History Main / ComicBookLimbo

* In UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}, Creator/MarvWolfman created a team called the Forgotten Heroes, whose members were old [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] characters that hadn't appeared in years, like Cave Carson, Rip Hunter, Dolphin, and Animal Man. ComicBook/AnimalMan has become a more prominent character since then, but the others are still pretty obscure even today.

* Another literal comic book limbo appeared in the final issue of MarvelComics ''SilverSable'' title. The writers used the Li'l Sylvie comedy back-up strip to comment on the cancellation of the book by having Sylvie (a chibi version of Silver Sable) banished to a limbo inhabited by chibi versions of female Marvel characters who had once headlined their own books.

* Of all characters, the ''ComicBook/{{X-Men}}'' were technically placed in limbo for about half a year in the 70's. Their series was put on hiatus and only reprints were being published with Marvel contemplating cancelling it all together. Luckily, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum restarted the book with an all new team featuring a certain [[{{Wolverine}} short guy with claws]] and the rest was history.

* In UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}, Creator/MarvWolfman created a team called the Forgotten Heroes, whose members were old SilverAge characters that hadn't appeared in years, like Cave Carson, Rip Hunter, Dolphin, and Animal Man. ComicBook/AnimalMan has become a more prominent character since then, but the others are still pretty obscure even today.

** As a bit of a HilariousInHindsight / FunnyAneurysmMoment‎, he ''did'' escape limbo as a member of the {{Thunderbolts}} and SecretAvengers...only to be [[DroppedABridgeOnHim violently killed off]] as soon as Marvel decided to [[DyingToBeReplaced bring back]] [[LegacyImplosion the Scott Lang version of Ant-Man]] during ''Comicbook/TheChildrensCrusade''.

* DisneyEpicMickey takes place in [[SugarApocalypse Waste]][[ToonTown land]], which is basically WaltDisney [[ClassicDisneyShorts Cartoon]] Limbo.

* Occasionally occurs in ''TheBeano'' and ''ComicBook/TheDandy'' with past characters disappearing from the two [[AnthologyComic Anthology Comics]] for years before returning. One character, Lord Snooty, disappeared for almost 20 years - then his grandson, Lord Snooty the Third, appeared, heavily implying that the original Snooty was dead (he'd need to be for the younger Snooty to inherit the Lordship), an unusually dark scenario for the Beano. Occasionally characters brought back are heavily redesigned or openly mocked for appearing odd to a modern audience (see Keyhole Kate and Pansy Potter's treatment in one of Kev F Sutherland's strips [http://utproductions.co.uk/scary1.html]).

* ''ThePowerpuffGirls'' saw its final comic book appearance under DC Comics in July of 2009 in issue #59 of Cartoon Network Block Party (its final issue as a singular title was issue #70 in January 2007). IDW revived it in September 2013.

** Comic Book Limbo was later revisited in the Morrison-penned FinalCrisis tie-in Superman Beyond. By {{Superman}}. This results in the ''invasion'' of Comic Book Limbo and the King of Limbo (Merryman, one of the Inferior Five) yelling "[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome LIMBO SAYS NO!]]"

* This occurred a lot in the [[GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse Global Guardians campaigns]]. When players left the game, or when individual campaigns shut down, their casts usually faded into the background, never to be seen again. Occasionally one would move from one campaign to another, but it was rare.

* In the BronzeAge, Creator/MarvWolfman created a team called the Forgotten Heroes, whose members were old SilverAge characters that hadn't appeared in years, like Cave Carson, Rip Hunter, Dolphin, and Animal Man. ComicBook/AnimalMan has become a more prominent character since then, but the others are still pretty obscure even today.

* During Creator/GrantMorrison's highly metafictional run on ''Comicbook/AnimalMan'', the eponymous character actually visits Comic Book Limbo.

* In the BronzeAge, Creator/MarvWolfman created a team called the Forgotten Heroes, whose members were old SilverAge characters that hadn't appeared in years, like Cave Carson, Rip Hunter, Dolphin, and Animal Man. AnimalMan has become a more prominent character since then, but the others are still pretty obscure even today.

* {{Darkhawk}} was in limbo for a few, recently returning in a few crossovers.

Series with a lot of MetaFiction often parody this concept by having characters that were banished to a literal [[PhantomZone limbo]], usually just because people forgot about them (Or, if the series is LighterAndSofter, a literal game of limbo).

* In the BronzeAge, Creator/MarvWolfman created a team called the Forgotten Heroes, whose members were old SilverAge characters that hadn't appeared in years, like Cave Carson, Rip Hunter, Dolphin, and Animal Man. AnimalMan has become a more prominent character since then, but the others are still pretty obscure even today.

* In the BronzeAge, MarvWolfman created a team called the Forgotten Heroes, whose members were old SilverAge characters that hadn't appeared in years, like Cave Carson, Rip Hunter, Dolphin, and Animal Man. AnimalMan has become a more prominent character since then, but the others are still pretty obscure even today.

The worlds created by large comic book companies are a curious thing. Since there's many different titles being published simultaneously, an odd effect can occur; when a character is set aside, they can seem to vanish from the universe; not being mentioned, spoken of, or appearing in any situation one would expect them in.

Characters can be brought back from limbo at the writer's discretion, unlike a ComicBookDeath, where they at least have to give the semblance of having an explanation of why they're back. The likelihood of such a thing happening usually depends entirely on how much the writer likes said character.

Compare ChuckCunninghamSyndrome.

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* Magog has entered this since leaving the JSA and his own series turned out poorly.

* Gold Key's ''Hanna-Barbera Fun-In,'' which started in November 1969 and featured H-B characters from 1969 and 1970, went into limbo after issue #10. It returned in February 1974 for five issues and featured characters from mainly 1973 shows (except for issue #13, which featured TheHairBearBunch from 1971).
* Several supporting DC Comics characters have so far vanished after the New 52 Reboot. Over a year later after the reboot, and it is still unclear whether characters like Spoiler, Renee Montoya, and Cassandra Cain are still alive or ever were alive.

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* ''[[{{Ant-Man}} Irredeemable Ant-Man]]'' - Last issue's cover shows the titular character fighting many forgotten heroes and screaming he will never share their fate.

* ''[[{{Ant-Man}} Irredeemable Ant Man]]'' - Last issue's cover shows the titular character fighting many forgotten heroes and screaming he will never share their fate.

* In a dimension-hopping storyline in ''RealLifeComics'', Greg and Tony end up in a blank room where forgotten characters sit around all day playing poker, including Greg's ex-girlfriend Lizzie (who asks if the author got tired of them too).

* In ''GreenArrow: Quiver,'' we see a VERY dark take on the SilverAge kid's characters [[spoiler:ComicBook/StanleyAndHisMonster]].

* Gold Key's ''Hanna-Barbera Fun-In,'' which started in November 1969 and featured H-B characters from 1969 and 1970, went into limbo after issue #10. It returned in February 1974 for five issues and featured characters from mainly 1973 shows (except for issue #13, which featured TheHairBearBunch from 1971).
* ''ScoobyDoo'' has gone through a number of hiatuses, switching publishers in the interim. Once its Gold Key run ended with issue #30, Charlton picked it up immediately with no real downtime (it was published bi-monthly, which Charlton resumed). Charlton's run ended with issue #10 (Dec. 1977), and Marvel would acquire the Hanna-Barbera line that following summer with Scooby appearing in 9 issues of his own and 13 issues of ''Laff-A-Lympics.'' Harvey Comics published three issues in 1992 which were reprints from Charlton. Archie Comics published 21 issues starting in 1996. DC Comics has been publishing Scooby Doo continuously since 1998.

* In ''GreenArrow: Quiver,'' we see a VERY dark take on the SilverAge kid's characters [[spoiler: {{Stanley and his Monster}}]].

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* The most frequent victims of this (even by X-men standards) are any of the younger generation X-men. After Grant Morrison finished up New X-Men, virtually all of them disappeared save one or two who act as sort of 'flagbearers' for that class like Husk and Pixie. The practice became so common that fans call it "becoming wallpaper" since the only time those characters will be seen again is in wide background shots of huge groups of mutants.

* Of all characters, the ''{{X-Men}}'' were technically placed in limbo for about half a year in the 70's. Their series was put on hiatus and only reprints were being published with Marvel contemplating cancelling it all together. Luckily, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum restarted the book with an all new team featuring a certain [[{{Wolverine}} short guy with claws]] and the rest was history.

<<|ComicBookTropes|>>

* In ''GreenArrow: Quiver,'' we see a VERY dark take on the SilverAge kid's characters [[spoiler: Stanley and his Monster]].