Following a three-part story in The Brave and the Bold, writer Alex Segura will continue the adventures of Renee Montoya/The Question in a new series, along with artist Cian Tormey. Segura, a mystery novelist, is also writing Spider-Society for Marvel right now, and Mad Cave’s new take on Dick Tracy. In the new series, titled The Question: All Along the Watchtower, Montoya will be tasked with solving a series of crimes, with murder in the mix. Whether that means a Justice Leaguer will actually be a victim, or whether there’s some other reason the investigation has to happen out of the Watchtower, is anyone’s guess at this point.
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On his Substack, Segura promised fans plenty of cameos and Easter eggs in the book. Where’s Batman? Well, maybe he called in Renee for a particular reason — or maybe he’s a suspect and doesn’t feel right investigating. Either way, Segura called the story “a love letter to Renee, the work of [Dennis] O’Neil and [Greg] Rucka, and the DC universe as a whole.”
“If the title didn’t tip you off, All Along the Watchtower chronicles Renee/The Question’s story about the JL Watchtower, after she’s enlisted by Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman to get to the bottom of a series of deadly events And yes, there might be a murder or two,” Segura teased. “It’s a noir murder mystery on the biggest DC stage, featuring, hands down, my favorite DC Comics character. To say I’m thrilled would be an understatement. The Denny O’Neil/Denys Cowan run on The Question, along with Greg Rucka’s work on Renee in Gotham Central, 52, and with Cully Hamner as the Question, are seismic influences on me as a writer, period, and on this book in particular. It’s not a job I take lightly, and I’m definitely trying to do my best to perfect that potent blend that makes Renee stories sing: weaving through the tenets of classic noir crime fiction and mixing them with the wide-eyed wonder of superheroics.”
“All Along the Watchtower” is also the name of a Bob Dylan song. Appearing on Dylan’s 1967 album John Wesley Harding, “All Along the Watchtower” debuted in the same year as the character of The Question, which Steve Ditko created for 1967’s Blue Beetle #1. Those characters, along with other Charlton characters, would eventually be sold to DC and would serve as the underlying basis for Watchmen. The tenth issue of Watchmen, titled “Two Riders Were Approaching,” takes its title from lyrics in the Dylan song.
Here’s the solicitation text for the first issue, per Polygon:
Renee Montoya investigates a murder mystery on the Justice League Watchtower
Who watches the Watchtower? In the wake of Absolute Power, the Justice League Unlimited has created a haven for all heroes—but can they keep it secure? Enter Renee Montoya, reeling from an abrupt end to her time in Gotham and looking for a place to hang her hat. But the Trinity didn’t bring her up to the Watchtower to relax—there’s a dark threat bubbling underneath the surface, and only the Question and her ad hoc support team stand a chance of figuring out who the problem is before it’s too late.
