Kirby's Fourth World series (1970-1972) was leading toward a "Final Battle" in the fire pits of Apokalips (Armagetto) where "father fights son" (Orion vs Darkseid).


( click on image to see all issues, enlarged covers, and interior pages for each series)


Kirby wanted to bring the saga to a clear and final end, but the titles NEW GODS and FOREVER PEOPLE (in 1972) were cancelled by DC management before Kirby could end it.
And MR MIRACLE (after issue 9) although not cancelled, was pushed in a completely different non-Fourth-World direction.

But oddly enough, these titles ( NEW GODS and MISTER MIRACLE) were revived just months after Kirby left DC in early 1976.

It can certainly be speculated that these titles were cancelled to keep Kirby from killing his own characters.
And that these titles were purposefully revived as soon as Kirby was gone from DC, so DC could have other creators continue the two series (NEW GODS and MISTER MIRACLE) in a way that kept marketable characters from being killed off, instead of in the way Kirby had wanted to conclusively finish them off in the series.

If that's the case, it's a WTF and a half !