A harsh reality of the comics industry is that any comic series can be cancelled even before one issue hits the stands. Sometimes this is just the result of some internal changes, or because of factors beyond the creative team’s control.
However, there are some instances when a comic was cancelled because of unavoidable controversy. For one reason or another, publishers and even some creators would rather act like these particular titles never existed.
10 Chuck Austen’s Superman Arc Was Canned Because Of His Hatred Of Lois Lane
Comic writers preferring some characters over others isn’t anything new, but Chuck Austen took this to a whole new low. When working on Action Comics, Austen basically told the world how much he really hated Lois Lane. Austen revived the love triangle between Clark Kent, Lois, and Lana, but it was clear he was always on Lana’s side.
Where Lana was perfect, Lois was an offensively stereotypical, nagging woman that everyone hated. The backlash was some of the most intense a Superman title ever received, and Austen left after only ten issues. Reportedly, he was going to have Clark and Lois divorce, but he was fired before it could happen.
9 Capcom Stopped Malibu Comics’ Street Fighter Because It Was Too Violent
Street Fighter has a long and colorful history that Capcom is proud of, but one black mark is Malibu Comics’ short-lived adaptation. Lasting only three issues, Malibu made their own Street Fighter lore that was also freakishly violent. The second issue infamously ends with Ken being mercilessly killed and scalped by Sagat, and his scalp being sent to Ryu as a challenge. It's as if the comics' creators thought they were adapting Mortal Kombat rather than Street Fighter.
Repulsed, Capcom ended the comic after the third issue. As far as Capcom is concerned, the Malibu timeline never happened and they’d prefer fans pay attention to the better-received UDON Comics. Reprints are highly unlikely, and issues are hard to locate today. Interestingly, Malibu’s Street Fighter continued in Brazil, where it made it all the way to issue 20.
8 All Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder Was Too Hilariously Bad To Keep Publishing
Originally planned for 12 issues, the notorious All Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder was hurriedly stopped at issue 10 despite selling well. The most common belief is that DC found the book too unhinged, as Frank Miller rewrote Batman into a violent psychopath who was somehow the most powerful DC superhero ever.
Not liking how Miller turned the Dark Knight into an edgy joke, DC pulled the plug and retconned All Star into an alternate reality. DC hasn’t mentioned All Star since then, but they still commission Miller on occasion. Miller said he’d wrap the story up in a reboot titled Dark Knight: Boy Wonder, but nothing ever came of this.
7 Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas Fell Victim To Jon Favreau & Marvel’s Falling Out
To build hype for the first Iron Man movie, Marvel Comics collaborated with the movie’s director for a mini-series. Viva Las Vegas was intended to reintroduce Tony Stark to newcomers, but it only got two of its planned four issues out. The comic ends on a massive cliffhanger, with Iron Man just about to fight Fin Fang Foom.
But not even halfway through, Favreau angrily left due to Marvel’s constant interferences. Favreau’s clashes with Marvel's creative heads— especially during Iron Man 2— are well-documented, and this Marvel Knights event was just one its many casualties. The two have since made up, but it’s unlikely that either would revisit Viva Las Vegas.
6 Even Chelsea Cain Doesn’t Know Why The Vision Was Abruptly Canceled
In this case, it’s the publishers who attracted the controversy, not the creators. Despite having the first issue ready with a promotional campaign all laid out, Marvel suddenly canned Chelsea Cain’s The Vision mini-series. To this day, the Mockingbird writer isn’t sure why her six-issue sequel to Tom King’s blockbuster Vision series ended the way it did.
Cain later expressed her frustrations at Marvel’s vague reasons and the unstable nature of working for big comic publishers. The Vision had four issues’ worth of story and an outline prepared, and they’ll never see the light of day as far as Marvel is concerned. Marvel’s lack of an explanation or apology continues to attract criticism today.
5 Chuck Wendig Was Fired From Star Wars: Shadow Of Vader After A Twitter Tirade
After Disney acquired Star Wars, the company gave the galaxy far, far away a massive multimedia push. One of these was through comics, and Wendig was hired to pen this highly-anticipated Darth Vader mini. But before one issue even was released, Wendig was fired after he lost his cool on Twitter.
In 2018, Wendig voiced his disgust for Brett Kavanaugh being sworn into the Supreme Court on Twitter. Following what seemed like a bad-faith campaign of mass reporting launched by Kavanaugh’s supporters, Wendig was fired from Shadow Of Vader as well as another untitled Star Wars project. Two of the five issues were completed, but never sold.
4 Archie Comics Rebooted Sonic The Hedgehog After A Legal Battle With Ken Penders
Ken Penders is possibly the most important writers of Sonics’ comics, but that doesn’t mean Archie Comics or fans respect him— in fact, he’s largely despised. In 2008, Penders sued Archie Comics for supposedly stealing his Sonic characters, particularly the Echidnas. The courts sided with Penders, and Archie Comics was forbidden from using almost 200 characters as a result.
In retaliation, Archie Comics rebooted Sonic after the Mega Man crossover and erased all of Penders’ creations from continuity. Said reboot is regarded as the start of the comics’ downfall and why Sega passed Sonic to IDW. Meanwhile, Penders announced his own Echidna saga, but he has yet to release anything— Sonic-adjacent or otherwise.
3 Brian Wood’s Latest Aliens: Colonial Marines Was Never Released After He Received Multiple Accusations of Sexual Misconduct
Despite being eviscerated and humiliated in Aliens, the Colonial Marines continue to be a popular fixation. Dark Horse Comics gave the unit more missions, with many being penned by the DMZ author. However, what would’ve been Wood’s latest Colonial Marine expedition— Aliens: Colonial Marines – Rising Threat— was cancelled before one issue even hit stores.
The cancellation happened shortly after several women accused Wood of forcing himself on them in the past. Dark Horse quickly responded by cancelling the selling of Rising Threat’s debut issue, with no plans to ever release it and its follow-ups at all. Additionally, the publisher announced that they have severed all ties with Wood.
2 Warren Ellis’ Batman Projects Were Dropped After Sexual Misconduct Allegations
After penning countless landmark titles for almost every major publisher, Warren Ellis established himself as one of the most influential comic writers ever. Whatever respect and goodwill his name once commanded, though, died overnight. According to The Guardian, upwards of 100 women claimed that Ellis sexually coerced and/or groomed them.
Ellis published an apology and either left projects or was fired from them shortly after. Some cancelled comics include his Dark Nights: Dark Metal short and an untitled Batman comic with artist Declan Shalvey. The most high-profile firing came from Netflix’s Castlevania, which Ellis created and wrote. His work on the upcoming fourth and final season was already underway at the time, but he won't be involved in the franchise going forward, which is said to be continuing through spin-offs.
1 Wonder Woman: Hands Of The Gods Was Buried After Justiniano Was Arrested For Possessing Sexual Material Involving Minors
Little is known about Hands Of The Gods, a revamped Wonder Woman origin written by fantasy authors Margaret Weis and Lizz Baldwin. Illustrating was veteran DC Comics artist Justiniano, whose works include 52 and Days Of Vengeance. During production, Hands Of The Gods was cancelled after Justiniano was arrested for owning child pornography.
In 2012, Justiniano pleaded guilty to the charges filed against him and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Even if he gets released, it’s highly unlikely that DC Comics or any other publisher would hire him again. Today, all that exists of Hands Of The Gods are its cover, some concept art, and an Amazon listing that hasn’t been updated in years.