Almost 40 Years Ago, DC Released One Of The Best Post-Crisis Reboots (And We Need Him Back)

In 1986, Dennis O’Neil and Denys Cowan created one of the best post-Crisis reinventions of any character, and almost 4 decades on, DC needs to go back to it. Originally created by Ayn Rand’s biggest fanboy and Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko, The Question was created to be a champion of Objectivism, seeing the actions of crime in a sense of black and white equating to good and bad. Vic Sage was… somewhat one dimensional before O’Neil gave him a proper makeover. From the first issue of The Question, we saw the last time Vic dealt with absolutes and it nearly cost him his life. From the dark corrupt Hub City (that was definitely not based on O’Neil’s home of St. Louis in the ’80s,) Vic shifted his focus to a better approach.

Seeing how his old methods of superheroism backfire in his face, Vic retooled his mind. He opted for a more Buddhist approach, aiming to cause as little violence as possible as he went about solving the mysteries of Hub City as a detective first and vigilante second as his new status quo. Teaming his mentor/partner/father figure Aristotle “Tot” Rodor helped Vic on his journey to fix himself. Agreeing that his old methods did him no favors, Vic followed Tot as a guide to how he should approach the dangerous situations he would end up in. Decades later, Vic would train Gotham’s Reneé Montoya as his successor. Acting along in Gotham with her girlfriend Batwoman, the two would carry on Vic’s legacy. Now Vic is alive again somehow and back as the Question along with Reneé, and DC needs to make room for both Questions.

Multiple Questions can Co-Exist

Realistically, DC can have two versions of the Question; it’s all about where they’re placed. Back in 2024, Reneé had a mini series as security on the watchtower for the Justice League. It would feel counterintuitive to take her off the watchtower and to place her on Gotham or Hub city’s streets, so keeping her there would make a lot of sense. Even with Montoya doing that, there would still be potential for her to team up with Vic back in Hub City as story allowed.

Assuming Tot is still kicking around, Vic would be back to basics in his hometown as well. It would be a rehash of the original series, of course, but it’s a story waiting to come back. The Question’s initial book by O’Neil always tiptoed around being a Vertigo book, and it can absolutely do that once again. With DC doing an in-continuity mature book with Red Hood, the Question can do the same and feel right home. If anything, it’s something that feels overdue.

One of the greatest strengths O’Neil had when writing the Question was including elements of the ’80s political corruption as the main plot points. Incorporating those and how it impacted the characters of his world, it made for a remarkable read that feels very of the time but also very fresh as well. One of the best writers at in comics currently is Deniz Camp and with how well he captures the tone and feeling of real world politics affecting The Ultimates, he would make an excellent match with the Question to something similar in a new, contemporary story. Between that and bringing back Denys Cowan as interior or strictly cover artist, you could have a book that feels like a direction sequel or continuation in every regard. With how much DC loves its nostalgia, this could one of the best avenues for it — and arguably one that is more successful than, say, Batman’s H2SH.

Lastly the biggest thing that should be brought back in a Question solo series is the mystical elements. A small touch in the series as it was, the occasional occurrence of something vaguely supernatural would pop up from time to time and make a big impact. Whether it was the spirit of the Mississippi River guiding Vic back to Hub City or Vic writing a letter to someone as they are in the hospital and being magically fixed after he finishes the letter, it’s these strange occurrences in a handful of issues that made the book feel like something special. It also gave Hub City a persona that not even Gotham City has. With various writers portraying Gotham as a city that is almost its own character, Hub City did it better with less fanfare. All of these elements would make for a good new series on The Question and really help reestablish what has long been one of DC’s better characters in its most definitive form.

Whatever DC does between bringing back Vic Sage as The Question with a classic feeling or another series of mysteries with Reneé featuring Vic, The Question is primed for a comeback. It’s a perfect opportunity in DC’s All In era and he needs to come back. What do you think of O’Neil’s original series? Let us know down in the comments.

Captain America Has Gotten Outdated (But Marvel Can Fix That)