THE BIG QUESTION
THE BIG QUESTION
Real Name: E. (Edward) Nigma Fisk
Identity/Class: Extra-dimensional (Earth-Amalgam) human
Occupation: Mayor of New Gotham City / Crimelord
Affiliations: Deadeye (Bill Lawton); Lethal (Sergei Minerva); Wired (Nathan Chase); I Ching; Doctor Strangefate (Charles Xavier) (possibly)
Enemies: Catsai (Elektra Kyle); Dare (Slade Murdock); Jimmy Urich; Doctor Strangefate (Charles Xavier)
Known Relatives: none
Aliases: The Kingpin of Riddles, Big Q
Base of Operations: Arkham Tower, New Gotham
First Appearance: Assassins#1 (February, 1996); Dare the Terminator#7 (in Amalgam continuity)
Powers/Abilities: Thanks to years of training and discipline, the Big Question is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combatant. These fighting skills, coupled with unusual agility for a man his size, compensate for Fisk's lack of superhuman strength when engaged in unarmed combat. The Big Question is a respected practitioner of Judo, taught to him by a blind man who goes by the name of I Ching. Although the Big Question is a brilliant Machiavellian strategist, he is somewhat limited by his obsession to undermine his own success by planting clues to his next move, alerting his enemies to his traps and schemes.
History:
(Assassins
#1 (fb)) - Edward Nigma Fisk was elected the Mayor of New Gotham, despite
the fact that he had a record as a convicted felon. As the "big man"
in the city of New Gotham, Fisk reigned as the quizmaster crimelord
supreme.
(Assassins#1 (fb)) - The Big Question captured the meddlesome
assassin known as Dare (Slade Murdock) and subjected her to a "government"
experiment. Calling her a "daredevil", the Big Question had
his surgeons implant two horns on her head so that she could look more like
a true daredevil. The radioactive chemicals used in the experiment
caused Dare to permanently loose her eyesight.
(Dare the Terminator
#7) - The Big Question made his first on-panel appearance
and faced off against his old nemesis, Dare.
(Assassins#1 (bts)) - Years later, facing mounting rumors
that he was under the influence of the mysterious mystic known as
Doctor Strangefate (who also resided
within Arkham Tower), the Big Question devised a brilliant plan to rid himself
of Dare and Catsai while at the same time save his tarnished reputation.
Keeping his identity a secret, he hired Dare and Catsai to come to Arkham
Tower and assassinate the Big Question. He would then have Dare and
Catsai killed and claim that Dr. Strangefate enchanted them to murder the
Big Question. By butchering Dare and Catsai, the Big Question would
thus cause his reputation to be reborn and prove to New Gotham's public that
he was New Gotham's true power. And even if Dare and Catsai did manage
to kill him, then at least the Big Question would be killed in a fight and
not as some magician's stooge.
(Assassins
#1 (bts)) - The Big Question hired three of
New Gotham's top assassins, Deadeye (Bill
Lawton), Lethal (Sergei
Minerva) and Wired (Nathan
Chase), and instructed them to kill Dare
and Catsai when they came to Arkham Tower to make their hit.
(Assassins#1 ) - "Political Suicide" - As Dare and Catsai battled their way to the top of the Arkham Tower skyscraper, the Big Question watched them on a security monitor from the comfort of his penthouse suite on the 107th Floor as he eagerly anticipated their arrival.
Later, the Big Question was watching the WNGN News when reporter Jimmy Urich came on air with an editorial. Urich criticized the Big Question's corrupt administration and asked why New Gotham has a convicted felon in office. Finally, Urich suggested that the Big Question was being manipulated by the mysterious Dr. Strangefate, and claimed that the only reason Fisk got elected was so that Strangefate could play puppet-master. Infuriated, the Big Question smashed his television screen to pieces with his bare fist.
Dare
and Catsai eventually reached the 107th Floor where they were confronted
by the jovial Big Question, who revealed to them that it was he who hired
them to kill him. The Big Question spelled out his grand scheme: he
would kill Dare and Catsai and claim to New Gotham's public that Doctor
Strangefate enchanted the assassins to murder their beloved mayor.
By butchering Dare and Catsai, his reputation would be reborn.
An enraged Dare leapt forward with her sword drawn. But
it was a trap -- a metal door slammed shut between Dare and Catsai, leaving
Dare and the Big Question alone in one-one-one combat. The Big Question
blocked all of Dare's attacks and then ripped the surgically-implanted horns
from her head, leaving the female assassin for dead. The Big Question
then prepared to do the same to Catsai, who was still on the other side of
the metal door. But Catsai had other plans. She had one of her
pet cats sneak through a ventilation duct and plant an explosive device on
the other side of the door. As the Big Question approached the door,
the device exploded, shredding the Big Question's clothing and tearing a
huge whole in the door. With the Big Question still reeling from the
blast, Catsai used her ninja skills to make short work of New Gotham's
mayor. But rather than killing the Big Question, she hung him from
the antennae at the top of Arkham Tower and called Jimmy Urich. The
negative publicity stemming from Jimmy Urich's front page exposé seriously
damaged the Big Question's political career.
Comments: created by Dan Chichester, Scott McDaniel, and Derek Fisher
Key:
Marvel characters are listed in regular, or bold black type.
DC characters are listed
in bold blue type.
Amalgam characters are
listed in bold purple type.
In case you're confused, Amalgam Comics didn't really exist beyond those seen in the few DC/Marvel cross-over. The titles you don't recognize are amalgams of similar Marvel and DC comics--Snood.
Special thanks to Ivan
Schablotski for providing me with the Amalgam Comics Trading Cards
that I didn't already have!
 The Gotham
Bugle
The Gotham Bugle is one of New
Gotham's major newspapers and is run by
J. Jonah White.
Jimmy Urich's front page exposé
bringing to light the Big Question's (E. Nigma
Fisk) activities severely damaged the mayor's reputation and political
career. The Gotham Bugle is an amalgam of The Daily Bugle of the Marvel Universe and The Gotham Gazette of the DC Universe. -- Assassins#1 |
I Ching is a blind man
who taught the Big Question (E. Nigma
Fisk) the martial art of Judo
I Ching is an Amalgam Universe version of I Ching of the DC Universe.
-- Assassins#1
 Jimmy Urich
Jimmy Urich is an investigative television / newspaper reporter based in New Gotham and a constant thorn in the Big Question's side. In ASSASSINS #1, he gave an editorial report on WNGN News criticizing the Big Question's mayoral administration. Furthermore, Urich suggested that the Big Question was being manipulated by the mysterious Dr. Strangefate, and claimed that the only reason Fisk got elected was so that Strangefate could play puppet-master.
Later, Jimmy Urich received a tip from
Catsai (Elektra Kyle) that led him to
discover a badly beaten Big Question hanging from an antennae on the top
of Arkham Tower. Jimmy Urich's story made the front page of the
Gotham Bugle and
seriously damaged the Big Question's reputation and political career.
Jimmy Urich is an amalgam of Ben Urich of the Marvel Universe and James "Jimmy" Olsen of the DC Universe. -- Assassins#1 |
J. Jonah White
J. Jonah White is the editor-in-chief of the Gotham Bugle.
J. Jonah White is an amalgam of J. Jonah Jameson of the Marvel Universe and Perry White of the DC Universe.
-- Assassins#1
Profile by Skullogeist
If you like the Amalgam stuff, Skullogeist recommends these two sites:
http://www.geocities.com/schablotski.geo/Center.htm
http://www.io.com/~woodward/chroma/amalgam.html
CLARIFICATIONS:
Also assume that the Amalgam characters have no other connection to any others than whom they are Amalgamated, unless specifically mentioned.
The Big Question is an amalgam of:
The Kingpin of Earth-616, Wilson Fisk, @ Amazing Spider-Man (vol. I)#50
The Riddler of the mainstream DC Universe,
Edward Nigma, @ Detective Comics (vol. I)#140
No known connections to, and not to be confused with
White Whale, a New York City cocaine
kingpin, @ Amalgam Comics Power Blast Card#7
The Gotham Bugle has no known connection to:
The Daily Bugle, a New York City newspaper, @ Spider-Boy#1
The Gotham Gazette, another New Gotham
newspaper, @ Legends of the Dark Claw#1
Jimmy Urich has no known connection to:
James "Jimmy" Olsen, editor-in-chief
of the Daily Planet and former sidekick to Super-Soldier, @
Super-Soldier#1
J. Jonah White has no known connection to:
J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of
the Daily Bugle, @ Spider-Boy#1
Last
updated: 06/06/03
Any Additions/Corrections? please
let me
know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
All characters mentioned or pictured are ™
and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc or DC Comics.
All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real
thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at:
http://www.marvel.com