Most Over / Underatted comic...

[AZS]

As long as AintItCoolNews.com keeps coming up with good questions, I'll keep stealing them!

This week's discussion:

What are the most overrated and underrated comics on the stands today? (Keeping it current.)

Personally, I felt that the $1 Countdown to Infinite Crisis was the most overrated comic in recent memory.

Underrated, that's tough. There's a fine line between underrated and 'under-hyped.'
For example, Planatery is an awesome book. It gets a lot of critical acclaim, but doesn't have huge sales numbers. I wouldn't say its underatted, rather it is under-hyped.

So I guess my pick for Underrated is Birds of Prey. Its consistantly a good book, with a great story and characterization, but it doesn't get a lot of recognition outside of its strong fanbase.

What are your picks?

[Maxx Blast]

Over-rated: New Avengers

Under-rated: Cable/Deadpool

[hail_eris]

Overhyped? I think All Star Batman & Robin might have a pretty good shot at that one. And I generally like Bendis, but House of M has left me feeling kind of "meh". It's a decent story and all, but I was hoping to have my socks blown off by Marvel's would-be Identity Crisis killer. My socks have remained quite firmly on.

Underhyped? Invincible is a great little book. And I dare any Bendis-hater to read a couple of the Powers trades (he's a good storyteller - his stories just happen to have a high body count, so let the Hawkeye thing rest, eh?). Mignola has put out a new Hellboy book for the first time in forever, and that seemed to slip under the radar to a certain degree. Based on the number of issues I see arrive in a given month, there aren't nearly enough people reading Catwoman: When in Rome (I think everyone might just be waiting for the trade). And I'm going to go out on a limb and say Hercules (haven't actually read it yet, but I've heard some glowing recommendations and I plan to pick it up this weekend).

Just the right amount of hype? Ex Machina, for one. This is a great book and it deserves all the buzz it gets. I dare any writer to top the stinger page at the end of issue one - everyone I know who's read it has said "Damn!" (or something harsher) out loud and physically recoiled from the book a little bit. Now *that's* storytelling. Brubaker's work on Cap and Whedon's run on X-Men. They're fun comic stories that feel like throwbacks to the '80s - but with better art on better paper. And I'm going to pre-emptively say that Shazam/Superman will deserve all the hype that it should get. I'm just geeked to see Middleton working again. The preview pages are downright stunning. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that Middleton's version *might* trump Ross's as the iconic treatment of the modern Captain Marvel.

[Black King]

Marvel

Over-rated: Astonishing X-men (Best of the X books, but still not all that great)

Under-rated: Hercules (Cult classic status coming) + Cable/Deadpool (month in month out, it's top 5)

DC

Over-rated: Superman/Batman (I have faith that Loeb is building to something, but the road there seems to run along side open sewer lines.)

Under-rated: Wonder Woman (Shockingly good, I never thought I'd be paying money for a WW book)

[d-roc69]

Over rated: Green Lantern Rebirth (Geoff Johns should never be allowed to write Batman)

Under rated: Cable/Deadpool and Majestic (this book has been really fun so far)

[Sehmket]

I'd say both Wonder Woman and Y: The Last Man are underrated. WW wows me most every time I pick it up... I should really start getting it regularly. Y is one of my fav titles, and it's a bright, witty social comentary that just doesn't seem to get a lot of mention.

Y might not get a lot of discussion because the Realms is my primary means of comics discussions, and the Y characters would make really stupid clix.

[Grinner]

Overhyped? I think All Star Batman & Robin might have a pretty good shot at that one. And I generally like Bendis, but House of M has left me feeling kind of "meh". It's a decent story and all, but I was hoping to have my socks blown off by Marvel's would-be Identity Crisis killer. My socks have remained quite firmly on.

Underhyped? Invincible is a great little book. And I dare any Bendis-hater to read a couple of the Powers trades (he's a good storyteller - his stories just happen to have a high body count, so let the Hawkeye thing rest, eh?).

Gotta agree here. Although I did like All Star B&R better than House of M. I read the first 3 issues and went, "This could have been done in one issue."

And Invincible was the title that popped to my mind before I even opened the thread. This is probably the most fun title I read right now. As I said to Kirkman when I met him, this title reminds me why I love comics.

I've read several of the Powers trades and I love them. His slower pace and large amounts of dialogue fit better in Powers than they do in most of his superhero work.

[Sporko]

I think Super-Man/Batman gets *way* too much credit.

I think the very first story-arch started good, but around issue 3 or 4 it just got ridiculous. Especially with that japanese toy-manboy, and the giant manga robot superman/batman.

And it just never got better from there. One lame, under-written story after another.

I like most comics, I honestly don't feel I'm that picky, but I think Super-man/Batman is just pretty terrible.

I don't know what's under-rated. I mean, there's a lot of the obvious good books that don't sell incredibly well, but they all get a lot of praise and acclaim.

[DarkCrisis]

Over-Rated: Bendis

Under-Rated: Poison Elves

[Maniac_nmt]

Over-rated: New Avengers (the characters often don't sound like themselves, and Bendis doesn't seem to know many of them from Adam, just what sounds cool or hip to do).

Under Rated: New Invaders (this book was so good, it makes you cry it's off the market now). For currently in print, Conan (Busiek and Nord are turning out some great stuff for Dark Horse).

Under Hyped: Adam Strange mini (art and writing were simply fabulous, no gorgeous, amazing, let's say, best DC book in years, and I like the JSA so that says something).

[curr0001]

Overrated: Superman/Batman. I just don't undersatnd the love this comic gets. and New Avengers

Underated: Sleeper, Y the last man, Poison Elves, Gold Digger..

[MagicMaster]

Over: New Avengers, Astonishing X-men, and OMAC project

Under: Fables (This has to be one of the best concepts for a comic since Sandman), Catwoman, DC's Solo

[Darth Sabre]

Overrated: New Avengers- This comic is good! So I good, that I have done a complete 180 in my original assessment. However, when I look at team comics, and I look at Astonishing X-Men, JSA, and Ultimates 2, New Avengers doesn't really come close.

Underrated: The Darkness..this is like the Punisher Max...but there is actually a story behind all the violence, no mindless cursing, and the art absolutley rocks..consistently.

[Tom1210]

Over-rated: Identity Crisis (Good build-up at first but the ending sucked)

Under-rated: Fables, Y the Last Man and Invincibles

[petenbailey9]

Over-rated:Secret Wars and Albion

Under-rated:Legion of Super heroes and Manhunter

[Green L@ntern]

Underrated: Fables

[BigDandle]

I'm going to open up discussion in a new category and that is most UNDERWHELMING. This being a comic that is too new to be over rated but was definately over hyped and didn't live up to it, but that doesn't mean it wasn't any good. It just did'nt live up to the hype. I think All Star Batman is definately the winner here.

OVER RATED: Superman/Batman just because it's inconsistent. New Avengers has been consistent throughout the run, S/B has been all over the place.

UNDER RATED: Wonder Woman definately needs to be read by everyone. I would say Fables, but I think that one just suffers from being Under hyped. Cable/Deadpool surprises me every month and it definately puts the "comic" in comic books. I think the Bat books w/o Batman are underrated, BoP, Robin, Nightwing.

HYPED and RATED JUST RIGHT: Ultimates 2, Astonishing X-Men, Supreme Power, JSA, Teen Titans. And after a few more issues Justice, Supergirl and JSA Classified will be on this list.

[chaosMonkeyPoo]

Over-rated? All Star Batman and Robin (the boy wonder.... stupid long ### title). Batman sounds stupid as hell. "This is a war, and you've just been recruted?" Thats so incredibly dumb coming from Batman. How many times do we need to see the origin of the #### Grayson's Robin? I still look at Loeb's Dark Victory as the difinitive robin origin anyway.

Under-rated? Easy as hell... CABLE/DEADPOOL!!! Just great humor, and I always love how self aware the book is on how stupid and redictulous it gets. Easily one of my top books every month. And to think I originally skipped it because the Rob Leifield covers on the first few issues tricked me into thinking he did the interiors as well. Boy was I stupid.

I would love to say that Y the Last Man, Fables, Invincible, and Walking Dead are underrated... but they totally aren't. They get insane amounds of critial acclaim and just about anyone who is interested in the storys they tell are already on board. Not underrated, just really really awesome.

[daredevilbubba]

Overrated: Green Lantern: Ribirth

Underated: easy, Cable & Deadpool. Funny with some action.

[Thawmus]

Overrated: House of M -I just don't get what's so great about it. It seems like Crisis on crack, only the bad crack that makes you want to cry instead of laugh. Wait, that's not crack at all.......

Underrated: I'd have to agree on the 1 dollar countdown. I was very disappointed that I had 80 pages of a character they didn't even have on the front cover.....and don't correct me on that if you want this thread spoiler free.

[CaptainCanada]

OVERRATED: Identity Crisis. Countdown to Infinite Crisis. Infinite Crisis. GL: Rebirth.

UNDERRATED: FANTASTIC FOUR has NEVER disappointed me. I thought the UNTHINKABLE arc was FAR superior to, say, Identity Crisis.

DEFENDERS: Actually made me laugh more than "Formerly known as the Justice League". And I realize it was the same team who did that book.

I thought the MK Man-Thing was great. But I love Man-Thing... such a cool character.

Did anyone else read "Huh Wha?!"?! FREAKING HILARIOUS. All tiny Marvel "What-if" stories. "What if all the Avengers had beards?" "What if Wolverine really DID appear in EVERY comic book?" (Like, say, "Archie and Friends" or "Pokemon") "What is Black Panther was actually White?" A must-buy.

Needless to say, I don't really like all of these Crises DC keeps shoving at me. For now and forever more, MAKE MINE MARVEL.


*'SPECIALLY IF MAN-THING EVER JOINS THE DEFENDERS.

[Gentlegamer]

OVERRATED: Day of Vengeance (seemed far too "superheroey" for what I thought was going to be a more mystical story), All the books CaptainCanada likes

UNDERRATED: Hawkman (Palmiotti and Gray have done a great job, top-notch art by Bennet), The Flash (until GJ left, Rogue War was a heck of an ending to a great run, now I have to buy all the past TPBs)

OFF THE CHARTS AWESOME: Infinite Crisis #1 (looks to be a true sequel to CoIE, and an ironing out of the inconsistancies in the characterizations of the DCU of the past few years)

[Aeturnus]

Overrated:
Rann/Thanagar War, House of M, New Avengers, Superman/Batman, All-Star Batman and Robin, Ultimate X-Men

Underrated:
Cable/Deadpool

[Rando]

Over-rated: New Avengers (the characters often don't sound like themselves, and Bendis doesn't seem to know many of them from Adam, just what sounds cool or hip to do).

Under Rated: New Invaders (this book was so good, it makes you cry it's off the market now). For currently in print, Conan (Busiek and Nord are turning out some great stuff for Dark Horse).

Under Hyped: Adam Strange mini (art and writing were simply fabulous, no gorgeous, amazing, let's say, best DC book in years, and I like the JSA so that says something).

Maniac nmt is right.

[fearman111]

Over-
House of M, New Avengers, most X-Men titles

Under-
Manhunter

[Darth Sabre]

OVERRATED: All the books CaptainCanada likes

UNDERRATED: The Flash (until GJ left, Rogue War was a heck of an ending to a great run, now I have to buy all the past TPBs)


I agree with both of these points.

As I stated in my post, GJ's Flash run is the best single character run, I've read to date.

[CaptainCanada]

OVERRATED: Day of Vengeance (seemed far too "superheroey" for what I thought was going to be a more mystical story), All the books CaptainCanada likes.

HEY!

What's wrong wih FF, Defenders, and Man-Thing?