ASK... THE QUESTION! Column Submission Thread

Hello @HubCityQuestion,
Guess what I’ve found in Detective Comics #34



Do you think Steve Ditko got the idea for The Question after reading this comic?:slightly_smiling_face:

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Hah, probably not! The way sketches usually work is that you draw the body first and draw the face in later, so it was probably just a natural realization from the process of character drawing. Ditko was an original, he didn’t like to borrow too much from others.

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The Spectre’s Ostrander origins were recently reaffirmed in a guest arc by Robert Venditti in the 2018 JUSTICE LEAGUE series, where Jim Corrigan is once more The Spectre’s modern day host. I will say it’s true that we haven’t had many stories about who hosted The Spectre in eras past, and that there’s a lot that some enterprising writer can do with that history someday.

I will also say this, though: Lazarus Lane, the 19th century banker who by night fights crime as El Diablo, is said to be possessed when he does so by God’s Spirit of Vengeance. Could there, perhaps, be some connection…? It’s never been drawn officially, but some food for thought.

Characters we have seen host the Spectre in the modern day include: Jim Corrigan (of course), Hal Jordan, GCPD detective Crispus Allen, and for brief story arcs: Martian Manhunter, Madame Xanadu, the angel Asmodel, and Plastic Man’s ex-girlfriend Nancy Morgan.

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Hawkman is first given a mother in 1993’s HAWKMAN #2, wherein at the time Katar Hol was depicted as the son of Paran Katar, the Thanagarian who invented the wings used by the planet’s peacekeepers, and a Cherokee woman named Naomi Carter. Later, as Hawkman’s origins changed, Naomi was retconned as Naomi O’Neill, mother of Hawkman impostor Fel Andar. Since then, there hasn’t been any maternal figure we’ve seen in Hawkman’s history.

The “Esther Hol” seen in the Legends of the Super Heroes special, however, is an entirely original creation who never went on to appear anywhere else – nor did Rhoda Rooter, Ghetto Man, or Scarlet Cyclone.

But these specials do have one notable impact on DC legacy: the relationship between The Atom and Giganta seen here was translated into the comics decades later, in Gail Simone’s ALL-NEW ATOM. (Though Gail herself credits the idea to Patton Oswalt. Whether he himself got it from this special, or separately came up with it on his own, who can say.)

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Aquaman’s incredible speed, strength, and invulnerability date all the way back to a character revamp ahead of his A-List debut in the Justice League by Robert Bernstein in 1959’s ADVENTURE COMICS #260, “How Aquaman Got His Powers!” Even before the debut of Super Friends, Aquaman could dish out and take blows with the best of them. But because Super Friends’ early seasons had a mandate against depicting violence of any kind, Aquaman came to be more culturally associated with his more aquatic abilities than those that allowed him to keep up with the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman, whose inherent power was more obvious.

As for the flight thing, I think you’re referring to a story arc where Aquaman was temporarily given the power of flight and control over the elements by Poseidon in 2015’s AQUAMAN #47. That’s no longer a standard part of his power set, and indeed only was for a scant few issues.

Aquaman’s time limit outside of water, first established in 1958’s ADVENTURE COMICS #256, stayed firmly in place for nearly 40 years. The first to loosen that restriction was Peter David, in 1997’s AQUAMAN ANNUAL #3, where the storyline hinged on the villains assuming the time limit was a literal hour – only to be proven sorely mistaken. For the next few years, Aquaman is still shown as needing periodical contact with water, though not necessarily 60 minutes on the dot. Then, in 2003’s AQUAMAN #1, the Lady of the Lake imbues Aquaman with a magical hand made of water, ensuring that he remains in contact with water at all times.

The water contact restriction was finally done away with entirely by Geoff Johns in 2010, after bringing Aquaman back to life at the end of BLACKEST NIGHT. As of The New 52 and onward, Aquaman’s past has been rewritten so that this aquatic tether was never part of his history (although, at times, it has been shown to be a fallacious belief about Aquaman among us human folk).

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Quite a few! I wrote up an accounting last year (not including DOOM PATROL and SWAMP THING titles, which we already have on DCU), and @wilkinswontkins added a few titles near the end that I missed in my first sweep.

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Two Superman stories were sold for the 2-XL in 1994, “Mayhem in Metropolis” and “A New Hero in Town”. You can actually find the audio files for these tapes now, in crystal clear quality, on archive.org!

The character whose name you can’t recall is Alfonse E. Crispin. Crispin is original to “Mayhem in Metropolis.” Notably, a very different enemy-turned-ally of Superman’s, the alien Vartox, also blamed Superman for the death of his wife in 1974’s SUPERMAN #281. when they first met. Likewise, Venus- actually, “Themis,” as you can hear in the improved audio quality- never appears in the comics either, but her story is somewhat similar to that of Toxin, the unfortunate LexCorp heroine seen in 1999’s SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS.

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Practically, sure, there’s no way that Batman could be a master of all those martial arts. But hey – this is a comic book. The whole idea of Batman, at least since the 90s, has been that he may be just a human, but he’s the best any human could possibly be at any task within human capability. So if he knows those martial arts, then sure, he’s a master.

As for Richard Dragon… I’m sorry to say that The Question’s old occasional wheelchair-using sensei was killed off by Jeff Lemire in 2014’s GREEN ARROW #32, when a student of his, Ricardo Diaz, killed Richard and took the name for himself. But, as I just said: this is comics. I expect Richard can show up again any time, especially if next year’s Batman: Soul of the Dragon does particularly well.

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You just guaranteed that Soul of the Dragon will turn Dragon into the world’s worst martial artist, and this version will be brought into the comics forever.

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I dunno man, the movie looks pretty good:

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Obviously a misleading trailer. If you pay close attention it is actually a return to the Gods and Monsters Universe

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Well, this is by no means exhaustive, but off the top of my head:

  • The various original members of the Super Friends, such as Wendy, Marvin, Wonder Dog, the Wonder Twins, Gleek, Samurai, Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, and El Dorado,
  • Renee Montoya, Nora Fries, Temple Fugate, The Gray Ghost, Lock-Up, Farmer Brown, and Roxy Rocket from Batman: The Animated Series,
  • Livewire, Volcana, and Mercy Graves from Superman: The Animated Series,
  • John Diggle from Arrow,
  • Chloe Sullivan (for a time, though probably not again) from Smallville,
  • Isis, from The Secrets of Isis,
  • Mas y Menos, Cinderblock, and Red X from 2003’s Teen Titans,
  • Superwoman Kristin Wells, who first appeared in the novel Superman: Miracle Monday,
  • Villains Bookworm, King Tut, and Egghead from 1966’s Batman,
  • Ursa and Non, from Superman II,
  • Nuclear Man (briefly in Bendis’s SUPERMAN run) from Superman IV: The Quest for Peace,
  • The Superman radio serial’s Atom Man and the Klan of the Fiery Cross in SUPERMAN SMASHES THE KLAN,
  • Andrea Beaumont from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm,
  • The Arkham Knight from Batman: Arkham Knight,
  • Frank the Plant from Harley Quinn,
  • and coming in 2021, we’ll see the comic debut in Gene Luen Yang’s BATMAN/SUPERMAN of The Spider Lady, the villain from the 1948 Kirk Alyn Superman film serial.

There’s also the case of characters who were developed for TV, but happened to make their appearances in comics first: such as Barbara Gordon for the 1969 Season 3 of Batman, or Ryan Wilder for Season 2 of Batwoman.

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That doesn’t look like Kirk Langstrom to me.

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Thankyou so much, that really help alot.:slightly_smiling_face:

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Loving the El Diablo “connection” to Spectre. And as you say, like previous host bodies, “food for thought” moving forward. The post from @Lincolnfan78 got me doing a little “detective” work myself. Steve Ditko was every bit the originalist you make him out regarding his work and creations. But like most future cartoonists growing up when he did, I suspect that Chester Gould’s newspaper work was also an influence. And his creation of Dick Tracy villain the Blank (created in 1937), may have lingered in the back of his mind when putting together the Question’s unique visual appearance. Just as others helped give rise to some of Batman’s rouges gallery. But that’s just a theory.

Reference Aquaman, very nice sir, very nice. At least a strong stand-up double, with a possible stolen base triple, if not a home run. The “cultural association” you mentioned had been the norm for mister Curry for over 50 years. Hence the punch-line material I referenced in my original post. I also remember that origin story, as drawn by the great Ramona Fradon. Who (since I’m referencing) in this era of female empowerment, was the first gal to join the previously all boys club at DC, as an illustrator. Followed by Marie Severin over at Marvel. Assuming my sources are correct.

But that story (which also briefly introduced the domed, sunken city of Atlantis to the series) only showed us powers that Aquaman had always displayed. It’s not until Peter David enters the picture in '97, that we start to see real changes begin to “upgrade” the character. So, to that point, I don’t think you’ve really answered my query on this one. I suspected the flight thing was just a temporary story device, so no real surprise there. And the explanation for the erosion of the time-limit, was very much appreciated, and clearly, a multi-authored process of elimination.

Reference Batman’s martial arts “mastery,” well, as you say “it’s only a comic book.” Like Superman’s strength and the Power of a Ring, the stories will be spun as necessary, to meet the writer’s end goal. So, I’ll give you that one. Your character origination response to my earlier query is worthy of a print-out, for future reference. Keep ‘em comin’ dude!

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After reading a (insert ridiculous number here) # of Batman, & Gotham based titles over the years. As well as being a sports fan. It seems like the Gotham Knights are always losing. Has there ever been any evidence of them winning a championship, or even a competitor for it? Also, as if that’s not broad enough. If possible? Any idea what there career stats of wins vs losses would be. Or different names they’ve been called thru the years?
Also, just wanted to say I love reading your articles. Truly appreciated that u take the time to do this.

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I’m actually up to 78 now! We just shared that article from earlier in the year as one of our highlights of 2020.

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Gotcha I was thinking I’ve read way more than 52 but hey. Who am I to argue with @HubCityQuestion so I thought I would just take your word for it lol. I’ll fix that up.

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I made it into the column!? YAYYY

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This is embarrassing, but what column did my question appear in? I can’t find the post or remember the question.

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