The new year is in full swing, and February has arrived–which means it’s time to introduce 2023’s first Community Member of the Month!
Say hello to @HubCityQuestion!
What got you into DC Comics?
When I was 3 years old, my dad gave me an oversized copy of Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-21 – a treasury collection of early Captain Marvel stories that he picked up from his own dad’s drugstore when he was a kid. A world of mad scientists, talking tigers, and kids who could transform into all-powerful grown-ups with a single word entranced me. From there, like pretty much every Millennial DC fan, Batman: The Animated Series did the rest of the work. I was hooked for life. The first comics I collected as they came out was the “Trial of Superman” storyline some time after The Death and Return of Superman, where an alien tribunal holds Superman responsible for the sins of Krypton. Ten years later, Justice League Unlimited and the 52 maxi-series expanded my view of the DC Universe far beyond Batman and Superman. 52 was a miracle. It was such a miraculous work of creative collaboration and universal cohesion that I knew I had to spend the rest of my life exploring the DC Universe. Since then, I’ve been studying the sacred texts every day.
Who is your favorite DC character, and why?
It all comes back to The Question. Like many fans, my first encounter with The Question was in Justice League Unlimited, as written by the great Dwayne McDuffie and voiced by the incomparable Jeffrey Combs. As a lifelong know-it-all, I sympathized completely with the faceless weirdo nobody respected, but despite it all persevered in his unrelenting quest for answers no matter how treacherous, how implausible, the road to truth might be. Following him to 52 and his unlikely friendship with Renee Montoya is what brought me to love the man behind the mask… which led me further backward in time to Denny O’Neil and Denys Cowan’s magnum opus, the 1987 Question series. The ultimate statement in Denny’s career-spanning thesis that while no man can ever be perfect, all that can be asked of us to be good is to strive every day to be better.
What books are you currently reading?
I’ve really been enjoying Jeremy Adams’ run on The Flash, which has been a breath of fresh air for Wally West fans. As a student at the feet of Mark Waid, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest has been a treat every single month. One of my all-time favorite DC books is the 2006 Blue Beetle series, and Blue Beetle: Graduation Day feels like coming home to the Jaime Reyes I know best. The Batman and Joker books are incredibly strong right now, but if you’re reading this you probably don’t need me to tell you that. Of course, I’m always archive diving. My guilty pleasure this month is a 2004 series called Hard Time by Steve Gerber and Mary Skrenes, about a telekinetic high school kid sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Are you watching any DC movies or shows?
Last weekend I got to rewatch James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad at a friend’s home theater in 4K Dolby Vision and surround sound. I missed it in theaters the first time around because of the pandemic, and I’m glad I got to revisit it. There’s a film that demands to be seen in the highest sound and image quality you can get. As far as television goes, I’ve been a DC animation fan since the first time I caught Christmas with The Joker on TV in 1992. I can’t wait for the Harley Quinn Valentine’s Day special.
What are you most looking forward to in the DC Universe?
Well, Ram V teased recently that my boy The Question will start playing a role in his ongoing Detective Comics series, beginning in issue #1069… Ram’s done right by Vic Sage before, in 2020’s Crimes of Passion. I just know that he’ll make Hub City proud.
What 6-12 books would you recommend to the general DC Community?
- The Question (1987)
- Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood
- Gotham Central
- 52
- Blue Beetle (2006)
- Suicide Squad (1987)
- Batgirl (2000)
- Green Lanterns (2016)
- The Sandman
- Hawkman (2018)
- Animal Man (2011)
- Jonah Hex
One of the “cool peeps” I recall from Day One! 
Congrats 
