More Riddler and Hush

June 23rd, 2004

Filed under: Comics

In the comments to yesterday’s post on the Riddler and Hush, Dave Lawson brings up the point that the Riddler is keeping quiet because of the threat of Ra’s Al Ghul, not because other villains wouldn’t believe him. Dave is right, in Batman #619, Batman does threaten the Riddler with the League of Assassins.

However, the exchange I was referring to occurs on the page before that, where Batman confronts the Riddler about knowing his identity. Batman tells the Riddler that he knows he won’t tell others because “a riddle is worthless if everyone knows the answer.”

Umm…I guess that’s true. But:
1) The Riddler already told Thomas Elliot. What’s one or two more? I’m sure Batman’s identity is worth some big money to the right people.
2) Batman’s identity is a secret, not a riddle. The two are not the same thing.

In terms of Ra’s and the League if Assassins:
1) Surely Batman’s villains have figured out his “no kill” clause by now. Wouldn’t this lessen Batman’s threat (because telling Ra’s would be essentially the same as killing the Riddler)
2) Thanks to Death and the Maidens, Ra’s is now dead…

Clearly, I misinterpreted the end of Hush and parts of my original post were wrong. Batman has no fear that the Riddler will expose his identity — not because no one will believe him (as I originally thought), but because Batman believes the Riddler will tell no one. (And if he does, he’ll tell Ra’s who was using his Lazarus pit).

The rest of my post still stands. The ending of Hush is still indicative of Loeb taking the easy way out, and this ending is even more full of holes than what I thought originally. My concern with Batman: Gotham Knights still exists. If Batman’s identity is a riddle, then so is the identity of the Joker’s wife’s killers, and he would be as loathe to share it.

Dave does bring up another good point: what happened to Jason Todd’s body?

3 Responses to “ More Riddler and Hush ”

  1. Shane
    June 23rd, 2004 at 11:49 pm

    I just read an old The Question story with the Riddler where he distracts the reader with old riddles and then
    starts into meaning of life type questions like “who am I?” and such.

  2. Shane
    June 24th, 2004 at 12:03 am

    Go and catch a falling star get with child a mandrake root. Tell me where all past years are or who cleft the devils foot.
    Now those are riddles, those seventeenth century metaphysicians–They could riddle the hair off your head, but the stuff
    you’ve been putting out–garbage. Puerile puns, cheap word play, school-yard smart mouth. At best the intersection
    of rudimentary biassociative feilds. Why not hit us with the little poser the original sphinx stumped ‘em with on the
    road to Thebes? You remember..”What goes on four legsat dawn, two legs at midday, three legs at sunset, and is the weakest
    when it has the most support?” Man..the answer is man. Sure but that was easy. Even old Oedipus got that one and he wasn’t the brightest candle in ancient greece. Try a really knotty one…like if the universe is benevolent, why is there evil? Or if the universe is evil,
    how can men be good? Do men have souls or are we bundles of biochemical reactions? Is there a god? And if there isn’t why has the idea of god been a part of every known culture? Is religion merely mythology? Is mythology religion? Is there an essential difference between
    the two? If we know through our senses and our senses are imperfect how can we know anything? But if we don’t know
    through our senses how do we know? And how can we know abstractions like truth and justice and even the american way?
    Too tough? Here’s one thats closer to home..Who were my mother and father? Who am I? Who are you? Or the one those inscrutable asians like, That was your face before your parents were born? Give up? Well the answer might be that you let me get too close. Then he attacks.

  3. .Shane
    June 24th, 2004 at 12:06 am

    What was your face not “That”

    If those are Riddles to the Riddler then isn’t Batman’s identity. I think his given name tells more than his code name on the subject. He’s enjoyes Enigmas not just Riddles.

Leave a Reply

« Hush, redux What Makes a Good Villain: Motivation »