The Best DC Comic You've Never Heard Of

2. The Philosophy

The driving force behind O'Neil's Question is the idea of the imperfect hero. To begin with, Sage is journalist who thinks himself invincible; he tells fiery stories on the network, and slinks out at night to fight crime. Being a hero without powers, O'Neil takes this to its only natural conclusion - by having Sage die in a fight with the DCU's most fearsome fighter, Lady Shiva.

From that point on, Vic Sage spends the next 40 or so issues learning. O'Neil introduced many of the philosophical texts he himself was reading at the time, and recommended them to readers of the book in the series' letters pages. For Zen and Violence, that book was Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and the writer would weave other novels into his later arcs too.

This wasn't just another 'flavour of the week' comic (not that there's anything wrong with those of course), or an over-stuffed angst-filled series either - it had a genuine message. Sage rebranded as a peaceful, spiritual avenger; as one of the DC mythos' foremost minds and martial artists, and as one determined to take a stand against the worst excesses of eighties America - political extremism and corruption being the two most notable examples. (As a side, Hub City became the worst place to be in the DCU at this point, surpassing even Gotham in terms of seediness - so Vic had his work cut out.)

By its conclusion, you truly get the sense that Vic has grown, and it's a transformation unlike any other in the superhero genre.