First Series - Card #42

Third Series - Card #4

Riddle me this: what's more fun than torture and sadism?

We finally come to an actual villain in Batman's rogue's gallery. The riddler was never a particularly interesting villain in the comics but he was electrifying as portrayed by Frank Gorshin on the TV show. Even though Julie Newmar's Catwoman and Burgess Meredith's Penguin were great for different reasons, no other character on that show was as alive as Gorshin's Riddler. It is clearly this characterization of the Riddler that is pictured here although he seems to resemble Jim Carrey even more.

There's nothing particularly interesting about these cards illustration or design wise. However they have all the spades for their "lurid" factor. The matching quilted mitts are a nice touch on the "Branded" but "Robin in Peril" takes the cake. That whirring saw blade is millimeters from Robin's scalp. This is one of the most violent cards in the series. The horror of the situation is palpable. Yet, what can we say psychologically, about the Boy Wonder recoiling at the sight of the Riddler's "red hot poker!"

There are quite a number of cards that have Robin in captive and bondage situations. A significant amount of Batman's time and energy is invested in bailing him out. You begin to wonder if he is worth all the aggravation!

Note: The first series of Topps Batman cards feature a black bat logo and no border.