Do you like over hyped comic books?

[Ronyell]

Do you like reading comic books that are over hyped or do you prefer comic books that are not hyped up so much?

Do you think that if a comic book is over hyped, it's worth the read?

[Allen]

For example?

[Ronyell]

Allen wrote: "For example?"

Like for example, one of the overhyped comics I've seen was Brian Michael Bendis' run on "All New All Different X-Men" and a comic book that's not often hyped over is Matt Fraction's run on "Hawkeye." These are comic books based on my opinion, but something to that extent.

[Mike]

Do you mean hyped by the publisher, comic news sites or other readers? I personally don't see as much of the first two, and hear about comics almost entirely from other readers.

As such your example is interesting, since I've heard next to nothing about Bendis' X-Men but Fraction's Hawkeye is mentioned CONSTANTLY as one of the best comics coming out of Marvel. Haven't read either yet, so I have no opinion myself.

Hype is double edged - I like getting excited about reading something but if things gete built up too much they can disappoint even when decent. Saga is a good recent example - while I loved it think it lived up to everything I heard ahead of time I can see a lot of people reading it and wondering what everyone's raving about.

It is very satisfying though when seomthing's been ridiculously hyped and after you read it you think "wow, that totally deserved all the praise." Dark Knight Returns is the best example of that for me.

The most hyped let down for me recently was Arkham Asylum. Lot of good ideas but meh execution and I didn't find it to be nearly the masterpiece I'd heard it was.

[Dominick]

I don't like hype, especially publisher-generated hype (as opposed to, say, a lot of good word-of-mouth), but I try not to hold it against the actual comics in question. That said, the odds of me reading ANY mainstream book any more, no matter who hypes it or how, are pretty remote. I will probably read Neil Gaiman's new Sandman stuff when it emerges, but other than that, I can't say that anything in the mainstream (or, more appropriately, "mainstream"), has much caught my interest in a while, and the things I did check out--Grant Morrison's Batman, say--did not impress me much. OTOH, his All-Star Superman was very good. As for Bendis, after eharing for years about how great he was, I did check out some of his stuff and found it ... fine enough but undistinguished.

Not that alternative/independent stuff doesn't get hyped, too. Chris Ware is a good example; everyone in the indie world seems to think he's the cat's pyjamas. And he is indeed extremely good. Is he as good as the hype would suggest? Of that I am less sure. Certainly, all the plaudits Building Stories has received seem to me to exaggerate its merits.

But if something is getting a lot of buzz, the likelihood of me checking it out does increase. I just try to keep my expectations in check.

[Kevin]

Ditto on pretty much everything Mike said. When they are overly hyped I often find them disappointing. On the other hand, I'd much prefer to read something I've heard little or nothing about and be blown away. There in lies the problem, I am usually a little reluctant to pick up something I haven't heard about. It's a catch-22 in that respect.

[Lára]

Cannot say I understand this question completely, but I prefer books (comics included) that are less popular.

I get really excited when I see comic (in a library or a bookstore) that I have not heard about before. If the comic is not on Goodreads, I´m even more happy. I like to browse graphic novel's shelves and borrow/buy the ones that´re burrowed

[Ronyell]

I think what I meant with this question is that do you think that over hyped books are worth reading for the most part? I personally enjoyed Saga, which was pretty hyped, but I personally think that it was a hype that was truly deserved as the story was very well written. Sometimes the major problems I have with over hyped comics is that you expect the story to be great, but sometimes it could turn out to be terrible and you would be so disappointed with the results despite the hype.

[Lára]

Hyped as "to stimulate, excite, or agitate"?

[Ronyell]

Dominick wrote: "I don't like hype, especially publisher-generated hype (as opposed to, say, a lot of good word-of-mouth), but I try not to hold it against the actual comics in question. That said, the odds of me r..."

I agree with this! I personally don't read too many over hyped comics because it's like the company is telling you that the story is fantastic and worth the wait, but when you actually read it, sometimes it lives up to the hype and other times it doesn't live up the hype. That's why I prefer reading books that are not overhyped because I can decide for myself on whether or not the comic is worth the read. However, if the fans are the ones who are saying the comic is good, then I might give the series a try, even if it's over hyped.

[Dale]

Well, to call something "over hyped" presupposes that a book is receiving more attention than is warranted to it, which is a completely subjective judgement. Do I enjoy being disappointed that a book didn't live up to my expectations? Obviously, not.

[Lára]

Dale wrote: "Well, to call something "over hyped" presupposes that a book is receiving more attention than is warranted to it, which is a completely subjective judgement. Do I enjoy being disappointed that a bo..."

I avoid "popular/over hyped" books in general.

My opinion: when something gets too much attention, there´s something sick about it.
I am well aware people would disagree with it, but my experience says that "popular" (usually) means bad

[Dale]

I also don't factor in a book's popularity when I am deciding weather or not I enjoy it. I don't care if its the most popular book on the shelves, or an independent release from an unknown creator. I just want to read good stories. I enjoy discovering unknown stuff, but I think rejecting a title out of hand, because it it "over hyped" is a bit of an adolescent move. I like good stuff, hyped or unhyped.

[Ronyell]

Dale wrote: "I also don't factor in a book's popularity when I am deciding weather or not I enjoy it. I don't care if its the most popular book on the shelves, or an independent release from an unknown creator...."

I agree with this. I tend to read comic books that just interest me. It doesn't really matter to me if it's popular or not, what matters is if the comic book has a good story that I could get into.

[Lára]

Dale wrote: "I also don't factor in a book's popularity when I am deciding weather or not I enjoy it. I don't care if its the most popular book on the shelves, or an independent release from an unknown creator...."

It seems you´re a wise man, Dale.

"It is by the goodness of god that in our country we have those 3 unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them.”
― Mark Twain

[Allen]

Personally, I buy anything with a Batman in it. As long as it has a Batman, or even something that sort of resembles a Batman, I'm like a kid on Christmas morn.

[Dale]

Lára wrote: "It seems you´re a wise man, Dale."

"He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it - namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to obtain."
― Mark Twain

Thanks for the compliment.

[Peter]

Dale wrote: "I also don't factor in a book's popularity when I am deciding weather or not I enjoy it. I don't care if its the most popular book on the shelves, or an independent release from an unknown creator...."

I also agree with this sentiment. I try not to let hype or other opinions affect my judgement of a book.
But sometimes I think hype over a book (or movie, etc.) makes me dislike it more than I would have if I had just experienced it without hearing anything about it first.
I mean, if you go into something expecting it to be, "the super incredible most important comic event of the century" then you are bound to be disappointed.
But if you had just read that story without having any expectations at all, you might be mildly entertained and enjoy it for what it is.

[Ronyell]

Peter wrote: "Dale wrote: "I also don't factor in a book's popularity when I am deciding weather or not I enjoy it. I don't care if its the most popular book on the shelves, or an independent release from an unk..."

I agree with this. I usually do have problems with books that are over hyped sometimes because even though the companies are saying that the comic is the best comic of all time, it doesn't mean that all the fans will have the same opinion about it. That's why I read a lot of independent comics or comic books that are not hyped up too much because my expectations would be usually low and I'm able to enjoy the comic a lot more that way.