I was aware of the Charlton characters, but I was never truly introduced to them until they were integrated into the DC Universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths. In looking at some of their previous appearances, I was surprised to find out how much was illustrated by Steve Ditko. I have always been fond of Ditko's character designs, for heroes, villains and supporting players - and his talent was on full display here. It's no wonder those comics and concepts struck a chord with readers and have lasted the test of time.
10 comments:
is it me, or does the name logo of the question have what roughly resembles a hammer-and-sickle symbol?
@my namesake: The question mark symbol is clearly a sickle. Though, it might be more of a punctuation pun as the Japanese word for "sickle" ("kama") is a homonym for the English word "comma!"
@Ross: I totally agree. Ditko might have been influenced by Ayn Rand. But, his artwork reinforced the eerieness of the quasi-Lovecraftian dialogue.
P.S. With regard to the Early Sivler Age Dr. Strange stories, I mean.
With the proper writing team, The QUESTION has vast potential for development of a movie or ongoing series. Action, mysterious crime investigations, conspiracy theories, Eastern mysticism, espionage, sociopolitical issues, etc, could all play a part. The QUESTION would be right at home dealing with all these concepts. I'm thinking something like The NIGHT STALKER TV series on steroids.
@Wolfhammer: Darren McGavin original, of course.
@Carey Comic: But of course!
I also would love to see the Question in live action. Doing the faceless mask would be a challenge, but it worked great on Madonna as the Blank in the Dick Tracy film. Maybe Vic could show up on the new Batwoman program for a while, and pass his mantle on to Renee Montoya.
What's ironic about this team-up is that in the current (post-Flashpoint) DC continuity the Question himself -- who isn't & wasn't Vic Sage -- has a supernatural origin...
The "?" is clearly an unfinished slightly squished Magnifying Glass. Surreal much like the tittle character himself.
To paraphrase The Late Chris Farley: You're my Ditko you're my Ditko! Da' Bears.
The short-lived "Action Heroes" era, as edited by Dick Giordano before he moved to DC, was one of the highlights of Charlton Comics. Not only did you have Ditko doing great work on Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, and the Question, but you also had Pete Morisi on Thunderbolt, Frank McLaughlin on Judomaster, Dick Giordano himself on Sarge Steel, Jim Aparo on Nightshade, etc. I can't say that I was ever impressed by The Peacemaker, though, even when Pat Boyette was drawing him.
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