| Limbo | |
|---|---|
 Limbo in Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1, art by Doug Mahnke. | |
| First appearance | Ambush Bug #3 (August 1985) |
| Characters | Ace the Bathound Chronos (Walker Gabriel) Gay Ghost Hardhat Heckler Merryman Nightblade Private Eyes Voice-Over |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
Limbo refers to a fictional location in books published by DC Comics. Limbo first appeared in Ambush Bug #3 (August 1985) and was created by Keith Giffen.
In Ambush Bug #3, Jonni DC mentions removing Wonder Tot from DC continuity having "dumped her in Limbo". [1] Ambush Bug later returns to Limbo in Son of Ambush Bug #6. [2]
In Animal Man #25 (July 1990), Grant Morrison reintroduces Limbo, a dimension inhabited by old characters seemingly abandoned or forgotten by their publishers. The comic depicted such characters as the Inferior Five, Mr. Freeze, and the Gay Ghost (who expressed a desire not to be revived). This comic was published in the wake of DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths , in which many historic comics were removed from continuity. This "comic book limbo" is a metafiction, based on the notion that any character who has not been published recently can be said to reside in "comic book limbo". [3]
Limbo reappeared decades later in Final Crisis: Superman Beyond, also by Morrison, as the world on the edge of the multiverse past the Graveyard Universe of Earth-51. [4] Merryman of the Inferior Five was still resident, and described himself as the "King of Limbo". In Superman Beyond, Limbo is shown to contain "the Library of Limbo", with only one book in it. That book was unreadable because it contains an infinite number of pages, all occupying the same space. Inhabitants of this Limbo include Merryman; various members of Hero Hotline; Walker Gabriel, the second Chronos (who seldom appeared after the end of his own miniseries); Hardhat, a villain who is the only surviving member of the Demolition Team after the OMAC Project crossover; and Ace the Bat-Hound, who disappeared after the events of No Man's Land , who is seen chasing Hoppy the Marvel Bunny. Also seen in the background is former Blood Pack member Nightblade. [5] In both Animal Man and Superman Beyond, Limbo is shown to contain an archway bearing the inscription "Facilis Discenus Averno" ("the road to Hell is easy").
In the Reign in Hell miniseries, Limbo is referred to as closely adjoining Purgatory, one of the nine Infernal Provinces of Hell, but it is uncertain if the mythological Limbo is identical with "comic book limbo".
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March 1986. As the main piece of a crossover event, some plot elements were featured in tie-in issues of other publications. Since its initial publication, the series has been reprinted in various formats and editions.
The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. DC superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lantern and Aquaman are from this universe, as well as teams such as the Justice League and the Teen Titans. It also contains well-known supervillains such as Lex Luthor, the Joker, Sinestro, Harley Quinn, Reverse-Flash, Darkseid, General Zod, Penguin, the Riddler, Catwoman, Ra’s al Ghul, Bane and Two-Face. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC continuity.
Grant Morrison, MBE is a Scottish comic book writer and playwright. They are known for their nonlinear narratives, humanist philosophy and countercultural leanings in their runs on titles including DC Comics's Animal Man, Doom Patrol, Batman, JLA, All-Star Superman, The Invisibles, Flex Mentallo, The Filth and We3, Marvel's New X-Men and 2000 AD's Zenith.
Hawkgirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in Flash Comics #1. Shayera Hol was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Joe Kubert, and first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #34. Kendra Saunders was created by writer David S. Goyer and artist Stephen Sadowski, and first appeared in JSA: Secret Files and Origins #1. One of DC's earliest super-heroines, Hawkgirl has appeared in many of the company's flagship team-up titles including Justice Society of America and Justice League of America.
Ambush Bug is a fictional superhero character who has appeared in several comic books published by DC Comics. His real name is supposedly Irwin Schwab, but he has mental problems that prevent him from truly understanding reality around him, so even his true identity might be no more than a delusion on his part. His origin is disputed, although the most commonly accepted origin is that Brum-El of the planet Schwab sent his clothes from his supposedly doomed planet, hoping that his wardrobe would survive, only to have it intercepted by a giant radioactive space spider. In the resulting crash, only two articles of clothing survived: the Ambush Bug suit, which was subsequently found by Irwin Schwab; and "Argh!Yle!", an argyle sock with a Doctor Doom-like complex, complete with metal mask.
Ace the Bat-Hound is a fictional superhero dog appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is commonly featured as the canine crime-fighting partner of Batman.
Bat-Mite is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Bat-Mite is an imp similar to the Superman villain Mister Mxyzptlk. Depicted as a small, childlike man in an ill-fitting Batman costume, Bat-Mite possesses what appear to be near-infinite magical powers, but he actually uses highly advanced technology from the Fifth dimension that cannot be understood by humans' limited three-dimensional views. Unlike Mxyzptlk, Bat-Mite idolizes his superhero target and thus he has visited Batman on various occasions, often setting up strange and ridiculous events so that he could see his hero in action. Bat-Mite is more of a nuisance than a supervillain, and often departs of his own accord upon realizing that he has angered his idol.
The Inferior Five are a parody superhero team appearing in books by the American publisher DC Comics. Created by writer E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Joe Orlando, the team premiered in the DC Comics title Showcase #62.
Infinite Crisis is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books. The main miniseries debuted in October 2005, and each issue was released with two variant covers: one by Pérez and one by Jim Lee and Sandra Hope.
The DC Animated Universe is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated television series, produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. The shared universe, much like the original DC Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
American comic book tropes are common elements and literary devices related to American comic books.
All-Star Superman is a twelve-issue American comic book series featuring Superman that was published by DC Comics. The series ran from November 2005 to October 2008. The series was written by Grant Morrison, drawn by Frank Quitely, and digitally inked by Jamie Grant. The series revolves around Superman, who is dying due to overexposure to the Sun, as he accomplishes many heroic feats and attempts to make peace with the world before his imminent death. The series received critical acclaim for its emotional story, characterization, writing, and artwork, and is considered to be one of the best Superman stories of all time.
Frankenstein is a fictional DC Comics character based on the Frankenstein's monster character created by Mary Shelley.
The Demolition Team are fictional characters, a team of mercenaries in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern #176 and were created by Len Wein and Dave Gibbons.
Ivan Reis is a Brazilian comics artist. He is known for his work on comic books such as Dark Horse Comics' Ghost, Marvel Comics' Captain Marvel, and DC Comics' Action Comics, Green Lantern and Aquaman series. According to collaborator Geoff Johns, Reis' drawing style resembles a combination of Alan Davis and Neal Adams.
The Gay Ghost is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe whose first appearance was in Sensation Comics #1, published by one DC's predecessor companies, All-American Publications. He was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Purcell.
Super-Turtle is a fictional character from DC Comics, created by Henry Boltinoff; he is depicted as a bipedal anthropomorphic turtle wearing a cape like Superman's. His emblem, which is on his cape, is a letter T in a shield.
The Multiverse, within DC Comics publications, is a "cosmic construct" collecting many of the fictional universes in which the published stories take place. The worlds in this multiverse share a space and fate in common, and its structure has changed several times in the history of DC Comics. The Multiverse was originally created by Perpetua, who is the mother of the Monitor, Anti-Monitor and World Forger.
Sequart Organization is an online magazine that focuses on the study of popular culture and the promotion of comic books as an art form. Sequart also publishes books and produces documentary films. It was founded in 1996 by Dr. Julian Darius. Sequart's editor-in-chief is Mike Phillips.
Comic Book Limbo, as a metaphorical idea, has been around as long as comic books have been around. Any character who hasn't appeared for a while could be said to exist in 'Comic Book Limbo'. Morrison takes that concept and turns it into an actual place.