Victor Sage aka The Question
As the readers of Think McFly Think have seen, the staff here is fans of the superhero genre. We eagerly anticipate news about directors, writers, and actors for the live action adaptation of of our favorites, or try to guess which property will be adapted next. With announcement ranging from the Green Hornet, to Lobo, to Deadman, to Green Lantern, to Thor, to Spider-Man IV, clearly it's anyones guess. A crapshoot as they say.
Now, while movies based on comics have become the bread and and butter of the industry as evidenced by The Dark Knight's billion dollar box office, there is an area of immense opportunity that has been largely neglected. Televison. I mean, sure, we have Smallville based on the early adventure of a pre-Superman Clark Kent, entering its ninth season. Despite what you may think of it, Smallville is a highly successful show. You don't go nine seasons without being successful. DC's only other foray into live action televeison series, at least that I can remeber was the abysmal Birds of Prey. before continuing on with the article I'd like to note that I am focusing on the attempts during the comic movie boom which Lois and Clark pre-dates. Now, back to regularly scheduled programming.
I'm sure, that by now, our readers have all heard of the formationg of DCE (DC Entertainment) to be headed by Diane Nelson. In various interviews, Diane Nelson has spoken about what a large role the films play, but also expressed the desire to further the DC brand. That includes the aforementioned film branch, as well as video games, and televison series whether it be a cartoon or live action. Televison, specifically a live action series is what we're here to talk about today. When going through DC's myriad of characters how do you choose who should get a series, who should be saved for films, and who should stay on the printed page? Well, the first thing on an executives mind would be budget. So, instead of an alien superbeing traveling exotic worlds, you focus on the human vigilantes in an Earthly city. It's far more cost effective. Second, they'd look to see if the character has any name recognition, something that would spark a certain something in the average moviegoer or television viewer. It could be a simple as the mention of 'Gotham City' or a word, for instance 'Shazam!'. Thirdly you'd look to the fans and see who they're clamoring for, as their passion is what helped make comic book movies a summer blockbuster mainstay for close to a decade now. Yes, fellow fanboys I'd say at best we come in third when the execs are thinking what to adapt next.
By their nature, certain characters are suited to certain mediums. Now, you may have noticed by now that at the top of this article is a picture of Victor Sage aka The Question. Who is The Question you ask? He is Victor Sage a famous televison reporter in Hub City. He's highly outspoken and aggressive investigative journalist. Soon as he started getting tv time, he began an investgation of Dr Arby Twain. During his investigation, he was approached by his old professor, and scientist Aristotle Rodor. rodor tells Sage about an artifical skin called Pseudoderm that he's co-developed with Dr Twain. The Pseudoderm was/is a skin like bandage applied by a bonding gas. However, the gas had an unforseen toxicity that was occassionally fatal if applied to open wounds. With this revelation the scientists agree to abandon the project. There's one problem, though. Dr Twain wa sselling it millegally to third-world nations illegally without regard for human health. Eventually Rodor convinces Sage to use the Psuedoderm to hide his famous face and put a stop to Twains activities. Which he does, and then reports on Twain's illegal activities on tv. How does that sound for a first arc of a tv series?
For a second arc, I'd go with Sage's encounter with the worlds deadliest asassin, Lady Shiva. She watches as her thugs nearly beat him to death. Saving him from certain death because she believes he has a warriors spirit. Upon rescuing him she sends him to seek Richard Dragon, world renowned martial arts master, and Shiva's only equal. He does as she asks and eventually returns. They fight again, again she his superior and her telling him she was right about his warriors spirit, and he telling her perhaps he was simply curious to find out what would happen, which would make his sensei Richard Dragon corrcect in that he has an instiable urge to fulfil his curiosity.
During his return to Hub City, he'd start to investigate things he couldn't as Victor Sage. Seemingly random events would somehow be connected, at least in his mind through a vision of sorts. The more he'd investigate, the larger the conspiracy would become. he'd get more and more paranoid and withdrawn. Is he crazy, is the bonding gas a mild hallucinogen, or is he on to something that higher ups in the governmet don't want the public to know?
The very idea of seeing the weekly adventure of Victor Sage give me goossebumps up and down my arm. it could be a sort ox X-Files meets Batman hybrid, with obscure characters from Lady Shiva, to Richard Dragon, to Ben Turner (Bronze Tiger). As much as it excites me, could there be an even better choice for The Question as a series?
Rene Montoya as The Question
Enter Renee Montoya. She started life in Batman: The Animated Series, and was soon brought in the DCU, eventually gaining a leading role in Gotham Central. And recently, and by recently I mean within the last few years she has succeeded Victor Sage as The Question. He recruited her while he dying of lung cancer, which in the end did him in for good. Now, you might be thinking 'Why the hell would you choose a show about Questoya over Sage?' or-- 'How the hell could she be better suited for a series?'
Well let's start with the familarity of Gotham City. Everyone knows who and what is in Gotham. Now you have the viewers attention, and in the lead you have a Latina, lesbian, superhero. With those three things combined into a leading role for a strong character the media would be ablaze and have evreyone talking and wanting to see what happens on the show.
It could perhaps start with Vic, knowing that he is dying of lung cancer, and seeking a successor. This would lead him to former Gotham City Detective Renee Montoya, who is quitting the force after the murder of her partner by some psycho who broke out of Arkham Asylum. He mentors her until she reluctuntly puts on the faceless mask, just before his death, where she figths street level crime that's too dirty for Gotham's other heroes. Maybe should catch an Arthur Brown (CLueMaster) before he puts on the costume, or perhaps she can investigate a case that the Gotham City Police Departmetn dropped for seemingly no reason, with only a door shut in her face when she asked about it. just as with Victor in the lead, Renee as the main character could also bring some great cameos. A Harvey Bullock, a Lesli Thompkins, a Kate Kane. I could go on and on but will end here.
Surely a series based on The Question would be fanboy/fangirl bliss. But, do we go with Victor or Renee? That is the question.
Thu, September 17, 2009 
