Earlier today a source revealed that Marvel's ongoing X-23 title has been canceled by the publisher. The news comes on the heels of a string of cancelled books from the publisher including ALPHA FLIGHT, VICTOR VON DOOM and the DESTROYERS. These cancelations were a result of, according to Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso in a recent Q and A, "new budgetary mandates" which forced Alonso and his team to "rethink the strategy."

Looking at the solicits to the upcoming February 2012 X-Men titles, X-23 is clearly missing, and according to a previously released solicit for issue #20, the issue will have the character returning to Utopia to decide whether or not she will take part in Regenesis. Whether X-23's title is missing for this very reason or not, remains to be seen. Will her book end now that she will be joining AVENGERS ACADEMY starting with issue #24 as well as a VENOM miniseries? We reached out to the series' writer Marjorie Liu to ask about the book's status, and are still awaiting her response to the news. As of last week, Liu reported on her blog that she is presently working on the lettering for X-23 #19 as well as two projects she cannot yet disclose.

The reveal that X-23 may be canceled is somewhat shocking considering the title sold fairly well compared to other Marvel books like AVENGERS ACADEMY and X-FACTOR. What do you think of the news? Have you been reading X-23? Will you be sad to see the title go?

I can't believe this gets canceled and Avengers Academy is still going strong...

And I could see an awesome buddy action comedy thing going on between vampire Jubilee and X-23

This and X-Factor are(were) my two favorite Marvel ongoing series. Maybe they are hoping that X-23 being in Avengers Academy will combine readers? Either way, it sucks because it was a really good book.

It wasn't selling that much better than Avengers Academy. In fact, AA beat it a month before. Still, it's a shame.

By the way, she joins Avengers Academy issue 23, not 24.

@TheWitchingHour: I really don't think pitting fans against one another will be helpful. At least she's joining the main cast of Avengers Academy. That's better than limbo.

This is bad news, I have been enjoying this book for a while.

Dropped this book from my pull list last week, not because it is a bad book but my list was/is bigger than my wallet. Really liked when Jubilee was in it!

Isn't this Marvel's only book staring a woman written by their only female writer? Betcha they get some hatemail for that move, even if Marjorie Liu has more projects planned.

I really wished that comicvine didn't say the whole "This book was canceled but these books below it weren't." All that does is make the fans of these lesser books turn on each other. If there's any books to be mad at, it's the Fear Itselfs and Avenger titles that sell way more than they deserve.

@jsphsmth: They still have the Female Ghost rider...which is selling much worse and will probably be canceled soon.

I hate that Alpha Flight is getting cancelled again. Annoying. X-23 has been not so great in the last few issues.

Whaaaat??? I'm pissed, this book was really good. Hand clap for Marvel.

@Cafeterialoca:

Not trying to pit anyone against anything. Just trying to express my dislike of Avengers Academy and my frustration that X-23 was placed there. Because as far as I'm concerned Avengers Academy is comic book limbo. The difference is they get to stretch their legs once in a while. Then again if anybody can make it more interesting it's X-23.

@jsphsmth said:

Isn't this Marvel's only book staring a woman written by their only female writer? Betcha they get some hatemail for that move, even if Marjorie Liu has more projects planned.

This is a terrible move. Compared to DC right now, Marvel is looking pretty incoherent and floundering. I don't think they need a line-wide reboot, but this tinkering here and there with dropping random titles is just not working.

Oh, no, socks :/

Man...that's bulls***...why Marvel, why? Couldn't you cancel one of the zillion Wolverine books (or Avengers ones)? Come on...

:(

@TheWitchingHour: I understand your anger. But I think that X-23 fans might find comfort knowing that their favorite character isn't gone for good. And really, Academy has actually gotten a lot better as it went on.

@Eyz said:

Oh, no, socks :/

Man...that's bulls***...why Marvel, why? Couldn't you cancel one of the zillion Wolverine books (or Avengers ones)? Come on...

:(

O_O should ditch Wolverine the Best there is(that book is just trash)

@Cafeterialoca: I love X-Factor and am digging the new direction for Avengers Academy.

@TheWitchingHour: Cause one has Avengers in the name and the other doesn't! DUH!

Its really a shame when you think about it...... wait so how many female lead comics does marvel have left?

This was probably my favourite series, I can't believe they've cancelled it. It was one of the few comics that didn't have a scantily-clad woman as the lead.

@thveej said:

@TheWitchingHour: Cause one has Avengers in the name and the other doesn't! DUH!

Its really a shame when you think about it...... wait so how many female lead comics does marvel have left?

Well technically the female ghost rider but who cares about her lol her sales are worse than x-23's

Hope they resolve Laura's loose ends in avengers academy(the weird snowflake make and the cloaked woman from the facility)

@EnSabahNurX: That book IS ending.

@G-Man: I know, I'm sorry, but it just seemed that the moment sales are compared, people start going at each other's throats.

@thveej: Avengers Academy isn't lasting because of that at all. It's because it has a stable fanbase. I know you might not like it, but there are merits to the book. I just hope X-23 fans don't feel too bitter about losing theirs.

Maybe one of the projects Marjorie's working on will be a spin off with Gambit and Jubilee. I can dream, can't I?

GO MARVEL!
BB

From Christos Gage's Twitter, he says

I don't know the ins and outs of why X-23 seems to be on hiatus but I'm guessing it's not entirely sales.

Dangit Marvel! Why do you have to cancel one of my favorite character's books?

This was a great series and they screwed the pooch.

And I just recommended this book over on the DC forums :(
 
Couldn't they have cancelled something else? Something with worse sales perhaps (like AA), or one of those books that actually features Logan? 
Btw, I don't think its a smart move to put Laura on any team...since she just fades into the background unless she's beheading someone.

I thoguht this series was doing pretty good. Sad to see it go

Will you be sad to see the title go?

HECK NO! WHY WOULD I BE SAD? GREAT! NEXT THING YOU KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO CANCEL UNCANNY X-FORCE! WHO KNOWS?

@Outside_85: AA doesn't have worst sales. It beat X-23 the month before. There's no reason for fans of these lower selling series to turn against one another. And Black Panther, Ghost Rider, Generation Hope and Daken sell most lower than AA, which was only a few hundred from X-23's sales. No need to turn against another series or else we all lose.

@The Impersonator: That book is in the 50,000's. It's beyond safe.

@xkoenig: Agreed, but DC did take a year to plan their relaunch. Now they have equal marketshare with Marvel, but they are producing a lot less titles. Isaac Perlmutter is probably demanding an immediate response. Quick responses aren't always good responses.

Good news! I never really liked the character. Weird background and stuff like that, besides that we already have too much Wolverine clones. I mean okay, Deadpool, my favorite character is one of them, but he is way too unique to be called a Wolverine-clone, but there are guys like Sabretooth, Daken and so on. X-23 was simply too much IMO! I'm glad she won't be getting as much attention as she gets now.

That sucks for X-23. Marvel is going so far as to make two separate X-Men books to tell the stories of Wolverine and Cyclops teams, and they cancel her book. These are basically going to be two separate full priced comics telling roughly the same kind of story just on different coasts. Hardly seems right that she gets her book pulled.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :(

somehow i knew this day would come. makes me sad none the less............

@Outside_85: Yeah. Still, I think all this cancellation paranoia is getting to people. And it's not helping any of these smaller title's fanbases.

Thank you, Marvel. Your stupidity overwhelms me.

X-23 was one of the best Marvel titles written by one of the most talented writers Marvel has right now, and it was doing well. Canceling a title containting quality art, great writing, and the best character developement X-23, Gambit and Jubilee have gotten in years while pushing out crap like Fear Itself is a crime against art and entertainment.

I'm not even the slightest bit interested in any of the Avengers titles, and not even Laura joining the Avengers Academy series is going to change that. I'm going to miss her being written by Liu.

I'm hoping that these projects Liu was talking about were a Gambit ongoing series and an awesome X-23 & Jubilee team-up series. That's the only thing that could make me less annoyed by this ridiculous announcement.

@Cafeterialoca said:

From Christos Gage's Twitter, he says

I don't know the ins and outs of why X-23 seems to be on hiatus but I'm guessing it's not entirely sales.

I like that word hiatus ^__________^ It gives me a small glimmer of hope

Could this all be to streamline everything for the "BIG" 2012 event?

First Alpha Flight. Now X-23. :(

X-23 is a great series, anyone who reads it would know that. It's just hard for me to believe that they scrapped this book while daken's (much, much worse) comic is still going on, I mean really who actually likes that guy? I like AA and the X books too but I can't imagine Laura really getting that much page time in either. What's even more heartbreaking is that, aside from fan drawings Marjorie Liu was one of the few people that could actually draw Laura without her looking ridiculous or 10 years older than she actually is. All I have to say is, if she ends up in wolverine and the x men with its weird art, I may just drop that series.

Wow, man this really has me worried what will be next. X-23 was a damn good book. Cutting a book starring Doom, one of Marvel's premiere villains, as well as Destroyer with a major character like The Thing, and now this. I really fear their next cut might be even bigger. As a Deadpool fan I really want the Deadpool book to stay around, but holy crap it has been poorly written, I don't see how that is continuing but X-23, which is much better written, gets axed. Marvel you are very foolish. Please quit having 3 events at once and keep good books like X-23 around instead.

Daaamn that's a surprise. I thought this sold well, was critically acclaimed, and a fan favorite. Why would Marvel cancel one of their most successful titles like that?

I slightly resented that the only solo female ongoing Marvel published was a Wolverine clone with the letter X in her name, but it doesn't mean I'm happy to see it go.

WHAT?! I am mortified and I will cut a b*tch. WTF Marvel? Just because they couldn't rope X-23 into the infinite amount of highly unnecessary and confusing and endless crossovers and events? Ugh but X-23 is SO GOOOOOOD. I will continue fuming until I see her starring again in a steady series.

Hard to believe they would cancel Laura's title but keep Daken's (why not the other way around)

WTF Marvel, this was by far the best x book other than UXF, and it was selling at around 24,000. Just call it Avengers X-men presents Wolverine's clone X-23

@NightwalkerRevan said:

Hard to believe they would cancel Laura's title but keep Daken's (why not the other way around)

His sounds like its ending soon too, the solicit sounds like an ending to the whole series

This would happen right after I switched Avengers Academy for X-23 on my pull list.

@VioletPhoenix: You do know she's joining the cast of Avenger Academy, right?

@VioletPhoenix said:

WHAT?! I am mortified and I will cut a b*tch. WTF Marvel? Just because they couldn't rope X-23 into the infinite amount of highly unnecessary and confusing and endless crossovers and events? Ugh but X-23 is SO GOOOOOOD. I will continue fuming until I see her starring again in a steady series.

took the words right out of my mouth outside of the obscenity bit lol

This sucks. This book is one of my favorite Marvel books. And isn't it Marvel's only book with a female lead? Why isn't there outrage over the fact that Marvel only had one book with a female lead and now that book is getting canceled?