Mikado (comics) pattern, and the Question tracked him down. Their conversation touched Dr. Spaulding deeply, and he injected himself with a poison intended for the Question. By the time the Question had recovered from the Mikado's opiate injection, the Mikado had disappeared completely. He has not appeared since then. The Mikado's name was taken from that of the Gilbert & Sullivan opera of the same name, and his chant is a line of a song sung by The Mikado, the Emperor of Japan, in Act II. The name of his alter ego was taken from the Groucho Marx character, Captain Spaulding. Marx
The Mikado year in which a D'Oyly Carte company (or several of them) was not presenting it. "The Mikado" was revived again while "The Grand Duke" was in preparation. When it became clear that that opera was not a success, "The Mikado" was given at matinees, and the revival continued when "The Grand Duke" closed after just three months. In 1906–07, Helen Carte, the widow of Richard D'Oyly Carte, mounted a repertory season at the Savoy, but "The Mikado" was not performed, as it was thought that visiting Japanese royalty might be offended by it. However, it was included in Mrs. Carte's