New Batman Novel Introduces Burton-Verse Riddler in 1989 Sequel

Tim Burton's Batman universe expands with a new novel, Batman: Revolution, by John Jackson Miller, published by Penguin Random House. It unveils the Burton-Verse Riddler and is available for preorder on Amazon.

ComicBook.com reports that Revolution follows 2024's Batman: Resurrection, also by Miller. Set between 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns, it draws from Burton's unproduced third Batman film, once slated to feature Robin Williams as Riddler.

Official summary for Batman: Revolution:

Summer in Gotham City brings celebration as The Joker’s toxic legacy fades. The mayor and retail tycoon Max Shreck plan a grand Fourth of July event. But rising gang threats and masked criminals keep Batman vigilant. Protests against the city’s extravagance grow.

Norman Pinkus, a humble Gotham Globe copy boy, secretly crafts its popular Riddle Me This puzzles. Unknown to all, he’s Gotham’s sharpest mind, solving crimes anonymously via police tips before Batman. Devoted to Gotham’s promise, Norman grows disillusioned as the city overlooks him, fixating on Batman.

Feeling unseen, Norman, now The Riddler, allies with dangerous new allies. He exploits Gotham’s tense summer to challenge Batman in a high-stakes riddle game to claim the city’s true hero title. Their clash reveals dark secrets about Gotham’s past, threatening its future.

Batman: Revolution releases October 28, 2025. Preorder on Amazon.

Batman '89: Echoes & Superman '78: The Metal Curtain Cover Gallery

DC Comics expands the Burton-Verse with Batman '89, a sequel to Returns featuring a Billy Dee Williams-inspired Two-Face and Marlon Wayans-inspired Robin. Batman '89: Echoes introduces a Jeff Goldblum-inspired Scarecrow and Madonna-inspired Harley Quinn. DC also released two Superman '78 volumes, continuing the Christopher Reeve Superman films.

Learn more about Burton's unmade Batman 3 and other canceled DC films.