Comics

Welcome to the third issue of RazorFine Presents Comic Spotlight as we take a look at comic heroes, villains, and everything in between.  The focus of today’s issue?  From the mind of the guy who first drew Spider-Man came The Question.  After leaving behind the Webhead at Marvel in 1967 Steve Ditko found a job at Charlton Comics and in a seven page backup story of Blue Beetle issue #1 Ditko gave the world The Question.  The world’s first Objectivist hero would go through many lean years before a re-imagining of his character at the hands of Dennis O’Neil in the late 80’s.  Ditko.  O’Neil.  Talk about a pedigree.  Check out the Full Diagnosis for more!

The Question

Name: Vic Sage

1st Appearance: Blue Beetle #1

Final Appearance:  Dies in 52 issue #38 (reborn as part of the new DC Multiverse on Earth-4)

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“The Question, on the one hand, is an obsessed character.  He will do absolutely anything in pursuit of his own rigid moral code, save contradict his own beliefs.”
—Alan Moore

Vic Sage made a career for himself as an investigative journalist in the horribly corrupt Hub City (modeled after East St. Louis) where one of his stories led him to a former professor Dr. Aristotle Rodor and the invention of an artificial skin known as Pseudoderm.  To prevent Rodor’s associate Arby Twain from selling the sometimes toxic compound to Third World Nations Sage donned a mask of Pseudoderm and became the faceless crime-fighter known as The Question.

When Charlton Comics went into decline The Question languished in relative obscurity, along with other characters including the Blue Beetle and Captain Atom, but finally the properties were bought by DC Comics.  In 1987 Dennis O’Neil (a former Charlton writer) began a 36-issue run which re-introduced the world to the character as well bringing in characters such as Lady Shiva and Richard Dragon and moving the character to a more Eastern philosophical an Zen-like stance.  To help explain this shift in philosophy O’Neil shot him in the head in the first issue before the bringing him back to life and literally resurrecting the character as something new.

Unlike many heroes The Question was a thinking man’s crime-fighter and a philosopher.  In his first incarnation The Question was presented as the world’s first Objectivist hero.  Although the hero moved away from that philosophy in later incarnations, the character never shied away from the bigger issues.  Perhaps on the early adventures of The Silver Surfer would compare with adventures that discussed issues on moral and philosophical ground.  To The Question his mission was a necessity which drove him to ride the edge far more than most comic heroes (he even on occasion killed, without remorse).  Under O’Neil he started to examine the big picture, concerned with the politics and corrupt government officials rather than your average petty criminal or super-villain.

Alan Moore, unable to use the Charlton characters he originally planned for what would become Watchmen instead modeled the characters off the originals and gave life to and older and more sinister version of the character known as Rorschach.

The character would come full circle when he was introduced in Justice League Unlimited where he was presented as a conspiracy theorist obsessed with the minutiae which he believed all fit into the broader picture. “The plastic tips at the ends of shoelaces are called aglets; their true purpose is sinister.”  The character provided some of the show’s best moments providing his own take on situations and his unlikely relationship with The Huntress (inspired by the Huntress: Cry for Blood mini-series).  This character has a little Ditko, a little O’Neil, and more than a splash of Moore’s Rorschach as well.

Sadly Vic Sage was killed off (cancer) during DC’s weekly year-long event 52 after bestowing his secrets and legacy to former Gotham Police Detective Renee Montoya.  (Not the best idea DC ever had).  However, final events of 52 reestablished the DC Multiverse and The Question lives again on Earth-4.

 

The Question, dressed in a suit and fedora, spouting wisdom, philosophy, or conspiracy theories, is one of the more unique characters ever invented for comics.  For further reading check out Scott Titpton’s take on the character from Movie Poopshoot and VicSage.com which includes tons of history and character info (plus instructions on how to draw the character).  You can also pick up the graphic novel of the beginning of Dennis O’Neil’s run now available in trade paperback.

I was mostly pleased with the first volume of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus.  Today we look at Volume 2.  How does it hold up?  Well, to tell you the truth it’s a little disappointing, with too much Spike and not enough of Buffy (it is called the “Buffy” Omnibus right?).  Die-hard Buffy fans may want to check this out, but the rest of you might want to wait for the next volume in the series.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Volume Two
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Volume 1 dealt with the origins of our intrepid vampire slayer and her adventures pre-Sunnydale.  Volume Two continues that trend with a collection of tales dealing with Buffy’s time before Sunndyale through the end of Season Two.  Some of the stories are good, some are merely okay, and one is a simple, and dismal, regurgitation of a Season Two story.  And what’s with all this Spike?  In a 320 page volume Spike and Dru, sans Buffy, take up 56 pages of story.  That’s a wee bit too much Spike, even for me.

In “A Stake to the Heart” Buffy and Dawn deal with the divorce of their parents and Angel’s attempt to give unseen help creates only more sorrow and grief for the Summers women.  Of all the full-length stories in this collection this is the best of the bunch.

In “Dust Waltz” Buffy takes on two ancient vampire sisters who hold a ritual of dancing, battle, and death in an attempt to open the Helmouth.  The story, the first Buffy comic tale to be published, introduces Giles niece but also makes some troubling statements about “Old Ones’ which are contradicted by Angel Season Seven.

”Ring of Fire” takes place during Angel’s turn as Angelus in Buffy Season Two.  As Giles deals with the death of Jenny Calendar, Angelus, Spike and Dru steal samurai demon armor in an attempt to raise a demon named Kelgor to deal with Buffy and the Scooby Gang.  Kendra also makes an appearance.  Far too much like the Judge storyline from “Surprise” and “Innocence” (which chronologically take place right before this adventure).

And then there are the two Spike and Dru stories.  The first, “Queen of Hearts,” finds Spike and Dru getting into trouble on a St. Louis riverboat on their way to Sunnydale, the first time.  The second, “Paint the Town Red,” takes place after the end of Buffy Season Two as Spike and Dru’s relationship begins to crumble in Turkey after the events of “Becoming Part 2.’  Neither is that memorable, other than the fact that “Paint the Town Red” was co-authored by James Marsters.

The shorter stories include “Angels We Have Seen on High” – a cartoony adventure where Angel saves Dawn’s life at a carnival, and “MacGUFFINS” where Buffy is put through a test by Giles involving two troublesome imps,  Both are more humorous takes on Buffy and her universe.  Light fluff, but kinda’ fun.

 

A bit of a step-backward from Volume One, this latest addition starts out well with “Angels We Have Seen on High” and “A Stake Through the Heart,” but except for the humorous addition of “MacGUFFINS” the rest of the collection comes off as average and unremarkable.  There’s just enough here for me to recommend it to true die-hard fans of the Buffyverse, but casual fans would be better off skipping this one and hoping the future volumes have a little more Buffy, and a lot more fun.