As a huge fan of The Riddler, I get frustrated at the lack of storylines which present the character as a true intellectual threat to Batman. Very few storylines actually show the potential this character has to truly challenge the Bat.
Luckily, Dark Knight Dark City isn't one of those stories. Throughout The Riddler is darker, more violent and has The Bat struggling to figure out the connections between his various odd crimes. His riddles are easily figured out, but we eventually see that this is all part of his master plan to summon Barbatos.
Barbatos is a 'bat demon' that is heavily linked to Grant Morrison's run. In this three part story, we get to see how a group of men try to summon Barbatos (including Thomas Jefferson!). This attempt goes wrong though, and the demon is trapped underneath a building which eventually becomes the foundations of Gotham City.
Unbeknownst to Batman, The Riddler is attempting to summon Barbatos after having found the diary of one of these men. Their game of cat and mouse zig zags across the city, taking in blood banks and military cemeteries.
The Riddler pulls no punches - even kidnapping four newborn babies. During their battle of wits, these babies are narrowly saved by Batman. He even nearly runs one over in the Batmobile...
This darker Riddler hasn't really been seen again until this year's storyline of Zero Year by Scott Snyder. I hope that other writers see the potential that the character has to be something better than the cheap heists and bad riddles...
Excellent story, well worth a read if you're a fan of E.Nygma as well!
Next up - The Last Arkham
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