Frontlist | 5 DC Properties That Should Return From Comic Limbo

Frontlist | 5 DC Properties That Should Return From Comic Limbo
on Mar 11, 2021

In the DC Universe, characters don't die; they merely end up in Limbo, a metafictional state where characters who are not in use are said to reside. First introduced in 1985 by Keith Giffen in Ambush Bug #3, the concept was reintroduced by Grant Morrison in Animal Man #25 in 1990 and later revisited by Superman during Final Crisis.

Characters enter the Limbo in many ways, including being killed or merely appearing in at least one issue and never being used again. In the DCU, residents who find themselves there are said to realize they are fictional characters and want more than anything to be written back into the comics. Some are lucky enough to escape the Limbo by being written into a book, thus forgetting the time spent in the realm.

Should Stay In Limbo: Starman Jack Knight Is Most Likely Fated To Be Trapped In Comic Limbo

Jack Knight was the reluctant superhero who was the youngest child of the Golden Age Starman, Ted Knight. Jack would become Starman only after his brother David was killed by the son of their father's enemy, The Mist. Jack realized that Opal City needed Starman, but did so in his style, forgo the standard superhero costume, opting instead using only the cosmic staff and anti-flare goggles to protect his eyes. Jack would eventually retire and pass the Cosmic Staff on to Courtney Whitmore, Stargirl.

Even though Jack has occasionally appeared in the DCU, the agreement that creator James Robinson has, DC stipulates that they cannot use Starman or any of the characters without his permission.

 

Should Return From Limbo: Returning The Great Ten From Limbo Would Open Up Many Storytelling Opportunities & Expand The Infinite Frontier Of The DCU

Introduced in the year-long event 52, The Great Ten is the government-sponsored superteam of the People's Republic of China, created by Grant Morrison, J. G. Jones, and Joe Bennett. Led by their field leader August General in Iron, this team of super-functionaries each has different abilities, many of which were either reverse-engineered from alien technology or connected to Chinese myths. Before Flashpoint, the Great Ten had a nine-issue series focusing on the origins of the various members, with only August General in Iron returning in the New 52. Various members of the team make brief cameos in the New Super-Man Rebirth series and are mentioned in The Doomsday Clock.

Should Stay In Limbo: The Chances Are That The Sovereign Seven Will Remain In Limbo

In April of 1995, writer Chris Claremont returned to his first regular comic series after leaving Marvel's X-Men by creating The Sovereign Seven with artist Dwayne Turner. The series, which ran for 36 issues, was the first creator-owned characters to be set in the DC Universe. The original group was formed by Cascade, Finale, Rampart, Reflex, Indigo, Network, and Cruiser; and later Power Girl.

Being that the characters, aside from Power Girl, are owned by Claremont, who would later return to Marvel after the series was canceled, the chances are that these characters will remain in Limbo, which is probably for the best as the concept and series were met with little fanfare.

Should Return From Limbo: Marvin & Wendy, In The Hands Of The Right Creator, Have Great Appeal & Potential

Marvin White and Wendy Harris were created by E. Nelson Bridwell, originally appearing in the Super Friends cartoon from the '70s; however, the two would make their DCU debut, courtesy of Geoff Johns. Johns would go on to kill Marvin and later reveal that the father of the two was The Calculator, with Wendy adopting the moniker of Proxy and teaming with Batgirl and Oracle. The two never returned to the DCU post-Flashpoint, being exiled to Limbo, where they currently reside. Like the Wonder Twins, who were introduced and made regular characters by Mark Russell, Marvin, and Wendy, in the hands of the right creator have similar appeal and potential.

Should Stay In Limbo: Vartox Is Best Left In Limbo

Vartox is a powerful alien from the planet Valeron in the Sombrero Galaxy, created by Cary Bates and Curt Swan, who appeared throughout the '70s as the occasional ally of Superman. In the Pre-Crisis DCU, Vartox lost his homeworld, finding a new world, and much like Superman, vows to use his super abilities to protect his new home. When on Earth, Vartox and Superman would vie for Lana Lang's affections after his wife, whose psychic twin on Earth dies, causing her to die also as they were biologically linked.

Vartox would later reappear during the New 52, deeply infatuated with Power Girl and trying to woo her into helping him repopulate his planet. While this version of the character worked for the '70s and the Power Girl story, Vartox is best left in Limbo.

Should Return From Limbo: His Brief Cameo Was Proof Enough That A Character Like Extraño Would Fit In Well In The Current DCU

Extraño is a magician in the DCU created by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton for the line-wide Millennium event of the late '80s and was one of the New Guardians. While never said outright on the comic page, Extraño is widely recognized as the first openly gay DC superhero, making him a controversial character, both with the readership and the publisher. Extraño would end up dying from HIV, which he contracted from Hemo-Goblin, an AIDS vampire. In 2016 he would appear in the Midnighter and Apollo miniseries by Steve Orlando as Gregorio De La Vega, his name before becoming Extraño. This brief cameo was proof enough that a character like Extraño would fit in well in the current DCU, not in Limbo, as part of the Justice League Dark.

Should Stay In Limbo: As Doomsday Clock Ended, Doctor Manhattan Restores The Justice Society's Original Story, Hopefully Banishing Earth-2 Society's Characters To Limbo Forever

In 2011, the Earth-2 Society rebooted the Golden Age Earth-2 heroes to coincide with the Earth-Prime heroes' concepts. James Robinson's reboot that Tom Taylor continued was based on the idea that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman died saving Earth-2 from Darkseid's invasion, leaving behind the world with no heroes. However, Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, and Kendra Saunders taking on the role of Wonders with new origin stories.

The Society grows as Power Girl and Huntress return to Earth-2 from Earth-Prime, Val-Zod became Superman, and other familiar yet different versions of classic characters appear. The series was eventually canceled and relaunched multiple times with little success.

Should Return From Limbo: Argus Would Be A Great Character To Bring Back From Limbo, So His Powers & Personality Could Be Further Explored

During the '90s, DC Comics had summer line-wide events introducing new characters to the universe; the 1993 Bloodlines event was the perfect example, introducing some interesting characters that have faded into Limbo but need to come back. Along with Garth Ennis' Hitman, Argus was one of the characters who would continue making appearances after his debut in the Flash Annual v2, #6.

Created by Mark Waid and Phil Hester, Nick Kelly, an undercover federal agent, was attacked by the Bloodlines Parasite, allowing him to turn invisible in shadows and see the microwaves and infrared spectrums.

Should Stay In Limbo: Characters Like Geist Are Best Left In Limbo Because, For The Most Part, They Aren't Exciting Nor Are Characters That Readers Care About

For every Hitman or Argus, there are more than enough characters that should stay lost in Limbo. Geist created by Chuck Dixon and Jim Balent during the Bloodlines event is an excellent example of the type of forgotten characters. After appearing in Detective Comics Annual #6, Dwayne Geyer, Geist's alter ego retires, but returns during Infinite Crisis only to be blasted and killed by Superboy-Prime.

In Final Crisis: Superman Beyond, when Superman finds himself in Limbo, Giest can be seen with the rest of the unlucky characters of yesteryear.

Should Return From Limbo: Zauriel Should Return From Limbo Because He Is A Versatile Character Who Can Take On Many Roles In A Story, Especially Those In The Universe's Magical Corner

Zauriel first appeared in issue six of Grant Morrison's JLA #6, saving Aquaman's life as the team fought an angelic invasion led by Asmodel, King-Angel of the Bull Host. Created by Morrison, who originally wanted to name him Hawkman, but was not allowed by DC's editorial staff, Zauriel, would renounce his place in Heaven and join the JLA as their magic expert. After a stint with the League, Zauriel would leave the League, making cameo appearances as an advisor to the DCU heroes. He would briefly return during the New 52, but not how he was used before the relaunch. Read more: https://www.frontlist.in/frontlist-iron-mans-addiction-is-threatening-his-life-in-marvel-comics/