Which DC run/story considered a "Classic" did you never understand the hype?

[tib2d2]

We've all been there, we find out about a "classic story", from the famous writer/artist, or the "amazing run" when a particular creator took over a title. You go get the back issues or the trade, so excited to experience these widely considered classic comics. You finish it, and you go "really?!"

Which one comes to mind that you just didn't understand the hype after reading it?

[Korath]

All-Star Superman. I really hated it when everyone said it was a must read.

[tib2d2]

I'll agree somewhat, I thought it was very "meh". I didn't hate it, but I'm with you that it did NOT live up to the hype.

[NaCl]

The Brood story-line in X-Men. I thought it was horrible.

[Restingvoice]

Hmm, nothing like that yet... The closest one is A Death in The Family, which I understand the hype, but burst out laughing at Iranian Ambassador Joker.

Like I wasn't that sad because this was the only Jason story I read at the time, so I didn't know him... I hate his mother though... but any proper emotion I had was just gone the moment I saw Joker in a... keffiyeh? It's such an absurd visual right next to the seriousness of Batman trying to holding himself back not to beat up Joker.

I acknowledge that part of the story, but any seriousness I felt was just gone.

[Buried Alien]

Hmm, nothing like that yet... The closest one is A Death in The Family, which I understand the hype, but burst out laughing at Iranian Ambassador Joker.

Like I wasn't that sad because this was the only Jason story I read at the time, so I didn't know him... I hate his mother though... but any proper emotion I had was just gone the moment I saw Joker in a... keffiyeh? It's such an absurd visual right next to the seriousness of Batman trying to holding himself back not to beat up Joker.

I acknowledge that part of the story, but any seriousness I felt was just gone.

To be fair, few fans acclaim A DEATH IN THE FAMILY as a great story. It's certainly an *important* one in BATMAN history, but I've never really seen it singled out for praise as a story, apart from its historical significance.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[tib2d2]

On the Marvel side, it was the Kree/Skrull War. Didn't get that at all!

On the DC side its Gaiman's Sandman. Besides the very unique artwork, I didn't get the appeal at all.

[LordMikel]

On the Marvel side, it was the Kree/Skrull War. Didn't get that at all!

On the DC side its Gaiman's Sandman. Besides the very unique artwork, I didn't get the appeal at all.

Agreed about Kree/Skrull. I picked up the trade and it was a bit lackluster. Same with Korvac saga.

On DC side, I hate Mister Miracle with a passion. So boring and not funny when it tried to be.

[Lee Stone]

...





Dark Knight Returns...


I just couldn’t get what the whole hoopla was about.
Aside from the intro of Carrie Kelley as Robin, it just didn’t interest me.

[Tzigone]

To be fair, few fans acclaim A DEATH IN THE FAMILY as a great story. It's certainly an *important* one in BATMAN history, but I've never really seen it singled out for praise as a story, apart from its historical significance.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

That's what I was told when I posted not liking it as a Controversial Opinion. Bad continuity, some contrived events, and a plothole you could drive a truck through.

Few of the "classic" stories appeal to me - they almost all have big, depressing central events and horrible things happening to pre-existing characters. Dark is loved, but it's not my taste. More variable runs get praised.

The Green Lantern/Green Arrow run.

I didn't read much of that. And I like bronze-age Ollie. And I don't mind politics or social commentary a bit. But it was just so anvil-like. I'm "wrap the moral tale up in an entertaining story" whereas some are more afterschool special - not entertaining. Entertainment is priority for me. But I will also admit that when I was still a kid, I liked Captain Planet. I expect I'd find it similarly extreme and annoying today. Even in my teens I still like some of it. But I guess the older I get, the less I like being preached to, even when I agree with the messaging.

I love Superman but I did not care for the Death story, at all. I mean the fight is cool but it's not something I rank very highly.

I liked it overall, but it's not amazing to me. The emotional aftermath - some of it I like and some I don't. Same with Reign. But I did read it years later and in one sitting - I think that impacts perception. I started reading comics when Reed Richards was dead. Everyone knew he wouldn't stay dead. Never in my comic reading experience was death final. And I knew Superman's wasn't (though I expect many fans did, too), and that hampers emotional impact. But you still get to see other characters react like it's forever, and with enough time and attention to draw out feeling from the audience, I guess. The advantage of reading after it's all finished is that I'm not annoyed/impatient the same way. With more recent deaths reading real-time, I'm all "yeah, yeah, yeah, call me when my character is back" - it's irritating because I'm waiting for what know (or think I know) will happen. And would have been moreso, I'm sure, if I'd had to read a year of Superman comics with no Superman. No waiting removes some frustration, though obviously it also removes the mystery and speculation of trying to figure out who the new players are and deal with plots that way. I know I get a lot less disappointed as what I perceive as crappy plot/character turns when I binge watch a show v. when I watched it read time and speculated and had hopes for what came next and such. The same probably applies here - more willingness/ability to just take the good and ignore the bad than when you follow real-time and get invested (particularly the case when plot resolution ends up making no sense after you spent months trying to figure out clues).

[Jon Clark]

The Green Lantern/Green Arrow run.

Maybe it just didn't age well but rather than ground breaking tales it read like a parody. I'm expecting the comic book equivalent of Star Trek or All in the Family but i get paper tin plots, strawmen protagonists and surptise that this team could be the same guy that wrote the Batman/R'as stories.

[9th.]

I love Superman but I did not care for the Death story, at all. I mean the fight is cool but it's not something I rank very highly.

[kcekada]

The Green Lantern/Green Arrow run.

Maybe it just didn't age well but rather than ground breaking tales it read like a parody. I'm expecting the comic book equivalent of Star Trek or All in the Family but i get paper tin plots, strawmen protagonists and surptise that this team could be the same guy that wrote the Batman/R'as stories.

Without the Neal Adams art, I don't think that run would be as fondly remembered. It was, however, groundbreaking in its day, and the art is still sweet to view.

[basbash99]

Without the Neal Adams art, I don't think that run would be as fondly remembered. It was, however, groundbreaking in its day, and the art is still sweet to view.

This. The writing came across as pretty hamfisted even when i was first reading it in back in 1985 or so (DC had reprinted the run in a 7-issue series on baxter paper). But you could see why it was considered important even the writing was kinda eyeroll-inducing. And of course the artwork is still remarkable.

I didn't think the Levitz/Giffen Legion run quite lived up the hype when i got a trade of the great darkness saga awhile back... but then, most things don't. Still an entertaining enough read, though.

I thought King's Omega Men run was extremely, extremely overrated.

[The Darknight Detective]

The Green Lantern/Green Arrow run.

Maybe it just didn't age well but rather than ground breaking tales it read like a parody. I'm expecting the comic book equivalent of Star Trek or All in the Family but i get paper tin plots, strawmen protagonists and surptise that this team could be the same guy that wrote the Batman/R'as stories.

Yeah, it worked a heck of lot better back in the '70s than it does now, but the whole "GL hasn't done anything for the black man" rubbed me the wrong way even then. The late, great Denny O'Neill wrote a lot of wonderful stories, but I don't find this run as near the top of his heap. Adams, of course, was always top of the line.