Riddler. How did an unknown forensic accountant uncover the dark secrets of Gotham’s underworld and come so close to bringing down the entire city? This six-issue miniseries is an immediate prequel to The Batman—the detailed, disturbing, and at times shocking story of a man with nothing to lose.
Artist Stevan Subic makes his American comics debut, including a variant cover that is the first of six interlocking covers. This collaboration with Dano delivers a shadowy and gritty tale of a society’s forgotten man who refuses to go unnoticed any longer. Subic’s recent Conan the Cimmerian for French publisher Glénat has brought him great acclaim in Europe, and he’s about to break out globally with a Batman series unlike any you’ve seen before.

TIM DRAKE: ROBIN #2

Written by MEGHAN FITZMARTIN
Art by RILEY ROSSMO
Cover by RICARDO LÓPEZ ORTIZ
Variant cover by DAN MORA
1:25 variant cover by RILEY ROSSMO
1:50 variant cover by JORGE CORONA
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
To catch a criminal mastermind, Tim will have to…steal a diamond? Oh no, what’s gotten into you, Tim? It’s Tim Drake like you’ve never seen him! Plus: a murder most foul at the library, the Gotham Marina is in danger, and Bernard isn’t answering Tim’s calls!

YOUNG JUSTICE: TARGETS #4

Written by GREG WEISMAN
Art and cover by CHRISTOPHER JONES
Variant cover by MEGHAN HETRICK
Black Adam variant cover by PAUL RENAUD
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 4 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/25/22
The search for Queen Perdita continues and the conspiracy behind her abduction deepens as Lex Luthor’s involvement becomes apparent! Now the Outsiders and Gorilla Squad head to a Lexcorp robotics factory in Bialya to investigate further, and what they find will rock them to their core!

All of these issues go on sale Oct. 25 from DC Comics.

Source: DC Comics