Well, I think it’s safe to say that Dennis O’Neil’s revamp and relaunch of The Question got off to a fantastic start. O’Neil had managed to carry out an incredibly challenging task of altering a very extreme character while making them appear and even feel like how they were originally conceived. O’Neil took the basic scaffolding of Steve Ditko’s Question and not only updated it in an urban way that was reflective of the 1980s, but he changed the view of the character due to his experience of being dead and his new training. It is quite amazing how O’Neil did that and ultimately, he created a title with engaging stories and three-dimensional characters. Like The Question (vol 1) 5 and 6, most of these stories here are character studies of usually the villain of the story. Character writing has always been one of O’Neil’s strengths and here, he is incredibly varied. Christ, it sounds like I’ve started the review already. One of the core characters of the whole series has been Aristotle Rodor, or Tot as Vic calls him. He is somewhat a character of mystery in those early issues, but in The Question (vol 1) 9-11, he becomes much more involved in the story and he serves as one of the most important characters. Beginning from here, all of the established characters that O’Neil introduced or reintroduced here are developed further as more of the core story of the run begins to twist and turn…
In the second of multiple reviews of Dennis O’Neil’s Question run, I will be reviewing:
Survivor --- The Question (vol 1) 7
Mikado --- The Question (vol 1) 8
Watchers/Santa Prisca/Transformation --- The Question (vol 1) 9-11
Poisoned Ground --- The Question (vol 1) 12
The Question (vol 1) 7-12 was published monthly from August 1987 to January 1988. It was published under DC’s “Suggested for Mature Readers” line. All the stories were
written by Dennis O’Neil with art by Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar. Lastly, I have read these stories in The Question: Poisoned Ground trade paperback.
Survivor --- Written by Dennis O’Neil with art by Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar
THE STORY
In a restaurant, a man named Mr Volk eats his meal, imagining himself like a wolf in a forest. Volk is then shot by a man, but it doesn’t affect him, and Volk throws the man out of a window. Meanwhile, Myra reminds her husband, Mayor Fermin, that Volk is coming to visit him to discuss a deal. When Volk does arrive, Fermin drunkenly speaks about President Roosevelt again and Volk leaves, not telling Myra anything about his deal. At the same time, two gangsters hear that Volk has thrown one of their own through a window and they hire three crooks to help them take him out. Meanwhile, Myra meets with Vic, telling him that he has to investigate Volk as her husband is too drunk to do so. Myra then tells Vic that as Fermin is a drunk, it is up to her to look after Hub City. Before Vic leave to carry out his task, Myra reminds him of how close they both once were, but Vic tells her to accept it. Despite receiving a death threat from Volk over the phone, Vic becomes the Question after having another philosophical talk with Tot. After Volk gives a prostitute a thousand dollars, Vic overhears her tell somebody else and as the Question, he breaks into Volk’s apartment, However, Volk nearly strangles him to death. The Question tells Volk that he isn’t his enemy and Volk senses truth in his words. Volk tells the Question that his family were gypsies who lived in Russia. He was captured by the Nazis when he was young and he was tortured, explaining how he lost an eye. Then, a pack of wolves found him and brought him food. A few years passed and Volk left on his own after obtaining the spirit of the wolf. Outside, the group of gangsters from earlier walk up the stairs to Volk’s apartment. Volk senses this and together, he and the Question defeat them. In the fight, Volk is critically injured from a bullet and he dies. In his dying words, he tells the Question about a tree shaped like a question mark. Afterwards, the Question travels to the tree and a paw print nearby it, before he notices a wolf with one eye…
MY THOUGHTS
This story is another example of not just how well O’Neil writes stories about one-off characters, but also how excellently he constructs a whole world in an engaging way. From the very start, Volk is a character of huge interest as O’Neil hooks us in with that first splash page. O’Neil very much creates the impression at the beginning that he is a villain and one who will, ultimately, face off against the Question. However, that would be the generic and rather predictable way of doing things. With O’Neil writing, he makes Volk into a character that we can feel sorrow for and by the end, we are rooting for him, just like the Question. That is partly because of his background and how he was brought up. As opposed to the next story, the plot here is incredibly simple, but it feels like just enough to work as a one-off story. It may be very simple, but the plot is simply a package which contains Volk’s background and character. There really isn’t too much else to say because of the simple plot. It’s a very enjoyable one-off, which isn’t exactly rare for the likes of Dennis O’Neil. However, this one here stands out much more than some of the previous ones. That may be because of Volk’s interesting character which feels different to any of those who came before. If that’s the case, then there are certainly more Question stories after this which will be very good as O’Neil continues to create new and fresh characters with intrigue. Overall, (continued)
this is possibly my favourite story of the run so far as it is paced incredibly well, always feels interesting and while it features a simple story, it possesses the positive of including a well-written and engaging new character…
Story: 10/10
Art: 7/10
Mikado --- Written by Dennis O’Neil with art by Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar
THE STORY
Somewhere in Hub City, a screaming man is burnt in a cauldron by Mr Mikado, a man who believes that the punishment should fit the crime. A few days later, Vic is in hospital being patched up when he hears of a crime wave in the city. Vic is then given a tetanus shot and he tells Doctor Spaulding that he was mugged. He ignores him. A nurse then tells the doctor of another burn victim, related to another victim of the same fate. Ignoring the coincidence, Vic is driven home by Tot while in an apartment nearby, a mother and her two frightened children are abused by their father, Gordon, ignoring their need of food. Gordon then leaves and enters a car, driven by Mr Mikado, who tranquillises Gordon. Some time later, Mr Mikado cuts Gordon’s vocal cords, telling him that the punishment should fit the crime. While the police investigate another killing, Vic visits Myra, telling her that he was contacted by a police officer about the killing. He tells Myra that similar killings have taken place in the past few months. After the two make some jokes about Hub City, Vic reminds her of the seven mutilations. Myra tells him that Izzy O’Toole, who has taken charge of the force, is doing his best, but he doesn’t have time to examine every case. Vic then decides to investigate the case for himself and as he leaves, Myra thanks him for making her laugh. The next morning, Vic tells Tot that he has spoken to some of the victims and how their attacker believes in the punishment fitting the crime. Gathering more knowledge of the attacker, Vic becomes the Question. At night, Doctor Spaulding is nearly mugged before the attacker realises who he is. The Question then comes along and beats the mugger and his friend. The Question then orders the two muggers to tell him where they get their drugs from. Later at the hospital, the Question interrogates the supplier. Afterwards, the Question realises that the supplier isn’t skilled enough to be Mr Mikado, but he realises that the real killer is a doctor who was a conscientious objector and medic during the Vietnam War. Vic then becomes the Question and breaks into an apartment, where he finds Mr Mikado is Doctor Spaulding, who shoots the Question with a tranquiliser dart. As the Question tries to fight against it, Spaulding tells him he does what he does to restore a kind of balance as he has seen the cruelty experienced by those that are suffering. However, he admits that his actions haven’t worked as there were new victims and the suffering got worse. As Spaulding admits his sadness that he has to kill an innocent, the Question tells him that he is innocent as he has beaten up innocents in his youth. He then tells Spaulding that he saved a bus load of kids, telling him that he wants to change. Spaulding tells the Question that he has made his decision. As he states that the punishment should fit the crime, Spaulding injects himself with a needle and he collapses. When the Question removes his mask, he notices that Spaulding has gone.
MY THOUGHTS
As opposed to the previous story, this one is much more plot-heavy and detailed. It certainly benefits from the title being five pages longer than any other monthly title. That being said, the formula and plotting of this story is very reminiscent of many of the Batman/Detective Comics stories during the late 1980s, which were primarily edited (or even written in some cases) by O’Neil. It’s not a type of story that I would like to see often, but it thinks it works well as a off-one such as this one. Mr Mikado is very much a darkened extreme vigilante, sort of like V from V for Vendetta. O’Neil writes him very mysteriously, but not in such an ambiguous way which he does with Volk in the previous issue. There, it was never really clear or displayed that Volk was an evil character. With Mr Mikado, it takes just two pages to show that this guy is truly evil. Until the conclusion, Mr Mikado becomes a background character of sorts, operating in the darkness while the Question attempts to work out who the real killer
is. The build up to the revelation at the end does feel very slow at some points Sometimes that can work because it builds up much needed suspense. In this case, it does that, but it does become rather dull during the middle. The Question also does feel pretty useless in the story, ignoring the ending of course. It does take him a very long time to work out who the killer is and while he may not be as intelligent or quick as the likes of Batman, it just feels a bit too unrealistic for storytelling purposes when it takes as long as it took here. Everything sort of comes to a standstill. However, one aspect which cannot be taken away from this story is the final scene, when the Question confronts Mr Mikado. The revelation that it was Doctor Spaulding did come as a surprise as while he may not have come across as a trustworthy character (as evidenced earlier in the story), he didn’t feature in any major way, but it makes sense from what he says in that final scene, which is incredibly powerful. Those last moments when Spaulding admits his mission has gone wrong and the Question’s admittance that he isn’t a nice guy at all are brilliant, mainly because it shows how far the Question has come as a character and how we have seen him progress. This is all made so much more powerful with Spaulding seemingly killing himself, becoming the victim of his own motto, let the punishment fit the crime…
Story: 8/10
Art: 7/10
Watchers/Santa Prisca/Transformation --- Written by Dennis O’Neil with art by Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar
THE STORY
From a rooftop, the Question watches Izzy O’Toole meet some gangsters to deliver drugs. However, O’Toole tricks the criminals, setting them up to be arrested. As the gangsters prepare to attack O’Toole, the Question intervenes and takes them out. O’Toole thanks the Question before asking what his name is. O’Toole drives away as the Question tells him that that is a good question. Afterwards, Vic heads home and speaks with Tot. Just as Vic heads into another trance, a smoke grenade is thrown through the window and Tot falls unconscious. A group of masked gangsters then attack Vic, who has stopped breathing so he doesn’t take in any of the smoke. However, the gangsters easily defeat Vic and when he wakes up, he finds that Tot is missing. Later, Vic heads to KBEL, where he reports on the news that Tot is missing and he shows an illustration of him to the cameras, as any photographs of him don’t exist. Once Vic is once again shouted out by his boss, Finch, he leaves and drives away. While driving, Vic notices a plumber’s van outside of a house. He recognises the van as it was outside of his house when the gangsters attacked him. He enters the house, where a woman believes that the truck is owned by Martians who are watching her every move. After Vic gets the van’s license number, he visits O’Toole and learns the number plate belongs to the government and it is top-secret. It belongs to an agency of scientific thugs who used to operate in the suburbs. O’Toole gives the Question the address and he goes to the location. Vic becomes the Question, and he breaks into the government agency building where he is nearly run over by the green plumber’s van. The Question is then attacked by one of the gangsters from earlier. The Question then begins to hallucinate and as he imagines Tot tied to a tree, the very ground below him breaks apart and Vic falls into the darkness…
Continually falling, Vic remembers when he once beat up a kid named Basin for giving him drugs at a party. Suddenly, Vic wakes up from his hallucination and he finds a flight schedule. Injured, Vic enters an empty building and meditates. Later, Vic heads to Washington on a plane and he tracks the license number plate once again, but it leads to a dead end. Vic then visits Basin, remembering that he lives nearby. The two fight one another after Basin trains against a punching bag. During the fight, Vic questions Basin’s links to drug enforcement and why Tot is involved. Basin tells him that Tot concocted a tranquiliser and sold its formula to a big pharmaceutical company for over a million dollars. The drug was then put on the market without testing and it was designed for pregnant women. Basin tells Vic that the drug made the Thalidomide babies look like beauty contest winners. Adults who took the drugs went crazy and it made them hallucinate. As Basin tells him that the drug was traced to
an island in the Caribbean named Santa Prisca, Vic receives all the information he needs, and he then beats the hell out of Basin. Some time after travelling, Vic arrives in Santa Prisca and he takes a taxi to a hotel. That night, Vic becomes the Question and he stealthily leaves the hotel and heads toward El Forteleza, an old fort. Meanwhile in the fort, Tot is introduced to Hector Gomez, who tells Tot that he has built a particle accelerator under the fort, financed mainly from the profits of his drug network. Gomez then explains that he once worked for the American government and that gave him the contacts, he needed to buy the fort and the whole island. Then, Gomez takes Tot into the dungeon, where those who built the fort used to purify souls by torturing people. Gomez’s guards then enter the room with a prisoner who has done no wrong. With a burning dagger, Gomez kills the man. Afterwards, Gomez sits on the ground, admitting that he is a monster and that he needs Tot to help him. Meanwhile, Vic walks around Santa Prisca and notices a woman being abused by a guard. Vic enters the house and kicks the gun out of the guards’ hand. However, the woman picks it up and shoots the guard with it. Vic then tells her to help him undress the dead guard as he is going to take the biggest chance in his life…
Dressed as a guard, the Question blackmails the woman into helping him, otherwise, he will tell the guards that she has killed the man. She agrees to help him and as the two of them walk through the city, passers-by become worried or frightened since they believe the Question to be a real guard. Arriving at the fort, the Question covers his face with a cloth, pretending to be injured. However, inside the fort, the Question’s identity is quickly discovered, and he is attacked. However, the Question takes out some of the guards and takes off his disguise. Meanwhile, Tot speaks to Gomez, who tells him that he once studied at graduate school with his father, who had a lot of respect for Tot. Gomez then speaks about alchemy and its link to the human soul. He believes that the act of witnessing transformation of a base metal to gold purifies the soul. Gomez then believes that the alchemists of old failed because of their lack of scientific knowledge and equipment, two aspects which Gomez believes he possesses. He tells Tot that he will transform a lump of clay into gold and himself into a saint. At the same time, the Question explores the fort, but he begins hallucinating when vials of chemicals are shattered. The Question is then attacked and captured by guards. Meanwhile, Tot studies Gomez’s work, believing it to have the potential of advancing quantum physics. Gomez then reveals that the work is not his, but the work of his father, who then appears and reacquaints himself with Tot. As Gomez explains that he is ashamed and disgusted by his father, the guards appear with the Question. Gomez then begins his experiment of transforming clay into gold using the particle accelerator. Everybody watches as Gomez is transformed into a god. Afterwards, the lab is full of smoke and everybody is gone, apart from Tot and the Question. Taking Tot to the home of the woman who helped the Question earlier, he is rendered unconscious, before and he Tot wake up on a plane back to Hub City. Later at home, Vic tells Tot that doctors say that he is in shock, explaining why he isn’t able to speak. Vic explains to him that he may never come out of his current state. Some time later, after Vic explains that the fort was demolished after Gomez’s experiment, Tot awakens and speaks.
MY THOUGHTS
When the first part of this story was released in October 1987, it had been five months since the last multi-part story. Despite the good quality of those one-offs before-hand, that gap was probably far too long as when reading them, you can’t wait for the next ongoing major story which will deeply involve the main characters. O’Neil finally delivers it here in a very different, yet intriguing three-parter which finally gives more information about Tot. I think the beginning of the story sets the scene very well, especially with the inclusion of O’Toole, who has now learnt from his past as he becomes more of an ally for the Question. That introduction fight scene is a great way to kick things off and while it may not be a major part of the core story, it certainly adds depth to the ongoing background story. The main plot really begins with Tot being kidnapped. It’s a strange sequence in the story, mainly because it comes right out of nowhere and although that was deliberate, it does intrigue you, partly because the Question is being attacked at home. The really interesting part of the kidnapping is that Tot is gone instead of Vic. This is the most interesting aspects of that moment. I think it’s safe to say that the Question has made many enemies since he began fighting in Hub City. Therefore, an attack on his home to kill him might not be so surprising. However, when Tot is taken, who you have to remember is a very quiet and essentially lives like a hermit, that adds a whole new layer of mystery to the story. From there, the story annoyingly begins to wind down, at least, until the second part. Don’t get me wrong. The scenes in which the Question investigates Tot’s attackers is much needed to advance the plot. However, I think it could have been told in more condensed and shortened terms. This doesn’t mean that scenes should be cut at all, but I certainly think that the story needed to be more exciting, something it finally achieves once again at the end of the first part. I might feel rather cliché or tiresome when the writer decides to include the origin story or earlier memories of a character into the story. With Batman stories, it is genuine and all-too common criticism. Seriously, how many times do I need to see Thomas Wayne being shot and Martha’s pearls going everywhere. With this story however, an earlier moment from his life as a teenager is very interesting as it supplies some background information on the Question. Thinking about it, any background of Vic Sage is unknown and to some extent, I approve of that since it makes him into a question. This inclusion of him as a teenager makes sense in terms of progressing the story and I would have like to have seen more scenes with the Question in the past (the only other instance which springs to mind is The Question (vol 1) Annual 2). Anyway, while the second part may be somewhat uneventful for the Question, the scenes with Tot and the villain, Gomez, are very crucial for the story. Actually, no, there is one scene with the Question which I could consider to be very important not for his character, but for Tot’s. This scene I’m obviously referring to is when the Question fights Basin for information, which makes sense since the Question sensed a connection between the drugs and him. This scene is incredibly interesting for Tot because it’s the first time we really find out any background information about him and it is somewhat tragic. Actually, it’s very tragic. Essentially, he is part of a team that invents a (unknown to him) more lethal version of Thalidomide and it basically ruins any of hope of him becoming a scientist or well-respected inventor. I do think it was about time that more of Tot’s background was revealed and I really like the way that O’Neil handled it. In the second part, we are introduced to Gomez, a clearly troubled mad man with a desire to become a saint through alchemy. Well, I wasn’t really expecting that. But in all seriousness, while he does come across as a threat due to his torturous and unhinged ways, I do find his overall character to be rather bland and lacking. There really isn’t any coherent reason for why he hates his father, apart from the fact that he’s a hunchback. To me, his character could of and should have been handled differently and while there are some interesting moments, particularly needing Tot to help him (seemingly for mental health issues, at first anyway), but I feel like by the end, he hasn't done enough or been present enough to be a credible villain. Some of my favourite moments in the story are when the Question arrives in Santa Prisca, a place which O’Neil created and has written many stories about (an example being Batman: Venom, Legends of the Dark Knight 16-20). These scenes are very good because they are not only fast paced, but the dialogue by O’Neil is very funny, particularly from the Question. Not only that, but the mood feels like it is building up to a climax and reading them, they are just some of the most enjoyable moments in the story. Now we get to the end. This is what everything has been building up to quite frankly, I’m not really sure what I think about it. On one hand, I think it makes sense as a choice for the ending, as finding a solution of how the Question could defeat Gomez would be awfully challenging and honestly, what is Gomez doing in those final moments which are bad? Obviously before that he is a very cruel villain as he needlessly kills man and he is effectively being paid by drug money, but when he somehow turns that clay into gold, how is that evil? On the other hand, I don’t think it really reflects the tone of the title and that last moment where Gomez is seen as a god feels strange. Besides, we aren’t really sure if those scenes actually happened, or if they are symbolic. I’m sort of split down the middle on this. Lastly, the ending to the story is also a mixed bag. While I do like the mystery of how the Question and Tot get home, what happens to Gomez and his father? They just seem to vanish. Not only that, but I feel like Tot’s shock should have been an ongoing consequence of the story. I think it should have taken a few issues for him to return to normal, as his transition back feels far too quick and ultimately, there isn’t really any consequences of it. Overall, its good to read a multi-part story again and while it may not be perfect, it is enjoyable and features some great moments, particularly with the likes of Tot.
Story: 7/10
Art: 7/10
Poisoned Ground --- Written by Dennis O’Neil with art by Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar
THE STORY
The day before Halloween, a fat child-like man shoots a man outside of his house for not giving him candy or ice cream. Afterwards, he walks into the house and eats (continued)
everything in the fridge. Meanwhile, Vic meets Myra at a motel, and they sleep together one last time, as she is planning to run for Mayor of Hub City at the next election. Afterwards, he asks why she would want to run for Mayor, but she doesn’t tell him. Vic then gets in his car and drives away. He hears on the radio of a murder. He heads to the crime scene, where he learns of the fat man that killed the owner of the house, who was going to move out that same day. Vic tells the police that Baby is back in town. Elsewhere, the Baby strikes again and kills another. On the news, Vic reports of a second death and he gives his own opinion of the police. Afterwards, he is shouted at by Finch, but Vic ignores his criticism. Then, Vic watches a number of police file tapes of Pete Carstairs announcing the opening of Parson Acres in order to sell cheap homes for god-fearing good Americans. After watching the tape, Vic becomes the Question and heads to Parson Acres and finds the home of Colonel Rory. Outside, Vic is forced to kill Rory’s dog as it attacks him. However, the Question is then knocked down by Rory, who threatens to kill the Question for what he has done. However, the Question fights back and manages to take him out. The Question then investigates the back garden, finding Pete Carstairs, who eats some of the dirt, saying that it isn’t poisoned after threats that the ground of Parson Acres would be poisoned. Later, Tot tells the Question that the ground is poisoned with chemical waste which can cause genetic mutation. The Question tells Tot that Parson Acres is built on an industrial dump site. Vic then heads to KBEL and after discovering that the Mayor can’t do anything about the situation because he’s too drunk, he reports the news that Parson Acres is tainted with dioxin. Afterwards, Vic realises that Carstairs hired Baby Gun and Rory. As the Question, he searches for Baby Gun, finding him at Pete Carstairs’s house. Outside, he finds Carstairs dead. He also finds Baby Gun eating everything out of the fridge and just as he prepares to kill the Question, he himself collapses as the Question reveals that Carstairs (in his last moments) poisoned the food. Leaving the house carrying Baby Gun, the Question contemplates whether to give him an antidote or not.
MY THOUGHTS
While this story is another one-off, it certainly does begin a new direction of the background story, one which continues arguably to the very end of O’Neil’s run. That of course is Myra, who decides to run for Mayor when the election comes. This isn’t a huge surprise, since she’s basically been acting like the Mayor while her husband has been drinking. However, you can tell that her character will become more and more important as that story progresses. In terms of the main story, while at times it can be overly complex and confusing (particularly towards the end), it is a rather entertaining murder mystery. Like previous stories, it does feel like a Mike Grell Green Arrow story at times, especially with Parson Acres and its poisoned ground. Definitely one of my favourite aspects of the story is the villain, Baby Gun. The reason I believe that Baby Gun is a very good villain for a story such as this is the absurdity of it. The plot of this story is very dark and I’m not saying the actions of Baby Gun don’t correspond with the plot’s tone, but it’s just the appearance of the villain and how he decides to constantly eat candy. It adds a weird, yet strangely endearing aspect of the story, despite him being a killer. To be honest, I really think that Baby Gun is the selling point of the story because without him, all the villains seem incredibly bland. Take Rory for instance, who is just a generic army man wh doesn’t have much to do in the story and isn’t particularly interesting. I’d argue the same for Carstairs. I do like the inclusion of Parson Acres being poisoned ground and I think the plot is good, but I feel it lacks any real interesting characters, apart from Baby Gun of course…
Story: 7.5/10
Art: 7/10
THE ART BY DENYS COWAN AND RICK MAGYAR
Like I said before, I’m not the greatest fan of Denys Cowan’s artwork. But once again, Magyar manages to clean it up and make it look presentable, while also keeping Cowan’s own touches in the final pages. That said, there are still some panels and pages which just look really unattractive and rushed. I guess to some degree that that messier style of art reflects the darker, more urban, tone of The Question, but I think that still can be achieved with nice-looking art. However, the art could have looked so much worse, particularly when you look at the covers inked by Bill Sienkiewicz, which are borderline unintelligible and quite frankly, some of the worst art I’ve ever seen.
VERDICT
Overall, The Question: Poisoned Ground may not be excellent like the previous stories, but that doesn’t mean that they are bad. Far from it. I think that the “Survivor” story is an excellent read and I think that Mikado is also an intriguing and very enjoyable story. I personally believe that the three-parter featuring Gomez isn’t perfect and the “Poisoned Ground” one-off may lack a number of interesting characters, but I still think that both stories are great fun to read. We are talking about Dennis O’Neil, who I make no secret is possibly the best comic writer ever in my view. While some stories could have been better, I for one am incredibly happy that we’ve only just started his fantastic run…
Stories: 8.5/10
Art: 7/10
Next Week: The Wrath of the Spectre (Adventure Comics 431-440, Wrath of the Spectre 1-4). Written by Michael Fleisher with art by Jim Aparo, Ernie Chua, Frank Thorne, Mike DeCarlo and Pablo Marcos. Expected by 18/10/2020.
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