It's because the whole reason for the reboot was to bring in new readers and I'm guessing that the more obscure heroes like the Elogated Man (and the Question) were put to the sidelines while others were lumped into ensemble comics like Zatanna in Justice League Dark.
edited 27th Oct '11 8:06:35 AM by EnglishMajor
With blood and rage of crimson red ripped from a corpse so freshly dead together with our hellish hate we'll burn you all that is your fateDC has embargoed characters before, notably Hawkman after they messed his continuity up (the term used was "the character is radioactive" eg. they blamed him for not working when it was the writers' fault.)
There was also that silly rule (from when they rebooted Superman in the 80's) that he had to be the only survivor from Krypton because otherwise he wouldn't be the "Last Son of Krypton". Such silly adherence to semantics kept fan-favorite characters like Supergirl from returning to continuity for years.
Dan Didio also is on record (about humorous characters) as saying "We tried humor. It didn't work" to justify not using such characters anymore (except in Grimdark versions.) Blatant Lies, by the way, since the "Bwa Ha Ha" version of the Justice League was still popular enough that they were still making comics based on them (the "Super Buddies") around the same time they put out Identity Crisis and the DC Universe started getting really dark.
Speaking of which, if not using Ralph and Sue means that Identity Crisis never happened, then I'm all for it. Save them for when an editorial staff that RESPECTS such characters comes aboard.
edited 30th Oct '11 4:40:48 PM by Sijo
Because they weren't concerned about semantics at all, it was the principle of him being the last survivor of his world. It was a reaction to the fact that prior to crisis more and more survivors were turning up and a lot of people felt this cheapened the whole impact of Krypton's destruction.
They were right that something's needed to be changed, the book was doing quite badly early 80's.
Am I a good man or a bad man?Hasn't anyone ever escaped from the Bottle City of Kandor? With all this talk about Kryptonian survivors I'm surprised no-ones ever taken advantage of that little tidbit. The Phantom Zone seems to get more attention and that's just because of Zod.
Theres sex and death and human grime in monochrome for one thin dime and at least the trains all run on time but they dont go anywhere.I'm a little confused here. By "embargoing," do you mean they aren't appearing at all? Or that they just aren't appearing at the moment?
"Dan Didio also is on record (about humorous characters) as saying "We tried humor. It didn't work" to justify not using such characters anymore (except in Grim Dark versions.) Blatant Lies, by the way, since the 'Bwa Ha Ha' version of the Justice League was still popular enough that they were still making comics based on them (the "Super Buddies") around the same time they put out Identity Crisis and the DC Universe started getting really dark."
Isn't the "Bwa Ha Ha" era considered one of the Justice League's most popular runs?
Personally, I don't mind there being more Kryptonian survivors (and when you stop to think about it, a civilization as advanced as Krypton's should've had many ways to discover and escape their fate) as long as they are interesting characters (Supergirl, Zod) or part of interesting concepts (Kandor, the Phantom Zone.) Having too many supermen around would be a bit much, but that was never the problem; DC just stuck to the letter of the law instead of its purpose.
By the time Identity Crisis rolled around, the 'Bwa Ha Has' had passed their glory days, but still, they had plenty of fans. Plus, there was no need to kill them off or twist them into things they weren't meant to be, just because you decided you wanted a Darker and Edgier universe. Most companies would just have put them in Comic-Book Limbo until needed. However, IC apparently left a hunger for "yeah, let's keep Breaking The Cutie!" on DC's editorial staff. Fans and characters be damned.
![]()
![]()
The problem with Comic-Book Limbo is that they aren't safe there. DC's notorius for dragging characters out of there to give a cheap shock or villain credibility boost. Marvel's more likely to go for characters that are moving Out of Focus.
That is also a dilemma. Thing is, there are instances (i.e., recent treatment of the Marvel family at DC) where the editorial staff mishandles a character or cast of characters, big time. In such cases, you almost wish the characters would just stay out of focus or in limbo until new management takes over.
Meanwhile, DC has unveiled its new character design for Captain Cold. Yes, the Flash Rogues are now metahumans, and Cold looks like an extreme snow sports fanatic. Oy. Between this and the cancellation of Tiny Titans, I'm pretty bummed about the current DC direction...
edited 20th Dec '11 2:05:33 PM by PennyDreadful

It seems DC is actually embargoing several heroes 'Post-Flashpoint'.
The first characters hit with this is the Elongated Man and his wife Sue!
The 'embargoed' characters are barred from appearing in all media, even comic books!
Who is next?
J.A.P.