It’s all an accounting ledger. And it IS a kind of accounting that’s going on in the pages in question, but it’s not the type of thing that would show up in QuickBooks, Xero, or Workday. Some of what needs to be accounted for can’t be expressed in numbers. Writer Paul Dano explores the darker edges of psycho-emotional accounting in The Riddler: Year One #5. Artist Stevan Subic brings the reality of a shattered man’s psyche with the aid of letterist Clayton Cowles. The issue takes a departure from a traditional comic book format to explore just a few of the thousands of pages of ranting that Edward Nashton engages in on his path to madness.

It’s a handprint on an accounting sheet. A closer look at the handprint reveals the same face on all four fingers. The distinct squiggle of a question mark can be found in the palm of the hand. The one who fills the book is trying to remember something more than violence. It’s in there somewhere....but it all looks like variations in stains in the ledger. There are deep sensitivities that claw away at Edward’s consciousness. The dripping of a faucet unhinges him. There’s the sensation of falling. A black gloved hand catches him...but it’s not enough.

The deep look at the Riddler’s psyche is a bit of a nightmarishly breathtaking departure from the traditional comic book format. There are a few traditional comic pages at the end of the issue, but other than that, it’s an attempt to render story details in this fashion could really backfire. It could come across as an awkward way of trying to explore the mind of a character descending into madness. It’s always fascinating when this sort of thing is used sparingly. There might be a page or two clinically exploring the psyche of Rorschach in Watchmen, but it’s isolated. An entire issue dedicated to the character’s own ramblings, though? It might feel a bit overindulgent. Actually...it works. REALLY well. 

Subic conjures up the nightmare of madness onto the page. In places, it DOES feel like something that Edward would have been putting on the page, but it seems to be a ledger with a direct draw into the madness of the Riddler. A simple accounting background serves as an omnipresent feeling of order and stability that is superimposed by this restless madness that’s actually a lot of fun to dive into. Subic and Cowles provide enough details here and there to keep the journey into madness interesting from beginning to end.

Dano is taking a chance with an issue like The Riddler #5. It’s nice to see alternative narrative techniques used in something that has a strong connection to the mainstream. There’s a poetry to it that’s a lot of fun to follow. It doesn’t necessarily provide the kind of insight into the character that might make for a more meaningful journey. There’s something about the Riddler’s obsession with trivia, details, and raw information that would seem to be a lot more interesting if it was explored with the kind of clinical depth that would reveal a bit more of Edward’s condition. A more straight-ahead look at the writings and ramblings of Edward might not have the visual punch that Subic is bringing to the page, but MANY more details would be needed to truly dive into the psyche of a trivia-based maniac. 

Grade: A