When doing research for underrated comics from major comic publishers a few cancelled comics get my attention. Mulan: Revelations, Bankshot, and Gutsville all had potential, so why did they all get cancelled? Was it because their Comic Book Round Up scores dropped? No, even room temperature series get to finish with a trade. Bankshot and another comic got their albums years later… with disappointing results. It looks it’s because the floppies miss deadlines. But why? That’s what this special Folded The Corner is here to find out.
Cancelled Comics With Running Starts
Just about every cancelled comic in this post has an explosive start. That’s an impressive thing to do because beginnings are a tougher than people think. Most writers have to follow some rules to really hook the audience in. It goes something like this: a decent concept is only half of the overall idea, the tone must be set by organizing the characters, and setting the series’ pace with action. Here’s a vid for more detail:
But while writers can give the best description, a comic’s best artist needs to go back-and-forth on the presentation. When working on a monthly series, sometimes the artist will need to provide the best and most evocative details for a great impression. Sometimes that means delays between the writer and editor. For that, the first issue is probably the place where the most work goes.
Need an Example?
In Bankshot, the main character, Marcus King makes his first impression off panel. He left bruises on powerful government officials looking for him. Who then tell a high and mighty agent to back off because of this. So when readers REALLY hope Marcus lives up to his reputation. But how? Through a show-by-telling moment when Marcus shuffles a deck of cards before speaking with people. This shows him as a dealer wary who try to get anything over him. Meanwhile his voice and mannerisms show his confidence in the situation. It’s a pretty killer setup which says a lot without saying much.
The Pace of Cancelled Comics
The pace of a story is just as crucial to the overall narrative. Which depending on the genre can make or break a series. The horror series Gutsville definitely benefits from decompressed storytelling by focusing on mood and atmosphere. Bankshot meanwhile is an action series with an intrigue plot… and not a very clear one. I can only imagine the art delays that cancelled it are because Chrisscross and Snakebite Cortez were trying to figure out how to present it. Because the art starts to shift around.
Are All of These Cancelled Comics Bland?
One complaint I see with these series is blandness. After such a strong initial start, some critics like to point out the predictable plot lines. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing; even a vanilla plot can be fun, enjoyable, and memorable with the right visuals. But they need REALLY some impressive artwork (and editing) to stand out. Mulan Revelations‘s artwork by Micah Kaneshiro definitely gets people’s attention. The water color-esque paint-job on every page makes this look like a classical tale brought to life.
The Big 3 Deadline Killers
I’m sure fans have comics that were cancelled too early for them. But it’s a whole different look between a company-owned comic and a creator-owned one. There’s a lot of things that I don’t know, but I understand that missing a deadline is a huge deal. Maybe the publisher will be sympathetic to a sprained wrist or breakdowns, but I haven’t found a series that kept going without saying they take breaks. Especially when retailers in a post-Saga hiatus world feel readers’ enthusiasm die.
The only loophole I could find to this limbo state is Bankshot and The Once and Future Queen finishing as albums. Maybe this will happen Gutsville too is Frazer Irving is anything to go on. But why did it happen in the first place?
Creative Differences
Frazer Irving, wouldn’t confirm or deny problems between him and Gutsville‘s writer Si Spurrier. But he also said he patched things up. This as well as Bankshot feel like they were delayed because writers, artists, and editors aren’t communicating clearly enough. Speaking from personal experience, when a writer isn’t descriptive enough an artist might miss the writer’s intent. Or maybe an artist or editor wants to add something to make the story better or clearer. Maybe the artist rejects suggestions like outsourcing other parts of the process like (again) inking and coloring. All-in-all, when everybody’s not on the same page, this can take away passion.
Depression and Burnout
Losing that motivation can come with anxieties of meeting the expectations of readers and critics. Some series like The Great Unknown and Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock feel like they ended because the creators felt like they were getting too real for them. Even successful writers and series aren’t immune to this. Robert Kirkman has had times when writing The Walking Dead was getting too much for him. He practically ended it because it was getting repetitive. Looking back, some of these cancelled comics are lucky just to get finished. Especially when they have to go to crowdfunding to get albums together and pitch them to publishers.
Publisher Priorities
The writer of The Once and Future Queen said Dark Horse’s printing shifted to the book market. I don’t know how much he’s not saying, because you can’t exactly tell your readers about your doubts. Another lesson from experience. All that I can say is that publishers can delay certain comics or make risks if they feel it’s worth it. Usually if there’s a release window that’s open or a partnership with shipping companies are at stake.
Cancelled Comics or Not, Support the Artists
Patience might be a virtue but everybody has their limits. There’s always a risk that creatives are going to burn themselves out to get a quality product. They try their hardest in a company that has no extra cash to support them. Even when fans scream their support the artists by buying these cancelled comics however you legally can, without a supply for the demand people are going to lose interest.
It’s sad but customers don’t buy comics to support the artist’s salaries. The most you can do on a budget is tell people you like these artists work and pay for commissions. Sure platforms like Patreon, Ko-fi, or Substack can give access to those true fans to give a little money to help out. But they have to feel that it’s worth it. And so do the creators because good art at the risk of self care is a self-fulfilling myth.
The least I can do is leave a list of cancelled comic series and their creators just for a little more support.
- Shark-Man: Dave Elliot (Writer), Steve Pugh (Artist)
- Gutsville: Simon Spurrier (Writer), Frazer Irving (Artist)
- The Great Unknown: Duncan Rouleau
- Lady Robotika: Jane Wiedlin (Co-Writer), Bill Morrison (Co-Writer), Jeffery Moy (Illustrator #1), Tone Rodriguez (Illustrator #2)
- Whatever Happened To Baron Von Shock?: Rob Zombie (Writer), Donny Hadiwidjaja (Co-Artist), Val Staples (Co-Artist)
- Nonplayer: Nate Simpson
- The Mercenary Sea: Kel Symons (Writer), Matthew Reynolds (Artist)
- Copperhead: Jay Faerber (Writer), Scott Godlewski (Illustrator #1), Ron Riley (Colorist), Drew Moss (Illustrator #2)
- Paklis: Dustin Weaver
As always thanks for coming and remember to look between the panels.