Each Friday, we'll be letting a different DC.com writer share what they'll be reading over the weekend and why you might want to check it out. Here's this week's suggestion for a perfect Weekend Escape!
 

While we all know how tough it is to eek out an honest living in Batman’s hometown of Gotham City, the Question might have it even worse. Gotham at least has some good bones, some help from the Wayne Family, a wicked skyline and Batman protecting everyone. In contrast, the Question’s base in Hub City has just about nothing going for it. And that’s precisely what makes Dennis O’Neil and Denys Cowan’s run on The Question so intriguing. Vic Sage, the Question himself, doesn’t exactly believe in Hub City’s capacity to become a better place. But that doesn’t stop him from trying to root out corruption in his city, even if it’s a Sisyphean task. Even if Batman doesn’t think he’s got what it takes. For this Weekend Escape, let’s dive into the first five issues of Dennis O’Neil and Denys Cowan’s The Question.
 

The Premise:

Vic Sage lives in rundown Hub City, where he tries to take on the criminals of the night with little more than a trench coat, a flesh-colored mask that obscures his features and a fedora. The Question bites off more than he can chew while investigating Hub City’s mayor, and he’s beaten within an inch of his life and left to drown at the bottom of the city’s river. If he wants to make a difference in Hub City, then Vic’s got a lot to learn. With help from martial artist Richard Dragon, The Question returns to Hub City to get revenge on the men who nearly killed him.
 

Let’s Talk Talent:

This run on The Question brought together two legends with writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Denys Cowan. You might be familiar with Denny O’Neil from his runs on Detective Comics and Batman, where he co-created characters like Ra’s al Ghul and his daughter Talia with artist Neal Adams, along with a seminal run on Green Lantern with Adams where they introduced John Stewart. At this point in time, O’Neil had been living in New York City for decades and was witness to the city’s myriad of social problems. His work on The Question is a dark reflection of urban upheaval in the late 1980s, and he infuses Vic Sage with provocative character flaws that invites the reader to constantly reassess their view of him. Unlike O’Neil’s earlier characters like Batman, Green Arrow, or even Hal Jordan, Vic Sage is not a hero’s hero.

At this point in time, Denys Cowan was an up-and-coming superstar artist who would later go on to co-found Milestone Media. Cowan is the co-creator of iconic Milestone characters like Static, Hardware, Icon and Rocket. Milestone Media was founded in 1993 to address the lack of diversity within the comic book industry, both on the page and behind the page. Cowan’s work at Milestone changed the course of pop culture at the turn of the millennium.

Cowan’s art on The Question is stunning. Although the Question doesn’t wear an elaborate superhero costume, Cowan draws Vic Sage’s trench coat with the same sense of heft and mystique as Batman’s cape. He infuses the ordinary with a sense of kinetic energy, and you can practically feel the grubby wind in Hub City from each page.
 

A Few Reasons to Read:

• If the Question reminds you vaguely of Rorschach, your head is in the right place. Originally, when Alan Moore was writing what would later become Watchmen, he wrote the story featuring the crew of characters that DC had just acquired from Charlton Comics: Blue Beetle, the Question, Nightshade, Captain Atom and Peacemaker. However, the story was going to end in the demise of all of the characters, and DC wasn’t exactly keen on killing off the characters they had just worked hard to acquire, so Blue Beetle became Nite Owl, Nightshade became Silk Spectre, Captain Atom became Doctor Manhattan, Peacemaker became the Comedian and the Question became Rorschach. Like many comic book fans, Watchmen was an early milestone for me, and it’s interesting to compare and contrast Rorschach with the Question
   
• I know I mentioned how stunning Cowan’s artwork is in this book already, but I’m here to tell you it once again. There’s a fluidity to Cowan’s forms that makes every panel flow so well from page to page. I also love the way that he draws Vic Sage’s hair and eyebrows. There’s this sense of wildness about him that’s perfect for the character.

• Martial arts lovers, this one’s for you. We’ve got both Richard Dragon and my second favorite DC villain, Lady Shiva, in this book. While my favorite Richard Dragon is undoubtedly the Bruce Lee-inspired version in Batman: Soul of the Dragon, he fulfils an unexpected mentor role for the Question in this book. The Question may never be a martial artist on the same caliber as Lady Shiva or even Batman, but you can’t knock the guy for trying his best.
   
• As opposed to more standard DC characters, the Question isn’t trying to be a hero or even particularly “good.” He’s just trying to be better than the men destroying his city. If you’re in the search for a relatable protagonist, Vic Sage may be your guy. It’s fascinating to see how wearing a mask that makes him look faceless transforms Vic. He’s not exactly someone I’d want to see come to my rescue. (I know beggars can’t be choosers, but man, I would do anything for Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle to fly in on the Bug instead.)
   

Why It’s Worth Your Time:

The late 1980s were a transformational time in both DC comic books and beyond. The groundwork that Dennis O’Neil had laid with books like Green Lantern in the early 1970s led to a proliferation of mature and gritty stories by the time the ’80s were in full swing. If you love Frank Miller’s work from this period, then you gotta read something by Denny, his progenitor. Paired with a hotshot talent like Denys Cowan, O’Neil’s work went to the next level with The Question. It’s wonderful to see how his work has developed over time.

At New York Comic Con this year, I almost busted my ankle trying to fly down some stairs and chase down a Question cosplayer I saw from a distance. As if I was in a comic written by Dennis O’Neil, I failed. But I wouldn’t go out on a limb just for anyone—Question cosplayers are few and far between. I just really wanted to ask this cosplayer what they thought about O’Neil and Cowan’s run! So please, read this book, and maybe show up to a comic con as the Question. I’m willing to fall on my face for it.
 

The Question by Dennis O’Neil and Denys Cowan is available in print as a hardcover omnibus and can be read in full on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

Jules Chin Greene writes about comics, TV, games and film for DC.com, and his work can also be found at Nerdist, Popverse and Multiverse of Color. You can follow him on Bluesky at @JulesChinGreene and on Instagram at @infinitevibes.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Jules Chin Greene and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.