Rolling Cancelled Comics Thread

MANHUNTER I only ever read one issue of - first post-OYL, and it was badly paced dreck. Obviously someone at DC held a candle for it because it bumped along with dreadful sales for a very long time.

FIRESTORM represents a big failure for DC - they've promoted this comic a lot, it's a flagship of their diversity policy, and they've angered lots of mentalists who seem to imagine Ronnie Raymond had a personality in the first place. The Stuart Moore issues of this are some of the most tedious superhero comics I can remember reading, but initially this wasn't a bad title, with an engaging if klutzy protagonist and some creepy moments.

The first issues of Firestorm weren't bad at all, at least the ones up till the title was supposed to end for this series - they spent ages building it up, working hard on The Firestorm Matrix and the relative opsition of Martin Stein to 'Firestorm', culminating in going into space and somehow not dying despite all the plot implying Firestorm, in fact, had. At that point, I gave up.

I think ION was quickly retconned from a regular series to a mini, but that happened prior to the solicits, if it happened at all.

A belated shout-out to the two series helmed & killed by semi-recent DC exclusive writer Bruce Jones, WARLORD and the other one I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure existed.

- IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN (damn it)
- HEROES FOR HIRE
- SHADOWPACT
- THE ALL-NEW ATOM (damn it)
- HAWKWOMAN

I don't think Jonah Hex will survive much longer. Despite their OYL/52/Superboy Punching pedigrees, I doubt Checkmate, Blue Beetle or Flash are doing very big numbers. Ghost Rider must be on shaky ground and holding out for the film, which will undoubtedly see it cancelled, and I suspect Sean McKeever leaving might be the nail in S-M[H]MJ's coffin. I'm sure nobody would be surprised if Jack Kirby's Galactic Bounty Hunters got canned.

If this was a serious deadpool, I'd stick my neck out and say Hellblazer.

For core-universe ongoing superhero stuff, Marvel pulls the plug at around 20k, DC at around 15k, if the figures Paul O Brien and that other guy use are accurate.

For indie stuff it depends on the individual business model even more.

Another Marvel candidate for early retirement: BLADE. The third issue featured a pull quote from the star of the Blade series ("I like this!" - Kirk "Sticky" Jones), which had been cancelled by the time the issue hit shelves. Timing is everything!

The only thing this could be related to was ATOM, and its lackluster sales have nothing to do w/ Byrne being on or off this title. It has to do w/ the lack of interest in Atom - specifically, an Atom that isn't THE Atom - as a protagonist in his own series (despite the series being enjoyable & fun & all of the things sadfaced superhero-loving bastards should love).

The nu-Flash has so far been the biggest misstep for DC coming out of Infinite Crisis (unless you count the Wonder Woman shipping disaster). The previous Flash title had been selling quite well (at least until the last half dozen or so issues, which were mostly pulled from storage), thanks in part to Geoff Johns' then-rising star and some actually good stories and art. Not only did the changing of the guard happen in a pretty non-dramatic, non-engaging, non-committal way, but the follow-up series wholly sucked. Furthermore, Wally still lives in JLA: Classified, and he's still a great character as long as Marv Wolfman isn't writing him (Whingy West), so he'll be back in the next Crossover Event, and maybe they'll even resume the numbering of his series.

Ray Palmer, howev, should stay wherever he's at.

I'm actually kinda sad they let him go / he ran off, tho - his work w/ Ms. Simone (on her all-too-short ACTION COMICS run, & especially ATOM) was the best stuff from him I can remember seeing in a loooooooooong time.

WAHT

The Story: To all those who HAVEN’T been buying NEXTWAVE–
Thanks a lot, jerks! This is the last issue! To all those who HAVE been buying NEXTWAVE– YOU RULE!! Do not miss this pulse-pounding conclusion to the greatest work of western literature EVER! Hamlet? Horrible. War and Peace? What-a-joke! The Great Gatsby? The Great Lame-by, maybe. Those works are going to be moved to the Bad Section of your local bookstores after this issue comes out. Don't miss this or you won’t know what your children’s children are reading in school.

Manhunter was one of the two or three OYL titles what went out of their way to reassure us that even in this confusing future, there would still be serial killers offing broads. And it was probably the worst of the three (was BOP one of the others?) so my interest never really returned.

A belated shout-out to the two series helmed & killed by semi-recent DC exclusive writer Bruce Jones, WARLORD and the other one I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure existed.

The fact that Nightwing isn't on this list despite having the first six post-OYL issues written by this hack's hack suggests that Dick Grayson + Jason Todd = a comic that cannot be killed.

Manhunter's buggest problem was it was so impressed with its premise (Layer turned superhero, occasionally kills - though changes mind on killing after about ten issues) it did not notice that this premise was being done for both roffles and serious by Marvel MUCH BETTER.

- Chuck Dixon
- Devin Grayson
- um, Bruce Jones
- and now MARV WOLFMAN?

Were Dixon & Grayson the only writers on the title for 110+ issues? That can't be right.

My personal opinion is that the series failed because the costume is just fucking stupid.

66. HEROES FOR HIRE
08/06  #1 - 84,006
09/06  #2 - 66,949  (-20.3%)
10/06  #3 - 60,770  ( -9.2%)
11/06  #4 - 38,070  (-37.4%)
12/06  #5 - 31,318  (-17.7%)

Yikes.