The vigilante the Question appeared faceless because of a Pseudoderm Mask.
History
Origin
Pseudoderm was created by scientists Aristotle Rodor and Arby Twain for usage as a perfect, invisible skin-imitating bandage. The material was found toxic, however, on open wounds, and the project was scrapped.
Years later Dr. Twain, in a spot of bad luck financially, attempted to sell the bandage to a third world country. At the same time, Vic Sage, investigative journalist, had done an incorrectly informed report on the news about Dr. Twain killing patients in his medical practice. Worried his invention would be responsible for the deaths of thousands, Rodor, seeing Sage's report on the news about Twain, visited him and told him about Twain's actual illegal activities. Sage offered to break into Twain's apartment to find incriminating evidence, and because he would surely be recognized as a TV figure, Rodor volunteered the Pseudoderm as a mask to hide his identity.
Pseudoderm could be used as a feature hiding mask, because it was not toxic as long as there were no open wounds. Sage, donning what would later become his outfit as The Question, waited outside Twain's window and listened to him talk to his accomplices, before bursting in and in a fit of rage subduing all of them with his fists. He then took the men's clothes and tied them up in their own Psuedoderm, found and photographed the necessary evidence, and called the police. That night he redeemed himself on the air.
Usage
The Question Mask perfectly hides the features of its wearer, making it seem as though the face is non-existent, and completely covered in skin. It does not impede breathing or eyesight. The mask is hidden in an easily concealable belt. The balled up pseudoderm is in the buckle, where it can be easily removed and rolled out to cover the face.
A special chemical applied to the face that mimics aftershave, when combined with a gas released from the belt, makes the mask stick to the face so fast that it cannot be taken off by hand or any conventional means. A second spray of gas makes it come off. It has, however, been shown to also fall off dependent on the conditions of its wearer in extreme situations. For example, when The Question was buried up to his neck in dirt for three days in the cold and rain by a rogue American military faction in The Question #14, his body chemistry changed so much that the mask fell off of its own accord.
With special chemically treated clothing and shampoo, the gas that sprays from the belt also alters the hair color of its wearer, and the color of their outfit. This is why Vic Sage is blonde, and The Question is a brunette. Also, whereas Sage often walks around wearing turquoise, The Question wears blue.
Ownership
Before he died during the events of 52, Vic Sage trained himself a replacement in GCPD detective Renee Montoya. She now holds the Question Mask and Title.
See Also
- Appearances of Question's Mask
- Item Gallery: Question's Mask
- Images featuring Question's Mask