(CBR) UPDATE 1/21/2014 3:55 PM PT: Scott Snyder took to Twitter to address the end of “Superman Unchained.” His comments, slightly edited for format, follow. “The 1st big arc has always been 9 issues. While I adore Clark, and love working with Jim Lee, and would have been thrilled to continue, we both have a lot on our plates after ‘Unchained,’ and I can tell you that what’s coming in the Superman group is going to make you all SO happy. Can’t wait for you to see! Deeply grateful to you for being so supportive of me and Jim on this one. Blown away. I really did hope to continue, and Jim did too, and we talked about it — we STILL talk about it! — but getting it together in time is too much.”
There are quite a few debuts in DC Comics‘ April 2014 solicitations — including “Justice League United” and weekly series “Batman Eternal” — but with the launches come the end of a half-dozen ongoing series.
“Superman Unchained,” which had a splashy launch with a preview in DC’s Free Comic Book Day 2013 offering and the high-profile creative team of Scott Snyder and Jim Lee, is scheduled to wrap in April with issue #9. DC confirmed in October that Snyder and Lee’s initial arc would end with issue #9, but that the fate of the series beyond that point had been unrevealed.
“Nightwing” also ends in April, with issue #30. One of the New 52 launch titles in Sept. 2011, the final issue is by writer James Tynion IV and Meghan Hetrick. Original series writer Kyle Higgins confirmed last week that his last issue of the book is March’s #29, though it wasn’t known until the solicitations that the book — or at least this current volume — would be ending imminently.
Three more New 52 launch books come to a close in April: “Suicide Squad, “Teen Titans” and “Stormwatch.” The end of “Teen Titans” has been known since series writer Scott Lobdell announced the news last week, and the end of “Stormwatch” was made official back in November. The final “Stormwatch” issue will be written by Sterling Gates, taking over from previous series writer Jim Starlin.
The end of “Suicide Squad” is more of a surprise, though writer Matt Kindt informed CBR last month that his run will end in March with the conclusion of event series “Forever Evil.” April’s “Suicide Squad” #30 will be written by Sean Ryan, whose writing credits include the “Flashpoint: Grodd of War” one-shot.
The sixth book ending in April is the latest iteration of “Justice League of America”, capping its run with issue #14 by Kindt, Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira. It’s been known since August that the book would be replaced post-“Forever Evil,” with the series originally known as “Justice League Canada” — now titled “Justice League United.”