Follow the author

The Question 1: Zen and Violence Paperback – October 3, 2007

by Dennis O'Neil (Author), Denys Cowan (Author), Rick Magyar (Author)

4.6 24 ratings

Created by comics legend Steve Ditko, the faceless avenger known as The Question is one of comics' most mysterious and fascinating heroes!In the corrupt, crime-ridden Hub City, investigative reporter Vic Sage strives to tell his viewers the truth - and philosophical, trenchcoated hero The Question, whose face is a featureless blank - uncovers what Sage cannot. But with deadly martial artist assassins and political intrigue to contend with, will one man - even a master of unarmed combat - be able to make a difference?Legendary "Batman" writer Dennis O'Neill and penciller Denys Cowan (Deathlok) present one of the most acclaimed comics of the 1980s!

Print length

174 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Dc Comics
Publication date

October 3, 2007
Dimensions

6.65 x 0.2 x 10.15 inches
ISBN-10

1401215793
ISBN-13

978-1401215798
See all details

Dennis O'Neil
200
Hardcover
45 offers from $45.99
Dennis O'Neil
19
Paperback
17 offers from $9.29

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dennis "Denny" O'Neil, a group editor at DC Comics, was the guiding force behind Batman during the '80s and '90s. His comics work includes Amazing Spider-Man, Batman, Daredevil, The Hulk, Green Lantern and Superman. Denys Cowan is one of the most acclaimed African-American comics creators of all time. As well as illustrating series including Spider-Man, The Flash and Green Arrow, he co-founded Milestone Media, where he co-created Hardware and Xombi. --This text refers to an alternate paperback edition.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dc Comics; First Edition (October 3, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 174 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1401215793
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1401215798
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.65 x 0.2 x 10.15 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #281,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #706 in DC Comics & Graphic Novels
- #3,148 in Superhero Comics & Graphic Novels

Customer Reviews:
4.6 24 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Dennis O'Neil

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Dennis J. "Denny" O'Neil (born May 3, 1939 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of books until his retirement.

His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan, all of which were hailed for their sophisticated stories that expanded the artistic potential of the mainstream portion of the medium. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. As of 2013, he sits on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and serves on its Disbursement Committee.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Nightscream (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

24 global ratings

1 star

0%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

K. W. Schreiter

Gripping, gritty late 1980s DC series

Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2007

Verified Purchase

One of the highlights of DC's recent '52' series, The Question was originally created in 1967 by Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko for Charlton Comics. DC Comics obtained the rights to the character and published this series starting in February 1987. This trade paperback collects the first six issues, each 28 pages long with a 1987 cover price of $1.50.
Vic Sage is an KEBL-TV investigative reporter in 1980s Hub City where 'the social contract is a shambles and the city's in chaos'. He uses the guise of 'The Question' by applying an artificial skin that bonds to his face but allows for normal breathing and speaking. Lacking faith in the law enforcement and judicial systems, Sage uses both identities to pursue horribly corrupt Hub City politicians and criminals.
The first story arc focuses on a sinister cabal that has hijacked the Hub City government from a pathetic, drunken mayor. After an initial setback (beaten and left for dead on a river bottom at the end of issue 1) Sage trains in martial arts and Eastern philosophy and returns to Hub City to resume his battles with thugs and demagogues. Writer O'Neil explores moral and philosophical issues through the violent but introspective plot.
The series lasted for 36 issues (plus annuals and a separate quarterly series) so I'm hoping to see future volumes. I've read praise for the original letters columns (some even featured reading recommendations from O'Neil) but unfortunately they are not reprinted herein. One suggestion for DC: include these in Volume 2.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Benjamin Kalka

Its not Ditko, but its still great.

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2014

Verified Purchase

Ditkos The Question was an objectivist vigilante, willing to do what most men arnt. However Denny O'Neals Question delves more into eastern philosophy, personally I like Ditkos better, but this retelling of one of comics best noir esque characters is great for anyone interested in great 80's comics.

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2017

Verified Purchase

Great condition! Great buy! I've been looking for this for a long time, very hapy

Helpful

Andromeda

Ask The Question, Get an Answer: What TPBS Are Made For: Seriously Tough and Thought-Provoking Comics

Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2008

Whether you see Denny O'Neil's zen interpretation of The Question as a departure from Steve Ditko's (the artist / writer who created the character to be an adherent of Ayn Rand's Objectivist philosophies), there is little doubt that this new line of DC publications is exactly what comic-industry trade paperbacks are made for: bringing back an incomparable run of stories to current readers who missed (like me) or weren't around for (like my children) the original series. Everyone benefits from the reason upsurge of interest in The Question's appearance in 52 and its aftermath, as well as his highly-touted appearances in the Justice League Unlimited cartoons. This tpb collects issues 1-6 of stories written from 1986-1987 by Denny O'Neil, drawn by Deny Cowan, and inked by Rick Magyar. Something also needs to be said for colorist Tatjana Wood who is able to dip out of the 1980s era palette dominated by bright pinks, blues, oranges, greens types of hues. (One of my favorite color-divergences, for instance, is in issue #2 when The Questions body is floating up from the water and looks very surreal because it is rendered completely in various shades of black and white.) If you like lots of action with a sharply-honed intellectual edge, you'll appreciate The Question. These stories are centered around the deterioration and corruption of The Question's hometown, Hub City. Another moment of reinvention here is the newly-created origin of the character as an orphaned child who grew up in a Catholic orphanage and becomes a television journalist named Vic Sage, aka Charles Victor Szasz, aka The Question. This becomes all the more meaningful when a young girl is being used as a potential religious cult's sacrifice as well as a hostage for bribery and blackmail. It truly irks The Question. Although he can deal with horrible ethics and immorality, it doesn't mean he's going to let a child be the plaything of them. There's lots of things like that to like here. You get to see Vic make fun of the police; when asked by one of the big blue, "If yer so smart, why don't you join the force," he cooly responds -- while holding up a criminal that he had to go catch for them --, "They wouldn't let me. I passed the IQ test." You get to see Batman dress The Question down after he, for all intents and purposes actually dies, for being an "obscenely lucky," "arrogant dilettante" who simply doesn't understand that his life is so extremely valuable it shouldn't be risked unwisely. You get to see scenes of utmost violence drawn as accurately as textbooks for martial artists as well as being illustrated as beautifully as choreographed dances. And although there is a lot of violence here, it is not violence for violence's sake. The violence is taken seriously, and it is used as a cautionary device. O'Neil's Question is different from Ditko's Question and Mr. A in that, in these tales, he only commits acts of violence when he is left no other choice and only after he is aggressed upon. In a telling scene, after being nearly knifed and holding his aggressor in a position that could cause him serious problems, The Question asks him if he wants his arms broken; the man responds in the negative, and he is told to "then collect your buddies and go." `And, heck, O'Neil kills The Question off in the very first issue. I mean, the villains have got the upper hand from page one! Some of the themes investigated are loss and recovery, childhood and innocence, lack of family and children abused by parents, betrayal and revenge, corruption and righting wrongs, destruction of the environment, and, in two particularly sad threads, the way in which we never see how tragic other's suffering is when they are simply allowed to die alone, forgotten, uncared for. I think these stories and issues are extremely timely and, well, timeless. Earlier, I talked about saving your original issues. If you buy this tpb and like it, I would highly encourage you to collect the originals. There are 36 issues, each of which has O'Neil's recommended reading list as well as probably the most intellectually stimulating series of letters-columns discussions that I've ever read. The readership of The Question was one of a kind, from the creators all the way down to the fans. No one pulled punches. The editors allowed both letters of praise as well as letters of severe criticism as well as letters of serious, intellectual dispute to be printed there. But, if you can't get those, these tpbs serve brilliantly as your beginning to the world of The Question.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

N. Durham

An underrated title and character finally get the spotlight

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2007

Verified Purchase

After being re-established in the pages of 52, The Question's classic series from Denny O'Neil is now in TPB form, and be glad it is. Investigative reporter Vic "Charlie" Sage, AKA the enigmatic, arrogant, faceless would-be superhero known as The Question, finds himself in a bit of a predicament. When he stumbles upon a deadly plot involving crooked politicians in his hometown of Hub City, The Question is defeated in combat with Lady Shiva and thrown into the river for dead. After he is rescued, he begins being re-trained in body and mind by Richard Dragon, and soon enough, he's back on the prowl looking to set things right, and maybe get a little bit of revenge on the way. Classic superhero writer O'Neil really captures what The Question is all about with Zen and Violence; the first in the TPB collection of the series which originally debuted in 1986. After reading this initial collection, you'll get the feeling that 52 authors Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, and Greg Rucka in particular, really nailed the character down and paid wonderful homage to O'Neil's work. The artwork from Denys Cowan and Rock Magyar is solid enough, and really starts to come together in the last issue which finds the creation of a new, scarred foe for Charlie to contend with. All in all, Zen and Violence is an excellent introduction for new fans to one of the most underrated heroes in DC's stable, and worth picking up for old fans as well.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Chris

A Comic Book Necessity

Reviewed in Canada on July 2, 2012

Verified Purchase

Truly a great addition to any reader. Zen and Violence is exactly how a character is meant to be rebooted! O'Neil keeps Vic Sage's savagery in combat, witty remarks and street persona intact, while adding some tricks for the Faceless Detective.

I had always loved the grittiness of the Charlton Comics issues, but DC had allowed O'Neil to not only keep the same level of violence, but imbue DCU references in the series.

This series was, during its debut era, considered the detective series with slightly more verisimilitude than Detective Comics (Often featuring the great Batman).

Ian Williams

Answered

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2009

Verified Purchase

This is the first of 6 books (or more if they reprint the two annuals and several quarterly specials) which incorporate the original 36-issue run which dates from the late 80's and is clearly a response to the grim and grittiness of Watchmen and The Dark Knight. It's written entirely by the experienced Dennis O'Neil (long runs on Batman and writer of the acclaimed, albeit very dated now, socially conscious run on Green Lantern/Green Arrow with legendary artist Neil Adams) who really goes to town here. Specifically Hub City, probably the most corrupt city in the DC Universe, where most of the stories are set, and home to Charles Victor Szasz aka tv news reporter Vic Sage aka The Question. Artist on most of the run, occassionally relieved on pencils by the title's regular inker Rick Magyar, is Denys Cowan whose grim and gritty art matches the grim and gritty writing. If you like seeing feet meeting faces, you'll love these books.

In keeping with the times, O'Neil immediately kills off our hero, albeit temporarily, and then forces him to reassess his attitude, something which continues throughout the run. Also continuing is the attempt by Vic's one time lover, Myra Firmin, to clean up the city with his alter ego doing his best to help. There is really no difference between Vic and The Question, only the face mask which hides his identity. O'Neil and Cowan create a sordid and seedy place where nobility can sometimes be found in the strangest places, something which helps relieve an otherwise impressive but rather bleak tone. This was published with the then-recently introduced 'Suggested For Mature Readers' label which Alan Moore hated so much but I can't blame them for slapping it on as it is a very dark title.

The Question, along with the Ted Kord incarnation of The Blue Beetle, was created by Steve Ditko for the long-defunct Charlton Comics whose rights were bought up by DC. The Ditko Question became the basis for Alan Moore's Rorschach whom, amusingly Vic Sage sort of encounters in vol.3. After the end of this series, The Question appeared sporadically in the DC Universe but to no great effect until the excellent series 52 in which a cancer-ridden Vic Sage salvages the human wreckage that Renee Montoya has become in order to transform her into his successor.

If 52 is the only place you've encountered The Question, then go here next. If you've never come across the character before, then start here. It's an excellent series which, hairstyles (oh god, that mullet!) apart, has hardly dated in 20 years. Highly recommended.

One person found this helpful

aristotelean beatboxer

Un-Questionably Great

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2012

Verified Purchase

Very pleased with the product. Next day delivery, great condition and the content is none too shabby either. The Question is one of those characters that anybody who knows the first thing about the world of comic book entertainment loves. He bridges the gap between the reader and the dark, complex, romantisized and philosophized essence of heroism, without slipping into usual comic book cliches of spandex, catchphrases and silly sidekicks. Think Humphrey Bogart meets Frank Miller's Batman and you are beggining to get the picture. This series is a more coherent retelling of the Question's adventures and there is something for everyone in them.

MR J

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2014

Verified Purchase

Great

Cory

Took a little longer than the prediction, but considering ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 7, 2015

Verified Purchase

Took a little longer than the prediction, but considering customs and the holiday season, that was to be expected.