The Riddler in Green Arrow

I love the Riddler! And he's popped up at the end of this month's Green Arrow.

Now, I'm still smarting from the last time Eddie battled Ollie. Judd Winick's riddles were, to put it kindly, not worthy of the Riddler. But the story still built nicely, and when it turned out the Riddler had a nuclear bomb at his disposal...well! Any time the Riddler is used as a serious threat, I'm on board. But then Winick ruined it with the random appearance of demons. Judd's writing is occasionally afflicted with plotus interruptus: things are chugging along just fine, then he throws in demons, or aliens, or monsters. Ach, kids these days with the demons and the monsters! I blame it on "Buffy".

Anyway, I have higher hopes for this Green Arrow vs. Riddler story. Judd's doing a crackerjack job on Batman lately, and he seems committed to taking the Riddler seriously. But the best news is that this is the "revamped" Riddler seen recently in Legends of the Dark Knight, where he got a new look, became more competent and dangerous. He actually fooled Batman, escaped, and got away with the swag. Go, evil!

But LODK storeis can be ignored, ya know, and I feared this marvelous Riddler redux would be washed away by some hack clinging to the goofy Riddler of old. But now that he's appeared in a mainstream context, I'm convinced this version is here to stay.

Or, at least, until Alex Ross gets his hands on him with his Legion of Doom series...