Detective Comics #142
Detective Comics #142 (cover-dated December 1948) is the Riddler's second-ever comic book appearance, arriving just two issues after his debut in Detective Comics #140, and it closed out Edward Nigma's entire Golden Age run — he would not return to print for another seventeen years, until Batman #171 in 1965. Together, these two issues locked in every defining trait of the character: the question-mark-covered green jumpsuit, the compulsive need to challenge Batman's intellect with puzzles, and the modus operandi of announcing crimes through elaborate riddles rather than simply committing them. The story titled 'Crime's Puzzle Contest' demonstrated that the Riddler concept had legs beyond a single outing, even as DC's editorial drift toward science-fiction storytelling in the early 1950s ultimately sidelined most of its costumed Gotham villains. Without this issue existing as a companion piece, and later being rediscovered by producer William Dozier while developing the 1966 Batman television series, the Riddler's ascent to A-list status might never have happened.
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The lead story, 'Crime's Puzzle Contest,' was written by Bill Finger and drawn by Dick Sprang with inks by Charles Paris — the same creative team responsible for the Riddler's debut in issue #140. The issue's on-sale date was October 20, 1948, with a December 1948 cover date, and it was published under the National Comics Publications imprint with Whitney Ellsworth credited as editor and Jack Schiff serving as the actual hands-on editor. Comics historian Les Daniels singled out Sprang's visual storytelling on the surrounding Riddler stories as 'a superb example of story breakdown and page design,' a reflection of Sprang's deliberate practice of studying how children read comics to maximize suspense and narrative flow — though some later critics have noted that the plot of #142 itself is looser and more gimmick-driven than the tighter debut story.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: December 1948; on-sale date: October 20, 1948. Published by National Comics Publications (DC Comics).
- The lead Batman story is titled 'Crime's Puzzle Contest' and is the Riddler's second comic book appearance, following his debut in Detective Comics #140 (October 1948).
- The creative team on the lead story is writer Bill Finger, penciler Dick Sprang, and inker Charles Paris — the same trio that created the Riddler two issues prior.
- The issue's editor of record was Whitney Ellsworth; Jack Schiff was the actual working editor on Batman-related titles at the time.
- The story continues directly from #140: the Riddler is revealed to have survived his apparent drowning by escaping through a storm-drain pipe, and he resumes his puzzle-based crime spree against Batman and Robin.
- After this issue, the Riddler disappeared from comics for approximately seventeen years, returning only in Batman #171 (May 1965) — an absence attributed in part to DC's editorial pivot toward science-fiction stories in the early 1950s.
- The issue also contains backup features including Slam Bradley ('The Farmer in the Till'), Robotman ('The Robot Bandit'), and Boy Commandos ('The Mystery of Secret X'), plus a Captain Tootsie promotional advertisement.
- The Batman story from this issue has been reprinted in Batman Archives Vol. 7 (2007/2008), Batman Arkham: The Riddler (2015), and Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 6 (2018/2019), with art credits verified by Sprang himself per the Grand Comics Database.
Cast · 7 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Professor Vanners went to prison taking the mysterious "Secret X" with him. Killer Arnie Benet devises a scheme to break himself and Vanners out of prison, in exchange for being cut in on "Secret X". Once Vanners and Benet are safely hidden away, high stakes robberies begin to mount. Robberies that could only have been pulled-off with confidential information.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).