10 Classic Comics that Have Been Re-Evaluated & Why

One of the most interesting parts about superhero comics is how much they’ve changed over the years. For example, I’ve been reading comics since 1991 and I’ve watched the industry go through some major changes, from distribution to what types of stories are popular to the rise and fall of numerous characters. Marvel and DC Comics are constantly trying to keep ahead of the curve, and that has led the industry in many directions. This extends to lists of greatest stories, as even these have morphed and changed over the years. While some consider the greats to be static, this is not always the case.

Some comics are timeless; they’re beloved right from the beginning and stay that way. Other comics don’t have the same quality. They were once beloved by everyone, but the numerous changes to the industry have seen them fall from grace. These ten stories were all beloved at some point, but they’ve been re-evaluated by fans and critics for a variety of reasons.

10) The Ultimates and The Ultimates 2

Once upon a time, Mark Millar was the hottest writer in comics. Starting with 2000’s The Authority, he became massive and was one of the architects of the original Ultimate Universe. The Ultimates, with artist Bryan Hitch, was white hot from the beginning and became one of the most popular books on the charts. Even with the rather long delays, people were still rabid for the book, with the sequel series The Ultimates 2 just as popular. However, that was over 20 years ago and a lot of the book’s edgier Millar humor just doesn’t land in the same way any more. Just about everything with Hank Pym in the book is terrible, and everyone on the team comes across as the worst people you can imagine. It was once the new hotness, but it’s become a relic of a bygone era.

9) Identity Crisis

Identity Crisis, by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales, has had an interesting journey since its publication. The Justice League murder mystery made a huge splash when it first came out and honestly, most fans loved the story. It was one of the biggest books every month and various comic publications were giving it glowing praise and discussing it constantly. The ending wasn’t generally beloved, but fans still loved the story. Flash forward 20 years, and the book’s reception is honestly the opposite. The fridging and sexual assault of Sue Dibney are the main reasons why; fans don’t like the way the story victimized female characters as part of its drama. It’s gone from generally enjoyed to hated by most fans.

8) House of M

I’ve always been House of M‘s biggest hater, and I remember how much push back I got for that back in the day. Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel’s story was another chapter in the tale that Bendis had started with “Avengers Disassembled: Chaos” and fans were hyped for the series. It got generally great reviews and positive word of mouth from readers. However, things have changed, mostly because of how fans feel about Bendis’s writing from back then. Back in the mid ’00s, he was the hottest writer with most Marvel fans enjoying his work; they loved his decentralized storytelling style and the snarky talking heads. However, modern fans don’t feel the same way and most of them acknowledge how boring and badly paced the story is. While one can’t downplay the event’s importance to Marvel history, they’re no longer praising it to high heaven.

7) “Avengers Disassembled: Chaos”

The ’00s were hugely successful for Marvel, and Bendis’s Avengers comics were some of the most beloved books of the day. He was the guy, and everything he did got praise from fans and critics. “Avengers Disassembled: Chaos”, by Bendis and David Finch, came just at the right time for the fandom. The Avengers had hit a very rough patch, and Bendis and Finch were hot as the sun. Fans loved the four-issue story (five if you count Avengers Finale #1), but that has cooled off in the years since. There’s the ongoing re-evaluation of a lot of Bendis comics from back then, but there’s also the way that writer ruined Scarlet Witch with the story. The whole “chaos magic” retcon has been called out more and more, and the book torpedoed Scarlet Witch as a character for years afterwards. It’s fallen far in the estimation of fans.

6) Civil War

We all know what Civil War is about by now, so I’m not going to go into detail about the story’s plot. Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s eight-issue series has always been called out by fans for the way it plays fast and loose with characterization. However, back in the day the story was mega-popular with fans and the general consensus was that it was a great story. That has changed a lot in the 20 years since it was released. A big part of that is Millar admitting that the story was a pro-Patriot Act tale and that Iron Man was actually supposed to be the hero of the piece. Millar’s fall from grace is another big part of that, as no one likes him enough anymore to give him the benefit of the doubt. Every mistake the book made is magnified by the haters, and you won’t see very many people praising it, which is a change.

5) Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, was long considered one of the greatest Batman stories ever. It gave readers a possible origin for the Joker and paralyzed Batgirl. Bolland’s art was sensational, and Moore was, well, Alan Moore. The story seemingly held an unassailable position in the pantheon of great stories. However, there are a lot of people who think The Killing Joke is overrated. To begin with, there’s the paralysis of Batgirl, something that even Alan Moore regretted doing. There are a lot of fans out there who don’t like the idea of giving the Joker any kind of origin. Finally, the newer editions of the book have been recolored with more realistic tones and it’s ruined the art in a lot of ways.

4) Avengers #200

Avengers #200, by Jim Shooter, George Perez, Bob Layton, and David Michelenie, is widely considered the worst Avengers comic ever. This is the infamous story where Carol Danvers fell in love with her rapist, who was also her son, and the Avengers acted like it was a great thing. It’s terrible and hated for all the right reasons. However, there was a time when the book wasn’t anywhere close to the most hated Avengers comic. It was basically completely forgotten for a long time and the reaction to it even back in the day wasn’t all that strong. It wasn’t ever anyone’s favorite story, but most fans also didn’t think it was the worst thing ever.

3) “The Judas Contract”

New Teen Titans was only the book that could stand with the sales juggernaut that was Uncanny X-Men in the early ’80s. Marv Woflman and George Perez were the perfect creative team and they gave readers some of the best superhero stories ever. The most beloved story of their run is “The Judas Contract”. The tale of Deathstroke and Terra attacking the Teen Titans from within showed off everything that Woflman and Perez do so well, and it remains a great story. However, recent years have seen fans really hate the way the relationship between Deathstroke and Terra is portrayed. There’s an aspect of victim-blaming to the whole situation, since Deathstroke was an adult and Terra wasn’t, and it’s led to a lot of discourse about the story. It’s become the elephant in the room when people talk about the story.

2) Preacher

Preacher, by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, is one of the most beloved Vertigo books ever. The story of Jesse Custer’s quest to find God and hold him to task for abandoning Heaven was popular right from the start, slotting nicely into the position of Vertigo’s most popular title after the end of The Sandman. Preacher is full of wild characters and even more wild events, and it’s very much of its time, so a lot of the language the book used is outdated. However, that hasn’t caused the book to re-evaluated; the book’s stance on toxic masculinity has. This a 30 year old comic that called out toxic masculinity and its role in the culture of the United States, and has led to a whole new generation of fans looking at the story in a entirely different way.

1) The Sandman

The Sandman was one of the most popular comics of all time. The 76-issues series, as well as the original hardcovers and prequel/sequel The Sandman: Overture, tells the story of Dream of the Endless and the end of his life. If you like buying collected editions of comics, you have The Sandman to thank for it, since it made that sort of thing popular. However, series writer Neil Gaiman has had some pretty heavy allegations leveled at him, and fans are seeing parallels to Gaiman’s alleged wrongdoing in the work. It’s gotten to the point where no one wants to praise the book anymore, and sales have fallen off because no one wants to give Gaiman any money. The Sandman was a favorite of fans for decades, and now it’s become a non-factor in the comic industry.

What classics do you think deserve a re-evaluation? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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