The Question, Vol. 2: Poisoned Ground

The Question (1986)

by Dennis O'Neil, Denys Cowan (Illustrator), Rick Magyar (Illustrator)

In this second volume that collects THE QUESTION #7-12, The Question tracks a killer to a distant island prison and becomes involved with a gambling crimelord.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fiction, Crime, Comic Book

176 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1992

About the author

Dennis "Denny" O'Neil was a comic book writer and editor best known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retirement.

His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. From 2013 unti his death, he sat on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Question continues fighting crime in Hub City in his own way...

While trying to clean up Hub City, The Question encounters a Russian gypsy gangster named Volk, a vigilante named Mikado, a drug ring peddling a new hallucinogen, and the guy that shot him in the head in the first volume, The Question, Vol. 1: Zen and Violence.

I didn't enjoy this as much as the first volume but it was still good. The creative team of Dennis O'Neil and Denys Cowan created a comic book well ahead of it's time, somewhere in the middle ground between the typical comics of the late 1980s/early 1990s and the decompressed comics of today.

While the Question shares the same pulpy roots as Batman, like The Shadow, he's a far more complex character, pondering his Zen philosophy while driving around in his VW beetle and dishing out justice with his fists. He also takes a beating in every issue and sometimes doesn't defeat the bad guys.

I think this one didn't work for me because O'Neil and Cowan had The Question leave America's Asshole, Hub City, behind for a couple issues. Also, some of the newness has worn off and a lot of the time period smacked me in the face, like The Question's god-awful mullet. I guess this one just didn't age as well as the previous volume. Three out of five stars.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe the most exciting thing about Vic in this volume is his macho-man 80s hair.



The truth is, I stopped a few times while reading this to go check out other comics that looked cooler.
Not sure that bodes well for this run.
BUT. I'm not hating it.



Vic Sage does more of his vigilante shit, goes after a Wolverine knock-off, finds out he should be less of a self-centered a-hole, and learns to ask his friends questions about their lives.



I'm going to give the next volume a shot because...why not?
I'll see how that one grabs me and go from there.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alot of thr stories are still excellent here. Especially the first and last. The story of a man raised by wolves Is somehow super well crafted. The final story about a fat monster killing ends extremely grim. The issues of The Question undercover is the weakest part but still decent. Overall a 4 out of 5.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my review of Vol. 1 of “The Question” I said, “The art and the writing are definitely in the 80s style (comics were so much wordier than they are now!). There are some pop culture references and remarks that have not aged particularly well.” I think that is all even more true in Vol. 2. DC was beginning to publish comics for “mature audience only” but some of the edginess just doesn’t transfer to 2024.

I felt like this volume was more disjointed than the first. The Question punches a lot of bad guys in this one. He even goes down to Cuba to punch some communists. He investigates a burn victim. He goes after a typical comics boy stereotype who happens to be a serial killer.

I think I like the character of The Question . . . but these late 80s comics just feel so clunky.

(Collects “The Question” #7-12)

[Valentin Derevlean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pentru fanii crime noir, volumul ăsta e perfect: crime, corupție, violență și sex, plus Question la fel de bătăios și impulsiv ca de obicei. În același timp ajungi să cunoști personajele principale ceva mai bine și să vezi că totul e un gri murdar, fiecare ascunzând în spate trecutul bun și rău, după cum vrei să-l vezi. Nu are sens să trec aici detalii despre intrigă, se găsesc peste tot, ce merită de menționat e că Dennis O'Neil face o treabă grozavă în continuare.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first became acquainted with The Question by watching Justice League Unlimited, and I knew I wanted to experience more of him. I enjoyed the first graphic novel The Question, Vol. 1: Zen and Violence, and this one was good too, but not as good. I think the tone didn't work for me. In a word, sleazy.

Let me explain. This graphic novel feels like the dark side of the 80s. From the over-the-top 80s hair and clothing, to the whole sex, violence, and drugs atmosphere. Yes, this is dark fiction about a shades of gray antihero who adheres to strict Objectivist philosophy. I totally respect that. I just didn't love the vibe. Especially the titular story, Poisoned Ground. It starts with a real WTF. I thought it was about a kid who wasn't right in his head going around killing people. That's so not what this is about. Although I'm relieved I was wrong about the story initially, I didn't like the developments that much. It was just took icky for my tastes. The story where The Question goes to a shady Latino-Caribbean Island to rescue his mentor really didn't work for me. I mean, really. I find alchemy as interesting as the average weird fiction aficionado, but that dictator guy was such a psycho, and he did not get the resolution he deserved. The other two stories were pretty good. Basically masked crimefighter stuff in the dark, dangerous city stuff.

Like I said initially, this isn't bad. It's just not my cup of tea as far as the sleazy vibe.
I will give the next volume a try since I still like The Question character.

Readers who like Noir/Crime stories might enjoy this one.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lame. One of the only reasons that I'm reading The Question is that I'm hoping after all the re-releases, DC will give Renee Montoya a new Question book. Whatever. Even though I get a kick out of the retro 1980s look, this book is riddled with awful writing. I don't know, there is just a lot better stuff out there.

[Matt Sabonis · Rating 5 out of 5]

More well thought out, kung fu/crime comics. I'm loving this series.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't as good as the first volume. I'm going to check out the volume 3, but this didn't instill me with hope.

[Kaique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying the tone of this series and the 80s artwork makes it even better. The fighting parts are so cool!

[Nathaniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought issues seven, eight, and twelve were pretty solid, though none of them reached the level that issues five and six did. The three-part arc in the middle of the volume wasn't bad, but I didn't feel we really learned enough about Tot to warrant a multi-parter. I get Denny O'Neil likes open-ended conclusions, but when you're stretching a story for three issues, I feel that we need a little more than just a philosophical thought to round it off. The art by Cowan and Magyar, as always, is moody and memorable. Still a good Question book, I just expected more after what came before.

[Ravenhats · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not as strong as the first part of the series the question still remains one of the best super hero works I have ever read. This book has the unusual problems of have sometimes uninspired initial premises that are develop and extremely well executed. The character develop and dark atmosphere along with stellar artwork of this book continues to make it a thrill, better then most other superhero graphic novels and well worth owning.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a letdown after Volume 1, but that is only because the bar was set so high. Still compelling stuff, especially with Vic and Myra's relationship heating up again and the latter revealing her plans to replace her husband as mayor. The three-part arc where Tot is kidnapped could have been better. I understand the appeal of having Sage outside Hub City for a spell, but Hub City is as much a character as it is a setting and putting Sage outside his element detracts slightly.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great hard-boiled detective comics from an innovator of the genre. Loses a star for being a little dated (sculpting gel and shoulder pads must have been free back in the 80s) and coming up with awesome villains only to kill them off in the same issue (seriously, Mikado was John Doe nearly a decade before "Se7en" and would have made a great arch-nemesis for the Question).

[Billy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Potentially better than volume 1. Here O'Neil is done remaking The Question for the DC Universe and the 80s, and just focuses on telling noirish stories with the character. It's quite good.

[Tone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of my favorite Question comics are in this volume.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

More great crime comics from the '80s with a lot of action and a hint of social commentary as well. Good stuff.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad The Question's mullet only stuck around for 3 issues. It was pretty terrible. Past that though, it was another goodin'.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as strong as the first volume, but these are nonetheless thoughtful crime stories of a sort totally unknown in ‘80s comics.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started with Volume 2. This might sound like an odd thing to do. And I agree, it is. I found this, along with about 30 exact copies of this book, at Ollie's for only $4. Featuring writing by Dennis O'Neil, I just couldn't pass it up. Unfortunately, there weren't any other volumes in the series for sale.

I waited a few months in hopes of finding book one before just saying 'the heck with it' and going ahead and giving this book a read. And it wasn't a hard transition to start with issue #8. The Question is news reporter Vic Sage. He's helped by a scientist nicknamed Tot who provides Vic with a mask that makes him appear faceless and a special gas that seals the mask and changes his hair and physical appearance.

Vic had been left for dead and it was that incident that led him to turn into The Question. Able to do things that the corrupt police force of Hub City refuses to act upon, Vic Sage uses his leads as a newscaster to take on the dangerous criminal elements that operate in his home town. There's no question at all that this hero is a vigilante.

Perhaps the most confusing thing that Dennis O'Neil added to the mystique in this 1980s era reboot was Vic's real name. Retconned to have been an abandoned baby raised by nuns, the sisters gave him the name of Charles Victor Szasz. Well, there's a Batman villain named Victor Zsasz. That deranged serial killer was created in 1992 by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle. Were they influenced by Denny O'Neil? What's the connection? Why is it when I Googled these questions, others readers seem to not have any answers to this either?

The one thing I loved about this gritty 'mature audiences' version of a classic Charlton legacy character was how this Question seems to be more like the way I wish Batman would be like. See, I don't play Batman video games for the very reason that those games are more fighting and less mystery solving. I love the Dark Knight more when he's the great detective as opposed to some sort of glorified mixed martial artist. And this version of the Question is an exciting detective written by a Batman legend! I just wish he had better dialogue.

The scripts read like really bad imitations of Philip Marlowe. The plots are great. But Vic Sage's dialogue both in and out of costume are full of really bad jokes and even worse attempts at being R-rated without totally going full-on explicit.

The artwork is by Denys Cowan. It's gritty, sexy and pretty darn glorious. But man, did DC editors seem to let some things slide. In one issue, Vic notices an attractive co-worker eating a bar of fudge. When Cowan shows her eating the confection, well let's say- that's not how you eat fudge... And no, you don't have to have a dirty mind to make the true connection.

I really liked what I read. I'd love to read more. No way in heck am I going to pay the prices Amazon sellers are asking for the companion volumes. They're out of print and asking prices are about $50 per volume. There's an omnibus, almost 1000 pages in length. I might be persuaded to purchase it, if I could find a copy for less than a $2.00 discount off the cover price.

This version of the Question is gritty and very smart. But it's also cheesy. It's 80s cheese; so it's a good cheese. But it's also something that unless the price is right, something that I won't be reading further adventures anytime soon.

[Chuck Ventura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume starts out strong, with the first two issues featuring some great moral ambiguity - really makes you question what it means to be "good" or "bad" in a corrupt world. They're probably my favorite issues out of this series so far. The volume loses some steam in the middle with a three-part story that doesn't benefit from being stretched out this long. A decent mystery story ends this volume on an okay note. I love what O'Neil has done with The Question. The stories are definitely stronger when they're one-and-done mysteries within a single issue.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poisoned Ground is not terrible but its lacks the narrative cohesion found in volume 1. Though I know these stories take place in DC continuity, I find it hard to place what the rules are for Question stories. Most of Zen and Violence felt grounded, with Hub City feeling analogous to Gotham. This volume, however, involves a person whose soul is bonded with a wolf and a fat-phobic caricature who kills people for food. Most of the art is great, but it is clear O'Neil lost track of his overarching plot at this point.

[Luiz Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5
http://www.planocritico.com/category/...

[Jason Ragle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as good as the first volume. Maybe a better, as you see some of the hints be had dropped earlier come to fruition. Socially conscious superhero comics with mullets.

[Rajit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it's just dated, but I didn't really get the point of this book. I suppose it's fine, if you're already a fan of The Question.

[Ramón S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, I can't stand it anymore. I don't like the violence, the dialogues....
I thought this could be an interesting comic character but no

[Aliyu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.

[Dash Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine enough follow-up if maybe a bit more meandering. As always- O’Neils cited readings make this a much more interesting adventure

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Denny O'Neil/Denys Cown Question from the mid 80s.

Some good stuff here, but a couple of the stories meander a bit. Notable is the first appearance of Santa Prisca as an island of ill-repute. The subplot with the mayor and Vic's old girlfriend is great, but the first story, about a mobster who was raised by wolves, is rather silly although there is some great characterization at times.

Cowan's art is not the greatest here, IMO. Lots of odd faces and bodies, but he seems to have a great handle on martial arts and their poses.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arranqué la serie sin tener mucha idea de qué iba, gracias a que conseguí varios tacos muy baratos en Mar del Plata, y me terminé volviendo un gran fan de Vic Sage y compañía. En su momento fui consiguiendo los tomos al tuntún, y así mismo los fui leyendo.
Algún día debería pegarle una buena releída integral en orden cronológico.