The Question | Vic Sage | Renee Montoya

The journal of Renee Montoya made several appearances across the internet over the past few days. I’ve found at least the following recipients:

• Matt Brady at Newsarama
• Matt Olsen at ComicBloc
• Joe Field at Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff
• Douglas Wolk at Savage Critic
• Eric Newsom at VicSage.com

Wait…wha?

Yep, that’s right. We here at the world’s greatest (and only) Question fansite got to take part in the mystery with not one, but two Montoya journals. We’re painstakingly chronicling the contents of these journals for the site, and when we’re done with our comparative studies, one of the two will be auctioned off on eBay with the profits going to a comic-related charity.

In other awesome journal-related news, the folks over at ComicBloc have been deputized by the White King Bishop to decipher a code apparently hidden in the pages of the Crime Bible mini-series! And what can the decoder expect as a reward for her or his efforts?

…Stay tuned here in the next few weeks for the answer to that question!

One autumn afternoon, shortly before the publication of Crime Bible #2, I heard a sharp knock. I got up, slipped my shoes on, and walked to the door. By the time I got there, I could see the delivery truck driving off down the road. At my feet, stowed between my screen door and storm door, was a package containing the journal of Renee Montoya.

Douglas Wolk, who also found a Montoya journal, wrote of the journal as an artifact from a fictional dimension that shouldn’t exist in our world. I’m not sure what to think, but I know it’s a mystery — and as my old pal Encyclopedia Brown will vouch, I love a good mystery.

I’ve set up this page as a place to chronicle my dissections of the journal(s) so that you can take part in the process too.

PAGE CONTENTS:

• Photos of journal + artifacts
• Artifacts scans pt. I - The Question in Barcelona
• Artifacts scans pt. II - Darkseid’s Bitch
• Artifacts scans pt. III - The investigation continues
• Transcript of journal entries

OTHER COPIES:

• Matt Brady at Newsarama
• Joe Field at Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff
• Matt Olsen at ComicBloc
• Douglas Wolk at Savage Critic

Inside Cover:

Property of R. Montoya

Page 1:

High Madame’s Binding (unlikely)

Prophet’s Codex

Sana’a Edition

Bastard’s Folio (unlikely)
Miser’s Edition (Check British Museum)

Fitzgerald’s “Modern” Interpretation (Tot says talk to O’Neill at Metropolis U.)

Køller Commentary (unconfirmed)

Page 2:

Mannheim=prophet

A’Daire=High Madame (“pope” or high priest)

Where is the High Madame?

Is she gone for good?

A church can survive without a Pope; can it survive without a leader?

?

Read the rest of this entry »

Boarding pass on Ferris Global Airways back to Barcelona.

Gotham Gazette International Edition about Barcelona hotel fire. Montoya’s notes speculate that she was the target.

Telegram from Tot (in Nanda Parbat) to Montoya (in Leipzig).

IM conversation between (I’m assuming) Renee and Tot, using the LexChat interface.

Lyrics sheet for the Darkseid’s Bitch song, “Ashes All Fall Down.” Notes by Montoya.

Flyer for Darkseid’s Bitch show — “The Weeping Mothers, Crying Daughters Tour.”

Darkseid’s Bitch set list from final show (including a Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds cover!).

Ticket from final Darkseid’s Bitch show at the Dirrrty Club in Coast City.

Coroner’s Report for Walter “Serration” Mintassa. Ruling: Drug overdose.

Toe tag from brown-covered journal. Cause of death: “Multiple gunshot wounds.” Comments: “Do not release; open investigation.”

Toe tag from black-covered journal. Cause of death: “Overdose.” Comments: “Release to next-of-kin; Investigation closed.”

The front side of the page from the Fitzgerald translation of the Crime Bible.

The back side of the same page.

Photograph of the Daughters of Lilith “convent” in Barcelona.

Surveillance photograph of the Question from brown-covered journal.

Surveillance photo of the Question from the black-covered journal (appear to be part of the same sequence–note the location).

The cover of the black journal.

The cover of the brown journal (apologies for the blur).

Flyer for Darkseid’s Bitch concert — pristine, uncreased version accompanying black journal. Brown journal’s flyer was folded inside.

A yellowed page from the Crime Bible, with Montoya’s notes on some sort of code.

A photo of the Daughters’ “convent” in Barcelona, Spain.

A surveillance photo of the Question, from the “convent” maybe?

A lyrics sheet for the Darkseid’s Bitch song, “Ashes All Fall Down.” Notes by both “Serration” and Montoya.

Darkseid’s Bitch setlist. Again, notes by both “Serration” and Montoya.

Ticket to Darkseid’s Bitch show at Dirrrty Club in Coast City. $14.00.

Coroner’s report for Walter “Serration” Mintassa.

Toe tag from Walter “Serration” Mintassa, open investigation version.

Bullets and pills. But which one killed Serration?

Boarding pass from Ridge-Ferrick airlines for Renee M. Montoya — departing from Leipzig-Halle for El-Prat.

“14 Killed in Barcelona Hotel Blaze” — The cover of the Gotham Gazette!

Telegram from Tot, still in Nanda Parbat.

IM conversation (via LexChat, no less) between Tot and Montoya as Renee tries to track down the multiple editions of the Crime Bible.

Check out the latest from Savage Critic Douglas Wolk:

Despite Countdown, I do like it when artifacts that ought to belong to one world end up in another. Yesterday, Greg Rucka dropped off a document that had come into his possession while he was working on the Crime Bible miniseries (of which the second issue comes out Thursday): Montoya’s Moleskine, a bulging notebook that reminded me a bit of several Dennis Wheatley and J.G. Links volumes. The pocket-sized notebook, besides copious handwritten notes on Montoya’s investigation of the Dark Faith, includes a bunch of inserts

Below is a scan of a telegram sent from Tot to Renee. Best of all, Douglas hints that a copy may turn up on my doorstep as well! More on that if and when it happens!

From Newsarama.com:

GOTHAM UNDERGROUND #2
WRITTEN by Frank Tieri
Art by J. Calafiore & Jack Purcell
Cover by J. Calafiore
A COUNTDOWN and SALVATION RUN tie-in! The power struggle for control of Gotham’s crime network continues as a new player challenges Penguin for leadership. Meanwhile, Batman goes deep undercover. Plus, guest appearances by Nightwing, Riddler, Mr. Zsasz, Ventriloquist and Scarface!
On sale November 28 • 2 of 9 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

For more preview pages of Gotham Underground #2 Click Here.

Speaking of Sturdy Steve, he turns 80 years old today! Here’s hoping he has a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, and that the two flavors don’t run together!

To celebrate the momentous occasion, here’s a picture of Mr. A that I drew recently for our forum member of the same name: