DC Comics has one of the most interesting histories in superhero comics. I remember buying the first DC Encyclopedia back in the early ’00s and being astounded at the sheer breadth of characters in the then singular DC Universe. The publisher is most well-known for their superheroes, but there are so many different kinds of characters, all of them ready to pop up and give readers something they never thought they’d get. One of the most fun things about being a DC fan are the returns. You never know when Captain Comet or Space Cabbie or Tommy Tomorrow are going to show up with some kind of new modern changes to them. Characters are always appearing and disappearing, making every DC story a potential return.
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Returns are a big deal in comics. As much as we like to talk about new directions and unique stories, we all want the comfort of nostalgia. Over the years, there have been some characters that seemed like they were going to become important again, but they just vanish. For whatever reason, DC doesn’t take advantage of some characters as much as they could. These five DC characters all disappeared and stayed gone when they probably shouldn’t have, and we’re going to kick the list off with a character who we need back ASAP.
5) Arion
DC’s version of Atlantis is amazing and a lot of modern fans have no idea how cool it is. The history of the city before it fell into the ocean has so many intriguing little wrinkles to it. It was the home of some of the most powerful magic users in history, including Arion. Arion was one of the most potent sorcerers in the city, a follower of the Lords of Order, destined to save the city and constantly fighting the forces of darkness. He battled his twin brother Garn Daanuth and other magical threats to Atlantis. Arion isn’t just an ancient magic user, he’s also traveled forward and backward in time, meeting some of the most important superheroes ever. Arion was created pre-Crisis, getting his own series for a time. He’s since sometimes appeared in event comics (I first encountered him when I read Crisis for the first time, which is probably why I think that he’s important), but he’s ready for a comeback. There are lots of great stories that can be told with Atlantis’s greatest sorcerer.
4) Anthro
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a DC classic and it opened up a whole new DC for me after I read it. Before that, I had no idea about pre-Crisis DC, other than that there was a multiverse and it was more childish than post-Crisis DC. I was introduced to numerous characters and ideas that I never knew existed, including Anthro. Anthro had a spotlight in Crisis, which made me think he was somewhat important. I’d later learn that the character was a complete failure, appearing in the late ’60s and only lasting six issues. Since then, he’s showed up several times in various books, but his appearances are few and far between. He’ll show up (like he did recently in Swamp Thing 1989 #3, which itself was never published until now) and then go away again. Anthro isn’t all that important (Crisis lied to me!), but there’s something cool about him. It can be hard to find a place for him in the modern day, though, so that’s why his appearances are so rare.
3) Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three
Alexander Luthor is one of the most interesting DC characters but not for the reasons that you think. He was introduced in Crisis on Infinite Earths as the only survivor of Earth-Three, launched by his father Lex and mother Lois Lane into the multiverse (yes, the Superman parallels are obvious), gaining control over anti-matter. He helped defeat the Anti-Monitor and then went to a paradise dimension with Superboy-Prime and Superman and Lois Lane of Earth-Two. He’d return as one of the villains of Infinite Crisis. He died at the end, which is the reason for his disappearance, but the weird thing is that he’s stayed dead for so long. DC loves to rehash various parts of Crisis (mostly because of Crisis marks like myself) and it’s strange that they’ve never brought him back as an event villain or something. Alexander Luthor isn’t the most complex character out there, but he’s powerful and devious, exactly the kind of bad guy that you can bring back at any time and get a nice nostalgia pop.
2) Klarion the Witch-Boy
Klarion the Witch-Boy was created in the ’70s by Jack Kirby in The Demon, a magic-using little boy with all of the mischief and spite that implies. He was never popular, but there was always something to the character; he had an awesome look and all of the potential in the world. However, he rarely got a chance to shine until Grant Morrison used the characters in their “Seven Soldiers of Victory” story, getting a four-issue miniseries with fantastic art by Frazier Irving. It looked like he was on the road to something bigger and better, but that never actually happened. He started to appear less and less after the end of that story and eventually just disappeared completely. Since then, he’ll sometimes pop up as magical troublemaker, but after that he just goes away. Klarion is a character that can be taken in a lot of directions, but instead he keeps getting typecast, with no one taking advantage of the character’s momentum (when he has any).
1) Etrigan the Demon
Etrigan is another creation of Jack Kirby and he’s had quite a time of things over his existence. Etrigan is a Rhymer, a demon who speaks completely in rhyme, bound to human sorcerer Jason Blood. He’s been around Earth for millennia and despite being a demon, he’s often helped humanity. He’s one of those characters who is basically upper B-list as far as how well-known he is, but he’s also spent long periods completely dormant. So, for example, he had a third volume of his solo series for five years, from 1990-1995 and after that book ended, he just sort of dropped off the face of the Earth for a while. This is depressingly common with the character. He’s shows up in group scenes or gets a panel or two in an event book; if you’re lucky, he’ll show up for longer. He’s about to get his own series, which is awesome, but think about the last time you saw him. Been a while, right? That’s the pain of being a Demon fan.
What DC characters do you think should make a comeback? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
