#kung fu fighter

The Question v1

The Question was originally a Charlton Comics character created by Steve Ditko in 1967. DC Comics bought all of Charlton Comics’ Action Heroes characters (this included the Question) in 1983, 2 years before Charlton Comics decided to close down it’s comic book publishing division.

The Question’s first appearance in the mainstream DCU was during the Crisis on Infinite Earths maxi-series - according to the Crisis, all of the Charlton Action Heroes were inhabitants of Earth-4. After the Crisis, the Question appeared in a few issues of Blue Beetle v2 (Blue Beetle was another DC acquired Action Hero, by the way).

In 1987, the Question received his own self-titled ongoing series thanks to Dennis O'Neil (writer) and Denys Cowan (illustrator). Few people realize that O'Neil used to write for Charlton Comics in the mid-1960s. Actually, Dick Giordano (executive editor at Charlton Comics) brought O'Neil with him to DC when Giordano was offered a job at DC comics in 1968. That would probably explain why GiordanogaveO'Neil the first pick at deciding whether to write a new series about Captain Atom or the Question when DC acquired the characters from Charlton in 1983.O'Neil chose the Question over Captain Atom since he enjoyed writing street-level stories (as opposed to stories about demigods).  

For the new ongoing series, O'Neil didn’t stray too far from the original Charlton Comics source material: the Question is still the faceless vigilante alter-ego of Vic Sage (an investigative journalist for Hub City), and still has the assistance of Prof Aristotle Rodor (the inventor of the binary gas that gives the question his blank face). One thing O'Neil did alter, however, is the addition of Richard Dragon and Lady Shiva into the origin of the Question. Both Richard Dragon and Lady Shiva were characters co-created byO'Neil and they first appeared in DC’s Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter (1975 - 1977) - a series also (mostly) written by O'Neil. Lady Shiva would make regular appearances throughout TheQuestion v1.

All of the stories in this series pretty much occur in their own self-contained universe of Hub City* as no other DC heroes (or villains) ever appear to help the Question with his war on crime. (Batman appears as a hallucination in the second issue and in the first annual, Mike Grell’s Green Arrow appears in a few issues and an annual or two, and the Riddler appears in a single issue.) Actually, much like Mike Grell’sGreen Arrow v2 ongoing series (1988 - 1993) which was also being published during the same era, I’d consider The Question v1 as a pre-Vertigo title (The Question v1 started sporting a ‘Suggested For Mature Readers’ at issue #8).

I’m having a little bit of trouble describing this series, or rather, the GENIUS of this series**. It begins as a conventional film noire/pulp title but quickly evolves into something much more. There’s a lot of things going on in this series: the theme of redemption and atonement for one’s sins, a few dabs of zen philosophy, the exploration of a multitude of social issues, a tight continuity, the evolution of the main characters and supporting cast, and a sense of modern realism (ex: villain doesn’t always get captured, some questions have no answers). I’m tempted to tell you that this series is as much about the Question’s interpersonal relationship with a supporting character as it is about his battle against the city’s corruption. Let’s not forget the personal touches that O'Neil adds to the story (see if you can spot which character was a homage to Marvel Comics’ Wolverine). The great thing about this series is that things never conclude as you expect them to and the end of the issue always leaves you wanting more. Cowan’s pencils are perfect to set the mood of the grim and gritty urban atmosphere. I actually forgot who how much I enjoyed this series or I was too young/immature to appreciate it the first time I read it all those years ago.

Anyone who has ever questioned why O'Neil is considered one of the best writers in the comics industry needs to read this series. There’s a reason why O'Neil has won numerous industry awards for his writing prowess (this is also the same writer responsible for the acclaimed early 1970s Green Lantern/Green Arrow run, among other things). The entire The Question v1 ongoing series had been reprinted numerous times and has acquired a cult following.

The Question v1 was cancelled in 1990, but continued in 1990’s The Question Quarterly.


*It was theorized that Hub City was based on East St. Louis, Illinois and/or Chicago, Illinois

**O'Neil would later claim that Paul Levitz (high in the DC publishing chain of command) advised him to go nuts and push the envelope as far as uncoventional story-telling was concerned. LevitzreassuredO'NeilthatThe Question did not have to be a financial success and that he was free to take chances.