With the release of Marvel Comics' October 2021 schedule, there were a few notable titles missing - in some cases this could mean an unannounced hiatus (or 'skip month' as they call it), but in other cases it could be a quiet ending for the series in question.
Readers learned today that Runaways, Children of the Atom, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Corp, Black Cat, Fantastic Four: Life Story, and Conan the Barbarian have no planned issues for the month of October.
In the case of the first two - Runaways and Children of the Atom - it's concerning as we learned last month that those titles had no issues planned for September. Looking deeper, the last announced issues of the series seem situated to potentially be an ending - as generally (unless announced previously), a two-month hiatus is a bellwether for a Marvel series to be ending.
August 11's Runaways #38 is doubling as the 100th issue of the series, between its various relaunches and renumberings. This volume by writer Rainbow Rowell and artists Andres Genolet and Kris Anka was launched back in September 2017.
"Runaways reaches the landmark LEGACY #100!" reads Marvel's description for Runaways #38. "The cult classic’s cult has grown and Rainbow Rowell and Andrés Genolet usher the Runaways into the Century Club! Ever since #1 and #18, Runaways has been known for its twists, but the last few issues have revealed some of the biggest twists in the book’s history. The biggest and craziest issue of Runaways yet is here and you better put on your fancy clothes and get out the party hats."
Would Marvel Comics end a series on a landmark issue such as this? That's what happened to the recent Ms. Marvel series, which ended back in January 2021 with its 75th issue.
Adding fuel to that speculative fire is that this issue is the end of the current arc, which will be collected in the upcoming Runaways Vol. 6: Come Away With Me.
Meanwhile, Marvel's other teen superhero team book, Children of the Atom, could be ending after just five issues, as no new issues have appeared in either the September or October schedule. This series about human fans of the mutants who replicate powers to become superheroes themselves had a rough start, being delayed at first by the COVID-19 pandemic and then additionally by Marvel. Original series artist Bernard Chang was replaced as of the third issue by Paco Medina.
The description for August 11's Children of the Atom #6 also doesn't give out much hope: "No one likes goodbyes! The Hellfire Gala is here! AKA the most important party of the year! The truth finally comes out for the COTA kids. Plus: A heartbreaking goodbye…maybe, forever?"
And like Runaways, the upcoming Children of the Atom by Vita Ayala Vol. 1 collects issues #1 through 6, signaling this story-arc ends with #6.
In recent months, Marvel has surprised X-fans by ending several ongoing series such as Fallen Angels, Cable, Way of X, and X-Factor - some getting wrapped up in a standalone one-shot, and others segueing to a sequel limited series.
As far as the October absences of Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Corp, Black Cat, Fantastic Four: Life Story, and Conan the Barbarian - stay tuned to Newsarama for more information on these series.
While we wait to see about the future of these series, we recently profiled several other Marvel Comics announced in 2020 that we are still waiting to finish - or in some cases, even start.
