Most overrated / Most undevalued Graphic Novels & Collections

[krylox]

Hey Guys,

I guess this is the kind of question, which returns every now and then. But it was just recently that I finally gave another "classic" a shot and it felt quite like a let-down.
It was...

Some big letdowns:

ANIMAL MAN Omnibus by Grant Morrison.
I really am a fan of his work. But 10 issues in, I can't see, why I should continue with this collection. Yeah, it's fun, is has some moments, but essential (comic) reading it's not (at least up to this point).

SANDMAN: PRELUDES & NOCTURNES
The first volume of Sandman is so hard to get through... I have the absolutes here, and have tried twice to finally give the series a proper re-read, but I always stop to care before reaching the tenth issue. I remember loving the series when it came out, but I jumped onboard around issue 30 or so, so... Maybe I should just skip some?

SAGA by Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples
I admit that it is quite entertaining, and maybe I'm missing the point, but I really don't care for either story or characters. After two volumes I stopped reading and never looked back.


Criminally undervalued:

The late80s/early 90s generation of indie cartoonists. Guys like Joe Matt, Seth, Chester Brown (my fav!) and Charles Burns, even a more mainstream guy like Daniel Clowes, they just don't get the recognition they deserve, at least not in the comic-reading community. Those guys have written some very thoughtful BUT also very touching and entertaining graphic novels, but i rarely see their names dropped, especially not when it's coming to sales. Watchmen and Maus are great and everything, but there are so many more great graphic novels out there waiting to be discovered...

Same goes for the great overlooked authors of mainstream comics. The Mike Careys and Peter Davids. I mean, how good was Lucifer? It was totally excellent! Same goes for David#s X-Factor and Hulk (his "Visionaries" tpb-series is still surprisingly readable and entertaining for a mainstream book from the 80s/90s). And a propos overlooked mainstream books...

SPECTRE by John Ostrander.
Superhero-Horror perfection. Or is it just me? Why were the collections discontinued, sales weren't all that bad? Makes me sad, but also glad that we got at least those two volumes.


What about you guys? I'm curious about your input!

[Hellboydce]

Struggled but manage to finish but was since sold off.....
Hickman's Fantastic four (or Fantastic Bore as I called it)
Kurt Busiek's Avengers omni vol 1, tried but just couldn't get into it.
Ennis Punisher (regular not max version as I haven't read that) read the Ennis omni then the Jason Arron version which I thought was far superior

Underrated,
kirkman's Invincible, not sure what the sales are like but I bet that this massively entertaining book is crushed by the, walk, find some place, people die, repeating dead.
Templesmith's Wormwood, gentlemen corpse, a genuinely funny, original story with outstanding art
Ellis's Authority, pretty much gave birth to modern superhero comics

But this is all just my opinion

[lvizzz]

Struggled but manage to finish but was since sold off.....
Hickman's Fantastic four (or Fantastic Bore as I called it)
Kurt Busiek's Avengers omni vol 1, tried but just couldn't get into it.
Ennis Punisher (regular not max version as I haven't read that) read the Ennis omni then the Jason Arron version which I thought was far superior

Underrated,
kirkman's Invincible, not sure what the sales are like but I bet that this massively entertaining book is crushed by the, walk, find some place, people die, repeating dead.
Templesmith's Wormwood, gentlemen corpse, a genuinely funny, original story with outstanding art
Ellis's Authority, pretty much gave birth to modern superhero comics

But this is all just my opinion

You wanna get rid of Punisher?

Yeah, Animal Man is nothing special, just all right. I guess it contains lot of Morrison's expierience with drugs, but my god some art is terrible, bad angles or perspective.

[Hellboydce]

You wanna get rid of Punisher?

I keep thinking about and was planning to stick it on eBay this month, but I can't seem to pull the trigger

[lvizzz]

I keep thinking about and was planning to stick it on eBay this month, but I can't seem to pull the trigger

Maybe we can trade?

[Hellboydce]

Maybe we can trade?

Only things I'm after are sin city library editions, and if I enjoy it, the Usagi Yojimbo FB HC's, if I decide to get rid I will let you know before I eBay it

[mtop2036]

Surprised you didn't like hickmans FF. Honestly surprised by the dislike of hickmans FF/A/NW/SW on this board.

[Balakin]

Struggled but manage to finish but was since sold off.....
Hickman's Fantastic four (or Fantastic Bore as I called it)
Kurt Busiek's Avengers omni vol 1, tried but just couldn't get into it.
Ennis Punisher (regular not max version as I haven't read that) read the Ennis omni then the Jason Arron version which I thought was far superior

Underrated,
kirkman's Invincible, not sure what the sales are like but I bet that this massively entertaining book is crushed by the, walk, find some place, people die, repeating dead.
Templesmith's Wormwood, gentlemen corpse, a genuinely funny, original story with outstanding art
Ellis's Authority, pretty much gave birth to modern superhero comics

But this is all just my opinion

I thought your list gonna be more outrageous. I'm the same with the Busiek Avengers but still want to finish v1 someday. My biggest fear is that I will actually like it in the end but v2 will be oop by the time.
Weird that I really freakin loved WCA but can't get into Busiek's run.
Only read Welcome back Frank from the MK Ennis run but loved, loved loved it. Loved Aaron's MAX too and Ennis' MAX stuff as well (only read half of it).

Your underrated list is quite spot on, although I like Walking dead too but Invincible is superior for me.

[Hellboydce]

I thought your list gonna be more outrageous. I'm the same with the Busiek Avengers but still want to finish v1 someday. My biggest fear is that I will actually like it in the end but v2 will be oop by the time.
Weird that I really freakin loved WCA but can't get into Busiek's run.
Only read Welcome back Frank from the MK Ennis run but loved, loved loved it. Loved Aaron's MAX too and Ennis' MAX stuff as well (only read half of it).

Your underrated list is quite spot on, although I like Walking dead too but Invincible is superior for me.

I do like the WD (comics) it's just the TV show which annoys the **** out of me (which I still religiously watch) with it's bad acting and terrible plots, stupid ideas and poor storylines, and 5 billion people still watch it!!!!

[Balakin]

I do like the WD (comics) it's just the TV show which annoys the **** out of me (which I still religiously watch) with it's bad acting and terrible plots, stupid ideas and poor storylines, and 5 billion people still watch it!!!!

and that's why I gave up halfway through the 2nd season. I don't even like zombies so the only thing that makes me read the comics is the character drama and plot, all the regular zombie slaying I just flip through. In the tv show there is nothing appealing to me.

[The Whovian]

Surprised you didn't like hickmans FF. Honestly surprised by the dislike of hickmans FF/A/NW/SW on this board.

Yeah, I don't get it either. Hickman is one of the best writers in comics today. Love all his stuff.

[Dayle88]

Yeah, I don't get it either. Hickman is one of the best writers in comics today. Love all his stuff.

I don't dislike what I've read from him (Avengers, Secret Wars) but he has zero characterisation.

[The Whovian]

Overrated:

Saga - I tried it twice but just couldn't get into it.
The Ultimates (from the Ultimate Marvel line, not the newest comic) - I'm not saying it's bad. Just that it's not as great as a lot of fans say it is.
Watchmen - Yeah, I said it. This book is probably THE most overrated series ever.

Underrated:

Robinson's Starman - This run should be recognized as one of the finest ever but all it ever gets mentioned as is a "really good run". That's criminal.
CrossGen's Negation - Crazy fun story, with amazing art and a cool and vast array of a cast of characters.
Ann Nocenti's DD run - Hardly ever gets any credit, yet it's easily one of the best DD runs. I'd probably only put Bendis, Bru and Miller runs above it.
Busiek and Nicieza's T-Bolts - One of the best comic book runs ever.
Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme - Gru was the first to explore the aspect of superheroes going to the extreme and it was brilliant.
Rom - I am soooooo glad that IDW is reprinting this series!
Green Lantern Corps by Peter Tomasi - I get the love by fans of John's GL, but Tomasi's GLC was just as good.
Paul Dini's Batman - sooooooooo underrated it's not even funny.

[Drz]

Paul Dini's Batman - sooooooooo underrated it's not even funny.

I'm hoping they'll eventually make "Tales of the Batman: Dustin Ngueyn" which would quite essentially be a collection of Dini's Batman run. :b Granted, Paul Dini has more brand name so how about: Batman by Paul Dini Omnibus!

[mike1981]

Saga - It was... fine? I didn't like it, but I couldn't stop reading it once I started and finished the fisrt HC in one sitting. I still don't understand the hype though; Vaughan has covered all these themes and beats before, only better, in Y. I also don't see the appeal of Staples' art. Here line work is solid, but a complete lack of backgrounds makes me wonder why she can't keep a monthly schedule.

Hickman - I sometimes think I pulled one of my old Engineering texts from undergrad off the shelf by mistake. He's competent enough, but writes zero characterization into his stories. I did like East of West quite a bit, however.

Kirkman - Can't stand his stuff. From a technical point he is terrible; no setup, no transitions from one scene to the next, and painfully wooden dialogue. He also turns me off as a person, and I can't separate that dislike from his work.

All of you who don't like Busiek's Avengers are wrong, by the way.