Do you think there's value in reading stories, like Killing Joke or Identity Crisis, that don't hold up well or contributed to an unpleasant trend in comics? I think sometimes people are quick to write things off they haven't read, and I get why they might

Sure, I’m not advocating people not read them. My dislike for them is personal, and based on the fact that I generally love the work of the creative teams involved. Everyone has a misfire, or a book that even a fond reader dislikes. My opinion on it is no more valid than anyone else’s. 

Read what you want to read. Someone asked me my opinion and I gave it, but really, the main thrust of the post is that neither book is meaningful to me except as sort of a mild curiosity. My interest in both of them is pretty nil.