7 Comic Book Story Arcs That Were Never Finished (And Why)

2. W. Haden Blackman And J.H. Williams III's Batwoman

Batwoman Jh Williams III
DC Comics

Batwoman was one of the greatest comic book characters introduced over the last two decades, and naturally, when you're that good a character, you tend to have a couple of good comics to answer for that reputation. In Kate Kane's case those came in 2009 and 2011 respectively, with Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III presiding over a standout Batwoman story in the pages of Detective Comics first, before Williams teamed up with W. Haden Blackman for a series to line up with DC's New 52 reboot.

Rucka set the wheels in motion, and it's with that in mind that Blackman and Williams were able to craft what was at the time the publisher's best Bat-book. It was smart, character-driven, and vital. Kane was one of only few openly gay superheroes and her relationship with Gotham cop Maggie Sawyer became a major element of the book, to the point that, in what would eventually prove to be the series' final arc, Kate proposed.

The stage was set for another famous comic book wedding, but then DC demanded that the creators call off the marriage, a decision rationalised by Dan DiDio because supposedly superheroes just aren't allowed to get married. Presumably because it makes them less hip, or something. I don't know. It's pretty dumb.

When considered with all the other "eleventh hour" changes editorial forced on the pair, Blackman and Williams decided to leave the book altogether, calling quits after the book's 26th issue hit the stands in 2013.

Elements of Blackman and Williams' planned arc were wrapped up months later, but not in the way they had planned. DC's meddling meant that fans were met with an unfortunate end to what was, frankly, a brilliant comic. How tragic that its ending had to typify one of the comics industry's most ridiculous trends.

Advertisement
Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.