Batman: The Animated Series- If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?

 "How much is a good night's sleep worth?"

It was the 1960s Batman TV series that really popularised the Riddler as a villain, with only a couple of appearances in the comics at that point, so it's appropriate that this episode should feel, structurally, much like said TV series. Robin is in it. Our heroes confront the villain and his henchmen early on, are defeated, and come back later to save the day. There's even a deathtrap, albeit not for our heroes.

Yet the mood is very much par for the Animated Series, an aesthetic of creepy amusement parks at night and shadowy figures in murky rooms. And we get a version of the Riddler's traditional origin story, the creation his former employers are ripping him off for being a computer game in this version. I like that. I also like that, yes, Mockridge is saved... but, with the Riddler getting away, he may be rich but now lives in fear. He's rich, yes, but not smart.

There's a surprising slight bias to puzzles as opposed to riddles, perhaps, but this is an entertaining little episode, the little puzzles in the maze being enormous fun. I suppose we'll just have to see if the Riddler as a character has any legs beyond this origin story,