Most overrated / Most undevalued Graphic Novels & Collections

[GreenLanternRanger]

I guess for me Batman: The Killing Joke is a little overrated. I know This comic is either loved or hated but for me it was just boring, I just didn't have any strong feelings from it just indifference and underwhelmed. It has been a long time since I read it so maybe if I give it an other shot I might change my mind. Also Watchman, I did liked it better then The Killing Joke and I did like the art but overall I was just indifference to it.

For undervalued, I think Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comic is, mostly when its written by Ian Flynn. I don't think I hear anybody say bad things about the comic but I also don't really see people talk about it. Maybe i'm a little bias since it is my favorite comic, but I think the comic needs more love.

I actually bought the first three trades of the current Sonic The Hedgehog run recently as i'm kind of on a "support the heck out of Archie" kick after falling in love with the reboot of their line last summer, and yea as far as comics based on 90's Video Games icons goes it's a pretty fun read. Nice to see them use characters from the old sonic cartoons on top of characters from the games. I also got the first Worlds Unite book, but haven't read it yet as from what I understand it happens at a future point as the STH trades have only collected up to like issue #263 and Worlds Unite happens in the mid 270's. But yea, fun series.

Lets see, what else... I would say Sandman Mystery Theatre is abit underrated, it's a solid series but I haven't seen much hype for the current reprints of the series in bigger volumes.


As for overrated, I love Grant Morrison, but I think his run on Batman is kind of overrated. It's not bad mind you, but I personally find it some of his weaker work.

[krylox]

Glad this keeps going!

Some more overrated stuff (imho):

Alan Moore's V for Vendetta — Yes, it has a certain power and has created iconic characters and symbols, BUT it is a slow, predictable and joyless read.
Matt Fraction's Hawkeye — ...was good&fun. But far from the masterwork it got hyped up to.
Matt Wagner's Mage — Man, the first volume of this was so crude and just not very good. Does it improve later on?

Underrated:

Chadwick's Concrete — So good. Sentimental, intelligent and such nice, cinematic artwork. Almost nobody reads/knows it nowadays, and that's a shame.
Alan Davis' Excalibur — Don't know if it holds up well, but I loved this to pieces back in the day
John Wagner's Sandman Mystery Theatre — So thankful that DC decided to re-pack their so-called second and third stringers from the golden age of Vertigo. Turns out SMT is probably one of the high-points in both, Wagner's career and Vertigo's line, especially one that still feels very fresh and is at least on par with the modern noirs that Brubaker&Co have sold us in the past few years.

[Andru]

I probably have some pretty unpopular opinions as well...

Overrated
01. The Killing Joke - Out of all the Batman I recently read, this was honestly the most uneventful to me.
02. Hickman's Avengers - While I thought some parts were quite enjoyable, I found myself lost at points and there seemed to be too much going on.
03. Bendis' Daredevil - Overall, I thought it was a good read, however I do not think it is as great as everyone makes it out to be. At some points it started to drag.

Underrated
01. Huston's Moon Knight - I always see people talking about Moon Knight's original run or the less than stellar Bendis run. This one seems to get lost in the shuffle.
02. Well's Mew Mutants - At least the first 3 arcs. It's hard to complete with Claremont's version, but Well's run was pretty solid.
03. Stern's Avengers - I know this is a favorite among these boards, but it seems like everywhere else it just isn't talked about much.

[Balakin]

I would like to join the praise of SMT. Loved the first volume and can't wait for the next. Also this series could be perfectly adapted to a tv series.

[TomSlick]

Glad this keeps going!

Some more overrated stuff (imho):

Matt Wagner's Mage — Man, the first volume of this was so crude and just not very good. Does it improve later on?

No, it's unreadable. And I say this being a big Wagner fan.

[Mr`Orange]

Overrated:
Planetary - Good but not great
Underwater Welder - pretentious
Periopolis - pretentious

Underrated
Concrete Park - beautiful art and good world building, i just hope they get to tell the full story
The Borgias - How has this book not got more love?
Artesia - Ditto, amazing art and cool story.

[awayne83]

Overrated:
Planetary - Good but not great
Underwater Welder - pretentious
Periopolis - pretentious

Underrated
Concrete Park - beautiful art and good world building, i just hope they get to tell the full story
The Borgias - How has this book not got more love?
Artesia - Ditto, amazing art and cool story.

Probably 'cause its been done better in other media However, with Jodorowski and Manara, everyone should at least check it out

[The Whovian]

Overrated:
Planetary - Good but not great
Underwater Welder - pretentious
Periopolis - pretentious

I know everyone has different tastes, but how can you not love this series? It's amazing!

[Mr`Orange]

I know everyone has different tastes, but how can you not love this series? It's amazing!

Part of it was that I read it straight after reading LoEG vol 3 which was a similar type of story. That just seemed deeper while Planetary though it had some great parts and some interesting ideas just didn't seem to explore them as much. It felt like a lot of world building and not enough exploring. I am impressed with how Ellis managed to tell a whole story per issue for most of the series which is an art unto itself.

[Mr`Orange]

Probably 'cause its been done better in other media However, with Jodorowski and Manara, everyone should at least check it out

I loved how it filled in some omissions from the TV series and told the final act that they unfortunately didn't get to complete.

[The Whovian]

Part of it was that I read it straight after reading LoEG vol 3 which was a similar type of story. That just seemed deeper while Planetary though it had some great parts and some interesting ideas just didn't seem to explore them as much. It felt like a lot of world building and not enough exploring. I am impressed with how Ellis managed to tell a whole story per issue for most of the series which is an art unto itself.

Ah, got it. I can see how that would read then. For the record, I don't care for Moore's writing at all and there's not much Ellis work that I like either, but I was greatly entertained by Planetary. It's just so cool.

[Johnny Thunders!]

I think Ellis's Stormwatch is underrated. Overrated, I like Animal Man by Morrison, but I think I like Lemire's run just as much.

[lvizzz]

Overrated: most stuff from Marvel, Annihilation etc were one of the worst books I've ever read.

Underrated: Scud by Schrab, one of the best books I've read.

[Mr`Orange]

Ah, got it. I can see how that would read then. For the record, I don't care for Moore's writing at all and there's not much Ellis work that I like either, but I was greatly entertained by Planetary. It's just so cool.

Moore is more miss than hit for me, I have enjoyed Top Ten, LoEG and Providence but with the rest of his books I've not been as enamoured as most. Watchmen was good, but I didn't like the ending and to be fair I never read the Pirate story so I have no idea how that ties in. Tom Strong was dull as was Necronomicon. I think I gave up about half way through V for Vendetta and The Nemo Trilogy was not as good as the main book.

Ellis is a master of the single issue stories but in a world of longer paced books his stories just aren't given enough space to breath.

I'm sure I'll give Planetary a go again some day, but not for a while.

[ZenAmako]

No, it's unreadable. And I say this being a big Wagner fan.

I would say Mage improves a lot as the series goes on. The first few chapters are a bit crude, much like Wagner's early Grendel issues. However, the art becomes much cleaner when Sam Kieth starts inking Wagner's pencils, and Wagner starts doing an amazing job with the colors starting at around chapter 10 (note that the reprint from Image has been recolored and you lose the original hand painted colors). The writing also improves--the entirety of chapter 14 is a conversation between just two characters, and it's never less than compelling. The double sized conclusion is full of action and feels very cinematic. Actually, according to a letter printed in the back of one of the original Comico issues, the series was voted "most improved series" by some publication at the time when the series was at issue #9 or #10.