Renee Montoya’s career as the Question reaches new heights… literally, as she finds herself stationed on the Justice League Watchtower. As someone who loved the journey writer Greg Rucka took her on and has also felt that she has sort of lacked a sense of stability since, does this new series put her on the right track for fresh and interesting stories?

So There’s This Show Called Justice League Unlimited

It is no secret that several of the DC All-in titles are taking heavy influence from the sequel series to the hit animated series Justice League. Well, one of the more popular breakout stars of Justice League Unlimited (at least to mainstream audiences) was the Question. Though it's a different version of the character under the mask, the fact that we get a new Question series to go along with the upcoming Justice League Unlimited comic is probably a reference to the character’s popularity on that show.

Unfortunately, the first issue does not make a very strong impression. Around three-quarters of the issue are exposition and setup, which can be extremely painful to get through as, if you are a Renee Montoya fan like me, stuff like her struggles with alcoholism or her losing the position of Commissioner is not new information. The setup is Wonder Woman introducing Renee to her new team, which also doubles down on informing the reader on how this new Watchtower is set up. Also, the Challengers of the Unknown are repurposed into support staff for the Watchtower (just like the show, get it ?!?!?)

We finally get something resembling a plot near the end of the issue as the armor of the supervillain Conduit targets Renee, which she deduces is part of a larger conspiracy. How she came to that conclusion just by looking at the empty carapace baffles me, but it is a superhero story. I guess it's safe to bet there’s always a larger conspiracy afoot, so I’m not sure how much credit she should get for guessing that one.

The art also does very little to stand out for me. While Romulo Fajardo Jr.’s colors are ok, the way certain characters are drawn can be extremely disconcerting at times. Poor Jaime Reyes is the worst example of this, as he’s seemingly aged twenty years in this book.

Recommended If

• You want to follow Renee Montoya as she goes on the next part of her journey
• You’re a fan of Justice League Unlimited
• You’re collecting all the DC All-in titles

Overall

The first issue of The Question: All Along the Watchtower (that is too wordy a title) does the bare minimum to set the character up, all the while stumbling and tripping all over itself like Montoya during her post-Gotham Central days. Hopefully, now that all the mandatory exposition is out of the way and the plot can move forward, things might improve. But that does not change the fact that this is a weak opening to a new series.

Score: 6/10