Detective Comics #140 Facsimile Edition Cvr A Win Mortimer

Edward Nigma, who would later become the Riddler, began his criminal career as a boy in school. His history teacher announced a jigsaw puzzle contest, and he broke into her desk so he could cheat and win. This is when he developed his love of puzzles. Nigma became known as a puzzle expert in school, but he would always cheat to appear smarter. Eventually he became a carnival huckster, swindling people who payed to challenge him. He realized that he was clever enough to baffle the police, and decided he could match wits with Batman. Every crime he designed would be a puzzle, fixed so that he would always win. He needed a costume and a name. He chose to become the Riddler, because he would be a "riddle" to Batman. In his public debut, he took over a giant electric crossword puzzle that was used as a promotional device. The crossword puzzle was changed to become a clue for Batman and Robin. They mistakenly took "Basin Street Banquet" to mean the Mayor's charity dinner, but this was a misdirection. The Riddler had completely flooded a bank next door, making the "bank wet." Batman and Robin were unable to pursue without scuba gear. The Riddler's next crime involved sending a giant jigsaw puzzle to police headquarters. The puzzle pieces required several trucks to move. Batman oversaw the puzzle's completion by directing police officers at a local football stadium. This puzzle claimed that the Riddler would rob the "Eagle's Nest." Batman and Robin followed this clue to a nightclub called The Eyrie, but this was another misdirection. Batman tracked the Riddler to his real crime, robbing a millionaire named Harrison Eagle. The Riddler placed Harrison Eagle inside a metal puzzle that would slowly kill him unless Batman solved it. Batman was able to save Eagle, but the Riddler dropped a smoke bomb and escaped. The Riddler stole a giant statue of corn to leave his next riddle, "Why is corn hard to escape from?" This is placed on a runaway truck, and Batman is barely able to stop the truck killing anybody. Batman and Robin track the Riddler to the Pleasure Pier amusement park, where there is a fun maze. They follow the Riddler into the maze, where he rigs it to explode and traps them inside. Batman is able to get out of the shatter-proof glass by heating the building's metal frame until it expands. The heroes are able to escape the death-trap. The Riddler is trapped on the pier when it explodes, and he is knocked into the water. There is no trace of his body except a floating question mark that came off his costume. Robin assumes that the Riddler drowned, but Batman believes he might have survived.