|
|
|
|
|
The QuestionThe Question is a superhero created by Steve Ditko originally for Charlton Comics and now is owned by DC Comics. The character's real name is Charles Victor Szasz, or "Vic" Sage, a crusading television reporter who is determined to root out corruption where he finds it. To that end, when he encounters stories he can't investigate by normal or legal means, he dons a special mask that makes it appear that he has no face (much like the Dick Tracy villain "The Blank"). The mask is kept in a special compartment in his belt buckle. After he puts on the mask, he then releases a special gas from the same belt buckle that seals the mask to his face and changes the colour of his clothes and hair to become unrecognizable. Thus disguised, The Question investigates corruption in the face of all danger. On several occasions, The Question would leave a "calling card". The card appears blank when first seen, but once someone touches it, smoke would rise from the card, leaving behind the ghostly impression of a question mark. Based in Hub City, Sage made his mark as a highly outspoken and aggressive reporter with a poor reputation for obnoxiousness. Not long after starting his TV appearances, he began to investigate a Dr. Arby Twain. After being unable to find any concrete evidence against Dr. Twain, Sage was appoached by a scientist named Aristotle Rodor, who had previously been Sage's professor. Rodor told Sage about an artificial skin called Psuedoderm he co-developed with Dr. Twain that was intended to work as a quickly applied skin-like bandage with the help of a bonding gas. Unfortunately, the gas had an unforseen toxicity which was fatal when applied to open wounds. Realizing that Psudoderm was unusable in its present form, the two men agreed to abandon the project and parted ways. However, Professor Rodor then 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. Sage resolved to stop him but had no way of going after Dr. Twain without exposing himself. It was then that Rodor suggested that Sage use a mask made of Psuedoderm to cover his famous features. After being assured that the gas was safe as long as it didn't come in contact with open wounds, Sage put on the mask. Armed with information, and more importantly a disguise, Sage eventually caught up with Dr. Twain. After stopping the transaction and extracting a confession, Sage left Twain to the authorities, binding the scientist in Psuedoderm in an ironic twist. Sage then went on television reporting Dr. Twain's illegal activities. His first venture a success, Sage decided that this new identity, partially inspired by The Spirit, would be useful for future investigations. He then partnered with Professor Rodor, who supplied the Psuedoderm 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". The character had limited exposure, first appearing as a guest character in the Blue Beetle, a few back up stories and an acclaimed solo story in a one shot title, Mysterious Suspense. The character was an exponent of Ditko's objectivism, much like his later creation Mr A. When the Charlton characters were acquired by DC Comics in the mid 1980s, The Question was the focus of an acclaimed solo series written by Dennis O'Neil and primarily drawn by Denys Cowan. In that series' first issue, The Question was defeated in personal combat first by the martial arts mercenary, Lady Shiva, beaten near to death by the hiring villain's 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 Richard Dragon as soon as he recovered enough to get out of bed. Once there, Sage learned both martial arts, and eastern philosophy that changed his perspective into a more sophisticated one that accepted the world's moral ambiguities. 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. The Question Annual #2, revealed that Victor Sage was originally Charles Victor Szasz, an orphan who had a reputation as a troublemaker. This extended to priding himself in 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. Furthermore, the character was also used in disguised form as the rogue vigilante, Rorschach in the classic comic book series Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. The Question #17 (1988) had Vic Sage read Watchmen; upon comparing his own rising, uncontrollable anger to Rorschach's psychosis, he declared, "Rorschach sucks." Interestingly, The Question's specialized belt-buckle is similar to that of the Spider-Man villian The Chameleon. In his initial appearances, The Chameleon had used a device in a belt buckle which emitted a transformation-enhancing gas. It is possible that Ditko used that as inspiration for The Question. The Question was briefly shown in flashbacks in Alex Ross and Mark Waid's comic Kingdom Come as a member of Magog's Justice Battalion, along with the rest of the Charlton 'Action Heroes'. He was apparently killed with the other members when Captain Atom was killed. The Question appears in an episode of the animated television series Justice League Unlimited, in which he is portrayed as a conspiracy theorist who, like his comic book counterpart, uses a special mask (bonded to his face by a gaseous chemical) to conceal his identity. He is voiced by Jeffrey Combs. QuestionQuestionQuestionQuestion
|
 |
|
| Copyright 2005-2009 OnPedia.com. All Rights Reserved |
|
|