The Comics That Inspired Matt Reeves' The Batman

8. The War Of Jokes And Riddles

While there has been no specific mention of The War Of Jokes And Riddles by Matt Reeves in connection to The Batman, we do know that The Riddler, played by Paul Dano, is possibly the main villain of the piece and this storyline features a Batman in his second year, something that has been confirmed at the DC FanDome event this year.

The story focuses on a war that breaks out in Gotham between the Joker and The Riddler and is told in flashback form by Bruce Wayne to Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, another major character to feature in Reeves' movie in 2021.

The Riddler presents the Joker with a solution to their problem - neither of them can laugh anymore and with their names, that must present a serious problem. The Riddler proses a team up, to which the Joker agrees - right before he shoots The Riddler in the stomach and leaves with a bomb. The Riddler survives, and this leads to a war in Gotham, with many dying as a result.

The story also delves into Batman's personal feelings and guilt over the crime escalation in Gotham and how he is in responsible for so much of it, framed by the ever increasing trust he places in Catwoman.