There are gaps in my knowledge of comics, well-respected runs that I didn't like or never managed to put my hands on. The Denny O'Neil Question run is one such gap, a series of comics I've heard plenty of good about but have never read. Still, I have a general fondness for the character from his guest spots on cartoons, in other comics and in DC Who's Who, so he's not a total blank spot for me. However, this first issue of a new Question miniseries by Veitch and Edwards just left me cold, and more than a little confused. There's a fair amount of experimental storytelling here, and Veitch does the very Alan Moore-esque take on the character that makes him look more than a little off-kilter. While this style does give the book a creepy vibe, it also really doesn't provide much of an entry point into the character for those without a pre-established fondness.
The Question divides its time between "yesterday" and "today," as we follow the Question on a gangland inquiry in Chicago and Vic Sage, his alter-ego, on his travel between Chicago and Metropolis in his role as crusading journalist. Of the two, I found "Today" considerably more interesting, largely because Vic Sage is a more approachable character, but also because that side of the story was just more interesting. Tying Vic Sage, reporter turned media icon, in with Lois Lane, the iconic newspaper reporter of the DC Universe, is a neat idea, and I like the hint that the Man of Steel's girl has a secret crush from her college days that she doesn't know about.
Veitch is clearly aiming for a mixture with the Question himself. He wants the zen philosopher and Ditko-esque hero that O'Neil portrayed, but he also wants to incorporate the bizarre worldview that drove Question analogue Rorschach in Watchmen. Trouble is, Rorschach was a raving psycho, and that doesn't blend easily with the more calm philosophy that the Question generally represents, and in addition, the strange, almost nonsensical narration by the Question doesn't make a great deal of sense. So much of the story with the Question is a muddled mess, stylish to be sure but not really clear in its intent.
I had expected that the artwork here might likewise be not to my taste, but I find that Tommy Lee Edwards has modified his style a little, using a little more Alex Maleev style photo-reference, and while it's still not my favorite style of art, I can definitely see the appeal. The use of silhouettes for the fight scenes that run alongside the verbal confrontation that the Question has with the criminals in Chicago is an interesting, if not entirely clear, storytelling technique, and the point-of-view shots of Vic Sage getting his train ticket are very interesting as well. It is clear from the artwork that Veitch and Edwards are inviting us into Vic Sage's head, that we are meant to identify with him despite his odd thought processes. In addition, the colors used here are exceptional, and I don't know if Edwards actually painted using watercolors or just used a coloring technique to simulate that, but it's an unusual style that fits the unusual tone of the book.
It's clear that Veitch and Edwards are trying to do something a little different with the Question here, something more akin to a horror-tinged noir than a superhero tale. I applaud the attempt, I just think that the experimental storytelling got out of hand and made for a difficult read, and certainly unless you have some sort of pre-existing attachment to the character, I don't know that the sparse information about Vic Sage and the Question in this issue are going to make you want to jump in and find out what happens next. 5/10
