The Question #2

[iamrman]

Writer: Dennis O’Neil

Pencils: Denys Cowan

Inks: Rick Magyar

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The Question wakes up in a strange man’s bed.

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Vic dreams about the time he got a telling off from Batman.

When he is sufficiently recovered, Vic goes to train with a certain Kung-Fu Fighter.

Richard Dragon uses a wheelchair because the ground fears him.

His training over, Vic goes to have words with the crooked reverend who put the hit out on him.

Comments

[blueprintstyles]

I hope Vic Dage and Renee Montanya are both in the DCU

[zachbeacon]

Between...

Shiva declaring he isn't good enough yet and sending him off for more training.

Dragon deciding to fake an injury so he doesn't have to deal with his macho bullshit and can focus on said training.

Batman being Batman.

...it really feels like Vic is being negged into being a better hero.



"Richard Dragon uses a wheelchair because the ground fears him."

Now you get it.

Following up on the Dick Dragon #1 discussion about his weird positioning in the DCU...

"I was trained by Richard Dragon" used to be a bragging right and I'm not sure who has really taken over that role on the modern DCU where he's mostly absent. My first thought was Batman or Wildcat but they aren't exactly picky with students. Is it just Shiva now? Maybe Nightwing?

Black Canary or Conner Hawke should take on more students.

[cainofdreaming]

Yeah, if he was walking you just know Shiva would be knocking his door every other day.

[zachbeacon]

IIRC the eventual retcon was more about Vic's need to prove himself than anything else. He wouldn't have learned anything if his reaction to a beating from Shiva is to force Dragon to give him another beating.


Centering it around Shiva is interesting because I have to assume she knows. Reading body language is basically the same as reading minds in comics.

Shiva does seem to want to play the long game and nurture talent into potential rivals. She's doing it with Vic here and she'll later do it with Black Canary and her own daughter.

If she was JUST horny for violence then you'd think the entire 80s run of Suicide Squad would be her breaking Ben out so they could spar.

[cainofdreaming]

I don't think she believes that Ben could, or would, kill her so she doesn't bother him. I mean, they've leaned on her death wish so much at times you could mistake it for 90s Michael Jackson, almost nose to the ground.

[cygnia]

"Szasz"?

Was Vic related to the Gotham serial killer of a similar name then?

[iamrman]

No relation as far as I am aware.

[digicom]

Still the coolest version of "Danny Boy" I've ever seen. :)

[huntleyhaverstock]

... just checking that you've seen MILLER'S CROSSING.

If you have, great. If you haven't, there's a "Danny Boy" sequence in there that I'd argue rivals this one. No slight to this one, though! That single panel with the word "away" is superb.