If the name of a new character appearing in the third issue of DC Comics' upcoming sci-fi series Threshold sounds more than a little familiar, then there's a reason for that. Yes, Keith Giffen and Tom Raney are reviving Captain Carrot as a bad-ass space hero for the New 52. Hey, it worked for Rocket Raccoon, didn't it?

Giffen confirmed to the Robot 6 blog that "Captain K'Rot" is, indeed, Captain Carrot, the 1982 creation of Roy Thomas and Scott Shaw who most recently appeared in the grand finale of the 2008 crossover event Final Crisis, showing up to save the day at the last moment (No, really). "Every book needs a borderline psychotic, booze swilling, whore-mongering rabbit," he told the blog. "I mean, c'mon!"

It's hard not to cynically wonder if this really is an attempt to tap into the same appeal of Marvel's Rocket Raccoon, another semi-forgotten anthropomorphic animal revived as part of a multi-character superhero series set in space to much fan and critical acclaim back in 2008's Annihilation: Conquest. That said, K'Rot's comic heritage goes back even further than Bill Mantlo and Mike Mignola's Beatles pun: Larry Hama and Mike Golden's Bucky O'Hare was a space-faring rabbit that first appeared in 1984's Echo of Futurepast, and even before that, Roy Thomas (again!) and Howard Chaykin gave the Star Wars universe the unforgettable Jaxxon in 1978, inspired by the irrepressible Bugs Bunny. Really, K'rot is just keeping a grand tradition alive.

Threshold #3 will arrive in stores and digital devices in March.

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