One might expect, given The Question: All Along The Watchtower #1 stars Renee Montoya and is written by lauded crime novelist Alex Segura that this would be a noir-inflected, moody DC Comics tale. And in some sections, it is. But what’s most surprising about this premiere issue is that Segura manages to inject a mystery into the middle of the superhero world of the DC All In status quo, deftly balancing the two tones.
Here’s the gist of the plot: after getting fired from her job on the Gotham PD, Renee Montoya gets a new opportunity… The Justice League wants her to be the head of security for the new, city-sized Justice League Watchtower. There’s a specific reason for recruiting her though, particularly because you wouldn’t expect a bunch of superheroes would need security… Someone, or something is attacking the Watchtower.
The plot moves briskly throughout here, providing a simple introduction to both Montoya and the new Justice League status quo. It also, per the mystery aspects, provides an array of potential suspects without pointing the finger in any particular direction (though I have my suspicions) about who is probing the Justice League’s defenses. It’s a great first issue, as is the ethos of DC All In, that you can hand to anyone with no prior experience in The Question, or even DC Comics.
The most unexpected aspect of the issue, though (at least for me) is that there’s a fair amount of superhero style fisticuffs as well. This isn’t Renee punching a suspect in a dark alley on the Watchtower; it’s a full on superheroes versus supervillain fight, with — mild spoilers — Renee figuring out how to stop the baddie when there are already hundreds of superheroes on board. It’s a simple way of explaining why Montoya, a human with a blank mask and no superpowers, belongs on board. Yes, there’s a mystery to solve, but there are also plenty of detectives in the DC Universe… You may have heard of that Batman guy, for example. So why Montoya? Here’s why.
Don’t worry, there’s also a lot more to what’s going on including a cliffhanger ending that kicks off the mystery in earnest, and raises the stakes considerably. If you’re a fan of crime comics, superhero comics, or just darn good stories, there’s no question here: The Question: All Along The Watchtower is the book for you.
The Question: All Along The Watchtower #1 Rating:
The Question: All Along The Watchtower #1 Official Synopsis:
Who watches the Watchtower? In the wake of Absolute Power, the Justice League Unlimited has created a haven for all heroes — but can they keep it secure? Enter Renee Montoya, reeling from an abrupt end to her time in Gotham and looking for a place to hang her hat. But the Trinity didn’t bring her up to the Watchtower to relax — there’s a dark threat bubbling underneath the surface, and only the Question and her ad hoc support team stand a chance of figuring out who the problem is before it’s too late.
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