When did the Riddler become a PI?

[OhioGuy]

And what caused him to give up a life of crime? In the last few Detective
Comics that I've read, he has certainly not been acting in character.

[John Duncan Yoyo]

Post by OhioGuy
And what caused him to give up a life of crime? In the last few Detective
Comics that I've read, he has certainly not been acting in character.

Riddler was a reformed criminal/PI when the first OYL books opened.

[b***@yahoo.com]

Post by OhioGuy
And what caused him to give up a life of crime? In the last few Detective
Comics that I've read, he has certainly not been acting in character.

A year ago. And you've been missing the best Detective Comics in a
long time not being around for Dini's run. He needs to do something
about that guy over on Countdown who's using his name to turn out that
crap.

[Sean Walsh]

Post by OhioGuy
And what caused him to give up a life of crime? In the last few Detective
Comics that I've read, he has certainly not been acting in character.

In INFINITE CRISIS #7 he gets smacked in the skull by the Shining
Knight during that whole Battle of Metropolis. Said smack put him in a
coma.

When he awoke, sometime during OYL, he had serious amnesia (which
means he forgot stuff like Batman's identity, which he learned in
HUSH) and decided to give up the criminal life and reform. When Dini's
DETECTIVE starts, he's already reformed and set up as a private eye.

And to no one's surprise, Batman doesn't totally buy it.
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the Riddler's reform wasn't truly
on the up-and-up... ;)

--
Sean

[David Johnston]

Post by Sean Walsh

Post by OhioGuy
And what caused him to give up a life of crime? In the last few Detective
Comics that I've read, he has certainly not been acting in character.

In INFINITE CRISIS #7 he gets smacked in the skull by the Shining
Knight during that whole Battle of Metropolis. Said smack put him in a
coma.
When he awoke, sometime during OYL, he had serious amnesia (which
means he forgot stuff like Batman's identity, which he learned in
HUSH) and decided to give up the criminal life and reform. When Dini's
DETECTIVE starts, he's already reformed and set up as a private eye.
And to no one's surprise, Batman doesn't totally buy it.
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the Riddler's reform wasn't truly
on the up-and-up... ;)

Sadly, nobody ever really reforms in comics in these days. Heroes
take lasting turns for the worse, but nobody ever takes a lasting turn
for the better.

[Lilith]

Post by Sean Walsh

Post by OhioGuy
And what caused him to give up a life of crime? In the last few Detective
Comics that I've read, he has certainly not been acting in character.

In INFINITE CRISIS #7 he gets smacked in the skull by the Shining
Knight during that whole Battle of Metropolis. Said smack put him in a
coma.
When he awoke, sometime during OYL, he had serious amnesia (which
means he forgot stuff like Batman's identity, which he learned in
HUSH) and decided to give up the criminal life and reform. When Dini's
DETECTIVE starts, he's already reformed and set up as a private eye.
And to no one's surprise, Batman doesn't totally buy it.
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the Riddler's reform wasn't truly
on the up-and-up... ;)

I see it as an attempt to change the modus operandi of the villains.
Nigma turned to crime as a challenge to his intellect without noting,
at the time, that there were other, more acceptable, ways of creating
the challenge.

Penguin has become a "legitimate" business man now. Sure, he's
probably doing some more or less undetectable, underhanded deals in
the background but it's a major change from planning bird based,
openly contentious crimes. Riddler's new writers may be making an
attempt to bring him out of the smash and grab genre.

[Anlatt the Builder]

Post by OhioGuy
And what caused him to give up a life of crime? In the last few Detective
Comics that I've read, he has certainly not been acting in character.

Related question: even if he has truly reformed, with all the crimes
he's committed, what's he doing out of jail?

[Duggy]

Post by Anlatt the Builder
Related question: even if he has truly reformed, with all the crimes
he's committed, what's he doing out of jail?

Because his crimes were caused by a mental disorder that he no longer
has.

===
= DUG.
===

[Anlatt the Builder]

Post by Duggy

Post by Anlatt the Builder
Related question: even if he has truly reformed, with all the crimes
he's committed, what's he doing out of jail?

Because his crimes were caused by a mental disorder that he no longer
has.

Riddler never struck me as crazy in the same way as Joker, Two-Face,
etc. He has an obsession with riddles that mainly had an aesthetic
effect on the crimes he chose to commit, but mainly he was just a
thief. You never see him forthing at the mouth, killing henchmen for
petty misbehavior, killing people to protect plants, or ripping folks
limb from limb and chewing on the corpse.

I realize this may not be the official DCU line, so you may be
entirely right in your explanation. But he doesn't seem any more crazy
than Captain Cold or Catwoman. Maybe a little less than Captain Cold.

[Duggy]

Post by Anlatt the Builder
Riddler never struck me as crazy in the same way as Joker, Two-Face,
etc.

There are different types of crazy.

Post by Anlatt the Builder
He has an obsession with riddles that mainly had an aesthetic
effect on the crimes he chose to commit, but mainly he was just a
thief.

He had an OCD involving commiting crimes and giving clues to be
caught.
Like Cluemaster who was eventually cured of the giving clues part.

Sure, it can go either way as to whether his insanity caused him to
commit crimes, but clearly his lawyers found professionals that proved
it in court.

Post by Anlatt the Builder
You never see him forthing at the mouth, killing henchmen for
petty misbehavior, killing people to protect plants, or ripping folks
limb from limb and chewing on the corpse.

Yeah... OK... not much knowledge of insanity, right?

Post by Anlatt the Builder
I realize this may not be the official DCU line, so you may be
entirely right in your explanation. But he doesn't seem any more crazy
than Captain Cold or Catwoman. Maybe a little less than Captain Cold.

Captain Cold and Catwoman aren't compelled to leave clues.

===
= DUG.
===

[Denny Colt]

Post by Duggy

Post by Anlatt the Builder
Riddler never struck me as crazy in the same way as Joker, Two-Face,
etc.

There are different types of crazy.

And most of them won't keep you out of jail. You have to prove to a
psychologist that you didn't know that what you were doing was wrong,
or that you somehow weren't in control of your actions. The OCD
defense *might* work, but it's doubtful that a jury would buy it. And
I am an EXPERT on this, trust me. I watch ALL the Law & Orders, man.
ALL OF THEM!!

[Anlatt the Builder]

Post by Duggy

Post by Anlatt the Builder
Riddler never struck me as crazy in the same way as Joker, Two-Face,
etc.

There are different types of crazy.

Post by Anlatt the Builder
He has an obsession with riddles that mainly had an aesthetic
effect on the crimes he chose to commit, but mainly he was just a
thief.

He had an OCD involving commiting crimes and giving clues to be
caught.
Like Cluemaster who was eventually cured of the giving clues part.
Sure, it can go either way as to whether his insanity caused him to
commit crimes, but clearly his lawyers found professionals that proved
it in court.

Post by Anlatt the Builder
You never see him forthing at the mouth, killing henchmen for
petty misbehavior, killing people to protect plants, or ripping folks
limb from limb and chewing on the corpse.

Yeah... OK... not much knowledge of insanity, right?

Actually quite a lot, thanks. My reading list is quite long and
includes more than comics. I am quite aware that there are many kinds
of mental illnesses. And also that most of them won't get you off the
hook in a court of law. You have to be able to prove that you didn't
know the difference between right or wrong, or that you were incapable
of acting on that knowledge "due to mental defect." That's why I
listed the particular traits found in SOME Batman foes - in some
cases, they are the kind of thing that can sway a jury.

An obsession with leaving clues to your crimes doesn't even begin to
demonstrate that you don't know your crimes are wrong, or that you are
forced by mental illness to commit them in any case. And I've never
seen any other mental defect in the Riddler as written. Hence my
point.

As I said - in, I thought, a quite friendly manner - the offical line
on the Riddler in the DCU may be different, and your explanation may
be the one they use. But your sarcasm and smug, unearned sense of
superiority are completely uncalled for. Do you have a lot of people
calling you a jerk in your daily life, or are you just one of those
people who expresses himself like that when they're at a computer?

[Fallen]

Post by Anlatt the Builder

Post by OhioGuy
And what caused him to give up a life of crime? In the last few Detective
Comics that I've read, he has certainly not been acting in character.

Related question: even if he has truly reformed, with all the crimes
he's committed, what's he doing out of jail?

The majority of Batmans criminals go to Arkham not prison and thus when
considered 'cured' they are released.

It's pretty good evidence that Batman is really a nutter who just likes
having people to pit wits or arm against.

Fallen.

[Duggy]

Post by Fallen
The majority of Batmans criminals go to Arkham not prison and thus when
considered 'cured' they are released.

But how often has that really happened. The Cluemaster is the one
that springs to mind.

Post by Fallen
It's pretty good evidence that Batman is really a nutter who just likes
having people to pit wits or arm against.

Batman is responsible for the legal system?

I think you're forgetting that you can stay in Arkham a lot longer for
the same crime... if The Joker robs a bank he rots in Arkham until he
escapes (usually) or is "cured".

If you or I robbed a Gotham bank we'd go to Blackgate until paroled.

===
= DUG.
===

[Duggy]

Post by Fallen
The majority of Batmans criminals go to Arkham not prison and thus when
considered 'cured' they are released.

But how often has that really happened. The Cluemaster is the one
that springs to mind.

Post by Fallen
It's pretty good evidence that Batman is really a nutter who just likes
having people to pit wits or arm against.

Batman is responsible for the legal system?

I think you're forgetting that you can stay in Arkham a lot longer for
the same crime... if The Joker robs a bank he rots in Arkham until he
escapes (usually) or is "cured".

If you or I robbed a Gotham bank we'd go to Blackgate until paroled.

===
= DUG.
===