List of Comics That Were Never Published - Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

• Claws of the Cat #5 — A fifth issue of the series was drawn by Ramona Fradon but the title was canceled due to lack of sales on previous issues.
• Doctor Strange drawn by Frank Miller — A house advertisement for Doctor Strange appeared in Marvel Comics cover-dated February 1981. It stated "Watch for the new adventures of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme - - as mystically conjured by Roger Stern and Frank Miller!". Miller's only contribution to the series would be the cover for Doctor Strange #46 (April 1981). Other commitments prevented Miller from working on the series.
• Fantastic Four #102 original version — The story by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby originally intended for Fantastic Four #102 (September 1970) was not published. Some of the artwork would appear in issue #108 (March 1971) but the rest of the story was not used. Marvel published this "lost" story in Fantastic Four: The Lost Adventure (April 2008)
• Fantastic Four Fathers and Sons — This graphic novel was mentioned in Marvel Age Annual in 1988 but never published. It was to have been written by Danny Fingeroth and drawn by Mark Bright. Bright left the project after completing only a few pages of artwork and was replaced by Al Milgrom.
• JLA/Avengers — See above (DC).
• Conclusion of "The Last Galactus Story" — Writer-penciler John Byrne and inker Terry Austin produced "The Last Galactus Story" as a serial in the anthology comics-magazine Epic Illustrated #26-34 (Oct. 1984 - Feb. 1986). Nine of a scheduled 10 installments appeared. Each ran six pages, except part eight, which ran 12. The magazine was canceled with issue #34, leaving the last chapter unpublished and the story unfinished. Byrne later revealed on his website that the conclusion would have seen a dying Galactus releasing his power, causing a new big bang and transforming his herald Nova into the Galactus of the next universe.
• Marvel Super Special #7 — An adaptation of the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by writer David Anthony Kraft and artists George Pérez and Jim Mooney was promoted on the "Bullpen Bulletins" page in Marvel Comics cover-dated January 1979. It was never published in the U.S. "because the book was late and the movie proved to be a commercial failure," according to a contemporaneous news account, which added, without substantiation, that, "Reportedly, Marvel's adaptation was published in Japan." The material was published in France by Arédit in 1979
• Ms. Marvel #24 and #25 — Ms. Marvel #24 and #25 were written and drawn but the series was cancelled with issue #23 (April 1979). These stories were eventually published in Marvel Super-Heroes vol. 2 #10 (July 1992) and #11 (October 1992).
• Open Space #5 — Open Space was a science-fiction anthology series. Alex Ross' first work for Marvel was to have been printed in issue #5 but the title was cancelled with issue #4 (August 1990). Ross' story was printed in 1999 as a special supplement to Wizard's Alex Ross Special.
• Ozma of Oz — In 1975, MGM's Marvelous Wizard of Oz was the first joint publishing venture between DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Marvel then published an adaptation of The Marvelous Land of Oz. A full page house advertisement in the second treasury promised an Ozma of Oz adaptation but it was never published.
• The Prisoner — In the "Bullpen Bulletins" page in Marvel Comics cover-dated July 1976, Marvel announced a comic book based on The Prisoner, to be written by Steve Englehart and drawn by a then-unchosen artist and scheduled to be "starting this summer". The artist assigned to the project would be Gil Kane. When Jack Kirby returned to Marvel, the property was transferred to him. A test issue was put together but never completed. All 17 pages were scripted and pencilled by Kirby, but only parts were lettered and inked, by Mike Royer. Original artwork from this comic still exists and some of it has been published in the comic book fanzine The Jack Kirby Collector.
• Questprobe #4-12 — Originally intended as a 12-issue limited series, this video game tie-in was canceled after issue #3 (November 1985) due to Adventure International's bankruptcy. The story intended for issue #4, featuring the X-Men, was published in Marvel Fanfare #33 (July 1987).
• Spectacular Spider-Man magazine #3 — The Spectacular Spider-Man was a two-issue magazine published by Marvel in 1968, as an experiment in entering the black-and-white comic-magazine market. A next-issue box at the end of issue #2 promoted the planned contents of the unrealized issue #3, "The Mystery of the TV Terror".
• Strange Tales (vol. 4) #3-4. The stories, J.M. DeMatteis's Man-Thing and Paul Jenkins's Werewolf by Night were bought and solicited, but never illustrated nor published. DeMatteis wrapped his Man-Thing run in Peter Parker: Spider-Man Annual '99 and included a 2-page synopsis of the yet to be published 3rd and 4th issues. Man-Thing (vol. 3) ran for eight issues in 1997-1998, and Werewolf by Night for six issues in 1998. They were merged due to low sales. Marvel's parent company at the time was not willing to publish anything not making a profit, and cut off several series in mid-story arc, such as Ghost Rider (vol. 3 (Daniel Ketch). Strange Tales was intended to be a new line comparable to DC's Vertigo, but the parent company thought comic books were for kids and would not allow it, which caused a Satana series to be scrapped entirely even after work on the first issue had been completed. Ghost Rider (vol. 3) #94 was finally published in 2006 to tie in with the release of the movie. The Strange Tales comics remain unpublished.
• The Thing limited series by Barry Windsor-Smith — The Thing ongoing series was cancelled with issue #36 (June 1986). The letters column of the last issue mentioned an upcoming limited series by Barry Windsor-Smith. He had previously written and drawn a Thing story in Marvel Fanfare #15 (July 1984). The limited series was never published. In January 2006, Windsor-Smith announced on the website Comic Book Galaxy that he was in negotiations with Marvel to publish his Thing story as a graphic novel. As of 2012, it remains unpublished.
• Void Indigo #3-6 — Cancelled due to reactions to its portrayal of extreme violence.
• Warlock #16 — Warlock was cancelled with issue #15 (November 1976). A sixteenth issue had been partially drawn by Alan Weiss but the artwork was lost in a New York City taxicab.