DC’s First ‘Rebirth’ Cancellation Coming in January

Superwoman will end its 18-issue run in January 2018, making it the first of DC’s Rebirth titles to be cancelled.

The series launched as part of DC’s critically-acclaimed Rebirth initiative last May, but was divisive among fans almost immediately, with the apparent death of the New 52 Lois Lane frustrating readers who had come on board because they thought they were getting a Lois Lane comic.

The series centered on Lana Lang, who had obtained powers from the dying New 52 Superman at the same time as Lois had. In the first issue, Lois — who had been actively and publicly using those powers, while Lana had not — died, setting up a ticking clock for Lana that her powers would eventually kill her.

Embracing the ’90s in a way that many of the Rebirth titles have done, Superwoman featured Lana wearing a costume reminiscent of the “Electric” Superman era.

The issue’s cover, by Phil Jimenez, mirrors his cover to Superwoman #1, albeit with Lana in place of Lois. Jimenez, famous for his work on titles like Wonder Woman and Infinite Crisis, was originally solicited as the writer and rotating artist of the series, but soon gave way to writer K. Perkins as the other artists in the rotation took on more work.

During the Meet the Publishers panel at New York Comic Con earlier this month, Dan DiDio and Jim Lee expressed pride in the fact that they had allowed series to find their footing in Rebirth, as opposed to the quick cancellations that marked so much of The New 52 era of publishing. They specifically cited New Super-Man, a title that actually sold less than Superwoman according to the most recent sales numbers, as a success story. Besides New Super-Man, which may earn strong bookstore sales off of award-winning writer Gene Luen Yang, the only Rebirth title selling below Superwoman is Blue Beetle, which recently got a creative team change.

You can read the official solicitation for the final issue, a one-and-done story from writer K. Perkins and artists Stephen Segovia and Art Thibert, below.

SUPERWOMAN #18
Written by K. PERKINS
Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA and ART THIBERT
Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ
Variant cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details. Includes a code for a free digital download of this issue.
“THE MIDNIGHT HOUR” finale! A day in the life of Superwoman…but someone else is in the driver’s seat! Will Superwoman manage to break her mind free from Midnight’s digital grasp and dispel her twisted protocol once and for all?
On sale JANUARY 10 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • FINAL ISSUE