Who Is…. The Question?

The Question

The heroes known as the Question have had some very odd history, both within and outside of the comic book universe. For example, both characters to use the name had their origins outside the DC Universe as it’s generally recognized (more on that later). And they’ve both been through some fairly substantial changes in their characters over time.

The first version of the Question was a character from Charlton Comics, debuting in the late 60s. He never got an origin, and was one of many characters who worked for the press in his civilian identity, in this case a TV station. Vic Sage was an investigative reporter by day, and hero by night, and an adherent of the Objectivist point of view. He was notably different from many heroes because he didn’t wear a costume- he fought crime dressed in a suit, tie, trench coat, and hat, with a special mask that made his face appear blank and featureless. The mask was made by Aristotle Rodor, a scientist who would become one of his best friends and allies. The Question wasn’t the first hero to adopt this look- Will Eisner’s famed Spirit was another suit wearing crime fighter with a domino mask, as was Quality Comics Midnight character. In another odd coincidence, both these characters were also later acquired by DC Comics.

The Charlton Heroes were acquired by DC in the 1980s. During the now legendary (or infamous, depending on your point of view) Crisis On Infinite Earths in 1985, the Charlton characters were shown to be on Eath-4, one the many worlds later folded into the one, new, post-Crisis Earth. Now we learned that the character was born Charles Victor Szasz (a name similar to a later Batman foe which causes some confusion) and grew up in a Hub City orphanage. He grew up to be a TV reporter and changed his name to Vic Sage. He was mostly interested in the corrupt politics of Hub City, and his early adventures were based here. In the series published in the 1980s, Sage was nearly killed in one of his first outings by the famed Lady Shiva, berated for wasting his talent by the Batman, and sent to train with martial arts master Richard Dragon. This series was written by Denny O’Neil, and Question fans seem to either love it or loathe it. Personally, I loved it. Eventually, Sage left Hub City and wandered around, finding adventures at random, as befit his new, Zen like outlook. In Hub City and later, he had a long term love affair with Myra Fermin, who eventually became the Mayor of Hub City.

Question I, DC Comics version, from www.internationalhero.co.uk

When his own title ended, he became an occasional guest star here and there, and appearing in various specials and one shots. He and the other Charlton Heroes were reunited at one point in a series called the L.A.W. Personally, I found it to be a poorly written series, and the characters to be acting differently from most of their previous appearances.

While inspired by the Spirit, Question himself in turn influenced other characters. Most famously, especially lately, the Watchmen character Rorschach was based on Question. There was one memorable issue of Question’s series where he reads Watchmen on a plane, falls asleep, and meets Rorschach in a dream. The Question fell into obscurity for a number of years after his series ended.

This changed thanks to the Justice League Unlimited cartoon. In this version, the Question is an obsessed conspiracy theorist who eventually strikes up a relationship with the JLU’s bad girl, Huntress. In the comics, Question and Huntress did indeed have an affair as detailed in Huntress: Cry for Blood. He brought her to his old teacher Richard Dragon in an attempt to calm her rage, but the two later split when she manipulated some gangsters into killing each other. The Question was brought back in a somewhat surreal limited series after that as an “urban shaman” who could listen to cities and receive guidance in this manner. Again, this was unevenly received, and I thought it was pretty poorly written and conceived.

A few years later, the Question appeared in the series 52, where he began training his successor, Renee Montoya. Montoya was a former Gotham City Police Detective who quit after her partner, Crispus Allen, was murdered. Allen later became the human host of the Spectre, and his name seems to be based on the one black victim of the so called “Boston Massacre” that helped fuel the rage in colonial Massachusetts that led to the start of the American revolution.

Like Sage, Montoya debuted outside the confines of the DC Comics Universe. She started as a character on Batman: The Animated Series, and had many appearances throughout the show’s run. On the show, she was partnered with long time supporting Bat character Harvey Bullock. Montoya is part of another odd trend I have noticed, in that characters that start in cartoons and make it over to the “main” comics tend to be female- Marvel’s Firestar and Gotham Siren Harley Quinn further illustrating the point.

Later crossing into comics, Montoya was shown on the GCPD, and eventually revealed to be a lesbian. We have also learned that she used to be romantically involved with Kathy Kane, now Batwoman. After quitting the GCPD, Montoya began a career as a private investigator. In this capacity, she was hired by Sage, calling himself Charlie for some odd reason, to help watch a warehouse. She was drawn into a conspiracy that led her from Gotham to Black Adam’s Khandaq. Along the way it became apparent that Sage was training her, and we later learned that he was dying of cancer. She met Rodor, and Richard Dragon, being trained and equipped by both as Sage’s condition grew worse, and he eventually died.

Montoya reluctantly became the new Question, using the mask and equipment from Sage’s friend Rodor, and using Richard Dragon’s training to supplement her police experience. She crossed paths with her former lover in her Batwoman guise and then ran afoul of the cult that followed the teaching of the Crime Bible, eventually becoming their leader more or less accidentally by vanquishing their leader. In this position, she came to the attention of Vandal Savage, revealed during the Final Crisis: Revelations mini series to be the Cain of the Christian Bible. Eventually, Renee managed to save the nearly omnipotent Spectre (her former partner) from Cain/Savage’s plan. She is scheduled to appear in the back up feature running in Detective Comics when the main part of the book is devoted to Batwoman following the events of RIP and Battle for the Cowl.

Question II, image from www.pinkkryptonite.com

For myself, I strongly recommend the O’Neil series of the 80′s- it is my personal favorite version of the Faceless One. Some time ago, DC released several novels with the DCU Imprint. Denny O’Neil wrote one called “Helltown” which featured the Question, Batman, and Lady Shiva. Its a slight retelling of his origin, and I thought it was a great read.

So to you, Faithful Reader- what is your favorite version, and did I miss anything important in the lives of either character? And, who would you like profiled next, or what other part of comic history?