10 Greatest Comic Books We Never Got To See
Nothing is quite as tantalising as what could have been.
The medium of comic books is a strange one. The very nature of so many different writers and artists taking a crack at these long-standing and beloved characters, and the monthly, episodic nature of comic book publishing, can mean the industry is constantly shifting and changing. Couple that with editorial mandates and politics within the publishing houses themselves, and you can begin to see why there are so many great stories that we have never had the good fortune to get our hands on.
Whether we are talking entire stories that never saw the light of day, to seminal series cut off in their prime, the history of comics is choc full of such frustrations. And it doesn't seem to matter if you're an up-and-comer or one of the biggest names in the industry, nobody spends a career in comics without seeing some of their favourite ideas and plans shelved, never to make it into the hands of grateful readers.
Join us as we explore ten of the greatest comic books we never got to see, and why this happened. If we have missed out any notable instances, be sure to let us know!
10. Tom King - Nightwing
Tom King recently shared via Twitter that, in the wake of Nightwing having been shot in the head by KGBeast, he had a proposal rejected by DC that would have seen Tim Drake take over the Nightwing mantle as Dick Grayson recovered.
Per King, this would have included "two brothers bonding, caring for each other in the shadow of the Bat", and Dick would have resumed the Nightwing mantle "in 6-12 issues".
Instead, what we got was Ric bloody Grayson. Yep, a two-year-long arc, a classic case of sniper-induced amnesia and a whole lot of fan displeasure.
Dan DiDio's editorial intervention has had a lot to answer for in the last decade, and this is not least among them. It seems nobody involved in the storyline was happy with the turn it took. Nightwing writer Benjamin Percy's run was hijacked in order to run with the amnesia arc, King's suggestions were rejected, and instead of getting to continue Percy's promising run, we got one of the worst extended arcs in recent comics history.
Post-shooting, amnesiac Dick Grayson renamed himself Ric Grayson (haha!) and became a taxi driver, and it lasted two years. Need we go on?