what comics do wish you'd never read?

ztoical

ok we've had 100 + 1 threads on what comics we like and would rec to others to read but what comics would you tell people to avoid? What comics did you hear great things from everyone else about then read it and think WTF? Given the increasing cost of books have you ever finished a book and thought theres X euros I've wasted? Or are there books or storylines that started strong but then went straight downhill [spidy clones springs to mind]?

Now I'm not starting this thread to start fights but for genuine discussion so try and have reasons and arguments for your choices. Choices are limited to print comics [unless you've got an amazing argument for a webcomic] and only ones printed by a publisher - with a self publish comic its only your own money you've sunk into it [again if you've got an amazing argument go for it but it better be good ]

I'm expecting major Liefeld bashing from Fysh on this.

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If I had to pick something it would be "Blankets" by Craig Thompson...this falls into the heard great things from people and book was major let down category.

Its actually not so much Blankets that I disliked but all the people who kept telling me how great it was. When I pushed some of these people to expand on why it was great most of the answers where cus it was so big or cus it was getting mainstream literature reviews as opposed to just comicbook ones, all of which is fine but had nothing to do with wither its a good book or not. Some of the people I asked actually admitted they'd never read the bloody thing but cus everyone else thought it was great they'd jumped on the bandwagon.

I thankfully didn't buy a copy but borrowed a friends, thinking it would take me a couple of days to read, I told him he would have it back in a week - I gave it back to him an hour later. It's a 600 page graphic novel that honestly shouldn't take you longer then 30mins to read. Tompsons art is lovely and I am actually a big fan of his work but every page has the same weight and flow and my eyes just skipped over the pages after the first 40 or so. With his earlier work "Good-bye, Chunky Rice" there was a lovely range of line quality and I devoured the detail on every page and I just didn't feel that with Blankets.

My big issue with blankets is that I just don't feel any depth to it at all - something that has been re-enforced for me with the publication of Bechdel's "Fun Home". Even more light hearted approaches to the subject of first love like "Paul get's a summer job" feel like they have more depth to them then blankets. for me it just felt like a sterotype and very plain and bland. Its an above average graphic novel, I will give it that but for me its just not great.

qwertplaywert

Anything from Chris Claremont in about the last 10 years

the Shades

DK2 the first issue was great but the final two were a never ending descent into mediocrity and completely off target characterisation.

That said most of what DC have put out since Didio took over is absolutely terrible and they seem intent on driving all fans away from the books the way they're destroying characters.

Fysh

Heh, Dark Knight Strikes Back is on my list too Murra. There were a couple of ideas in the opening chapter that I liked, but which were never really explored (imprisoning the Flash to use him as a generator could have been the gateway into exploring an oppressive government intent on using metahumans as a form of natural resource). Aside from that, it being a sucky sucky story didn't exactly help, and while I understand the need for experimentation, Varley's change of approach to the colouring didn't do it for me at all.

As for the Liefeld-bashing...well, I've managed to avoid buying anything he's been involved with ever since his hideous work on Heroes Reborn. If I let myself get started we'll be here all day.

I can't really think of much else right now, but then again I've periodically purged my collection of stuff that I don't particularly rate so I've probably forgotten about any crappy investments I've made.