Hi all!
This is Kevin Baker, taking over for my estranged brother, Chet
Baker. Seems that, against the advice he received from many
friends, he insisted on binging on a mixture of fun dip and
Yoo-Hoo chocolate beverage…with nasty results. The shock
sent what sanity he had left into a sort of limbo. Which brings
us to our topic…
Now…normally my big illegitimate bro would pick a topic
that was a little more tangible…but in honor of his lost
sanity, our Baker's Dozen list for the month of February is…DC
Heroes in Limbo!
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HONORABLE
MENTION:
Elongated Man - Would have easily made the top 12, but
editor Michael Hutchison thinks this character should stay safely
in limbo until HE can write for DC. After all, do we really
want Ron Marz attempting to make Ralph Dibny interesting?
Guy Gardner - Oddly, when we talk about how Ron Marz
really screwed over Hal Jordan, we forget how popular Guy was
until the fallout from "Emerald Twilight".
Thunder & Lightning - Like many Marv Wolfman leftovers,
this duo dropped off the face of DC Earth.
Animal Man - Morrison took a title that could've been
canceled faster than Brother Power, The Geek and made
it one of the most-talked-about comics of the late 80s.
Polar Boy - He started as the joke leader of the Legion
Subs and rose to become leader of the actual Legion. Let's get
him back in the rebooted LSH.
Dan Dynamite - What can we say? We loved the Young All-Stars!
Nuklon - Gosh-darn-it, he's one of the nicest guys around.
He's loyal, honest, devoted to his Jewish heritage… and
his powers go beyond the standard "big, muscle-bound member
of the team." So forget those last miserable years of the previous
JLA… get him on the new team!
Red Star - Haven't seen him since his membership in New
Titans.
Rocket Red #4 - Hokey Smokes! The end of the Cold War
was great for the real world, but our entertainment sure has
suffered. Espionage films are passe, Boris and Natasha are out
of work…and the Rocket Reds are an anachronism. The Rocket
Reds made for a great menace…and Rocket Red #4 was a devoted
member of the Justice League. Let's bring back Dimitri and his
Apokoliptian armor as his own hero with a non-commie name.
L.E.G.I.O.N. - Regardless of whether they have their
own book, the team still exists under the leadership of Captain
Comet and should be showing up more often. Perhaps when Starman
goes into space…?
Captain Comet - DC's first mutant superhero, Comet hs
the unique position of being an active superhero long after
the JSA went into retirement and long before Superman's first
appearance. Isn't that concept rife with possibilities? Captain
Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew - What ARE they up to? (Let's
hope you read the proposal for a new Zoo Crew comic in this
issue.)
Gentlemen Ghost - Okay, not a hero (at least, he isn't
now that his Hawkman appearances were retconned away)…but
he's got a unique look and a lot of panache. Why isn't he showing
up somewhere?
Adam Strange - Another fun character destroyed by an
attempt at "making him realistic." If anyone finds a way to
renew Hawkman, they should throw Adam in for good measure! |
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The
Top Twelve
12 Onyx
- OK…I am starting obscure here. This was a African-American
female martial arts hero introduced in the Green Arrow mythos
years ago. She was a back-up feature for a little while…and
alas…she isn't even that now. Its hard to describe why
she should be brought out of limbo…I guess you will just
have to go find her back up features, if you really want to
know.
11 Captain
Atom - It seems these days, until Bob Layton's mini-series
debuts, the Charlton Heroes are just languishing in DCU limbo.
Captain Atom is no stranger to this place, as a creation of
a writer and as a character in the DCU. His military back-story
is a great asset…but…as is the case with many limbo
victims…he is weighed down with massive baggage from his
last outing. Monarch, anyone? Yuck!
10 Robotman
- Oh…the classics…they never di…what? He hasn't
seen the printed page in how long? Last time he did, he was
a twisted, psychotic Robotman at the end of THE GOLDEN AGE?
Oh…well…that is not the Cliff I want to sermonize
here. I want the faithful member of All-Star Squadron/Doom Patrol
(I know there is Robotman I and II, but I never could discern
much difference in their portrayal). The classic look…the
feeling of him being pulled out of the 50s vision of what a
robotic man would look like…the tie to another generation
of comic book heroes (and fans).
9 Flying
Fox - The Young All-Stars…I have some fond memories
of this book. It seems there aren't as many people with these
fond memories since they seem to have been all but forgotten.
The character of the Flying Fox always seemed to be one of great
(say it with me, folks) POTENTIAL. A young shaman deriving his
powers from the beliefs of his culture…using them in a
world that is, for the most part, ignorant to those beliefs.
If a writer like Ostrander or Morrison could write his stories…since
they have no fear of examining cultures and beliefs (even when
controversial)…hoo boy…it would be a wild ride.
8 Timber
Wolf - Sure…it seems like EVERYONE loves the LSH reboot.
In truth, I have nothing bad to say about it. But it does seem
a shame that a character that was such a fan favorite (from
what I have been able to gather from some newsgroups and message
boards) has to spend so much time in limbo. Of course, the one
good thing the reboot did for him is make it possible to completely
forget his time as a big pile of fur in later years!
7 Aztek
- Morrison and Millar sure wrote a weird book with this character.
Well…maybe weird is too strong a term…and carries
too many negative connotations. All I know is the character
was definitely good, in a new situation, and had the action
taking place in a city rich with strange and bizarre goings-on.
One-shots have been scheduled, I believe…so hopefully we
will hear more from Grant's baby.
6 Blue
Beetle - Once again….another Charlton Hero on the list.
IMHO, Blue Beetle has been, at his best, the DCU version of
Spider-man. Sure…he has no powers…but he has that
flippant attitude that Spidey used to have. Of course, it is
important that you realize I am talking about how he was treated
in his solo series (drawn by Paris Cullins and, I believe, written
by Len Wein (I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong!
<g>)). I think we could all use a dose of their Blue Beetle
these days.
5 Blue
Devil - Another character missed for the type of stories
he was involved in as much as his own character. Daniel Patrick
Cassidy had his own series that had a flare for humor. Humor
(kid-friendly humor) seems to be something missing in
DC's mainstream comics. But of course, like what was the case
with Captain Atom, he has been changed in a way that has only
served to give him unneeded baggage. What…didn't Mark Waid
get the memo that "grim and gritty" was on the way
out before he gave Blue Devil that over-haul?
4 Damage
- Once again…buzz words here are: potential…ties to
another generation of heroes…ties to the Golden Age (through
his genes, that is). Damage was a character whose series was
canceled right out from under him when they had just gotten
to the good stuff. The genes of so many golden and silver age
super-heroes combined together, held together by the alien tissue
extracted from J'Onn J'Onzz (The Martian Manhunter), in some
twisted experiment by Vandal Savage. If that doesn't sound interesting
to you…well…I don't know what would!
3 Hawkman
- This character is LITERALLY in limbo. Not just one Hawkman,
but due to some weird amalgamation of all the Hawk Avatars of
old, ALL of the Hawkmen that ever were. How? Oh…forget
it…I don't even know anymore. And that…is the real
reason he is in limbo: almost nobody could figure out exactly
what had happened to Hawkman or, at times, what was going on
with him now. That should never happen in a comic book. These
things have to be written so adults AND kids can understand
them (unless its one of them "FOR MATURE AUDIENCES"
things). I am certain that Hawkman has some of those fun, easy-to-understand
stories left in him…waiting for some good writer to come
along.
2 Swamp
Thing - Oh….how cheated mainstream DCU fans were when
Swamp Thing was pirated away to the Vertigo universe. The magic
and elemental aspects he brought to the DCUniverse every month
are sorely missed in today's DCU. Now…even his Vertigo
series is dead and suffering in limbo. It is time to go forth
into that limbo…retrieve him…and restore him to his
proper place in the DCU.
and….the character most undeserving of DCU Limbo…
1 Black
Lightning - Ah…Jefferson Pierce. An Olympic hero deserves
better than limbo. Tony Isabella deserved better than to have
some editor insist he have Mr. Lightning kill someone. Black
Lightning was once up for a membership in the JLA in a story
that was CLASSIC from the moment it hit the press. He deserves
another shot because the only reason his last chance got killed
was because of problems at DC editorial. And that, my friends,
is the most cruel reason to spend an eternity in DCU limbo.
Black Lightning has plenty of good stories left in him…he
is just waiting for a good (Tony Isabella) writer (Tony Isabella)
to come (Tony Isabella) along. A pretty good (Eddie Newell)
artist (Eddie Newell) wouldn't hurt either. :-) |
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As
Easily Spotted As Bigfoot
Vixen - Recently spotted in the new Hawk and Dove mini,
although the writer's under the misconception that she actually changes
into animals
Firestorm - There are possibly plans for him to receive
a new monthly before the end of the year
Firehawk - Seen as a card in Chase #1, there are plans
for her to join this hot, stylish new series.
Obsidian - Appearing in the new Green Lantern/Sentinel
mini.
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