Spoilers for Riddler - Year One by Marvel ComicsIn a new six-issue series from DC Comics, Paul Dano is teaming up with artist Stevan Subic to tell the dark origin of The Riddler from The Batman. As part of DC's Black Label imprint, Dano and Subic will reveal how Edward Nashton went from an overlooked forensic ant into a masked killer in Gotham City, which is a can't-miss story for fans of The Batman.
We had the chance to speak with Riddler: Year One and writing his first comic book. In our conversation, we asked him what it was like to tackle the character on the page as opposed to how he portrayed him on the big screen in The Batman, how the project with DC Comics came to be, and what readers can expect from the dark six-issue miniseries going forward.
I got the chance to read the comic, and it felt very personal. How did this project come to be, and how exciting was it to tackle it for DC Comics?
Paul Dano: I do a bunch of backstory work. Part of acting for me is getting to page one of the script. So, it's like, "How do I bring the life that was lived into the film?" That impacts your body and your voice and your point of view, so I do a pretty good amount of work just to figure that out for myself and connect it to me. Because this comes from comics, originally, I did it with some archetypal comic language in mind; some key images and such.
I was telling Matt Reeves about it one night on see when we were in Edward's apartment. I was like, "It's funny, I kind of saw XYZ in my head when I was working on this." He was like, "That should be a comic," and if he hadn't said that, I honestly don't know if I would have had the sand to pursue it on my own. Even though I did think, "Hmm, this could be kind of interesting. But he reached out to DC and Jim Lee and was like, "You should talk to Paul." Then I spoke to them and, and they were like, "This sounds cool." And it was kind of like, "S--t, now I've got to actually try to write a good comic."
I feel really lucky. I've had a really good time working on it; banging my head against the wall some days, but I've learned a lot, and I love the medium. To get to work in it and work with an artist like Stevan [Subic], who I think is got a really special voice, it's just been a super inspiring piece to work on. Even though it's a little a little dark, I think it's been really fun for me. And I hope it feels personal, because it is in some ways. It's meant to be super subjective. That's what I have to offer, right? Some kind of emotional, psychological, subjective perspective.
What drew your attention to Stevan's work?
Paul Dano: DC was sending me people. I'm super dorky, super thorough, and super obsessive, so I was looking at a lot of people, and I saw some work of Stevan's. I was like, "That guy's good, but it's not right for this comic." I was going through some more people, and [eventually] I asked the editor, "Does Stevan have any more samples?" In the second round of samples that I got from him, he had an image of the Batman that he had drawn. I was like, "That's it." It was exactly what Edward would want on his wall to look up to.
There was something really strong, mythic, and archetypal in his Batman; the image I'm thinking of, which you haven't seen yet. I asked for even more work of his, and there was some Italian horror comic where I was like, "Yes. This guy's got something, and I weirdly think it's right for this." So, it had its own little journey. Then we talked, and he's just wonderful.
We've worked very closely together. I don't know how other writers and artists work, but Stevan and I are pretty collaborative. I can't tell you how many zoom hours we've put in at this point, because he's in Serbia, but we work pretty closely together. I really trust him, and I really feel like it's a collaboration at this point. I really love his work and his colors. I think as the comic evolves, we'll get to see a little more of him getting to cut loose, which will be fun.
What was it like seeing your words come to life on the page?
Paul Dano: Well, that's pretty cool. To have something in your head and see it come to fruition or have it realized with such a wonderful artist is pretty cool. And there's been things that are like, "That's exactly it," and then there's things that are better. I've made one film, so I think in of visual storytelling. But this medium is different, and Stevan often has a better suggestion. I've learned a lot too, in of layout and stuff like that; the writing is pretty locked in when we start.
I've just been really inspired the whole time. It's really a privilege to get to make something in the medium.
What was most interesting about adapting this character from the film to the comic page? Were there any differences that surprised you, in of what you can do with the medium?
Paul Dano: The genesis of it comes from the essence of what I did to prepare to play the character, but it's now really had to become its own thing. Because I think it has to give you the reader your own experience that's not just in service of the film. I think it needs to be its own thing, so it is taken on its own life in a way that I didn't see coming in these later issues. It's been cool to let that part of it evolve.
Why it was this medium, and not trying to do something live action with it, is because I think that the internal monologue of a character like this is very loud. I just think comics offer that opportunity to have a sort of Dostoevsky-esque inner monologue or rant, and it can work really well as long as it's not saying the exact same thing as the image is. But it felt like the natural thing. It was just like, "Well, this is the medium." I think it's something to do with another way to have a subjective experience of the character.
How did working on this project during The Batman help you embody the character further?
Paul Dano: My backstory going into filming was just what I did as an actor, and the idea of the comic came much later in the shoot. I'd kind of seen it in my head,, but it was just daydreams. Proper work on the comic was after we shot The Batman, but I would say that the amount of comics I read through the Batman opened the door to the medium again for me.
I read comics as kid, and as an adult, I've probably read a couple of the staples. But doing The Batman and reading many comics, I just loved it. I started reading about comics before I was even going to write the comic, because I was just interested. It just activated a new part of me, but really writing the comic came after the film.
What kind of comics did you read ahead of time?
Paul Dano: For me, there weren't that many Riddler comics, so it was more about soaking up Gotham and the archetypal energy. And my character looks up to the Batman, which I really couldn't say during press for the film, because people hadn't seen it yet. I just kept reading the comics to be at the altar of Batman throughout the film, so a lot of it was just cultivating this source of inspiration for Edward.
Certainly, Year One and Ego are probably the most important to the film, but there are ones that I just loved. I think Court of Owls is top drawer Batman. And then I that I had to move Arkham Asylum away from being next to my bed, because it was too much. The space was already so much, psychically speaking, that I was like, "I can't even keep this comic next to my bed. It's too much."
About the story itself, where do we find Edward at the start of the comic?
Paul Dano: I guess he's like a lonely, fractured, broken guy who is struggling. And I still think he wants to survive in some way, as most humans do. The only positive affirmation he's ever gotten his life is from a riddle or a puzzle or game, and he stumbles on something that is going to lead to something bigger. What he stumbles on is kind of linked to his trauma, and so in the first one at least, there's some unconscious drive of trauma that's not fully crystal clear. But it'll lead to a breaking point, I guess.
The comic deals with his trauma in a more direct way, especially when he's on the subway and sees the signs. How was it to explore that trauma and take a deeper dive into this character study?
Paul Dano: That's one of the parts of the first issue that I was most excited about in writing it. The first thing I wrote was page one, which is starting in his head. There's these intrusive thoughts that are in it, right on the subway platform, and then when boiling the soup. We use black as this space inside of himself, and then coming back to reality. He's got some dark thoughts and some struggles. Hopefully, it's entertaining enough. It's a little heavy, but it's a cool thing to express in the medium.
Then there's this whole corruption detective element that happens or is going to happen. It's been interesting to balance all that inner life with plot or story. That's probably the thing that's changed the most from my backstory; just letting that evolve. Especially issue #2, which is probably the most different than I would have originally thought. But I think there's some fun stuff coming.
Speaking of his backstory, what was it like to develop that relationship with Batman, and that encounter in the first issue?
Paul Dano: I wanted to start with a really classic [trope]. I almost thought of him being like Mary Jane seeing [Spider-Man]; sort of like love at first sight. I just wanted a simple, classic intro—and then that relationship evolves in the comic. In Edward, at least. And that was a really important part for me during filming; Batman was Edward's inner gold. I really love what Matt did there as a writer and as a filmmaker with that relationship and Batman's journey there, from vigilante to hero and to hope. Unfortunately, this isn't a journey towards hope.
How did you fill in integral details about this version of Riddler and create a backstory for such an iconic character in a new way?
Paul Dano: That's the tightrope to walk. This leads the character towards the film, but it can't just be in service of the film. It is meant to be its own thing, yet it also needs to be in conversation with the history at large, and Gotham at large. It's really fun to play with all of that.
In fact, nigma.org was a really fun addition, once the art was there. It was a different name at first, and we couldn't legally call it that. I'm really happy that it worked out; it's really fun part of the process that keeps growing as you write it, see the art, and put the letters in, and do the final adjustments. There's other details like that; Stevan put something in there that's fun to find.
I'll be excited to see how those elements evolve as well, even just the archetypal feeling of Batman or the Riddler the question mark. Because he's obviously different than any other Riddler, so hopefully we're creating our own thing while still having some connections to everything else.
I assume we'll see a little bit more of Gotham and its characters in future issues, so what was it like to take a little step away from Riddler while writing a story that surrounds him?
Paul Dano: Yes, that was an important learning curve element for me. When I started writing the first issue, as I said, the first thing I wrote was in his head and subjective. And now, the story indeed does have to blossom a bit more into the world around him, although it does remain subjective throughout.
That's been really fun, and a really cool learning curve for me as a writer. Because as an actor, you're inside of something. But as a storyteller, you also have to pop out and look at it from a higher vantage point. I would say that part of it only grows in the next couple of issues. It was kind of like starting here, inside of him, and then letting that go out.
Can we expect to see more characters from Gotham City show up in this book?
Paul Dano: I don't know. I will say that my hope is that Edward's story and his relationship with Batman is the driving force of this thing. Hopefully there's a little fun to be had, but it's its own thing. Again, I don't want it to just be in service of the film, yet it is. So, we'll see.
Are there any characters that you would want to write if given the chance?
Paul Dano: I thought, "This is the only time I'll ever get to write a comic in my life, so I better put everything I have into it. " We've been doing that, but I have no clue if I ever will again or not. I've certainly really enjoyed it, and I feel really lucky.
Thanks so much to Paul Dano for taking the time to speak with us! Riddler: Year One from DC Comics arrives in comic book stores on October 25, 2022.
