When doing research for underrated comics by various major publishing companies a few them cancel halfway. Take for example Mulan: Revelations, Bankshot, and Gutsville. How did they all get a cancellation? Almost all of their initial issues have high scoring reviews as Comic Book Round Up displays. Afterwards the quality in these series seems to diminish after a while. But even lukewarm series get to finish at one volume. It turns out there is one infamous reason, missing the deadlines. But not by the writers, it’s on the artists’ side. By why are the artists not able to finish these series? That’s what this special What Went Wrong is here to find out to help prevent more cancelled comics.
A Running Start
As I state previously all of these comics start out with a great first issue. Beginnings are a tough thing for some writers as there are some rules to follow. Not to mention they have to really hook the audience in. Even a decent concept is only half of the overall idea. Writers have the job of setting the tone and establishing the characters. Not to mention they have to set a pace for the rest of the series. Please see this link for a more contextual description.
How Does an Artist Do It?
Artists play an equally crucial role in comics when it comes to monthly series. The first issue is arguably the place where the most work goes. While the writers’ words alone can tell an encompassing story, the images can help bring a whole new dimension. In this way, the tone enhances and the character traits are viewable for everyone to see.
In Bankshot for example, the series opens with a mundane setting with someone looking happy with his day in spite of this. But by the time bruises are on display, the reader gets a better idea on how this character’s day goes. As for the main character, Marcus King’s moment comes from when he shuffles a deck of cards. He works as a mercenary with money and a killer reputation. In effect he’s a dealer with a cause that serves as his house. But in order to further that cause, Marcus has to be careful of players who try to scam him. It’s a pretty killer setup which unfortunately has a pacing problem.
The Pace of Cancelled Comics
The pace of a story is just as crucial to the overall narrative. However in some of these canceled series the issues after a strong beginning start to decline. When the pace slows to a crawl, these in between issues feel more like padding. Such use of decompression storytelling can very much hamper a title when writing for trade. It makes the overall story feel slow. In some of the most severe cases, a few hours in comic time can become a year in real time as is the case in Marvel’s Secret Invasion. Just imagine what that’s like for the artist.
Gutsville certainly benefits from decompressed storytelling by focusing of mood and atmosphere. Bankshot meanwhile falters because it’s an action series with an intrigue plot. With all of those scenes however come attention to detail which can take up a lot of time to reproduce. If the artist can’t keep up for reasons like illness, mental issues, or anything else this can be a problem. Bankshot cancels from many art delays from this pressure on series artist Criss Cross. Unlike Gutsville which puts itself on (indefinite) hiatus.
Are All of These Cancelled Comics Bland?
Another common complaint I see with these series is blandness. After such a strong initial start, some critics like to point out the predictable plot lines. Again this is not necessarily a bad thing. Even a standard plot can become something fun and enjoyable. Let’s take a look at the Edgar Wright movie Baby Driver for example. It’s a crime drama with a basic plot of criminal meets girl and wants out of the game. However the main appeal comes from how this basic plot incorporates music, dynamics, and stunt work. Because of this it wins the BAFTA for Best Editing.
Since comics are a visual narrative, it takes some impressive artwork (and editing) to make stories like these 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. However this type of artwork takes a lot of time and effort to produce; unlike major studios like in Marvel and DC who assign art specialists, Dark Horse doesn’t have that. With just one artist doing the whole thing it can be plenty exhausting. Hence why the fourth issue of the series has a long hiatus period of release after the third issue.
Don’t Shoot the Artist
I read a lot comics both in print and digitally. On a few platforms I often see messages about artists suffering from various problems. Sometimes their hands get sprains, or their computers die out with all their art files. In rarer cases they lose the passions they have and just cancel their series runs. One other example I have on What Went Wrong, I talk about Surgeon X. It’s a series that plays more like a What If docudrama; the artist however dies just as soon as things start to pick up.
While these artists aren’t six feet under, they have various mental challenges. The biggest factors however are the anxieties of meeting the expectations of readers and critics which leads to depression. Some series like The Great Unknown and Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock more or less reflect these feelings. When actually trying to put that to paper however, it just makes the artists feel less about themselves. As such they miss their deadlines and the series remain in a state of limbo. Alex de Campi even has to put her manuscript on Patreon for Bankshot’s fifth issue after its cancellation. Some of the artists no longer even make appearances in social media as a result.
Cancelled Comics or Not, Support the Artists
So I ask you, support the artists as best you can. Purchase these cancelled comics that these artists put out however you legally can. If you like them tell people you like these artists work. If they have an account support them on platforms like Patreon or Ko-fi. Follow them on social media if you can, but don’t pressure them to get back to work. They have enough on their plates already. I’ll be leaving a list of cancelled comic series and their creators just for a little more support.
- Shark-Man: Dave Elliot (Writer), Steve Pugh (Artist)
- Bankshot: Alex de Campi (Writer), ChrisCross (Illustrator) Snakebite Cortez (Colorist)
- 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.