The World's Finest Presents
Episode #039 - If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?
Original Airdate - November 18th, 1992

When Edward Nygma, the creator of the computer game, "Riddle of the Minotaur," demands his share of profits he is fired. Nygma vows revenge, and years later when his former boss is selling his company Nygma makes his move, in a new guise, that of the Riddler! 

Media by Bird Boy
Review by Robin III
Credits
Written by David Wise
Directed by Eric Radomski
Music Composed by Carlos Rodriguez
Animation Services by Blue Pencil, S.I.

Voices
Kevin Conroy as Batman
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Alfred
John Glover as The Riddler
Gary Frank as Dan Mockridge
Loren Lester as Robin
Brock Peters as Lucius Fox
Hal Rayle as Henchman

Screen Grabs







Pans



Quotes
NYGMA: You are a fool, Mockridge, to think you can get away with this! Your amoral greed is no match for an intellect like mine!
MOCKRIDGE: Oh yeah? Then tell me something, Eddie? If you're so smart, why aren't you rich?
--
ALFRED: Master Dick, that must be quite a computer game to be worth tying up a fifty-million dollar computer.
--
RIDDLER: You think I want money? Not any more! What I want now is you.
--
MOCKRIDGE: Batman, you gotta help me! I can pay you anything you want! Ba-a-a-tma-a-an!
--
BATMAN: "When is the Minotaur's owner as high as an elephant's eye?"
ROBIN: Hmm. . . Mockridge owns the Minotaur, but what's as high as an elephant's eye?
BATMAN: Corn.
ROBIN: Corn?
BATMAN: An old song lyric; before your time.
ROBIN: Well, what's he saying, "When Mockridge is corny?" "When Mockridge is in the corn?"
BATMAN: What's another word meaning corn?
ROBIN: Uh, kernel? Cob?
BATMAN: Maize! "When Mockridge is in the maize!"
ROBIN: The maze at the amusement park!
BATMAN: Exactly.
--
RIDDLER: Oh, and by the way, you'll have to answer the riddle of the Minotaur, too!
BATMAN: I can't wait. How far did you say you got in the game?
ROBIN: Now, I'm not sure. Maybe half way?
BATMAN: Already I love this.
--
ROBIN: "Loser's Ahead?" Duck!
BLADES COME OUT OF THE WALLS AT HEAD HEIGHT AND SLICE BACK AND FORTH. BATMAN AND ROBIN FALL TO THE GROUND.
BATMAN: "Loses a head." I don't know what's worse, the traps or the puns!
--
ROBIN: I guess this isn't a good time to tell you nobody's ever made it to the center of the maze.
--
RIDDLER: You have eight minutes, gentlemen, then Mockridge becomes the only good corporate shark: a dead one.
--
BATMAN: Stay here.
ROBIN: But that's the wrong door!
BATMAN: I know.
ROBIN: But the hand--
BATMAN: That's what I want.
--
MINOTAUR: I have billions of eyes, yet I live in darkness. I have millions of ears, yet only four lobes. I have no muscles, yet I move two hemispheres. What am I?
BATMAN: That's simple: the human brain.
THE MINOTAUR BACKS AWAY.
BATMAN: It has billions of optic and auditors nerves, four lobes and two hemispheres, and it's the only thing Edward Nygma respects.
--
BRUCE (voice over) : Mockridge may have his money, but he won't be sleeping well.
MOCKRIDGE SEARCHES HIS APARTMENT, LOCKS THE DOORS, AND WORRIEDLY GETS INTO BED.
BRUCE: How much is a good night's sleep worth? Now there's a riddle for you!
 

Review: A good introduction to the Riddler over his comic book origin of wanting simply to baffle the Batman. The episode contains many great riddles that aren't easy to solve, nor are they too stupid, but they are smart ones at that.

The animation was excellent in this episode, with this probably being the only one where facial gestures and mouth movements responded to the situations and the words spoken. Running was very nice too, along with the capes flowing in behind Batman and Robin. Unfortunately, the drawing was way behind par with the characters looking a bit more chunky and not keeping to form.

There is also your typical Batman ending (explained in Feat of Clay bio) where Mockridge and Riddler both get off scot free, but Mockridge will always have to live with the panic that the Riddler is still out there and could return at any time.

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