The Question redux

 

As it was the subject of one of the earliest series of posts on this weblog, and one of the few I actually finished, I'm pretty thrilled that DC has finally got a reprint of the old O'Neil/Cowan QUESTION series on the schedule. THE QUESTION VOL. 1 TP Writer: Dennis O'Neil Artists: Denys Cowan & Rick Magyar Collects: THE QUESTION #1-6 $19.99 U.S., 176 pages Of course, the book has been on schedules before, so we'll see. I wonder if they've considered using the promo poster (seen here) as the cover or a frontispiece or pinup? I'd love to have an actual print copy of that image.

HELLTOWN by Dennis O'Neil

 

HELLTOWN is a recently released novel by Dennis O'Neil, a prose version of the story of Vic Sage, the Question, that O'Neil wrote in comics form back in the late 1980s.

As I've mentioned before, that series is one of my favourite comics, so I had to check this out. It's a little odd, parts of it work really well, some work well because they resonate and expand on stuff in the comics. Other parts would probably work better to someone not as familiar with the original comics, as the prior knowledge only makes the differences more distracting.

Overall I did enjoy it, but I'd probably suggest that anyone interested check out the first year of the comic (which I wish they would reprint, but back issues aren't that hard to find at a reasonable price) before reading the novel. For the most part this story follows the first four issues of the comic, with the major change being that while the comic book had Vic Sage already having long since adopted the Question identity and being an established reporter, in the novel he's freshly returned to Hub City at the beginning, and becomes a reporter and meets the supporting cast and only adopts the Question mask and identity after his encounters with Shiva and Richard and (in a greatly expanded role) Batman.

It also borrows some later story elements (most notably the buried alive story), as well as adding a lot of new stuff that veers pretty sharply from the original story. I can see the reasons for this, especially the increased Batman, but I probably would have preferred an adaptation that hewed closer to the source material. I liked the feeling in the original that there was a long prior history of the characters and the Question identity, and don't think the character suffers at all from not having an origin, and the storyline works better as a turning point than a beginning. The parts of the book that do work, in particular the scenes with Vic interacting with Richard and with Aristotle Rodor, are really good, O'Neil at the top of his game stuff.

If you're a fan of the original comics it's worth reading the novel for those alone. Some of the other characters don't come across as well as they did in the comics, in particular Myra kind of gets the short end of the stick since her best scenes came later in the series, and I'm sorry that Izzy O'Toole doesn't find his way into the novel at all. So a bit of a mixed bag, overall, but solidly entertaining.

The Question miscellany

Figured as an adjunct to the posts about the O'Neil/Cowan QUESTION series I'd post a few other favourite images that don't come from the series proper.

First up there is from a house-ad which ran on the back of some DC books the month the series launched. It's a very nice, simple design with a great tagline. There's mention in one of the issues of a Question promotional poster. Does anyone know if it has the same art as this? If not, could anyone get me a scan of it?

Thanks to Eric of www.vicsage.com for providing a scan of the elusive promotional poster, which is in fact different from the house ad. It's a gorgeous Cowan/Magyar image, very detailed and with great colouring. They should use that as the cover of a tradepaperback when we finally see one.

Next is the cover to AMAZING HEROES #108, December 15, 1986. The two Charlton relaunches from DC got the cover, with their respective creative teams handling each character. Really like that Cowan/Magyar image of Vic, makes me wish they'd done a few covers together, much as I like the Cowan/Sienkiewicz covers. Inside is a 5-page article on the relaunch, with some quotes from the various creators, including mentioning a few story plans (Vic getting involved in the Wayne Foundation, leading to a confrontation with Batman, a STAR Labs story involving science ethics) that were never realized.

Here's a closeup of just the Question figure.

Over two years later the Question returned to the AH cover on #163 in April 1989. Extensive interview with Cowan in this issue, as well as a detailed article about the history of the character, the themes and fan reaction to the revamp, including a 2-page profile of Vic Sage and his public history that was really well done. You can read more about it in this comment from Dwight Williams from when I posted the cover before.

Next is a painted retail poster for the "Fables" crossover featuring Batman, Green Arrow and the Question by Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz. Had a copy of this on my wall for the longest time, and it was much admired, though I always had to explain who the Question was. 

Here's a line-art version of the same image used in house-ads for the story.

Following that is something from the only evidence I have that DC once planned a tradepaperback of the first five issues of the series, titled THUNDER OVER THE ABYSS, from an issue of DC's promotional material of the time. The image they used with the promo was a re-coloured panel from #5, apparently it was going to have a painted cover by Cowan. I wonder if the cover was ever actually done?

Next is part of a large jam image that was included in the hardcover HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE collection in 1987, as well as a postcard in that issue that could be sent in to buy a separate poster. Among the over fifty characters and over fifty artists is the Question as drawn by Denys Cowan. Go here for an image of the full poster, including a certain Question inspired character.

The first iteration of DC's WHO'S WHO profile series preceded the O'Neil/Cowan series, so the Question featured there was the original Ditko version, drawn by Ditko himself in his final work on the character. The first update in 1987 featured entries based on the new series, with Lady Shiva by Jan Duursema, the Question by Cowan and Bob Smith and oddly one-shot villain Mikado by Cowan and Greg Brooks. Todd McFarlane did the cover for the issue featured Vic and Mikado.

The next version of WHO'S WHO, the looseleaf three-hole punch version, also featured some entries of interest, including the Question by Cowan

They collected the main series in a set of six paperbacks from 2007 to 2009, using covers from the series. Nice enough books, but without any extras, and not including the Annuals (and Green Arrow and Detective crossovers) and stopping short of the Quarterly and other later stories.

Any other promo images or merchandise for the series I missed? Let me know.

THE QUESTION by O'Neil post-series

 

Finishing up the chronicles of Vic Sage (as written by Dennis O'Neil, at least), the first place he popped up after his monthly series concluded in 1990 was just a few months later, in his usual Annual meeting with Oliver Queen.

Green Arrow Annual #3 - "A Walk in the Wind"
This story serves largely to deliver Vic and his new charge Jackie down to the rainforest, going down with Green Arrow and the Black Canary. It's not really explained why Vic would go along on that mission, with Jackie in tow, but it's not a bad story otherwise, and sets up the new status quo, as temporary as it may have been.

Question Quarterly, The #1 - "Any Man's Death"

Denys Cowan takes on the full art chores for this and the next issue. It's kind of a mixed bag, as he seems to be feeling out exactly which direction he wants his art style to go, so the experimental bits that work real well share space with those that don't. Anyway, Vic finds that trouble seems to follow him around, even down to the rainforest, and has to rescue Jackie from an insane drug dealer. Along the way he finally satisfies a bit of curiosity that he wondered about for years.

Question Quarterly, The #2 - "Gomorrah Homecoming"
As Jackie is dying, Vic decides he has to take her back to her mother in Hub City, meeting up with Marco (and it took me years to realize that there was probably a joke in giving Vic a sidekick named Marco), a practicioner of capoeira who was told by Shiva that he had to beat Vic to get a rematch with her (which I don't think Marco ever did get). They finally make it back to Hub City, without much time to spare. At the time this came out I thought it was a bit disappointing that after all that time spent in getting Vic out of Hub City he returned so quickly, but in retrospect I think it kind of fit the overall theme of how he's drawn there and how his development constantly backslides. Overall it's probably the most successful of the QUARTERLY issues.

Unfortunately, two pages of this printed out of order, the second time this happened to the series.

Cowan's off for the next issue (except the cover), replaced by Joe Quesada

Question Quarterly, The #3 - "Hell in Hub City"
The long-awaited movie finally gets made in Hub City. Bit of an experimental story, combining some screenplay style snippets with some odd scene cuts and flash forwards. I think it might have worked with a better artist, as it is, not so much, but there are some nice funny bits.

For some reason we jump from #3 to #5:
Question Quarterly, The #5 - "Outrage"
This is a "Rashomon" inspired story, where O'Neil and Quesada do the framing sequences and one version of the events that lead to Vic punching Myra, and various characters recounting why they think it happened. My favourite of the four chapters is the first, by Kelley Puckett, Denys Cowan and Mike Manley, which has Marco's version of events. It's a lot of goofy fun, as Marco is more concerned with fighting styles than with the story. The other guest segments didn't work as well, and I'm still not sure what to make of the O'Neil/Quesada finale, but I guess if any series has a right to an enigmatic ending it's this one.

That concludes the "Quarterly", back in 1992. Vic is next seen in 1995, in my favourite of his post-monthly stories:

Showcase '95 #3 - "Homecoming"
A short story drawn by Rick Burchett, where Vic once again returns to Hub City (boy can't stay away), this time to check for records in the orphanage where he was raised. Of course his timing being what it is he gets there just in time to see one of his tormenter nuns being attacked by one of his tormenter former classmates. A minor story, true, but interesting, and I'd have loved to see Burchett drawing more of Vic's adventures than any of the other non-Cowan artists.

A few months later, we get this brief thing:

Azrael #10 - "Arena"
Where Vic and Shiva run into each other in the crowd at a karate championship in Gotham City, which seemed to be leading somewhere but I don't think it ever did, although I'm missing some issues of AZRAEL so I might have missed it. Mostly amusing for the fact that Vic is impressed by fighting moves of the fake Azrael that Shiva considers amateurish.


It was over a year later, in late 1996, that Vic and Azrael finally met in:

Azrael Plus #1 - "The Anger the Terror and the Question"
A one-shot special with Vince Giarrano on the art. Among other things we find out that Vic's been making his money playing poker, which leads him to a bodyguard gig aboard a riverboat, which also happens to have Azrael on board. More interestingly, it's also set to be attacked by old friend Junior Musto, still trying in vain to impress his late father. Not great, but there were a few bits of humour that I really liked, and Junior Musto is always entertaining, in a sad way.

And finally, a few months later in 1997:

Question Returns, The #1 - ["Have you noticed that this boat is sinking?"]
Back to Hub City one last time (and even a cameo by Dr. Aristotle Rodor, though no other clue as to what he's been up to since leaving the Hub), as Mayor Myra has vanished and Vic makes his way back for a rescue. Like most of the post-monthly-series adventures of Vic Sage I liked bits, but wish it was more satisfying. Even Eduardo Barreto's artwork, which I normally like, seemed lacking. Among other things, I couldn't understand a story about corrupt cops in Hub City which doesn't even acknowledge Izzy. And then there was some stuff about river spirits. Eh. It was good to see Myra going on with her life.

And thus passes Vic Sage, nine years ago and not seen since.

THE QUESTION by O'Neil/Cowan #31 - #36

 

Bit late on this, as I had misplaced one of the issues. Finishing up the "monthly" run of the book, with Malcolm Jones III still the regular inker.

#31 - "Boom. The End." sees some old housing projects, where Vic once lived, scheduled for demolition. Unfortunately some street gang squatters have other ideas, and take Myra hostage in there. A very simple but effective issue, with a lot of nice touches that point towards the eventual end of the series, the importance of Vic's childhood experiences to his current place.

This issue also has a pin-up of Vic and Tot in a library where Vic peruses a printout of the Recommended Reading List to date, which is cute.

#32 - "The Peacemaker" is a bit of an oddity as the main characters don't really figure into the main story. Vic and Myra appear in a few pages in the middle, furthering his own inner conflicts, but the main story is about a Vietnam vet who is brought into a neighbourhood watch program, and his own flashbacks and reactions. Not a totally successful departure, but it had its moments, including a rather depressing ending.

#33 - "Harold" is the last of this stretch of single issue stories, and introduces a character who would eventually go on to a regular supporting gig in the Batman books, the mute mechanical genius hunchback of the title. The main story this time revolves around a psycho killer being hired by a judge to kill Myra, forcing her and her daughter on the run where they're fortunately helped by Harold while Vic is mostly ineffective.

#34 - "were it not that I have bad dreams" begins the final story arc for the series, with Carlos Garzon guest inking. The city spirals into even worse chaos, and Vic is unable to handle it, finally cracking amidst exhaustion and hallucinations about his mother. Myra handles her problems a bit better, and Richard Dragon finally comes to town to help. I like bits of this issue a lot, but overall not one of my favourites, especially with the art looking very rushed.

#35 - "Let Nothing You Dismay" brings Izzy into the crisis-of-confidence party, as he pursues a Question impersonator, while Myra and Richard continue the search for Vic. A good issue, but mostly just a warm-up for the grand finale...

#36 - "Or Maybe Gomorrah" brings it all to a close, with several brilliant bits, Richard's revelation being on the top of that list. Don't want to spoil that for anyone who hasn't read it, but it took me by surprise. Anyway, it's a good resolution to the series, as Vic finally decides he has to leave Hub City, and Myra decides she can't. A fitting end to a great series, sometimes I think they should have stopped here, as some of the subsequent stuff, while entertaining, detracts from the ending as Vic keeps returning to the Hub.

Still to come, a GREEN ARROW Annual, some QUARTERLY issues, the RETURN and a few other appearances of Vic Sage.

THE QUESTION by O'Neil/Cowan #28 - #30

 

Technically speaking, this three-part story falls before the 1989 Annual crossover with Green Arrow covered earlier, as this is where Myra leaves the hospital, and she's already out and running the city by the Annuals. However, as I recall, the publishing schedule for the book really slipped around this time, so I tend to think of them in this order.

#28 - "A Place for the Arts" brings Shiva back to Hub City, in her never-ending quest for some sort of challenging combat. She's a great character in these stories, and of course has become a somewhat more major supporting character in the Batman family of books based on it, but as far as I've read never written quite as good as in these stories. In this story, Myra tries to bring some order to the city by bringing in the leaders of two rival gangs and making them the de facto police for the city. Bad idea, of course, but I really like O'Neil's writing of the two gang leaders.

#29 - "The Slaying" opens up with the big showdown between Vic and Shiva, which ends up being a bit anti-climactic, as Vic is way out of his league. Fortunately she's still willing to help him out in his part of Myra's plan, as long as it provides her with opportunities to practice her art.

#30 - "Whodunit" concludes the story-line with a few surprises, as we get to see Myra showing a bit of the wits that'll make her a good mayor, and Vic satisfying some of his curiosity, which is always a good thing.

Interestingly, the "Next Month" box in #29 promises a story with Randy Violent filming a story in Hub City, a story that wouldn't end up actually being told until a few years later in the QUESTION QUARTERLY title.

Next time, finishing off the regular run of the book, including the long-awaited return of Richard.

THE QUESTION by O'Neil & Co #26, #27 Annual #2 +

 

More on THE QUESTION, with some guest stars and guest art, while Dennis O'Neil continues to write of course.

#26 is "Riddles", with Bill Wray doing the pencilling duties with regular inker Malcolm Jones III, and from the Batman family of titles the Riddler shows up (as well as a cameo by James Gordon). Not really one of my favourite issues, though I find Wray's work a bit less jarring than I did when it was first published. I just couldn't really get into the villains of the piece, although I liked a lot of the scenes with Vic and Tot. Fair enough on it's own merits, but definitely weak for the whole series.

#27 was definitely a return to form, as Denys Cowan returns to provide layouts for the bulk of the issue, Jones finishing the art (a few pages are ostensibly from an old WWII comic book, and drawn by Rick Stasi and Terry Beatty). In this story, Tot has a visit from a long-lost cousin of his, who drew the Nazi-busting adventures of "Captain Stars and Sergeant Stripes" back in the 1940s. Meanwhile, in the real world, Myra is still in a coma and Vic is fighting an increasingly desperate and losing battle against the crime of the city and his own darker nature (with a few scenes harkening back to the original version of the Question). These two worlds collide in a solution that takes an odd but effective mystical turn, and works a lot better than I'd expect.

Useless continuity note, this issue would seem to imply that Superman is a fictional character in this world, while surrounding stories make it clear that Batman and Green Arrow aren't.

The Question and Green Arrow continue their cross-over ways with their 1989 Annuals, starting in THE QUESTION ANNUAL #2, "Losing Face". Bill Wray back on the art, which works a bit better here, and Shea Anton Pensa provides flashback sequences as this issue shows how exactly Professor Rodor gave Vic Sage a faceless mask. The origin is partly integrated into the main story, as Green Arrow comes to town looking for some killers who fit Vic's lack of description, who turn out to be working for a doctor who was a former associate of Tot in developing the artificial skin which is used in Vic's mask, jailed by Vic on his first adventure and recently released and out for revenge. That eventually takes Vic and Green Arrow down to crime haven Santa Prisca where the evil Doctor Twain has set up base to produce mass quantities of a variation on Tot's old formula, which effectively turns people into mindless, docile zombies (when it doesn't kill them). With Vic's current feelings about humanity, that almost sounds good to him for a while.

A bit of an uneven story, I liked parts of this issue a lot, but a few things didn't quite work, and I think the origin of the character might have been one of those "best left unknown" things.

This issue also provides "Who's Who" profile pages for the major characters, and a text page where editor Mike Gold runs down the history of The Question at Charlton.

GREEN ARROW ANNUAL #2, "Saving Face" (with art by Ed Hannigan, Dick Giordano and Frank McLaughlin) begins with a jump back in time, showing the Seattle events Green Arrow alluded to earlier, then a quick summary of the other annual before bringing Green Arrow back to Hub City solo, where he has to work with Myra and Izzy to stop the plan to poison the city with the aforementioned chemical. Meanwhile, in Santa Prisca, Vic encounters Gomez, the monster-turned-saint from his previous Santa Prisca adventure, and they work out Vic's conflicted views of humanity, free will and suffering. Overall this second half worked a lot better for me, as the GA parts are a good adventure story using the regular supporting cast of THE QUESTION and the Vic Sage scenes have some interesting relationship to the conflicts of the previous year of the book.

Next time, Vic's back in Hub City and Shiva's there to meet him.

THE QUESTION by O'Neil/Cowan #21 - #25

 

Continuing with THE QUESTION 

#21, "Rejects", was the first issue of the series I ever picked up, so it would be a favourite just for that reason. It also has a great black&white cover by Cowan/Sienkiewicz which I think is the best of their collaborations. Dick Giordano is the guest inker this issue, which looked different. Good, but different.

This story continues the Junior Musto story from #6, starting with a flashback continuing the last scene from that issue, with some interesting bits about identity and the symbolic significance of Vic's mask. Then in the present, Junior steals a heart to give to his father for a transplant while Vic is sent to report on his high school reunion.

There are many brilliant bits in this issue, and I think I can call it my favourite issue overall.

#22 begins the long awaited polling day in "Election Day: The Fix". Malcolm Jones III joins as the regular inker, which looks really nice. It's hard to pick whether I liked Magyar or Jones better, partly because Cowan's pencilling style was also shifting around this point. Both were really good.

This is a very cynical storyline about voting irregularities, cover-ups, fixed voting machines, corrupt judges and all the rest. And for the action scenes, you have the Question fighting bikers, which is a lot of fun.

#23 is "Election Day: Welcome to Oz", and also has the final Cowan/Sienkiewicz cover. It starts with a history lesson on the first Hub City election, which not surprisingly ended in violence. Back in the present, the election continues with even more violence, an approaching storm and Vic facing a bit of a moral dilemma as he has to lie on the air to prevent more violence.

#24 concludes the storyline (in name, at least) with "Election Day: The Dark", more fun with bikers, including one odd scene of Vic almost being burned alive, and the storm hitting. Bit of an odd ending, didn't entirely work for me, but I remember the ending really catching me off guard.

#25 is "Skells", with the aftermath of the election and the storm and Vic's search for the former Mayor. I found this run of the book a bit weaker than the earlier stuff, but there were a few things I really liked in almost every issue. In this issue there was a really good bit with Vic talking about his growing anger and reversion to his earlier personality.