Riddler Poll #3

Casey Affleck dominated the second poll, with three other candidates getting 2 votes a piece. And somewhat late, here are the candidates for the third round:

• Jeremy Davies
  You might know him from: Saving Private Ryan (Upham), Lost (Faraday)
  I can't see Davies, who's a pretty good actor, as the Riddler, just because he has a sympathetic quality. Even the version of Riddler in the comics now, a private detective who's given up crime entirely, is not the least bit likable. And there's just something about Jeremy Davies' face that makes him seem vulnerable and friendly.


• Brian Austin Green
  You might know him from: Beverly Hills: 90210, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
  This is one of the few guys on the list who has publicly expressed interest in the role. And I may be alone in this, but I thought he was actually the best part of The Sarah Connor Chronicles towards the end of the show (well either him, or the incredibly hot Stephanie Jacobsen. And I hear he was ok as Metallo on Smallville, too. But he's still Brian Austin Green from 90210, so there's no way a studio signs off on him in a major part. People would hear he was in it and think the movie was a joke. The lesson here is that things like this will haunt you for the rest of your life.


• Jackie Earle Haley
  You might know him from: The Bad News Bears, Watchmen (Rorschach), Human Target
  He was great in Watchmen, and since then he's been a fan-favorite candidate for all kinds of comic book roles, most notably Sinestro in Green Lantern (who should totally be played by Hugh Laurie from House, but that's not important here). A month ago I'd have said he was all wrong for this part, but his character on Human Target isn't too far off the Riddler, and he gives the most interesting performance on the show. I'm still not sold on him, but he wouldn't be a disaster.


• Vincent Kartheiser
  You might know him from: Mad Men, Angel (he was Angel's son)
  One of the aspects of the Riddler is that he's usually pretty weaselly. He's a genius, but clearly not Batman's equal in a fight, so once the dark knight's jumped through his intellectual hoops, Riddler is quick to run, hide, or anything else cowardly he can do. That's an aspect Kartheiser can capture perfectly, based on his Pete Campbell character on Mad Men, and probably exactly why he was suggested. I'm not 100% sold on his ability to play the wicked and cunning aspects Riddler, though.


• Lance Reddick (pictured)
  You might know him from: The Wire, Fringe, and he was briefly on Lost
  Reddick is mostly memorable for his almost disturbing eyes and intense voice. Both of which would be great for the Riddler. Eddie Nygma has, as far as I know, never been portrayed as black, so that might be jarring to some fans, but I think he'd be an excellent choice.

If I had photoshop skills, I'd have made Reddick's jacket and tie green in the photo above, and I think it'd look pretty classy. Voting closes in a week.

News & Notes

Artist Ted Naifeh reimagines various Batman characters like the Joker above (but caution, a couple appear to be NSFW).

• MTV's Splash Page has the trailer to Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, which arrives next month.


• Topless Robot lists the 12 coolest Batmobile toys ever.


• And webcomic Amazing Super Powers has an amusing strip today and I think most of us will agree with how it plays out.

I'm incredibly slow on the Riddler polls, but the third one should be up soon. Or soonish.

Riddler Poll #2

The first poll finished a while back, and Michael C. Hall ran away with it. David Tennant was a distant second. This week, five more:

• Casey Affleck
  You might know him from: Gone Baby Gone, the Ocean's Eleven series
  In my opinion, a much better actor than his brother, so don't hold Daredevil against this guy. He was really impressive in Gone Baby Gone, which is the main reason I can see him as the Riddler. He would be a contemplative, cerebral Riddler, and not the Jim Carrey/Frank Gorshin type.


• Eric Bana
  You might know him from: The Hulk, Munich, Star Trek
  I never saw what the big deal was about him, but I recently saw Chopper, and he was amazing in it. That said, I don't think he's a great fit for the Riddler. He's a big guy, and no matter what incarnation of the Riddler, he's not physically imposing.


• Michael Fassbender
  You might know him from: Inglourious Basterds, 300, Band of Brothers
  I barely remember this guy from any of his movies. Seeing his picture, I guess he looks ok-ish for the part. But he wouldn't be one of my top choices.


• Tobey Maguire
  You might know him from: Spider-Man, some other stuff
  I might be a terrible person, but in the first Spider-Man, when (spoiler alert) Uncle Ben was dying and he started crying, I laughed. I didn't find the scene believable, and he seemed more like a kid crying because of some perceived high school slight than someone seeing a loved one die. The point being, I'm not a fan. Many people disagree with me, so go ahead and vote for him if you want.


• Andy Serkis
  You might know him from: The Lord of the Rings
  He was great as Gollum, which inspired some kind of crazy geek adoration that make them suggest him for every part. Which is fine, but I don't know if I've ever seen him like actually physically there in a movie. Not a great resume for the main villain in a huge movie.

This poll will be open for a week, hopefully the third one will be along more promptly than this one. Also, finding images for the Riddler isn't nearly as fun as Catwoman, but boy is that Eric Bana dreamy.

News & Notes

I fall behind on everything over Christmas, so I'm just now getting caught up. I'll have another Riddler poll up over the weekend, I hope, but here's some news since the last time I updated:

• There's a teaser trailer and a list of likely villains for the sequel to the Arkham Asylum videogame.


• After the upcoming Crisis on Two Earths, the next direct-to-DVD animated movie from DC is expected to be Batman: Under the Hood, possibly written by Judd Winnick


• Book of Eli directors the Hughes Brothers claim they were working on The Dark Knight Returns, and that it would have starred Clint Eastwood. Eastwoood would have been perfect, but I still haven't seen a Hughes Brothers movie since Menace II Society that did anything beyond look fancy.


• Comic book rumor site Bleeding Cool believes that 2010 will see the return of inter-company crossovers, specifically mentioning a Batman/Daredevil crossover by Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack.


• I wish I'd posted it before Christmas, but Neill Cameron did a series of pop culture-themed Santa Clauses, including a Frank Miller Batman Santa.


• Fan Art Exhibit, where the incredibly popular Kristen Bell/Harley Quinn poster originated, posted a series of character-based posters. Their Riddler is pictured above (I think based on Guy Pearce).


• Wired ranks the actors who played Batman best. Christian Bale is not #1.


• Topless Robot had a video featuring every (I think) "Holy ___!" by Robin in the 1960s TV series, and showed off the Bat-limo-bile


• Super Not So Super features superheroes (including Batman) at their most ordinary.


• Io9 pits Alfred Pennyworth against Iron Man/Avengers butler Jarvis in Iron Butler America. Spoiler alert: had Jarvis won, I doubt I'd have posted it, because that'd just be wrong.


• Many TV series have something called a writers bible, which lays out the rules of the show. Like how it will look, story structure, long term plot goals, and defining characters. The bible for Batman: The Animated Series leaked online, and Chris Sims at Comics Alliance has the highlights.