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Riddler model sheet — Description
My character design of the Riddler in a cartoon style. I based my cartoon style Riddler design on the original Golden Age cartoonish Riddler art by co-creator Dick Sprang (Detective Comics #140 (1948) "The Riddler" written by Bill Finger and art by Dick Sprang, reprinted in Batman Archives volume 7 (2007)), also resembling Dick Tracy villain Flattop from 1943 by artist Chester Gould, reprinted in the Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy Volume 8 (2009). Early Batman artists Bob Kane and Dick Sprang were strongly influenced by Chester Gould's cartoonish Dick Tracy villains from the 1930s-1940s.

Bob Kane said in the Comics Interview Batman Super Special (1989), "Bill Finger created some of the villains. I believe he created the Penguin, Catwoman, I think he came up with. I came up with the Riddler and the Joker. Maybe Penguin was mine - again, time erodes the memory. He came up with some of them and I came up with some of them - but our villains were as bizarre as Dick Tracy's. Dick Tracy had the greatest villains of all time. Batman, I believe, was the closest to Dick Tracy's villains - they were bizarre and unique - each one was a unique character."
Riddler was obviously Bill Finger's creation with Dick Sprang. Jack Schiff was the editor. Bob Kane had nothing to do with it. The Joker was primarily Bill Finger's creation based on Conrad Veidt's Gwynplaine in The Man Who Laughs (1928) and on the 1897-1964 Steeplechase Park amusement park mascot in Coney Island New York and on laughing gas nitrous oxide dangers and death if the oxides contain oxides of nitrogen. The Penguin was a collaboration of Bob Kane's and Bill Finger's based on the Kool cigarettes penguin mascot Willie (1933-1955), on swordstick canes and umbrellas as weapons and on 1920s Lon Chaney as the "Man of a Thousand Faces," inspired the Penguin as the "Man of a Thousand Umbrellas." Catwoman was based on 1930s Jean Harlow, her sassy seductress bad girl image and her cats.

Bob Kane said in his book Batman & Me (1990), "Along with Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, Batman has the most bizarre and unique villains in comics. Indeed, it was Dick Tracy which inspired us to create an equally weird set of villains for Batman. I always wanted to keep the cartoony quality that I admired when I first went into the comic book business. Dick Sprang, who began drawing Batman in the early forties, was the best of my ghost artists (uncredited artists). His style was close to mine - very cartoony. I feel that the ghost's job is to emulate the artist he is imitating, instead of changing the [comic] strip to his own style. If I were to copy Dick Tracy, and in those days I did, I would make it look like Dick Tracy."

Matthew Hansel said, "Dick remains one of my favorite Batman artists. His work is so amazing. There is an alternate universe where he starts drawing Dick Tracy upon Chester Gould's forced retirement."
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My Riddler design also came out looking like Peter Lorre and Steve Buscemi. My Riddler design resembles how Peter Lorre was caricatured in the Merrie Melodies cartoon "Hollywood Steps Out" (1941) by Tex Avery (on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection volume 2 DVD set (2004)), Merrie Melodies cartoon "Hair-Raising Hare" (1946) by Chuck Jones (in the film Bugs Bunny Superstar (1975)), the Looney Tunes cartoon "Racketeer Rabbit" by Friz Freleng and the Looney Tunes cartoon "Birth of a Notion" (1947) by Robert McKimson (on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection volume 6 DVD set). Voiced by Mel Blanc and Stan Freberg. My Riddler design also resembles how Steve Buscemi was caricatured as Mr. Wesley (called Mr. Weasley) in Home on the Range (2004). Voiced by Steve Buscemi.

If DC/Warner Bros want Riddler to be a creepy sinister villain, instead of a goofy cutesy prankster, then Peter Lorre should have have been cast in the 1940s & '50s, and Steve Buscemi should have been cast in the 1990s, instead of Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey isn't convincing as a bad guy. Jim Carrey should have been cast as Plastic Man instead. If Warner Bros had let Tim Burton cast and direct the Riddler I'm sure Tim Burton would have made Riddler a creepy sinister villain. Tim Burton did cast Steve Buscemi in Big Fish (2003) as poet and bank robber Norther Winslow.