The Riddler: Year One #2 was released on December 27, 2022. The issue follows Edward Nashton as he continues his investigations into a mob front and his own employers at KTMJ. The issue was written by Paul Dano and drawn by Stevan Subic.
"Chapter 2: People Lie, Numbers Don't"[]
Plot[]
The following day, Edward returns to work as normal. He discovers that Zach has been promoted to "Junior Division Director", further infuriated by his condescending attitude. Still suspicious that Mr. Stone dismissed his findings, Edward stays behind that night whilst everyone leaves and breaks into his office to doublecheck his discoveries. He soon discovers that KTMJ also legally represents Waterfront Industries and finds that pages have been shredded related to its finances. Finding Stone has shredded them, Edward investigates to find payments from a Mr. Joon and other sections of Gotham, including the Renewal Program.
With his sanity damaged, Edward returns home where he is apparently confronted by a stranger who knows his name. The revelations lead him to investigate Renewal and speculate whether their operations are responsible for his poor upbringing. Edward soon begins investigating New Beginnings and spying on Mr. Joon, discovering that he routinely makes payments to a young woman. He quickly becomes suspicious of these and his financial situation. Some time later, Stone asks to meet Edward, claiming to have discovered something with New Beginnings and its accounts. Claiming he is investigate, he asks him to help prepare a potential case against Wayne Enterprises. Though he accepts and is initially optimistic about his opportunities, Edward remains suspicious of Stone and his motives.
With further reports about Batman's operations, Edward becomes inspired by the vigilante and decides to take matters into his own hands. Learning to hack into CCTV systems, he begins spying on New Beginnings and their operations. He begins using his free time to investigate their feeds, learning that they are pushing drops in the area. Deciding to follow Batman's footsteps, Edward begins purchasing military weapons to help in his operations.
One night, Edward places a bug on Joon and spies on him from a rooftop. From there, he witnesses and hears a confrontation with Stone, who has been looking at their books and discovered someone is skimming profits. When shown photos of the woman he's giving money to, Joon reveals her to be his daughter and that he'd been giving her his personal funds to leave Gotham. He also learns that they are working for Carmine Falcone. However, Stone isn't convinced and orders Higgins to execute him. From his feeds, Edward witnesses his execution via unseen means, during which he learns it was actually Higgins who stole to pay off his bail. The following morning, Joon's daughter is confronted by Higgins before she can leave Gotham...
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- Edward Nashton (Flashback and Main Story)
- Batman/Bruce Wayne
- Richard Stone
- Higgins
- Zach Morely
- John Joon (Dies)
- Ana Joon (First Appearance)
- Ana Joon's Son (First Appearance) (Unnamed)
- Thomas Wayne (Flashback Only)
- Salvator Maroni (Mentioned only)
- Carmine Falcone (Mentioned only)
Organizations[]
- Falcone Crime Syndicate
- Gotham Renewal Program
- Wayne Enterprises (Mentioned only)
Locations[]
- Gotham City
- KTMJ
- Edward Nashton's apartment
- Tricorner
- New Beginnings Animal Rescue
- Gotham City Subway
- Gotham Train Station
- Army Navy Store
- Bank of Gotham
- Gotham Orphanage (Flashback Only)
Technology[]
- Batsuit
- Bat-shaped Shuriken
- Brass Knuckles
- Green Coat
- Earpods
- Drone
- Binoculars
- Edward Nashton's Laptop
- nigma.org
Creatures[]
- Falcone's Alligator (Behind the Scenes)
Miscellaneous[]
- Gotham Times
- Drops