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Looking Back At Cancelled New 52: 2015

It’s almost the end of the year and that means it’s time for yet another installment in my long running “what DC cancelled this year” series. This year showed a lot of great talent and a lot of really terrible talent take their marks. What was worth it though? What are we sad to see go, and glad to see gone? Let’s see where 2015 left off with fans and then what might be in the future.  
  1. Gotham By Midnight
  [caption id="attachment_78606" align="aligncenter" width="592"]Gotham By Midnight Law & Order: Chaotic Magic Unit[/caption]   This series, a Spectre led procedural set in Gotham, was an immediate cult hit. In this case this means nothing more than the fact that it was, from the outset, quickly accepted by niche fanbases. Of course the flipside is that it didn’t make much of a splash otherwise, and the waning sales eventually doomed it to be to cancelled before even breaking the double digits. The final issue released this month and from most accounts stuck the landing. This has also had the notable distinction of being writer Ray Fawke’s most liked work for DC Comics, and Ben Templesmith has found new acclaim. Like some other entries on this list, fans hope for a relaunch.  
  1. Justice League United
  [caption id="attachment_41419" align="aligncenter" width="508"]Jeff Lemire Moves the Justice League to Canada Would the original name have helped?[/caption]   Another one of those aforementioned titles is none other than the Jeff Lemire led Justice League United, which has had a varied history with fans. Alongside the ill-suited Travel Foreman art, DC readers commonly agree that Lemire killed the book in its infancy with his incompetent handling of the plot and of the team. Lemire isn’t bad, but he cannot write team comics to save his life. The series appeared to have been given new life with the replacement of Lemire with Jeff Parker - but it was too little too late to save the series. While fans were much more receptive to Parker’s “team-up” approach the series limped to its final issue this month as well.  
  1. Lobo
  [caption id="attachment_77441" align="aligncenter" width="544"]jl232lobo658 Right Back At You[/caption]   This is a series that no one was sad to see go at all, really. Whether it was Marguerite Bennett’s mediocre writing and terrible lack of understanding about the character, or Cullen Bunn’s adamant stance on writing the most banal plots - Lobo is a series that is finally gone. While the incarnation of the character these two writers developed is still around, there is hope that maybe a more talented writer will be able to build from it. The series seemed implacable to most detractors, despite declining interest from the public at large, and seemed destined to be one of those series that never really leaves but stays afloat just to keep the numbers up. Fortunately it also featured its last issue this month.   Honorable Mention: Dark Universe   [caption id="attachment_41381" align="aligncenter" width="556"]Justice League Dark #23 Video Review : I Want Pandora's Box False Starts Aren't Easy[/caption]   This continuation of former “New 52” headliner Justice League Dark was announced for this year along with several other of these “DC You” series like MystikU but failed to make any appearance whatsoever. A few months ago it was officially shelved and ideas and concepts were folded into the new Hellblazer ongoing. So, for a stillborn series that could have had some potential (Ming Doyle was on art), it gets a honorable mention if nothing else. Which ones did you think got a fair shake or not? Any ones that you particularly miss? Comments and thoughts would be appreciated below for the final time in 2015!

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