The Riddler Speaks - Casefile #0078 (Patreon)

EDWARD: Paddedcell asks: How does it feel to be the real challenge for Batman in both the Asylum and Arkham City, and yet remain rather unacknowledged for the brainpower put into your masterful duels with him? And, anonymous asks: Does it bother you that many people, Batman included, consider his true rival the Joker? Whereas you're often seen as a distraction, or at least definitely not a rival.

How do I feel? Apparently Arkham is sending its people onto the Internet, now. Is the next question going to be: if you were a tree, what kind would you be? Of course I'm going to be annoyed to a certain extent; having one's talents hidden away is always annoying. But unlike the Joker, I'm also a patient man, and I'm capable of playing a long game. Sooner or later, the clown is going to do something stupider than usual suffer blunt force trauma from an over-baked pie, perhaps - and he'll be out of the game for good. And then? Then the real work begins. Picture it, if you've got the imagination - the death of the Joker could only leave a massive power vacuum. People scramble to grab territory that he's left behind; splinter groups form, one probably headed by Harley, waving the flag of Joker's memory like some modern-day Marianne. Probably another headed by a lieutenant of his, if he hadn't killed them all before his ignominious exit. War breaks out, and as the other rogues see an empire in disarray and fight to take it over before the other factions can, Gotham becomes a feeding frenzy. 

And the Bat - the Bat will be in the middle of it all. He'll run himself ragged trying to restore order - put the fear of God and Batman into the scrambling factions. Mistakes will be made. Somebody will get a lucky shot in, maybe. As Thomas Payne said in 1776: "these are the times that try men's souls". While Batman is pushed to his limit trying to control the chaos, I'll be watching. I've got no particular interest in territory; I'm a free agent, you might say - and information is more valuable to me than controlling this or that block in the inner city. When the dust settles and the Bat's been worn to a shadow by his efforts to clean up the Joker's final mess, I'll be the last man standing. And that, friends, is when we're going to learn something about the Batman. So yes - I am annoyed. Who wouldn't be? But I can live with it - I'm a patient man, after all. And when the Joker burns himself out, I'll still be here. That's when things will get REALLY interesting.