http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31287 Specifically, "I've always looked at the characters that have never been handled in a way that their full potential has been explored. Ragman is a good example. Unfortunately for me, Blue Beetle was another one of those characters, because I felt I know how to handle him well, but it's a little too late for that."
Willingham writing Ted? I guess death wasn't the worst-case scenario.