It isn't the first time. They eventually caved and made Hal Jordan into Green Lantern again, after he'd been a mass-murdering supervillain for years.

The mainstream US comic book industry has no ability -- or at least no sustained *interest* -- in gaining new, young readers. They are catering more and more to aging fanboys who are fixated on their childhood icons. Because, increasingly, that's the only readership they have left. A snake devouring its own tail -- I'm kind of amazed that they haven't run out of tail yet.