Limbo refers to a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tradi ...

location in books published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their ...

. Limbo first appeared in ''

Ambush Bug Ambush Bug is a superhero appearing in American 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 ...

'' #3 (August 1985) and was created by

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo. Biography ...

History

In ''

'' #3, Jonni DC mentions removing Wonder Tot from DC continuity having "dumped her in Limbo". Ambush Bug later returns to Limbo in ''Son of Ambush Bug'' #6.

Animal Man

In ''Animal Man'' #25 (July 1990),

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, humanist philosophy and countercultural leanings. Morrison has written extensively for t ...

reintroduces Limbo, a dimension inhabited by old characters seemingly abandoned or forgotten by their publishers. The comic depicted such characters as the

Inferior Five The Inferior Five (or I5) 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 (May-June 196 ...

, 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 "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 Ma ...

'', in which many historic comics were removed from continuity. This "comic book limbo" is a

metafiction Metafiction is a form of fiction which emphasises its own narrative structure in a way that continually reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work. Metafiction is self-conscious about language, literary form, and story ...

, based on the notion that any character who has not been published recently can be said to reside in "comic book limbo".

Final Crisis

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. 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 Chronos (; grc-gre, Χρόνος, , "time"), also spelled Khronos or Chronus, is a personification of time in pre-Socratic philosophy and later literature. Chronos is frequently confused with, or perhaps consciously identified with, the Ti ...

(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 No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

'', who is seen chasing

Hoppy the Marvel Bunny Hoppy the Marvel Bunny is a fictional comic book superhero and anthropomorphic animal originally published by Fawcett Comics as a spin-off of Captain Marvel. He was created by Chad Grothkopf (1914–2005), and debuted in ''Fawcett's Funny Animals' ...

. Also seen in the background is former Blood Pack member Nightblade. 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 In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells ...

, but it is uncertain if the mythological Limbo is identical with "comic book limbo".

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

DCU Guide: Gay Ghost (Grim Ghost)

DCU Guide: Demolition Team
Fictional elements introduced in 1985 DC Comics dimensions