List of Comics That Were Never Published - DC Comics

DC Comics

• Action Comics Annual #3 by Chris Claremont and Michael Golden — The original story for this annual, written by Chris Claremont, was meant to be published in 1990. According to Amazing Heroes Preview Special #10 (February 1990) "And the X-citing news is about the Action Comics Annual, due out this year. It's written by none other than Marvel Mutant Man Chris Claremont, and drawn by not-often-seen Michael Golden. Watch for it." An annual with this number was eventually released in 1991 as part of the Armageddon 2001 crossover event, but contained a different story and was written by Roger Stern. A Superman story by Claremont was eventually published as Superman / Wonder Woman: Whom Gods Destroy in 1997. It was drawn by Dusty Abell and Drew Geraci rather than Michael Golden.
• All Star Batgirl — This series was announced at the Toronto Comic Book Expo in 2006. Geoff Johns and J. G. Jones will work on the first six issues, which will present a connection between Barbara Gordon and Arkham Asylum, and a mystery to Batman on Batgirl, in Johns' words, like Batman: The Long Halloween. The title is described as not taking place in the continuity of All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder.
• All Star Comics "The Will of William Wilson" — An unpublished Justice Society of America story from the 1940s. A good amount of artwork from this story survived and has been reprinted in various publications from TwoMorrows Publishing.
• All Star Wonder Woman — This series was confirmed at the San Diego Comic Con 2006, with Adam Hughes announced as writer and artist. Hughes intended to retell the character's origin story, and described his approach to the series as an "iconic interpretation" of the character, but explained at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International that that project was "in the freezer" for the time being, due to the difficulty involved in both writing and illustrating himself. As of October 2010, a page on his website indicates that after the current Catwoman series ends with issue #82, Hughes will cease his DC cover work, and will focus on producing the six-issue All Star Wonder Woman series.
• Ambush Bug: Year None #6 — A six-issue limited series, it skipped issue #6 and concluded with issue #7 instead. There was an eleven month gap between #5 (January 2009) and #7 (December 2009).
• Aquaman II miniseries — A miniseries by writer Neal Pozner and artist Craig Hamilton was published in 1986. A follow-up miniseries was planned but cancelled due to Hamilton's difficulties with meeting deadlines.
• Batman: Dark Detective III — In 1977, writer Steve Englehart and artists Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin collaborated on a run of Batman stories in Detective Comics. A sequel miniseries titled Batman: Dark Detective was published in 2005. Englehart and Rogers planned a third series of stories but Rogers' death on March 25, 2007 caused DC to cancel the project.
• Black Canary — A miniseries by writer Greg Weisman and artist Mike Sekowsky was planned in 1984. The first issue of the series was pencilled, but the project was ultimately shelved due to the character being used in writer/artist Mike Grell's high profile Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters series. Elements from the ill-fated project were used for Weisman's DC Showcase: Green Arrow short film.
• The "DC Implosion" — During the "DC Implosion", several DC Comics titles were abruptly cancelled, even though a number of the series had issues already completed and ready to be published. Eventually, DC Comics reprinted the stories to secure their copyright, under the title Cancelled Comic Cavalcade, though this was a limited print run and was not available for sale. A few of the stories were also published in other DC comics titles, though some were re-edited prior to publication.
• Elseworlds 80-Page Giant #1 — This book was already printed and ready to be released, but controversy over the story "Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter" led to the run being destroyed. DC destroyed all copies of the issue intended for the North American market but some were still distributed in Europe. In May 2001 the story was reprinted in the Bizarro Comics hardcover (ISBN 1-56389-779-2). In April 2003 a softcover edition of Bizarro Comics (ISBN 1-56389-958-2) followed. "Superman Jr. is No More!" was republished in Superman / Batman: Saga of the Super Sons (November 2007). See also Recalled comics.
• "Emerald Twilight" — The original storyline for "Emerald Twilight" (which was to run in Green Lantern (vol. 3) #48-50) involved a conflict between two separate groups of Guardians of the Universe, and members of the Green Lantern Corps choosing sides. Though this story was advertised and even solicited, it wasn't considered interesting enough by editor Kevin Dooley, and was replaced with a different story that had Hal Jordan becoming Parallax and destroying the Corps. The original version of "Emerald Twilight" has not been published.
• The Flash Volume 3 #13 — In response to a fan question on its blog "The Source's" Flashpoint Friday feature, DC announced that May 2011's The Flash #12 would be the final issue of the series. At the time, no other details were provided.
• Freaks by John Byrne — Freaks appeared in a lithography plate published within the History of the DC Universe Portfolio in 1986. Byrne had originally pitched the series to DC, but the series for some reason never surfaced. With some changes, Byrne's concept fit in with his 2112 work to become the John Byrne’s Next Men series published by Dark Horse Comics.
• Hellblazer #141 — "Shoot." by Warren Ellis and Phil Jimenez was planned to deal with high school teenagers killing each other with firearms at school. After the Columbine High School massacre, DC editoral asked Ellis to make changes to the story before publication. In response, Ellis stated "I therefore requested that DC Vertigo either make those changes themselves and remove my name from the work, or, in the preferred scenario, not publish the work at all. Rather it go unseen than be released in a compromised form. To their credit, DC Vertigo have chosen to not release 'Shoot' at all." The issue was eventually published in Vertigo Resurrected in 2010.
• Holy Terror, Batman! — A proposed 122-page graphic novel by Frank Miller, announced in 2006 but no longer a project associated with the Batman character or DC Comics. In 2010 Miller has said that he is no longer working on the project. However, he also stated in June 2010 that Holy Terror was in progress, but without Batman. The book was eventually released by Legendary Comics as Holy Terror.
• JLA/Avengers — In 1983, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway were to be the co-writers of a JLA/Avengers intercompany crossover drawn by George Pérez Editorial disputes between DC and Marvel caused the project's cancellation. It wasn't until 2003 that a crossover between the two teams was published, albeit in a completely different story by Kurt Busiek and Pérez. All of the original story's existing pencilled art was published in the hardcover collection of the 2003 JLA/Avengers crossover.
• The Joker #10 — The letter page of The Joker #9 (Sept.-Oct. 1976) mentions that Martin Pasko was writing a story titled "99 and 44/100 Percent Dead!" to appear in The Joker #10, which was never published. In the end notes of The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told (1989) it is noted that The Joker editor Julius Schwartz had no recollection of this story ever being completed. A cover for issue #10 was drawn by Ernie Chan.
• Kobra #8 — A Kobra vs. Batman story intended for this issue was published in DC Special Series #1 (September 1977) instead.
• Larry Harmon's Laurel and Hardy #2 — In 1972, DC published a single issue of a comic book series based on the Laurel and Hardy cartoon series produced by Larry Harmon. The cover for the unpublished second issue appears in The DC Vault.
• The Legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Gerry Conway and Nestor Redondo — House advertisements in DC Comics cover-dated September 1975 promoted a four part King Arthur series to be published in the treasury edition format.
• Marvel and DC Present The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans #2 — A sequel to the popular X-Men/New Teen Titans crossover was initially announced in the letters page of New Teen Titans #29 and scheduled for release around Christmas 1983. It was planned to feature Marv Wolfman as writer and George Pérez as artist, with the villains in the story being Brother Blood and The Hellfire Club. Plans for the book were eventually cancelled because of the problems that affected the JLA/Avengers crossover.
• Meet Angel #8 — The Angel and the Ape series changed its title to Meet Angel with its seventh and final issue (November–December 1969). An eighth issue had been written and drawn and this story would be published in Limited Collectors' Edition #C-34 (February–March 1975) ("Christmas with the Super-Heroes").
• Metropolis by Steve Gerber and Frank Miller — The "line name" for a proposed revamp of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
• "Nuclear" — An unpublished Golden Age Wonder Woman story introduced the villain Nuclear. Even though it wasn't published, a later story from Wonder Woman #43 (Sept.-Oct. 1950)("Nuclear Returns!") refers to it. Years later, Roy Thomas came up with his own introduction story for Nuclear in the pages of All-Star Squadron. Since then, original artwork from the first story has surfaced.
• Pandora Pann — Most of the preview story for this series by writer Len Wein and artist Ross Andru (scheduled to be printed in Saga of the Swamp Thing #5) was pencilled, but for unknown reasons the series never materialized.
• Power Squad — An all-female superteam named the "Power Squad" was proposed by Jack C. Harris and Trevor Von Eeden but the idea was not approved for publication.
• The Redeemer — Joe Kubert's Christian allegorical tale of man endlessly resurrected. The miniseries was previewed in Amazing Heroes #34 but never released.
• Robotech Defenders #3 — This limited series based on the Revell line of plastic models was originally scheduled as a three-part mini-series in 1985. It was reduced to the first normal-sized issue and a 32-page second issue with no advertisements.
• Sandman #7 — The story by writer Michael Fleisher and artist Jack Kirby was originally scheduled to be published in Sandman #7 in 1976 and then scheduled as part of Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #61 in 1978. Both series were cancelled before these issues were published. The story was eventually printed in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2 (Fall 1978) and in The Best of DC #22 (March 1982).
• Showcase Presents: Secret Society of Super Villains — The Secret Society of Super Villains series was scheduled to be collected into a trade paperback featuring issues #1-17 (520 pages, ISBN 1-4012-1587-4) but the project was canceled. DC later solicited a hardcover collection containing the same material, which was released August 17, 2011.
• Sonic Disruptors #8-12 — This 12-issue limited series by writer Mike Baron and artist Barry Crain was cancelled after issue #7 due to poor sales.
• Spectre written by Steve Gerber — Gerber was to have been the writer of the 1980s relaunch of the Spectre series but scheduling difficulties led DC to replace him with Doug Moench.
• Starman (vol. 1) #46 — Solicited as the last issue of the first Starman series, the title was cancelled after issue #45 instead.
• Stormwatch: Team Achilles #24 — The series' cancellation was announced for #24; however, writer Micah Wright had recently become very controversial, and #23 was the last issue published. The script for #24 is available on Wright's site.
• Sugar and Spike vol. 2 — The series was published in the United States from 1956 through 1971 for 98 issues, when due to creator Sheldon Mayer's failing eyesight that limited his drawing ability, Sugar and Spike ceased to appear. Later, after cataract surgery restored his eyesight, Mayer returned to writing and drawing Sugar and Spike stories, continuing to do so until his death in 1991; these stories appeared in overseas markets and only a few have been reprinted in the United States. The American reprints appeared in the digest sized comics series The Best of DC #29, 41, 47, 58, 65, and 68. Sales on the "Sugar and Spike" issues of The Best of DC were strong enough that DC announced plans for a new ongoing series featuring the characters. The project was never launched for unknown reasons.
• Superman graphic novel by Barry Windsor-Smith — A graphic novel by Barry Windsor-Smith entitled "An Evening With Superman" was originally announced by DC in 1998 but has not been published as of 2012. Superman: The Complete History - The Life and Times of the Man of Steel features an excerpt of this story.
• Superman 3-D — According to DC's promotional giveaway brochure DC Releases #46 (March 1988), a Superman 3-D one-shot was planned for 1988. It was to be written and pencilled by John Byrne and inked by Ty Templeton with 3-D effects by Ray Zone. A "major new Superman foe" named "Tantrum" was to have been introduced. Byrne and Zone would later collaborate on a Batman 3-D graphic novel. A Superman 3-D one-shot was published in December 1998 by a different creative team.
• Swamp Thing #88-91 — Rick Veitch's original story for issue #88 (where Swamp Thing meets Jesus Christ during a time-travel story arc) was cancelled by DC Comics; this caused Veitch to quit the title before finishing the storyline (set to run through issue #91). Another writer, Doug Wheeler, had to complete the story but went in a different direction than Veitch had planned.
• Twilight of the Superheroes a company wide crossover and attendant maxi series proposed by Alan Moore in the late 80s prior to his public split with DC. The series imagined a dark future where various superhero clans warred for global dominance. Moore's split with DC, as well as the very dark nature of the story, meant that the series never got beyond the proposal stage, although a number of elements Moore suggested were later worked into ongoing series. Moore's proposal was leaked on the internet in the early 1990s.
• Wonder Woman: Bondage — A proposed project by Bill Sienkiewicz and Frank Miller. Sienkiewicz described it as "perhaps a bit over the top, but I think Frank and I invited that. So was the idea for the series in very basic broad stroke discussions between Frank and I, with some input from then-DC editor Bob Schreck."