History MissingEpisode / Comicbooks

* In 1989, as part of a time travel storyline, Comicbook/SwampThing was going to meet {{Jesus}} of Nazareth in issue #88 of his title. Writer Rick Veitch wrote the script, penciller Michael Zulli at least partially completed the artwork, and the story was approved by editorial, but then DC's publisher killed the story. Allegedly it was due to the fact that DC was terrified of being targeted by the religious right, who at the time were engaged in a major PR war against Martin Scorcese over "The Last Temptation of Christ" and DC felt that Veitch's story (which implied Jesus's powers were described by Swamp Thing as magic based and where the Three Wise men were actually demonically possessed assassins from Hell) would garner a similar PR shitstorm. Veitch quit the book on the spot, forcing the series to go on a brief hiatus while DC scrambled to find a replacement writer (Doug Wheeler), who quickly churned out a replacement script that saw Swamp Thing returned to his proper time. While DC has attempted in recent years to court Veitch back to the company, and even started to work towards reprinting Veitch's Swamp Thing run, it all fell apart when DC told Veitch that they would not reprint the original version of #88 in his final trade (resulting in the planned trade for #80-87 to be cancelled, leaving the issuues to this day not collected). The script and existing artwork for the story, "Morning of the Magician", can be seen [[http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/morning-of-magician-swamp-thing-meets.html here]].

* Similarly, there was an issue of the Warren Ellis run of ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' that was set to be published during the days when school shootings were the latest panic... and implied that some students, due to the rundown nature of modern life and teenage pressures, ''wanted'' to be shot. When {{Columbine}} occurred, that one hit the bin quickly. As of 2010, it's been pulled back out and published in a compilation book of lost and rare Hellblazer stories.

* The ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' "Cursed Earth" epic had two arcs that, for legal reasons, cannot be reprinted. EVER. One involved a war between [=McDonald's=] and Burger King, which had attained power greater than medium-sized countries. In the other, Dredd and his companions are kidnapped by a MadScientist who looks and acts exactly like KFC's Col. Sanders, and had an army of mutants identical to various 20th century corporate mascots. Both drew complaints from the trademark owners and the publisher, within weeks of their publication, offered to sign legal documents stating they would never let the stories be reprinted in exchange for a promise not to be sued over them. When a recent US oversized hardcover was published collecting Brian Bolland's Dredd stories, the collection had to outright state on the back cover, that "The Complete Brian Bolland Judge Dredd" title wasn't actually true, due to the there being two stories they were legally unable to reprint. This trope was finally averted when [[http://www.newsarama.com/26574-banned-judge-dredd-strips-parodying-mcdonalds-more-coming-back.html it was revealed that]] they could ''finally'' release the missing comics in the July 2016 collection "Judge Dredd: Cursed Earth Uncensored".

* In 1989, as part of a time travel storyline, Comicbook/SwampThing was going to meet {{Jesus}} of Nazareth in issue #88 of his title. Writer Rick Veitch wrote the script, penciller Michael Zulli at least partially completed the artwork, and the story was approved by editorial, but then DC's publisher killed the story, deeming it too inflammatory. Veitch ended his relationship with DC over the controversy, and neither the Jesus story nor the resolution of Swamp Thing's time travel adventure was ever published. The script and existing artwork for the story, "Morning of the Magician", can be seen [[http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/morning-of-magician-swamp-thing-meets.html here]].

* It's a point of much frustration among the ''Series/DoctorWho'' fandom that ''Endgame'', the first of four volumes collecting the [[Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine Eighth Doctor comic strips]], is so far out of print that it might as well be a lost Patrick Troughton episode.
** Fortunately, DWM reprinted ''Endgame'', along with several other DWM comic collections, in late 2014.

* Creator/ScottLobdell and Aaron Lopresti completed an ''Comicbook/XMen'' mini-series about the original Thunderbird back in 2000, but thanks to a host of unforeseen circumstances, it was shelved indefinitely.

* Creator/ScottLobdell and Aaron Lopresti completed an ''Comicbook/XMen'' mini-series about the original Thunderbird back in 2000, but for a host of unforeseen circumstances, it was shelved indefinitely.

* With Joe Books' GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion of Boom's ''ComicBook/DarkwingDuck'' comics, Dangerous Currency stands out as the only one not being reprinted ''or'' rewritten. It's even been declared CanonDiscontinuity. Some sources say that the story wasn't approved by Disney. If you didn't get it when it was first released, hope you like spending lots of money.

* The ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' "Cursed Earth" epic had two arcs that, for legal reasons, cannot be reprinted. EVER. One involved a war between [=McDonald's=] and Burger King, which had attained power greater than medium-sized countries. In the other, Dredd and his companions are kidnapped by a MadScientist who looks and acts exactly like KFC's Col. Sanders, and had an army of mutants identical to various 20th century corporate mascots. Both drew complaints from the trademark owners and the publisher, within weeks of their publication, offered to sign legal documents stating they would never let the stories be reprinted in exchange for a promise not to be sued over them. When a recent US oversized hardcover was published collecting Brian Bolland's Dredd stories, the collection had to outright state on the back cover, that "The Complete Brian Bolland Judge Dredd" title wasn't actually true, due to the there being two stories they were legally unable to reprint. This trope was finally averted when [[http://www.newsarama.com/26574-banned-judge-dredd-strips-parodying-mcdonalds-more-coming-back.html it was revealed that]] they could ''finally'' release the missing comics in the July 2016 collection "Judge Dread: Cursed Earth Uncensored".

* The ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' "Cursed Earth" epic had two arcs that, for legal reasons, cannot be reprinted. EVER. One involved a war between [=McDonald's=] and Burger King, which had attained power greater than medium-sized countries. In the other, Dredd and his companions are kidnapped by a MadScientist who looks and acts exactly like KFC's Col. Sanders, and had an army of mutants identical to various 20th century corporate mascots. Both drew complaints from the trademark owners and the publisher, within weeks of their publication, offered to sign legal documents stating they would never let the stories be reprinted in exchange for a promise not to be sued over them. When a recent US oversized hardcover was published collecting Brian Bolland's Dredd stories, the collection had to outright state on the back cover, that "The Complete Brian Bolland Judge Dredd" title wasn't actually true, due to the there being two stories they were legally unable to reprint.

* The Franchise/WonderWoman graphic novel ''Hand of the Gods'' was supposed to come out in late 2011. Perhaps it would have been shelved anyway due to inconsistencies with DC's {{New 52}} relaunch, but the arrest of artist Josue Rivera (who works under the pen name Justiniano) on child pornography charges probably makes that permanent.

* Many comics that feature licensed non-Marvel/DC Universe characters (for example, Marvel's ''Star Wars'', ''Star Trek'', ''Ren and Stimpy'' and ''Tiny Toons'' comics, and DC's own ''Star Trek'' comics) are not reissued most of the time due to licensing disputes with the character owners (these types of comics had licenses that expired at a certain point in time; the publishers and/or artists still hold the comics' copyrights, but they do not own the characters themselves). Some may never be published again (so far, Marvel's ''Star Wars'' comics have not gotten a reissue by Marvel themselves[[note]] though Dark Horse (the current Star Wars license holder) DID eventually release the series in graphic novel format[[/note]], and attempts to reissue ''Tiny Toons'' comics are blocked due to Marvel's rivalry with DC) unless the character owners reach a deal with the publishers.

** The Marvel/DC crossover title {{JLA-Avengers}} was first scheduled for publication in 1983. The story was plotted, and George Perez completed 21 penciled pages of art. Due to editorial disagreements between the two companies, the project was canceled. In subsequent years, as editorial regimes changed, there was occasional talk of reviving the project, but to no avail (likely due to, among other reasons, changes in the teams' rosters during the intervening years). Eventually, the project ''was'' revived, but with a new story and completely new art by Perez, in 2005.

* SuskeEnWiske: The story "De Gekalibreerde Kwibus" is missing from the regular series and only available in the separate "Suske en Wiske klassiek" series.

* Some [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] comic books have been entirely lost to time, due to poor quality paper, limited print runs and nobody saving them for posterity. Many were lost in the paper drives of World War 2, with the first thing to go was the old comic books that been gathering dust. This is also why copies of ''Action Comics'' #1 have sold at auction for over a million dollars; only 50-100 copies are thought to exist today.

** The Marvel/DC crossover title {{JLA-Avengers}} was first scheduled for publication in 1983. The story was plotted, and George Perez completed 21 penciled pages of art. Due to editorial disagreements between the two companies, the project was canceled. In subsequent years, as editorial regimes changed, there was occasional talk of reviving the project, but to no avail (likely due to, among other reasons, changes in the teams' rosters during the intervening years.) Eventually, the project ''was'' revived, but with a new story and completely new art by Perez, in 2005.

* Many comics that feature licensed non-Marvel/DC Universe characters (For example, Marvel's ''Star Wars'', ''Star Trek'', ''Ren and Stimpy'' and ''Tiny Toons'' comics, and DC's own ''Star Trek'' comics) are not reissued most of the time due to licensing disputes with the character owners (these types of comics had licenses that expired at a certain point in time; the publishers and/or artists still hold the comics' copyrights, but they do not own the characters themselves). Some may never be published again (So far, Marvel's ''Star Wars'' comics have not gotten a reissue by Marvel themselves[[note]] though Dark Horse (the current Star Wars license holder) DID eventually release the series in graphic novel format[[/note]], and attempts to reissue ''Tiny Toons'' comics are blocked due to Marvel's rivalry with DC) unless the character owners reach a deal with the publishers.

* Some [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] comic books have been entirely lost to time, due to poor quality paper, limited print runs and nobody saving them for posterity. Many were lost in the paper drives of World War 2, with the first thing to go was the old comic books that been gathering dust. This is also why copies of ''Action Comics'' #1 have sold at auction for over a million dollars; only 50-100 copies are thought to exist today.

* Many comics that feature licensed non-Marvel/DC Universe characters (For example, Marvel's ''Star Wars'', ''Star Trek'', ''Ren and Stimpy'' and ''Tiny Toons'' comics, and DC's own ''Star Trek'' comics) are not reissued most of the time due to licensing disputes with the character owners (these types of comics had licenses that had expired at a certain point in time; the publishers and/or artists still hold the comics' copyrights, but they do not own the characters themselves). Some may never be published again (So far, Marvel's ''Star Wars'' comics have not gotten a reissue by Marvel themselves[[note]]though Dark Horse (the current Star Wars license holder) DID eventually release the series in graphic novel format[[/note]], and attempts to reissue ''Tiny Toons'' comics are blocked due to Marvel's rivalry with DC) unless the character owners reach a deal with the publishers.
* Archie's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' comics has been heavily compromised due to problems with a previous artist and writer, Ken Penders. His claims of copyright forced Archie to file a claim against him, which they eventually had to settle. The actual damage remains to be seen, but Archie went a head and wrote all characters created by Penders out of the book.
** As of issue #252, the comic has undergone a soft reboot via CosmicRetcon - the comic leans more heavily on the games than it did [=SatAM=] and the only people who remember the old universe are the main heroes and Dr. Eggman.

* The ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' "Cursed Earth" epic had two arcs that, for legal reasons, could not be reprinted. EVER. One involved a war between [=McDonald's=] and Burger King, which had attained power greater than medium-sized countries. In the other, Dredd and his companions are kidnapped by a MadScientist who looks and acts exactly like KFC's Col. Sanders, and had an army of mutants identical to various 20th century corporate mascots. Both drew complaints from the trademark owners and the publisher, within weeks of their publication, offered to sign legal documents stating they would never let the stories be reprinted in exchange for a promise not to be sued over them. When a recent US oversized hardcover was published collecting Brian Bolland's Dredd stories, the collection had to outright state on the back cover, that "The Complete Brian Bolland Judge Dredd" title wasn't actually true, due to the there being two stories they were legally unable to reprint.
* The comics business is always changing, with canceled series, editorial changes, and ExecutiveMeddling all frequent. As a result, a number of comics stories are commissioned and completed (or nearly so), without ever seeing print. This includes "inventory stories," which are intended to be published only if the regular team is late. After a while, unused inventory stories tend to "go stale" due to subsequent changes in continuity. Some examples:
** One of DCComics' rarest titles fits, even though it ''was'' published... technically. DC canceled a large number of books in the "DC Implosion" of 1978, so suddenly that a large number of completed stories remained. ''Canceled Comics Cavalcade'' put many of these stories into publication for copyright purposes, but the series "ran" for only two issues, each with a print run of only 35 issues. A few of these stories eventually saw publication in "regular" DC titles, but most remain effectively "lost" to this day.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' #712 was scheduled to contain a team-up between the Man of Steel and a young Muslim superhero named Sharif (actually a revival of an obscure young hero from the '90s who went by the name "Sinbad," now several years older), but the story was pulled after ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' # 900 (which featured Superman renouncing his U.S. citizenship) drew unexpected controversy from the media concern that DC was trying to make Superman "un-American". The Sharif story had some early editorially-mandated changes, such as the vetoing of the original idea that Sharif would wear Superman's "S" shield, but with the Arabic letter, before the entire story was nixed. Amusingly, DC tried to claim (through leaks to [[http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/22/superman-712-not-changed-over-muslim-content-but-over-kitten-content/ comics gossip blogger Rich Johnston]]) that it had nothing to do with religious issues. Instead, the supposed rationale was the fact that Superman rescues a kitten from a tree in the story. Supposedly this story element was "too corny and heavy-handed" for DC Editorial. Can you guess what [[http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/07/13/superman-rescues-cat-kitten/ the very first thing Superman does]] in ''Superman'' #713 was?
* OrsonScottCard was supposed to write an issue of ''Adventures of Superman'', but the story was shelved indefinitely after the InternetBackdraft DC received over hiring a writer with noted anti-gay views. The issue's artist even walked away from the project after the initial controversy began.

* It appears that Archie Comics is attempting to do this with ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' issue #50, the final part of the [=EndGame=] storyline, as the recent reprints of the final part replace the cut up version with the superior one from ''Sonic Super Special'' issue #6. Other stories not being reprinted include "The Last Game Cartridge Hero" from ''Sonic Live''[[labelnote:Explanation:]]For a plethora of reasons, including being universally hated, the usage of caricatures of real children and the idea that the characters are just from a video game[[/labelnote]], the entirety of ''Sonic Super Special'' issue #7 (which was a crossover with Creator/ImageComics)[[labelnote:Explanation:]]Not only because of the usage of Image heroes, but also because it used characters from a failed comic series writer Ken Penders was pushing[[/labelnote]], the story "Ghost Busted" from issue #8 (which was an adaptation of one of the ''WesternAnimation/SonicSatAM'' episodes[[labelnote:]]Due to its questionable art style[[/labelnote]], and both parts of "Some Enchantra Evening" from issue #10, the first part of which started over in ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch''.

** As of issue #252, the comic has undergone a soft reboot via CosmicRetcon - the comic leans more heavily on the games than it did [=SatAM=] and the only people who remember the old universe are the main heroes and Dr. Eggman

* It appears that Archie Comics is attempting to do this with ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' issue #50, the final part of the [=EndGame=] storyline, as the recent reprints of the final part replace the cut up version with the superior one from ''Sonic Super Special'' issue #6. Other stories not being reprinted include "The Last Game Cartridge Hero" from ''Sonic Live''[[labelnote:Explanation:]]For a plethora of reasons, including being universally hated, the usage of caricatures of real children and the idea that the characters are just from a video game[[/labelnote]], the entirety of ''Sonic Super Special'' issue #7 (which was a crossover with Creator/ImageComics)[[labelnote:Explanation:]]Not only because of the usage of Image heroes, but also because it used characters from a failed comic series writer Ken Penders was pushing[[/labelnote]], the story "Ghost Busted" from issue #8 (which was an adaptation of one of the ''WesternAnimation/SonicSatAM'' episodes[[labelnote:]]Due to its questionable art style[[/labelnote]], and both parts of "Some Enchantra Evening" from issue #10, the first part of which started over in ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch''.

* {{Transformers Generation 2}} has become this. With IDW refusing to collect it and the UK exclusive [=TPBs=] long out of print

* It appears that Archie Comics is attempting to do this with ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' issue #50, the final part of the [=EndGame=] storyline, as the recent reprints of the final part replace the cut up version with the superior one from ''Sonic Super Special'' issue #6. Other stories not being reprinted include "The Last Game Cartridge Hero" from ''Sonic Live''[[labelnote:Explanation:]]For a plethora of reasons, including being universally hated, the usage of charactures of real children and the idea that the characters are just from a video game[[/labelnote]], the entirety of ''Sonic Super Special'' issue #7 (which was a crossover with Creator/ImageComics)[[labelnote:Explanation:]]Not only because of the usage of Image heroes, but also because it used characters from a failed comic series writer Ken Penders was pushing[[/labelnote]], the story "Ghost Busted" from issue #8 (which was an adaptation of one of the ''WesternAnimation/SonicSatAM'' episodes[[labelnote:]]Due to its questionable art style[[/labelnote]], and both parts of "Some Enchantra Evening" from issue #10, the first part of which started over in ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch''.

* WildCATS/Aliens has become this again. It was omited from the first round of Stormwatch TPBs, then was licensed for the second printings, but was omitted from the recent hardcover collection. Worse, the text summary from the first printing of the final Stormwatch trade was omitted from the hardcover.

* OrsonScottCard was supposed to write an issue of ''Adventures of Superman'', but the story was shelved indefinitely after the InternetBackdraft DC received over hiring a noted person with anti-gay views. The issue's artist even walked away from the project after the furor started heating up.

* {{Transformers Generation 2}} has become this. With IDW refusing to collect it and the UK exclusive TPBs long out of print

* It appears that Archie Comics is attempting to do this with ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' issue #50, the final part of the [=EndGame=] storyline, as the recent reprints of the final part replace the cut up version with the superior one from ''Sonic Super Special'' issue #6. Other stories not being reprinted include "The Last Game Cartridge Hero" from ''Sonic Live''[[labelnote:Explanation:For a plethora of reasons, including being universally hated, the usage of charactures of real children and the idea that the characters are just from a video game[[/labelnote]], the entirety of ''Sonic Super Special'' issue #7 (which was a crossover with Creator/ImageComics)[[labelnote:Explanation:Not only because of the usage of Image heroes, but also because it used characters from a failed comic series writer Ken Penders was pushing[[/labelnote]], the story "Ghost Busted" from issue #8 (which was an adaptation of one of the ''WesternAnimation/SonicSatAM'' episodes[[labelnote:Due to its questionable art style[[/labelnote]], and both parts of "Some Enchantra Evening" from issue #10, the first part of which started over in ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch''.

* It appears that Archie Comics is attempting to do this with ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' issue #50, the final part of the [=EndGame=] storyline, as the recent reprints of the final part replace the cut up version with the superior one from ''Sonic Super Special'' issue #6. Other stories not being reprinted include "The Last Game Cartridge Hero" from ''Sonic Live'', the entirety of ''Sonic Super Special'' issue #7 (which was a crossover with Creator/ImageComics), the story "Ghost Busted" from issue #8 (which was an adaptation of one of the ''WesternAnimation/SonicSatAM'' episodes, and both parts of "Some Enchantra Evening" from issue #10, the first part of which started over in ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch''.

* Transformers Generation Two has become this. With IDW refusing to collect it and the UK exclusive TPBs long out of print

* Archie's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' comics has been heavily compromised due to problems with a previous artist and writer, Ken Penders. His claims of copyright forced Archie to file a claim against him, which they eventually lost. The actual damage remains to be seen, but Archie went a head and wrote all characters created by Penders out of the book.

* Many comics that feature licensed non-Marvel/DC Universe characters (For example, Marvel's ''Star Wars'', ''Star Trek'', ''Ren and Stimpy'' and ''Tiny Toons'' comics, and DC's own ''Star Trek'' comics) are not reissued most of the time due to licensing disputes with the character owners (these types of comics had licenses that had expired at a certain point in time; the publishers and/or artists still hold the comics' copyrights, but they do not own the characters themselves). Some may never be published again (So far, Marvel's ''Star Wars'' comics have not gotten a reissue by Marvel themselves[[note]]though Dark Horse (the current Star Wars license holder) DID eventually release the series in graphic novel format[[/note]], and attempts to reissue ''Tiny Toons'' comics are blocked due to Marvel's rivalry with DC) unless the character owners reach a deal with the publishers. Archie's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' comics has been heavily compromised due to problems with a previous artist and writer, Ken Penders. His claims of copyright forced Archie to file a claim against him, which they eventually lost. The actual damage remains to be seen, but Archie went a head and wrote all characters created by Penders out of the book.

* It appears that Archie Comics is attempting to do this with ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' issue #50, the final part of the [=EndGame=] storyline, as the recent reprints of the final part replace the cut up version with the superior one from ''Sonic Super Special'' issue #6.

* It's a point of much frustration among the ''DoctorWho'' fandom that ''Endgame'', the first of four volumes collecting the [[Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine Eighth Doctor comic strips]], is so far out of print that it might as well be a lost Patrick Troughton episode.

* SuskeEnWiske: The story "De Gekalibreerde Kwibus" is missing from the regular series and only available in the separate "Suske en Wiske klassiek" series.