Steve Ditko was a creator like no other. While many respectable writers and creators attempted to create a new superhero or character to attract new readers with their bright costumes, Steve Ditko was doing something different. Working at Charlton Comics in 1967, Steve Ditko was fascinated with the concept of objectivism, which punts the very idea of emotion and care for others in second place, far behind the obtainment of knowledge. Ditko had always been political. Hawk and Dove were two characters he created in 1968 for DC, two brothers that constantly challenged each other on their pollical beliefs. However, the Question was different. Very different to any other comic book characters at the time. I won’t delve any deeper into Charlton Comics and Ditko here, as that is for another day. The point is that, along with the other Charlton heroes such as Blue Beetle and Captain Atom, the Question was in limbo for many years. Charlton were dying and they were no longer interested in what was known as “action hero” stories. Fast forward nearly twenty years to 1986 and Charlton is bought by DC. Very quickly, DC use the heroes in their epic Crisis On Infinite Earths series, before some of them would find their new home in their own titles. Batman Editor Dennis O’Neil had only just come back to the company and being offered to write by Paul Levtiz, he agreed to write the Question. However, he wanted to change some things. How noticeable were these changes going to be? Well, you’ll see…
In the first of multiple posts reviewing Dennis O’Neil’s run on the Question, I will be reviewing:
The Bad News/Butterfly/”Suffer the Children”/The Sacrifice --- The Question (vol 1) 1-4
Cityscape --- The Question (vol 1) 5
…That Small Rain Down Can Rain --- The Question (vol 1) 6
The Question (vol 1) 1-6 was published monthly from February to July 1987. It was published by DC Comics under the “Suggested for Mature Readers” line and it was written by Dennis O’Neil, with art by Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar. Lastly, I have
read these stories in The Question: Zen and Violence trade paperback.
The Bad News/Butterfly/”Suffer the Children”/The Sacrifice --- Written by Dennis O’Neil with art by Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar
THE STORY
In Hub City, Charles Victor Szasz has 25 hours left to live. As the Question, he steals a mysterious tape from a group of criminals. During the fight, the Question is distracted by Lady Shiva, who watches as the Question is beaten up. However, the Question defeats the crooks and takes the tape, before leaving and becoming Vic Sage once again. Later, Vic arrives at work and reports the news that the corruption of Mayor Wesley Fermin has spread to the Board of Education. As Vic plays the tape he stole, showing scandalous footage of the Commissioner for Schools, Reverend Jeremiah Hatch watches with the Mayor as they discuss Vic and how he is becoming a danger to them. Lady Shiva is also present, with the Reverend believing that she may be useful in their plans. At the same time, Hatch’s men kill the men who gave the Question the tape. The next day, with only 16 hours left to live, the Question visits his ex-girlfriend, Myra, who patches his wounds. Vic then meets with Professor Aristotle Rodor (who he nicknames Tot) and complains to him that his Question mask slipped off last night during combat. As Tot investigates into it, he notices that Vic has started smoking again and he wonders if he should stop being the Question. Vic tells him that he needs the Question. With 12 hours to go, Vic visits Moe, a source of his, but he doesn’t learn anything from him. Vic then takes out a criminal before being confronted by Hatch, who tells Vic that he has been following his career with great interest. But Vic isn’t interested as he walks away. Later, Hatch broadcasts to the people of Hub City, telling them of his life-changing experience of fighting in the Vietnam War. With 7 hours to go, Moe is told by somebody working with Shiva to tell Vic about meeting at midnight. 3 hours later, Vic is told about it on the phone by Moe and although Myra tells him not to go, Vic cannot resist it. With 1 hour and 15 minutes left, Hatch and his men head to their chosen location near the docks and they pledge to kill Vic. Sometime later, Vic appears and meets Shiva, who (with help from Hatch and his men) kill Vic and once they shoot him in the head, they throw his body in the river…
After experiencing constant pain and reliving his last moments of life, Vic wakes up, not remembering his name or who he is. He thought he was dead, but Tot tells him that Shiva brought Vic to him and that she had to dive for ten minutes searching for him. Vic doubts this, since he would have drowned. However, Tot explains that Vic must have had stored oxygen which keeps the brain from dying. Vic then questions how the bullet in his head didn’t kill him, but Tot once again explains that he was shot with an air gun and the bullet flattened against his skull and went around between the bone and flesh, before exiting. As Myra reports on the news that Vic is missing, Mayor Fermin (an alcoholic) finds her attractive. Hatch also works out that as the Question hasn’t appeared for six days, that must confirm that Vic and the Question are one and the same. While Hatch broadcasts another message, Vic dreams about a meeting with Batman. After waking up and receiving a series of maps and notes in Mandarin from Shiva, Batman himself appears, telling Vic that he is an arrogant and incompetent fool. Batman tells Vic that he was getting kicks from fighting corruption and it needs (continued)
to change. Vic needs to have an obsession. Vic tries to retort, but when he does, Batman is gone and Tot wakes up, making Vic believe that seeing Batman was a dream. The next day, Vic leaves in a helicopter to where the maps lead. He meets Richard Dragon, who tells Vic that Shiva asked him to teach him the Way of the Warrior. However, Vic questions how a crippled man such as Richard could teach him. Richard tells Vic that the mind needs to be trained more than the body. In the next few days, despite his injuries, Vic works out, hunts and meditates, before at the very end, Richard tells him that his training is complete and the nearest civilization is 50 miles away. Before leaving, Vic is confronted by Shiva again, who recognises a change in Vic, but he needs more time. Vic demands to know why Shiva saved him from the river, but she doesn’t answer. Arriving back in Hub City, the Question breaks into the Mayor’s residence, while Hatch plans to blow up a school bus full of kids. While Hatch once again speaks about his mission to nurture the evil of the world from his experience in battle, he is confronted by the Question. As Hatch becomes frightened, the Question tells him to pray…
Suddenly, Myra walks in, surprising the Question. Hatch manages to attack the Question with a flaming hot metal rod, but the Question kicks Hatch into a fireplace and he jumps out the window. Myra then hides the Question in her room and once she manages to distract the guards away from her room, the Question notices how the guards called her the Mayor’s wife. She explains that she has a child, named Jackie, at St. Catherine’s who has been used as a threat by the Mayor to force her to marry him. Myra then tells the Question about Hatch’s plan to blow up a school bus. After the two of them manage to get past Mayor Fermin, Myra tells the Question to hit her. Once he does so, she manages to distract the guard to another area, so the Question can escape. Meanwhile, a rude fat man named Benno punches his son in the face, telling him to carry out the task of blowing up the school bus. He tells his henchman, Jake, to go with him. At the same time, Vic speaks to Tot about the challenge of finding the right school bus. Vic decides to visit the only school garage in town and with Tot’s new tweaks, Vic becomes the Question. At the garage, the Question asks about today’s bus schedules and he learns that all the kids are off because its Martin Luthor King’s birthday. However, the Question notice an oil trail to the door, and he is told that one bus had left today, heading towards the south side of town. As the Question quickly drives towards the bus’s location, one of Hatch’s men confronts Myra, knowing that she was the one who helped the Question. At the same time, Benno’s son prepares the detonator in his van and he charges towards the school bus. Luckily, the Question appears in his car and rams it against the truck. The Question then gets out and fights Jake in the truck, allowing Benno’s son to escape. Jake drops the explosive in the bus, but once he is taken out, the Question throws the explosive out of the bus and it explodes. Afterwards, Vic visits St. Catherine’s and he asks to see Jackie, Myra’s daughter. He finds her building a snowman with some other children. They ask him to help, which he does…
While Jeremiah Hatch crazily talks to himself about how the Question has been sent by the Dark Master to punish him, Jake questions how Vic/The Question wasn’t killed, and they need to try harder. At the same time, two of Hatch’s men, disguised as cops, take away Myra’s daughter and although Vic fights against them, he is defeated. Vic then drives away angrily but stops when his damaged car begins smoking. Later, Vic tells Tot that he knew those fake cops were going to take Jackie to a river near the Mayor’s mansion. Tot then questions if Vic is going after Jackie simply because he still has feelings for Myra. Vic doesn’t know why, but it’s something to do with Jackie herself. Tot then asks if Vic has a plan to get into the mansion. Vic then meditates, reflecting on what he has done today. Meanwhile, Jake speaks to Hatch about how he took Jackie up to see her mother, while the Mayor continues to talk about President Theodore Roosevelt. Hatch tells him that the Mayor is simply a tool of his to allow him to run for President. If he were successful, Hatch would push a certain button to start a war. Meanwhile, the Mayor drunkenly gets into his car and crashes directly into a tree, witnessed by the Question. While Hatch threatens Myra once again, the Question steals a police car and enters the Mayor’s mansion. At the same time, Myra heads into the library and finds the Bible and reads Genesis Twenty-Two, mentioned by Hatch. Lyra screams as she realises that Hatch is emulating the events of the Bible, preparing for a sacrifice. After her discovery, Lyra is tied up by Hatch, who produces a dagger. At the same time, the Question takes out Jack and his guards while Hatch explains that he has been described as mentally unstable because of the Vietnam War. Then, as Hatch prepares to murder Jackie as a sacrifice, the Question appears. Hatch drops the dagger and screams to know who sent him. As the Question frees Myra and Jackie, the Question threatens to kill Hatch, but he lets him live. Suddenly, Myra picks up the dagger and stabs Hatch to death with it. As Jackie is taken away by an ambulance since she is in shock, the Question leaves Myra after what she has done.
MY THOUGHTS
Like all great beginnings to a run, The Question fails to disappoint. All of the brilliant runs in comics start with something that changes the character and not in such a way that is minor or passable. No, it is something which should change their character fundamentally. Swamp Thing by Alan Moore is a great example and so is this. Killing off the main character and then bringing him back in such a way which is understandably logical is a huge bonus for me, since (like here), the main character feels different very early on, allowing the writer to almost begin a new chapter. The first part of the story sets the scene very well and introduces us to the characters. While they all may have their differences, it seems that a common foe that nearly every villain has is Vic Sage. They can’t stand him. What we really see for the first part is the Ditko Question in action. O’Neil hasn’t yet tweaked or heavily modified his character, so we therefore witness his violent methods of combat and we are very much given the impression that he is a very urban vigilante, constantly focused on revealing the truth. In the original Ditko run, this would often result in Vic Sage getting into trouble from criminals, hence why the Question was needed. However, O’Neil perfectly writes him as this very reckless character, and he doesn’t ever realise that his broadcasting of the tape is way too far. He doesn’t see the limit of where it might be dangerous and, in the end, that is what kills him. Like I said, I always think it’s a great way to start off a series, particularly if the death is real and has consequences. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the character should remain dead, because then that would be the end of the series. However, it should change the character dramatically, which O’Neil successfully does. Now, when I begun reading this series however long ago it was, I had a terrible fear that it would be, as the title of the first trade paperback suggests, very zen-like and ambiguous. To an extent, I suppose it was, especially with the beginning of the second issue with Vic Sage heading into the light. However, moments like these are very minimal and O’Neil is far more interested with writing the characters in an interesting and engaging way. The first part of the story feels very much like a prelude, as the main plan of the villain, Jeremiah Hatch, doesn’t form until the second part. All he is really concerned about is killing Vic. As I mentioned before, a real positive of O’Neil’s writing is character. Tot had featured every-so-often in the Ditko run, but O’Neil gives him much more of an Alfred-like character, making him rather sarcastic but also a pillar of wisdom in some cases. He is a funny character and because he is so close to Vic, you know that he will one day become a target in order to hurt him. The relationship between Vic and Tot is also written very naturally, since they do feel like real friends with very different characters and perspectives on the world. There can be tension between the two of them because of that, especially since Tot is often the voice of reason which Vic usually doesn’t possess. What makes the two characters work so well is because they are different, but they manage to compliment each other due to it. One of the other major characters introduced here is Myra, once Vic’s ex-girlfriend and now the drunken Mayor’s wife. She is written definitely as the most important character to Vic before his death, but that all changes as the story progresses. Her character is also fundamentally changed with the plot and due to that, she becomes arguably the most central supporting character of the whole series. There really isn’t much to say about her husband… yet. Lady Shiva is also another important feature, mainly since she has the pleasure of killing Vic. Questions about her are raised since
she both kills him and saves him. O’Neil creates a great amount of intrigue, which will (again) feature more prominently later. Lastly but certainly not least is Hatch, another of those villains that are undoubtedly native to the darker days of comic books from the 1980s. He is one of those “Suggested for Mature Readers” villains due to his experience in real combat. O’Neil also links him closely to religion, something which many of the mainstream titles wouldn’t have been able to get rid of. Hatch’s beliefs may be shared with many others, but he is clearly insane and a villain for the way he conducts himself, especially by replicating moments of sacrifice from the Bible. He is actually a very creepy villain and because he was the one responsible for killing Vic, O’Neil constructs him into a true threat, one we know is all-powerful, yet totally unhinged and frightening. The death of Vic at the end of the first part is almost the death of Ditko’s version of the character. His character is altered dramatically in the second part with his vision of Batman and his training with Richard Dragon (who will come back much later in the series). Vic is pretty much given a second chance, as he realises that he was never a hero. He was totally reckless, unprepared and simply doing what he did for kicks. The Question by O’Neil is a superhero post-Watchmen. You can imagine him being all of those things and his death makes him realise that he needs to change if he wants to be a hero. Fortunately, O’Neil creates a fantastic story which stars Vic on this journey. A fantastically written story that is very in depth and full of plot. O’Neil doesn’t waste any space with his stories, another reason for why I’ve always liked him so much. His sense of pacing is incredibly skilful, since he knows when exposition is critically needed, and he knows when the art can tell the story. There are multiple pages where the Question will beat up some thugs and there will be no dialogue. There doesn’t need to be. O’Neil knows when to write dialogue and when not to write it. To me, next to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he is one of the first writers to know when the art can tell the story. I also approve of the changes in the plot focus throughout the story, something which keeps the story moving and interesting. This really manifests itself in the third, in which the Question has to save a bus load of kids (I don’t remember that in the Bible). This is his first act of true heroism here and when you look at previous Question stories, it’s the first time he ever does something like this. He becomes a hero after years of being an investigator or even an executioner in some cases. This is the first moment in the story where you
notice that the Question’s fundamental character has changed. I also think that the ending of that third part feels really satisfying. That’s not only because Myra’s daughter is safe with the Question, but also because the Question learns what it is like to be human. He is showing emotion. Before we get to the fourth part, O’Neil carefully placed Benno and Junior Musto in the story, two characters who become very important in The Question (vol 1) 6. Naturally, the fourth part is the conclusion to Hatch’s story and in many ways, it completes the first part of the Question’s redemption. As Hatch becomes even more unhinged, it becomes instantly clear that he must die at the end of the story. That isn’t just because he is a cruel and evil character, but because of what he has done emotionally to the Question. Naturally from this, you’d imagine that it would be the Question himself who would proudly thrust the dagger through Hatch’s back and through his chest, killing him. That’s where O’Neil manages to catch us off guard. Thinking about it, Myra and her daughter were treated horribly by Hatch and Myra’s killing of Hatch may be a surprise, but it feels justified as a game-changer for her character. This is a true redemption for the Question as he resists against the temptation. He wants to kill Hatch, but he doesn’t because he knows deep down that it is wrong. Does Myra? Perhaps, but what has happened to her doesn’t mean much to herself since she primarily cares for her daughter. In her mind, the only way to save her is to kill her kidnapper. That last scene of the story in which the Question simply walks away speaks volumes about the change in his character. Finally, this may only be a four-issue story, but a good aspect of the story which must be attributed to O’Neil is that this only took four issues to tell. Sure, the issues may have been slightly longer, but they were still only four issues. In comics today, editors would try to drag this out. What would be a four-part story would be extended to eight or even more. It is a real strength of O’Neil that he knows how much to place in each issue and let plot points run their course, instead of unnecessarily extending them. However, I would argue at some points, particularly the last part, it could be paced better, and it does feel rather slow in some areas. Apart from that, this is purely an excellent way to begin The Question and it can only go up from here…
Story: 9/10
Art: 7/10
Cityscape --- Written by Dennis O’Neil with art by Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar …That Small Rain
THE STORY
In 1818, Gaston Hupert, one of Jean LaFitte’s officers, is killed by his own troops. In the present, an old woman named Maud Frawley is confronted by a group of crooks near a statue of Hub City’s founder, Hupert. Although the Question easily manages to take out the crooks, Maud does thank him. Instead, she sits on a bench waiting for the (continued)
bus. Afterwards, Vic is picked up by Tot. Vic blames himself for Hub City’s crimes and he hasn’t slept in 36 hours. He turns on the radio, learning of looting and riots through the city. Mayor Fermin blames the attacks on communists, angering Vic who wonders how Fermin was elected in the first place. Vic then drives through the riots, which then stops as Lieutenant Izzy O’Toole appears, the lousiest and most corrupt cop on the force. Meanwhile, Maud continues to wait. At the same time, in the Kessel Building, a worker named Miss Tolchuk decides to sleep at work since the buses aren’t coming. Her boss, Bernie, lets her. He then tries to kiss her when she is undressing as his wife has been sick for years. Naturally, she doesn’t accept his apology. While it is snowing outside and Maud is still waiting, Myra is haunted by her actions and how she killed Hatch. At the same time, Bernie jumps off a building to his death. Meanwhile, O’Toole catches some crooks in the act and they attack him. However, the Question intervenes and takes them out, leaving O’Toole to realise that he owes him one. As Vic is driven home by Tot during the riots, he plans to appear as Vic Sage tomorrow. Meanwhile, Miss Tolchuk cries, Bernie’s body is taken away, his widow doesn’t yet know of his death, O’Toole wonders if he will ever be a good cop, Myra continues to think of answer for what she has done and Maud (after six hours) is still sitting on the bench, frozen and waiting for a bus that will never come.
MY THOUGHTS
After the first four issues introduce us to the main players of the series, this one-off introduces us to perhaps the most important, one which is well and truly alive: Hub City. And boy, it makes Gotham look tranquil. It is a city without a sense of community, a lack of services and high crime rates. I know that sounds like most cities in America, but O’Neil writes this story from a very personal point of view as we witness the many characters that live there and how their lives are pretty terrible. There are some very hard-hitting character moments, such as Bernie, his actions and his death, but one of the harshest and saddest is Maud, a character that may be unpleasant at times, but it seems by the very end that she has effectively given up on life in the city, believing that sitting out in the cold until death is the only escape. O’Neil does supply some hope thought, with Izzy O’Toole, a corrupt and lazy cop. How is this hopeful? Well, like the Question, he learns from his actions and what has happened, and he begins to transform into a different character. It isn’t all miserable. The Question and Tot don’t appear much in the story and they take a backseat most of the time, which I think is a good choice since it allows for Hub City to be covered in more detail. But, in the scenes featuring the Question, we can see he is a different character now. I mentioned this earlier, but when O’Neil told Paul Levitz that he wanted to change the character, he meant that politically and spiritually. The politics of O’Neil are the polar opposite of Ditko’s and just reading their respective works makes that clear. Spiritually, the zen aspect of the Question’s character is added by O’Neil so he can learn from his mistakes. These are all the consequences of the Question’s death, which, as I’ve mentioned a lot, completely changes his character. At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of this story. That is possibly because it lacked the action of the previous story and it didn’t feature the Question much, but when you examine closer on re-reading, it is a fantastic character piece for Hub City. It may be grim, but it offers hope too.
Story: 9/10
Art: 7/10
…That Small Rain Down Can Rain… --- Written by Dennis O’Neil with art by Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar
THE STORY
As Junior Musto thinks about how his father has abused him, he pours burning acid on his face. Meanwhile, Vic becomes the Question and Tot wonders why. The Question tells him that McVey’s company is causing the acid rain in Hub City and they are
somehow mixed up with terrorists. At the same time, Junior bandages up his face. Heading towards McVey’s company building, the Question finds a security guard has been gassed and he begins investigating. At the same time, Benno Musto and his men beat up a man tied to a chair. The Question intervenes and fights Benno’s men, but he is injured and forced to retreat. Benno and his captive escape from the scene. Meanwhile on the news, it is said that the founder of the McVey Corporation was Ian Angus McVey, who retired to a nearby farm once his son, Farley, took over. Vic’s old boss, Finch, finds Sage working and he tells him to leave, explaining that he no longer works at the company. Before leaving, Vic bumps into Lyra (who doesn’t know that Vic is the Question) and the two catch up, but the two aren’t as close as they once were. Meanwhile, Benno speaks to Farley, who wants his father dead since he is becoming suspicious. Junior overhears this conversation and begins searching for the farm. While Vic and Tot head towards the farm, Junior gets there first and finds Ian McVey. Junior tells him that he is going to kill him to impress his father. However, McVey accepts the idea of his death and he makes a cup of tea for Junior. McVey speaks about the regrets he has about his long history with his company. At the same time, Benno and his men spot Junior, believing him to be the Question. They fire, but they miss, which attracts the real Question’s attention. As the Question takes out Benno’s men, Junior shoots his father, believing him to be the Question. Junior then removes his bandages to his father, revealing his scarred face…
MY THOUGHTS
This one here is another one-off character piece, but it is closely linked to the four-part beginner to the series. The Musto family had appeared in The Question (vol 1) 3, with Benno beating up his son. This was an aspect of that story which O’Neil was never going to forget. He usually includes scenes in stories which are mentioned later. Like I said, this is another character piece, but the Question is linked much more to the story and the plot itself is very in-depth and complex, but in an effective way. The story featuring the McVey Corporation is very similar to something you’d read in Mike Grell’s Green Arrow or maybe even Jamie Delano’s Hellblazer title. However, the reason it works is because of the inclusion of Benno and Junior Musto. In fact, Junior is a very interesting character and one who you can feel sympathy and sadness for. I don’t really understand his deranged sense of thinking when he decides to burn his face with acid, attempting to impress his father. But what makes the story great in the end is that he is the one who shot his father. His attitude to his father after he is shot seems to be a mixture of slight sadness and relief, as if content that he has killed him. The story does end on a great cliff-hanger of sorts, one which won’t be followed up on until a few issues down the line. There is real potential for a follow up, especially because of Junior’s character and his meeting with the Question. Other than that, the story is very well paced with its mixture of action and drama, while working as another prime example of O’Neil’s skill as a character writer. However, the story does end rather sharply with the reveal of Junior’s face and arguably, I think there needed to be a conclusion that takes us back out of the story.
Story: 9.5/10
Art: 7/10
THE ART BY DENYS COWAN AND RICK MAGYAR
I’ve never been the biggest fan of Denys Cowan’s art. I much prefer the smoother and more graceful artists, like Steve Ditko for example, who drew the Question excellently. However, in this case, with O’Neil’s gritty plotting and writing and the decent inks of Rick Magyar, the art here pencilled by Cowan isn’t bad. It reflects the mood of Hub City and especially in the case of the Question (vol 1) 5, it adds so much depth to Hub City and its character, backed up by O’Neil’s fantastic writing. I have seen much better art, but I’ve also seen much worse inkers over Cowan. Bill Sienkiewicz is a prime example, since his inks over pretty much anyone is incredibly sloppy and messy, very often to the point where it is very difficult to work out what is exactly going on. However, Magyar somehow manages to clean up Cowan’s distinctive art style while also embellishing it, so its impact remains strong.
VERDICT
Overall, The Question: Zen and Violence, is an excellent start to Dennis O’Neil’s run on The Question. The first four-parter dramatically alters the character in a believable way while supplying a great plot and a fantastic cast of interesting and dynamic characters. The story about Hub City is also a very enjoyable as O’Neil continues to create the world of the Question and lastly, the final story featuring Junior is another fantastic example of how O’Neil can write characters so well. I’m not the greatest fan of Cowan’s art. His layouts can be appealing, but it can often by very scratchy. However, Rick Magyar’s inks both works well with Cowan’s art style while also cleaning it up, something it so desperately needs…
Stories: 9/10
Art: 7/10
Next Week: The Question: Poisoned Ground (The Question (vol 1) 7-12). Written by Dennis O’Neil with art by Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar. Expected by 11/10/2020.
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