The Question is a cool guy. Traditionally the crimefighting alter ego of a reporter named Vic Sage (later changed to Charles Victor Szasz for some reason, no relation to the Batman villain Victor Zsasz, which is silly) the Question — as originally depicted in the ‘60s by creator Steve Ditko, better known for co-creating Spider-Man — was a hardcore right-wing objectivist weirdo. (You know Rorschach from Watchmen, and how he’s a full-on fascist? That’s Alan Moore doing a parody of Ditko’s the Question.) (Also, being a right-wing weirdo is not cool, tell your friends.)

When the Question was integrated into regular DC Comics continuity in the ‘80s, he was ceremonially “killed off” by writer Denny O’Neil (who I remember appearing in a History Channel special about comic books that I saw as a kid, during which he told a story about some dude getting in his face post Death In The Family and saying “you’re the guy who killed Robin!”). After that, the Question rejected his old, gross politics and started following a Zen philosophy.

This Veitch/Edwards miniseries is that take on the Question, turned up to 11. He’s all about high-minded, gritty spirituality, talking about how he walks in two worlds and communicating with unseen forces to guide his hand. In Chicago, he finds a similarly philosophically minded hitman named the Psychopomp (he uses his own spiritual abilities to kill people and then trap them in some kind of hellish nightmare).

The comic’s standout sequence is when Question and Psychopomp meet each other and are discussing their different approaches to “walking in two worlds,” with each panel of their debate paired with a panel of them physically fighting each other. My interpretation is that they’re literally just talking to each other, but their spiritual energies are responding with metaphysical punches and kicks. Or something like that? It’s neat, either way.

[The original email version of this post included a page that showed what I’m talking about here. You’re missing out by not subscribing!

Psychopomp gets away and the Question’s spiritual signals indicate that he needs to go to Metropolis. While onboard a train to the city, he gets a message that Lois Lane — who he apparently went to reporter school with — is waiting for him at the station. Before she can meet with him, though, he sneaks away and realizes that whatever has drawn him to Metropolis has something to do with Superman.

What’s going to happen? Tune in next week. Same Question-time, same Question-channel.

Let’s try something new and stick with this miniseries. I want to say more about the Question, and I remember this comic being pretty wild.
Remember: Tell your friends, like and subscribe, find me on Bluesky or whatever, excelsior, etc.