One puzzle you don't want to put together. (Variant cover by Ryan Brown.)
"We're only going to ask you this once, Joker... WHO KILLED THE RIDDLER?"
— Commissioner Gordon, The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox #1
The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox is a DC Comics seven-issue digital first mini-series written by Matthew Rosenberg, with art by Jesús Merino and Joshua Hixon. It takes place outside of mainstream continuity, although everything is pretty Broad Strokes with how the DC universe is at the moment.
The Gotham City PD got a tip that a gathering of supervillains was going on and raided the building, managing to capture (with Batman's help) over a dozen villains, including the Joker. They also found, in a different part of the city, the Riddler's dead body and all Gordon wants to know is who killed him and why.
None of the villains are talking, however. None of them, that is, except for the Joker. Pulled into an interrogation room, he starts to tell his story to Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bullock. Of course, it's filled with lies and half-truths and outright inanities. But there is also a glimmer of truth in it.
And the Joker says that the Riddler was after a powerful box called the Master Engine. A piece of alien technology left behind by the New Gods. Something that can change the world.
The question is, however, can they trust anything that the Joker says?
Tropes in The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox:
- Adaptational Wimp: Even with Deathstroke having undergone a lot of Diminishing Villain Threat over the years when it comes to fighting Batman, he still started out as being Batman's superior and a nightmare opponent no Badass Normal hero could hope to defeat before Batman caught up with him over time and beat him up more and more. In this continuity, Deathstroke is treated as just another costumed villain in Batman's Rogues Gallery who can get locked up with the other Arkhamites in a crowded cell and when he's set free to fight Batman, Batman just beats the crap out of him without Deathstroke being able to get in any offense. Even when the escaping Joker wants to watch Batman and Deathstroke fight, Catwoman tells him there's no point because it won't end the way Joker wants it to, heavily implying the fight will only end with Deathstroke getting his ass kicked badly by Batman.
- Art Shift: The art in the GCPD is done by Jesús Merino, while the flashbacks are done by Joshua Hixon.
- Blatant Lies: When the Joker starts recounting the story of what happened, pretty much everything he says is a lie, including where he was ("That was your home?" "I use the term in the classical sense"), why everyone was there (to throw him a thank-you party), to what Batman says after breaking in:Batman: I have no problem with you, Joker. Sorry for the intrusion. Please go back to your cake.The Joker: Thank you, Arnold.Commissioner Gordon: Arnold?The Joker: Oh, awkward. Arnold is his real name. If we could keep that between us I'd appreciate it.
- Broad Strokes: The comic takes place in a universe that's Broad Strokes with how things are in the mainstream DC universe:
- The Joker still has Punchline as his sidekick, but Harley Quinn still appears to be a villain.
- Bane is still alive, indicating that A-Day hasn't happened. On the flip side, the Riddler is dead.
- In the main universe, the Joker is on the run due to being framed for an attack on Arkham, while Gordon is no longer with the GCPD, but still in the trail of the Joker. In The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox, Gordon is still the Commissioner and the Joker doesn't appear to be wanted anymore than usual.
- Dismantled MacGuffin: In flashbacks, a kidnapped guide leads the Riddler to a key the New Gods left behind to locate the five scattered pieces of the Master Engine. The Riddler does not want to do this five more times, going to the Joker and other supervillains to team up and find the pieces. In the present day, we see the fully assembled Master Engine.
- Driving Question: Who killed the Riddler and what is the Master Engine?
- Gilligan Cut: After the Joker turns down the Riddler's offer, he tells the Riddler to go hire some of the other supervillains in Gotham. The Riddler says "That's a @#$%*?& terrible idea." Two panels later, he is in a room with Gotham's other supervillains trying to recruit them.
- Good Cop/Bad Cop: Gordon is ostensibly Good Cop, while Bullock is Bad Cop. Which basically means that Gordon tries to talk, while Bullock says they should send the Joker back into the cell with the rest of Gotham's supervillains, who are all mad that the Joker volunteered to talk.
- MacGuffin: The Master Engine. It appears that two separate groups of supervillains wanted it, one led by the Riddler, the other led by Catwoman and Two-Face. The first issue ends with Gordon realizing that they have the Master Engine in evidence and getting the SWAT team to position themselves to guard it.Bachman: Nobody touches it. Nobody goes near it.SWAT Team Member: What does it do?Bachman: Hell if I know. But we aren't gonna be the ones who find out.
- Interrogation Montage: There's an entire 16 panel page of all the Gotham supervillains captured either saying they want their lawyer or saying that they won't talk. Or biting the bars, in Man-Bat's case.
- Perp Sweating: What Gordon and Bullock are trying to do with the Joker. It's not really working.
- Rogues Gallery Showcase: The Joker is the main villain (obviously) but the Riddler, Punchline, Catwoman, Professor Pyg, Bane, Poison Ivy, Deathstroke, Harley Quinn, Killer Moth, Black Mask, Poison Ivy, Man-Bat, Killer Croc, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, the Mad Hatter, the Scarecrow, Clayface, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Firefly and even Dr. Phosphorus all show up.
- Smart People Know Latin: Played with: in a flashback, the Riddler finds an underground room with a door that has "In Girum Imus Nocte" written over it. The Riddler identifies this as Latin for "We are going in circles at night." However, the Riddler remembers a Native legends that says to look to oneself — to reflect. And by turning "In Girum Imus Nocte" into a palindrome, you get "Et Consumimur Igni" which means "And are consumed by fire." As the Riddler realizes the full sentence then is "We are going in circles at night and are consumed by fire," one of his henchmen has already ventured into the room with a lever positioned to the moon and gets burned to death. By changing the lever so it's positioned to the sun, the Riddler makes it safe to enter.
- The Stool Pigeon: When the Joker offers to talk to Gordon, the other villains call him a snitch.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: The Riddler has his henchmen kill the kidnapped guide after he leads them to the key to the five pieces of the Master Engine.
