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Capes On the Couch - Where Comics Get Counseling


Jun 20, 2018

Anthony & Dr. Issues examine the predecessor to Rorschach, THE QUESTION! Of course, it was all part of the plan that they did Rorschach first... or was it?

SHOW NOTES:

  • Introduction
  • Background (02:44)
    • Created by Steve Ditko in the Blue Beetle #1 (June 1967)
    • Originally a Charlton Comics hero
    • Vic Sage was investigative journalist who used Pseudoderm, a fake skin in a spray can, to cover his face and investigate things Vic couldn't without being exposed
    • Frequent foe of the Banshee, a flying circus performer
    • Charlton Comics bought by DC in 1985, brought into their universe
      • Was originally to be used by Alan Moore in Watchmen, but DC editorial had bigger plans and forbade Moore from using Question, so he created Rorschach
    • Got solo series in 1987 by Dennis O'Neill and Denys Cowan
    • Learned martial arts from Richard Dragon to help him fight better
    • Primarily focused on rooting out corruption in Hub City (based on East St. Louis)
    • Helps noble Myra Fermin win mayor seat - they have relationship as Vic Sage, but she doesn't know he's the Question
    • Later has relationship with Huntress while working in Gotham
    • Trains Renee Montoya to succeed him since he's dying of lung cancer
    • New 52 reboots character - Government agent recruited to help Amanda Waller run Suicide Squad
    • Grant Morrison creates Earth-4 Question - similar to Mr. A and Rorschach, a murderous vigilante
  • Issues (14:17)
    • Paranoia - everything is a conspiracy
    • Privacy - he can't be seen, but he investigates everyone else
    • Philosophy - Ditko's objectivism personified
  • Treatment (37:32)
    • In-universe - Difficult because of the conspiracy theories
    • Out-of-universe - Find truth in conspiracies, and then challenge the rest, coping with possibility of failure
  • Couch skit (48:56)
  • Ending

References in episode:

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