Skilled martial artist, hand-to-hand combatant, and journalist
(Veitch Version):
Practicing Shaman
(New 52 Version):
Knowledge of possible events in the past, present, and future
The Question (real name Charles Victor Szasz, better known as Vic Sage) is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Steve Ditko, the Question first appeared in Charlton Comics' Blue Beetle #1 (June 1967). The character was acquired by DC Comics in the early 1980s and incorporated into the DC Universe.
DC Comics, Inc. is an American comic book publisher. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies. The majority of its publications take place within the fictional DC Universe and feature numerous culturally iconic heroic characters, most notably Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, among many others. The universe also features well-known supervillains such as Lex Luthor, the Joker, Catwoman, and the Penguin. The company has published non-DC Universe-related material, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and many titles under their alternative imprint Vertigo.
Stephen J. Ditko was an American comics artist and writer best known as the artist and co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics superheroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton Publications, which published magazines, puzzle books and, briefly, books. It had its own distribution company.
The Question's secret identity was originally Vic Sage. However, after the events of the 2006–2007 miniseries 52, Sage's protégé Renee Montoya took up his mantle and became his successor. Following the DC relaunch The New 52, Sage is reintroduced as a government agent
52 is a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the Infinite Crisis miniseries. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid, with layouts by Keith Giffen. 52 also led into a few limited series spin-offs.
Renee Maria Montoya is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was initially created for Batman: The Animated Series, and was preemptively introduced into mainstream comics before the airing of her animated debut in 1992. The character has developed significantly over the years.
The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC cancelled all of its existing titles and debuted 52 new series in September 2011 with new first issues. Among the renumbered series were Action Comics and Detective Comics, which had retained their original numbering since the 1930s.
As conceived by Ditko, the Question was an adherent of objectivism during his career as a minor Charlton hero, much like Ditko's earlier creation, Mr. A.[1] In a 1987–1990 solo series from DC, the character developed a Zen-like philosophy.[2]
Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian-American writer Ayn Rand. Rand first expressed Objectivism in her fiction, most notably The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957), and later in non-fiction essays and books. Leonard Peikoff, a professional philosopher and Rand's designated intellectual heir, later gave it a more formal structure. Rand described Objectivism as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute". Peikoff characterizes Objectivism as a "closed system" that is not subject to change.
Mr. A is a fictional comic book hero created by Steve Ditko. Unlike most of his work, the character of Mr. A remained the property of Ditko, who wrote and illustrated the stories in which the character appeared entirely himself. The character first appeared in Wallace Wood's witzend #3 (1967).
Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, then known as the Chan School and later developed into various schools. It was strongly influenced by Taoist philosophy, especially Neo-Daoist thought, and developed as a distinct school of Chinese Buddhism. From China, Chán spread south to Vietnam and became Vietnamese Thiền, northeast to Korea to become Seon Buddhism, and east to Japan, becoming Japanese Zen.
Publication history
In 1967, Steve Ditko created the character of Mr. A, whom he conceived as an undiluted expression of his values, ethics and objectivist philosophy.[1] Later that year, Ditko was hired by for Charlton Comics to revive their superhero character Blue Beetle. Due to its low page rates, Charlton tended to give free rein to its artists when they wanted to include more personal ideas in their comics.[3] Ditko therefore decided to create the Question, a less radical version of Mr. A who could be acceptable to the Comics Code Authority. The character was included as a back-pages feature in the new Blue Beetle comic book.[3]
Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes who appear in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to the Blue Beetle is DC Comics who bought the rights to the character in 1983, using the name for three distinct characters over the years.
The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation, to allow the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. The code was voluntary, there was no law requiring its use although some advertisers and retailers looked for it for reassurance. Some publishers including Dell, Western, Classics Illustrated and Treasure Chest never used it. Its code, commonly called "the Comics Code", lasted until the early 21st century. The CCA formation followed a series of Senate hearings and the publication of psychiatrist Fredric Wertham's book Seduction of the Innocent.
However, Charlton discontinued its "action hero" line in December 1967 after only four issues of Blue Beetle had been published. A three-part Question story, which Ditko had already penciled, appeared in the one-shot comic book Mysterious Suspense (October, 1968). One fifth and final issue of Blue Beetle, featuring the Question, was published in November of the same year. In 1985, after DC Comics had acquired the right to Charlton's characters, the Question reappeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths. In February, 1987, DC launched a new The Question comic book, scripted by Dennis O'Neil and penciled by Denys Cowan. This series, which ran for 36 regular issues and two annuals, was replaced in September, 1990 by The Question Quarterly, which ran for five issues. The Question has since then remained a recurring character of the DC Universe.[3] A six-episodes The Question limited series was published by DC in 2005.
Crisis on Infinite Earths is an American comic book published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March 1986. As the main piece of a crossover event, some plot elements were featured in tie-in issues of other publications. Since its initial publication, the series has been reprinted in various formats and editions.
Dennis J. "Denny" O'Neil is an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retirement.
Denys B. Cowan is an American comics artist, television producer and one of the co-founders of Milestone Media.
Fictional character biography
Charlton Comics
Based in Hub City, Vic Sage made his mark as a highly outspoken and aggressive investigative journalist. Not long after starting his TV appearances, he began to investigate Dr. Arby Twain.
Mysterious Suspense #1 (Oct. 1968), Charlton Comics. Cover art by Steve Ditko.
Sage was approached by Aristotle Rodor, his former professor, currently a scientist. Rodor told Sage about an artificial skin he had co-developed with Dr. Twain called Pseudoderm. Pseudoderm was intended to work as an applied skin-like bandage with the help of a bonding gas, but it had unforeseen toxicity which was sometimes fatal when applied to open wounds. Rodor and Twain agreed to abandon the project and parted ways, but Professor Rodor discovered that Dr. Twain had decided to proceed with an illegal sale of the invention to Third World nations, regardless of the risk to human health.
Doctor Aristotle "Tot" Rodor is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a scientist and former school professor who lives in Hub City. His colleague was the villain Arby Twain. He invented the pseudoderm mask and the gas for sealing it used by the various "Question" heroes: Charles Szasz and Renee Montoya. He mentors both of these heroes. He also knows Richard Dragon.
Sage resolved to stop him but had no way of going after Dr. Twain without exposing himself. Rodor suggested that Sage use a mask made of Pseudoderm to cover his famous features. Armed with information, and more importantly a disguise, Sage eventually caught up with Dr. Twain, stopping the transaction and extracting a confession, then leaving Twain bound in Pseudoderm. On television, Sage reported on Dr. Twain's illegal activities.
Sage decided that this new identity would be useful for future investigations, and partnered with Professor Rodor, who supplied the Pseudoderm and eventually modified the bonding gas to change the color of Sage's hair and clothing. The two men became good friends, with Sage affectionately referring to Rodor as "Tot".
Compared to other superhero characters of the Silver Age of Comic Books, The Question was more ruthless in his methods. For example, when he was fighting some criminals in a sewer and knocked them into a deep and fast-moving water flow, he declined to pull them out despite their real danger of drowning. Instead, he left to notify the police to retrieve them in case they survived the ordeal.
The Question's most frequent foe was Max Bine a.k.a. the Banshee. Introduced in Blue Beetle vol. 4, #2 (Aug. 1967), Bine was the apprentice of a circus performer named the Flying Dundo. After designing a cape that enabled the wearer to fly, Dundo was slain by his pupil and Max Bine became the costumed Banshee, using his mentor's invention to terrorize towns he crossed. The Banshee met his match when he reached Crown City and sparred with the Question on several occasions.
The Question briefly appeared alongside his fellow Charlton "Action Heroes" as part of the Sentinels of Justice published by AC Comics.
DC Comics
The Charlton characters were acquired by DC Comics while the former company was in decline in 1983. The Question appeared briefly in 1985's Crisis On Infinite Earths and in a three-issue arc of DC's Blue Beetle revival.
DC gave the Question his own solo series in 1987, written by Dennis O'Neil and primarily drawn by Denys Cowan.[4] The series was published for 36 issues, two annuals, and five "Quarterly" specials. In The Question #1, the Question was defeated in personal combat, first by the martial arts mercenary Lady Shiva. He was then beaten nearly to death by the villain's hired thugs, shot in the head with a pellet gun, and thrown into the river to drown. Lady Shiva then rescued him for reasons of her own and gave him directions to meet wheelchair-bound Richard Dragon as soon as he recovered enough to get out of bed. Once there, Sage learned both martial arts and eastern philosophy. When he returned to the city, he resumed his journalist and superhero careers with adventures that tended to illustrate various philosophic points. To further illustrate those ideas, Dennis O'Neil had a reading recommendation in the letters page of each issue.
In the O'Neil series, Vic Sage is an investigative reporter for the news station KBEL in Hub City. He uses the identity of the Question to get the answers his civilian identity cannot. Unlike other vigilante superheroes, O'Neil's Question is primarily focused on the politics of his city, and rather than hunting down the perpetrators of petty theft, he tends to fight the corrupt government of Hub City. O'Neil's Hub City is noted as being "synonymous with venality, corruption, and violence", perhaps even surpassing Gotham City as the most dismal city in the DC Universe-version of the US.
For the majority of the series, Vic Sage is covertly assisting the good-hearted Myra Fermin to win the seat of Hub City Mayor. His interest in Myra extends beyond admiration, as the two shared a relationship before his near-death experience with Lady Shiva and his training under Richard Dragon. Upon his return, he discovers she has married the corrupt drunkard and mayor of Hub City, Wesley Fermin. Despite Myra's losing the election by one vote, she becomes mayor when her competition is found dead as a result of what is called "the worst tornado in history". At her victory speech, her husband Wesley shoots her for supporting what he believes to be Communist beliefs, putting her into a coma and sending Hub City further into chaos with no government and no police force. Sage dons the guise of the Question, acting as the city's only form of justice for a short while before the mayor wakes from her coma. Gang warfare in the weeks following the election leads Sage to Lady Shiva, first as a combatant, and then enlisting her help as an ally of sorts to get in a position to talk to the gang leaders. As Myra adjusts into her role as mayor of Hub City, she and Sage begin to rekindle their relationship, though Myra tells Sage she will not act on her feelings until she leaves office. Despite their long-term friendship, she never connects that Sage and "the man without a face" are one and the same until the very end of his time at Hub City.
O’Neil's Question is very conflicted on how far to go in enforcing justice, often feeling tempted to kill. He resists this temptation during his time in Hub City, realizing that part of his desire to go so far is just to see what it feels like to take a life. His relationship with his mentor, Aristotle Rodor, is one of many things that keep him from going over the edge and back towards the darkness he had shown in his youth on the streets of Hub City.
Eventually,[5] during a massive hallucinogenic trip, his subconscious tells him through images of his mother that he has to leave Hub City to ever be able to live happily. This viewpoint is bolstered by the utter societal collapse of the city. Around the same time, Richard Dragon comes to see Vic, as Richard has sensed that Vic is on the verge of a major turning point in his life, and convinces Vic that living in Hub City is killing him. In an agreement with Richard, Lady Shiva arrives with a helicopter to usher The Question and Aristotle Rodor away, at which point she decides to stay in Hub City and embrace the chaos. Vic nearly convinces Myra to come with him and escape the chaos of the city. Myra remembers the people of the city who need her, mainly the children. She leaves Jackie, her mentally handicapped daughter, in Sage's care and goes back to do what she can.[6]
After leaving Hub City, Vic takes Jackie with him to South America, hoping to rid himself of his "No Face" alter ego and find a land free of the clutter and corruption that filled Hub City. However, Vic quickly gets drawn into a drug war which ultimately forces him to kill in order to save Jackie's life.[7] This marks a major turning point in the Question's career as he thinks to himself that he didn't feel anything and would kill again if needed. Though it is not entirely clear what the Question's current view is on murder, he kills again in the 1991 Brave and the Bold mini-series and the 2005 Question mini-series.
Jackie becomes ill and Sage returns with her to Hub City. Despite medical care, Jackie passes away.[8]
The Question Annual #2 retroactively altered the character's origin by revealing that Vic Sage was originally Charles Victor Szasz (not to be mistaken with serial killer Victor Zsasz), an orphan who had a reputation as a troublemaker. Szasz prided himself on defiantly enduring the physical abuse of the Catholic orphanage where he was housed. He eventually managed to get into college where he studied journalism. However, his higher learning did not mellow his violent tendencies, such as when he beat up his pusher for giving him LSD which caused the frightening experience of doubting his own senses under its influence.
Veitch miniseries
The 2005 Question mini-series, authored by Rick Veitch, reimagines the character as a self-taught urban shaman whose brutal and at times lethal treatment of enemies now arises from a warrior ethos, rather than Objectivist philosophy. The Question "walks in two worlds" when sent into visionary trances by Rodor's gas, now retconned as a hallucinogen. In these trances, cities (Chicago, where he is a TV anchor, and then Metropolis, where the series takes him) "speak" to him through visual coincidences and overheard snatches of street conversation. Regarding himself as a spiritual warrior, he is now comfortable killing his enemies when this seems useful and poetically just. He uses his skills and his alternative moral code first to detect and then to foil a plot by Lex Luthor not only to assassinate Superman (using chi energy which Sage can detect) but to prevent his return from the dead (which Superman had recently achieved following his death in DC's notorious Doomsday event) by damning his soul upon death. Sage is revealed to have a lifelong infatuation with fellow journalist Lois Lane, which he does not divulge to her. Superman accepts the Question's visionary drug use, and expresses gratitude for his assistance, but forces him to leave the city after several unheeded warnings about killing, and also after noticing Sage's crush.
Interest in Huntress
During the "Cry for Blood" Huntress arc and other smaller appearances surrounding it, the Question was active in Gotham City, during which time he expressed an interest in Huntress, both romantically and in her development as a crimefighter. In an attempt to help her find peace, he takes her to his old mentor to undergo the same training he himself underwent in the O'Neil series but is frustrated by Huntress' continued acceptance of killing as a solution.
Huntress later worked closely with Sage's successor as the Question, Renee Montoya, and is saddened to hear of Sage's death. She credits him with "saving her from herself", and misses him.
The character's difficult ethical history, and the character himself were laid to rest by DC in its year-long weekly title, 52, in which Sage recruits and trains Gotham ex-cop Renee Montoya as his replacement before dying of lung cancer. In this incarnation, he is wry, cheerful and avuncular, although still enigmatic. He displays no discernible philosophical commitments, aside from a determination to recruit Montoya and to have her decide who she is and who she will become. Montoya is herself agonized over the issue of killing criminals, although her guilt is over a principled refusal to kill one, specifically the murderer of her former partner. The series' action chiefly alternates between Gotham City, where Montoya struggles to save Kate Kane from Intergang and its Crime Bible cult, and Nanda Parbat, where she trains with Sage's mentors Rodor and Dragon, and whence she later returns with Sage, too late to find him a cure for his cancer. En route there, Sage dies muttering snatches of conversations from his early comics appearances and a final invocation to Montoya to decide who she will become.[9] After grieving, she determines to take up his mantle as the new Question.
Blackest Night
In the Blackest Night crossover, Vic Sage is reanimated as a Black Lantern. He goes after Renee, Tot, and Lady Shiva, who manage to elude him by suppressing their emotions, making them invisible to him.[10]
After the end of Blackest Night, Sage's body is reburied in Nanda Parbat by Montoya and Saint Walker of the Blue Lanterns.[11]
The New 52
In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, two versions of Vic Sage exist on the main New 52 DC Universe Earth.
The first version of the New 52 Question was introduced in New 52: FCBD Special Edition. His true identity is unknown but what is known is that he was teleported from an unknown location in time and space, along with Pandora and Judas Iscariot (The Phantom Stranger), to stand trial for unstated crimes against humanity. Nothing is known of Question's true identity or past or crimes, though he claimed to have thousands of followers whom he claimed would avenge him. His judges, the first seven wizards who harnessed magic on Earth, punished Question by erasing his face, rendering him blind and mute. They then erased his memory and teleported him to the 21st century to spend the rest of his existence tormented by his disfigurement, forgotten, and not knowing who he was.
This version of Question resurfaced during the Trinity of Sin storyline, where he is shown investigating the Secret Society of Super-Villains. Having regained his ability to speak and see, this version of Question (initially) speaks only in questions and believes that his true identity can be restored if he can stop the Secret Society and its backers, Crime Syndicate of America members Outsider (Earth-3's Alfred Pennyworth) and triple agent Atomica.
When Atomica (a Secret Society spy and member of the Crime Syndicate) manipulates Superman into murdering Doctor Light by triggering his heat vision power by stabbing his brain with a sliver of kryptonite, Question breaks into the facility where Superman is being held. Using a gas mask-based setup similar to the one used by Nemesis, Question impersonates Steve Trevor and frees Superman, while presenting a lead towards who caused Superman to kill Doctor Light. The lead turns out to be a dead end, but it places Question in with the various Justice League factions when Pandora attempts to seek their help to open the skull-shaped box that various forces are coveting.
During the battle between the League factions that ensues for the box, Pandora rejects Question's desire to open the box and possibly learn his true identity. She implies that Question would be a threat to all if he ever had his memory and identity restored.[12]
The battle between the various Leagues ends when Atomica reveals her true nature and helps Outsider open the skull box, which in truth was a pocket dimension containing the rest of the Crime Syndicate. Freed, the Crime Syndicate imprisoned this version of the Question along with the bulk of the Justice League, Justice League of America, and Justice League Dark inside the Firestorm matrix. Question and the rest of the League were freed once the Crime Syndicate and Secret Society were defeated by a group of villains united by Lex Luthor.[13]
The character was then featured in the six-part mini-series "Trinity of Sin". However, the Question was only featured in a supporting role, where he was constantly complaining about how Pandora and Phantom Stranger did not care about helping him find out his true identity. This version of the Question was last seen in Trinity of Sin #6, the final issue of the series.
A second version of the Question appeared in the New 52's Suicide Squad #1, with no ties to the version of the Question seen in Trinity War or Trinity of Sin. This version is Vic Sage, a government agent recruited from the private sector to co-run the Suicide Squad with Amanda Waller. This version of Vic Sage is a corrupt, amoral bureaucrat who sees the Suicide Squad serving as a go-to sabotage group; engaging in wetwork assignments against foreign corporate interests under the guise of regular super-villain carnage. He also seeks to "improve" the group; dismissive of Harley Quinn and Deadshot, he recruits Deathstroke the Terminator and Joker's Daughter as their replacements. He also recruits Black Manta into the group too and alters his helmet so that every person he sees is Aquaman so as to motivate him into being a more prolific killer.
Deathstroke and Joker's Daughter betray the team on their first mission headed by both Sage and Waller. Sage panics and attempts to kill the entire team to prevent the mutiny from exposing the Squad. Waller prevents this from happening and in response to his actions, Waller has Sage banished from having any active say over mission and membership selection. Sage responds by agreeing to work with a corrupt multi-national corporation, which seeks to exploit the new objectives of the team to eliminate business rivals and whistleblowers. Sage arranges for Waller to be demoted to field commander, forcing Waller and the team to go AWOL to get proof of Sage and his corporate backers' agenda. In the end, Waller agrees to give the multi-national corporation a pass in exchange for them betraying their patsy. Vic Sage is then arrested, but not before he murders Waller's assistant who tries to stop Sage from killing Waller after learning his corporate allies sold him out to save themselves.
In Multiversity: Pax Americana, Grant Morrison recreated Question on the new Earth-4. This version of the character being more in line with Steve Ditko's Mr. A and Alan Moore's Rorschach, as he is a murderous vigilante who teams up with Blue Beetle (Ted Kord). Question refuses retirement after all super-hero activity is banned following the botched murder/resurrection of the President of the United States, which was orchestrated by the president, Captain Atom, and Peacemaker. The Question's alter ego is Vic Sage, who is a Glenn Beck-style television host whose advertisements promote his show with the advertising slogan "Vic Sage is p****ed!". Furthermore, unlike other versions of Question, the Pax Americana one wears a rubber hood that covers his entire head rather than a mask that is attached to his face.
DC Rebirth/DC Universe
Equipment
The Question's mask is made from Pseudoderm, a substance made by Dr. Aristotle Rodor. According to the revamps of 52, this substance was developed using technology lifted from an old Batman foe named Bart Magan (Dr. No Face) and gingold extract, a fruit derivative associated with the Elongated Man. The Question's series by Denny O'Neil presented Pseudoderm as Rodor's attempt to create an artificial skin for humanitarian purposes. The Question is able to see out clearly through his mask. In early appearances, the mask was described as containing air filters.
The Question's specialized belt buckle, which releases a binary gas that binds his mask to his skin and temporarily recolors his garb and hair, is similar to that of the Spider-Man villain Chameleon. In his initial appearances, which were drawn by Steve Ditko, the Chameleon had used a device in a belt buckle which emitted a transformation-enhancing gas. The binding element is adjusted to Sage's specific body chemistry.
The binary gas reacts with chemicals in Sage's treated clothing and hair, causing them to change color. Sage's hair would change from red to black, or later to a darker red. Sage's treated clothing would change to light blue and orange, or later to dark blue. Some later versions of the gas caused no color change whatsoever. The faceless mask, combined with the color change of clothing, was sufficient to disguise Sage's identity to most onlookers. All of Sage's clothing was similarly treated. Originally Sage favored trench coats, business suits, and fedoras. Later he expanded his treated wardrobe, giving him a less standardized look.
Early in his career, the Question used seemingly blank calling cards with a delayed chemical reaction that after a specified time caused a question mark to appear in a burst of gas. Other writing could be similarly treated to reveal itself at the pre-determined time.
While the binary gas has no other known properties, the Question often used the gas to enhance his image and intimidate criminals into confessing by implying that the gas would cause anyone exposed to it for extended periods to lose their face permanently.
Homages
Rorschach: Alan Moore's comic book series Watchmen was originally planned to use a number of Charlton Comics characters, including the Question. When DC, the owner of the characters, found out that he intended to kill the Question, along with a number of the other characters, he was asked to make new characters. The Question became Rorschach.
In The Question #17, Vic picks up a copy of Watchmen to read on a trip and initially sees Rorschach as being quite cool. But after Vic is beaten up trying to emulate Rorschach's brutal style of justice, he concludes that "Rorschach sucks".[14]
The Question was featured in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again as a libertarian, anti-government conspirator. Frank Miller's interpretation of Sage, as a nod to Ditko and Alan Moore, is Randian and preachy, at one point going on television for a series of humorous Crossfire-style exchanges with the Emerald Archer, Green Arrow, who is often portrayed as a liberal progressive. He is also shown as a technophobe, monitoring the dark conspiracy Batman and his allies that he must face, while writing on an old-fashioned typewriter.
The Fact: In volume 2, issue 42, during Grant Morrison's run of The Doom Patrol, Flex Mentallo describes a number of his former teammates. Among them was the Fact, whose appearance and name recall those of the Question. He reappears in the Flex Mentallo miniseries.[15]
52 Multiverse
In the final issue of 52 (2007), a new DC Multiverse is revealed, originally consisting of 52 alternate realities, including a new "Earth-4". While this new world resembles the pre-Crisis Earth-Four, including unnamed characters who look like the Question and the Charlton characters, writer Grant Morrison has stated this is not the pre-Crisis Earth-Four.[16][17] Describing the conception of Earth-4, Grant Morrison alluded that its interpretation of Vic Sage would resemble the classic Charlton incarnation, with tones borrowed from Rorschach and Watchmen.[17] A number of other alternate universes in the 52 Multiverse may also contain versions of the Question from DC Comics previous Elseworlds stories or from variant "themed" universes, such as the gender-reversed world of Earth-11.[18]
Question was alluded in The New Batman Adventures. In the episode "Beware the Creeper", the Creeper knocks over a faceless thrift shop mannequin cleverly dressed to resemble Question in costume. The shop is named Ditko's Vintage Clothing, a homage to Steve Ditko, the creator of both Question and Creeper.
Question is a major recurring character in Justice League Unlimited, voiced by Jeffrey Combs. He appears in the episodes "Fearful Symmetry", "Question Authority", "Double Date" and "Grudge Match", and makes cameo appearances in "Flashpoint", "Panic in the Sky" and the series finale "Destroyer". This version is a paranoid conspiracy theorist, distrusted and ridiculed by the other members of the Justice League, with even Batman saying he is "wound a little too tightly" but respects his ability to obtain information. And all too often his seemingly wild suspicions turn out to be well-founded, as was the case with Supergirl's clone. He was romantically involved with the Huntress after assisting in a personal vendetta which had caused Huntress to be fired from the League. While investigating Cadmus, he also learned of the Justice Lords' takeover on parallel Earth and feared Superman would begin a 'time loop' that would recreate these events. His fears proved moot, however, when the actions of Lex Luthor and Braniac set-up a similar enough situation on their Earth. He makes his final appearance, assisting the rest of the Justice League in repelling Darkseid's invasion by running down several parademons with his car.
Question appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Nicholas Guest. In the episode "Mystery in Space", he and Gorilla Grodd are captured by Equinox. Batman arrives and frees Question. The two go after Equinox, but he escapes. Question asks who Equinox is and Batman replies in thought 'Excellent question'. Question later appears in the episode "The Knights of Tomorrow!", where Batman sends him to Apokolips to see if Darkseid has designs on Earth. He is pursued by Kalibak and apparently commits suicide by leaping into a fire pit. In the episode "Darkseid Descending!", Question reveals he disguised himself as a parademon, and causes the defeat of Darkseid during the invasion of Earth by reversing the Boom Tube generator, sending Darkseid's forces from the planet.
Live action
References to the character and his city are made in the shared universe television series franchise Arrowverse, from The CW network:
References occurred in Arrow. In the episode "Unchained", Roy Harper mentions living in Hub City under an unknown alias until his identity was discovered by the Calculator. Hub City then appears in the episode "Genesis", where Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak travel to the city to meet with an immortal shaman named Esrin Fortuna recommended by John Constantine to stop Damien Darhk's magic. Hub City is once again featured in the episodes "Who Are You" and "Second Chances".
References occurred on Legends of Tomorrow. In the episode "Left Behind", Ray Palmer and Kendra Saunders reside in Hub City after being marooned in 1958 and live there for two years before the two are rescued by Rip Hunter.
The character had previously been intended to appear on one of the television shows, until Marc Guggenheim revealed in December 2017 that DC Films currently has plans for the character and so the television network cannot use the character.[21]
The Steve Ditko series of The Question is featured in a hardback edition:
Action Heroes Archives, Vol. 2 (DC Archives Edition) by Steve Ditko (Author, Illustrator). Hardcover: 384 pages. Publisher: DC Comics. 2007 ISBN1401213464
The Question's 1980s series has been collected into trade paperbacks:
The Question vol. 1: Zen and Violence (collects The Question #1–6, 176 pages, softcover, October 2007, ISBN1-4012-1579-3)[23]
The Question vol. 2: Poisoned Ground (collects The Question #7–12, 176 pages, softcover, May 2008, ISBN1-4012-1693-5)[24]
The Question vol. 3: Epitaph for a Hero (collects The Question #13–18, 176 pages, softcover, November 2008, ISBN978-1-4012-1938-3)[25]
The Question vol. 4: Welcome to Oz (collects The Question #19–24, 176 pages, softcover, April 2009, ISBN978-1-4012-2094-5)[26]
The Question vol. 5: Riddles (collects The Question #25–30)
The Question vol. 6: Peacemaker (collects The Question #31–36, 160 pages, softcover, May 2010)
Collections featuring the Renee Montoya Question:
The Question: Five Books of Blood (collects Crime Bible: The Five Lessons of Blood (2007–2008) #1–5, 128 pages, hardcover, June 2008, ISBN1-4012-1799-0)[27]
The Question: Pipeline (collects Detective Comics #854–863, 128 pages, softcover, February 2011, ISBN1-4012-3041-5)
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Darkseid is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character made a cameo appearance in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 before making his full first appearance in Forever People #1.
Rorschach is a fictional character and an anti-hero in the acclaimed 1986 graphic novel miniseries Watchmen, published by DC Comics. Rorschach was created by writer Alan Moore with artist Dave Gibbons, but as with most of the main characters in the series, he was an analogue for a Charlton Comics character, in this case Steve Ditko's the Question and Mr. A.
Captain Atom is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Captain Atom has existed in three basic incarnations.
Nightshade is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. Created by David Kaler and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Captain Atom v1 #82 originally published by Charlton Comics.
Doctor Manhattan, often shortened to Dr. Manhattan, is a fictional character who appears in comics published by DC Comics. He debuted in the graphic novel limited series Watchmen, published in 1986 and 1987. Doctor Manhattan was created by writer Alan Moore with artist Dave Gibbons.
Margaret Elle "Maggie" Sawyer is a fictional character that appears in stories published by DC Comics, and has been a supporting character in both Superman and Batman comic books. She also appeared in the show Supergirl played by Floriana Lima, but is slightly different from the comics.
Earth-One is a name given to two fictional universes that have appeared in American comic book stories published by DC Comics. The first Earth-One was given its name in Justice League of America #21, after The Flash #123 explained how Golden Age (Earth-Two) versions of characters such as the Flash could appear in stories with their Silver Age counterparts. This Earth-One continuity included the DC Silver Age heroes, including the Justice League of America. Earth-One, along with the four other surviving Earths of the DC Multiverse, are merged into one in the 1985 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. This Earth's versions of characters were primarily the Earth-One versions, but some characters from the four other worlds were also "folded" in. In Infinite Crisis, Earth-One was resurrected and merged with the primary Earth of the publication era to create a New Earth that brought back more aspects of Earth-One's original history. In 2007, a new version of Earth-One was created in the aftermath of events that occurred within the 52 series.
The DC Animated Universe is the shared universe centered on a group of animated television series based on DC Comics, produced by Warner Bros. Animation from the early 1990s to mid-2000s; beginning with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, and ending with Justice League Unlimited in 2006. Some parts of the associated media franchise including direct-to-video feature films and shorts, comic books, video games and other multimedia adaptations are also included in the continuity.
Theodore Stephen "Ted" Kord is the second Blue Beetle, an occasionally dead superhero who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later picked up by DC Comics. This version of the character was created by Steve Ditko and first appeared as a back-up feature in Captain Atom #83, with Gary Friedrich scripting from Ditko's conception and plot.
The character of Superman, also known as Kal-El from Krypton, who adopts the identity of Clark Kent when not fulfilling his superhero role, was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and has been continually published in a variety of DC Comics book titles since its premiere in 1938. There have been several versions of Superman over the years, both as the main hero in the stories as well as several alternative versions.
Nanda Parbat is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe. Nanda Parbat first appeared in Strange Adventures #205, and was created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino, the creators of Deadman.
This is a list of alternative versions of Barbara Gordon appearing in stories published by DC Comics in which the comic book character has been placed in non-canon storylines taking place both in and outside of mainstream continuity.
The article alternative versions of Supergirl focuses on stories published by DC Comics in which various incarnations of the character have been placed in storylines taking place both in and outside mainstream continuity.
Huntress is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. The two most well known women of the three to bear the Huntress name are Helena Bertinelli and Helena Wayne, the latter being from an alternate DC universe. Although Helena Wayne and Helena Bertinelli are both superheroes, the Huntress of the Golden Age was a supervillain.
Batwoman is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Katherine "Kate" Kane is a wealthy heiress who becomes inspired by the superhero Batman and chooses, like him, to put her wealth and resources towards a campaign to fight crime as a masked vigilante in her home of Gotham City.
The Multiversity is a limited series of interrelated one-shots set in the DC Multiverse in The New 52, a collection of universes seen in publications by DC Comics. The one-shots in the series were written by Grant Morrison, each with a different artist. The Multiversity began in August 2014 and ran until April 2015.
Doomsday Clock is a 2017–2019 superhero comic book limited series published by DC Comics, being written by Geoff Johns, with art by penciller Gary Frank and colorist Brad Anderson. This series concludes the story established in The New 52 and DC Rebirth, and is also a direct sequel to the graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins.
↑ Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p.227. ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9. Formerly part of the Charlton Comics line, the Question carved his mysterious niche into the DC Universe with the help of writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Denys Cowan.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
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