The 10 Worst Comic Books of 2012

For every good comic book that came out this year,there were just as many, if not more, terrible titles lining the shelves of comic book stores every month. This was a year that sawDC’s New 52 radically shift tones, creative teams, and editorial directions, resulting in once-solid titles being reverted into shells of their formers selves.

At Marvel, countless books that we used to love limped along to the finish line before they were rebooted with the start of Marvel NOW. It also didn’t help matter that the company whored out the Avengers franchise—capitalizing off the money-making blockbuster Avengers movie—until there were almost a dozen different titles focusing on the group, and only two that were actually worth your money.

Yesterday, we gave love to The Best Comic Books of 2012. Now, we’re taking a look at those high-profile titles that failed miserably to meet big-time expectations. Here are The Worst Comic Books of 2012.

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Written by Jason Serafino (@serafinoj1)

Writers: Tony Daniel, Frank Tieri, Rob Liefeld
Artists: Joe Bennett, Art Thibert, Philip Tan

For years, Hawkman had the most frustrating and convoluted backstory in all of comics. DC’s New 52 reboot simplified the character’s origins greatly in The Savage Hawkman, but that doesn’t fix the fact that this is still a Hawkman book, and, thus, it’s always going to be kind of lame. With a rotating group of writers like Tony Daniel, Frank Tieri, and Rob Liefeld playing a game of musical chairs on this book all year, Hawkman never stood a chance to establish itself as a worthwhile read.

We’re not sure how much editorial interference there was with the book this year, but the sales numbers certainly weren’t great, which likely led to DC being a bit more hands-on than usual. Whenever multiple writers enter/exit a book in the same year you know something is up, and in this case, there was even a writing shift right in the middle of the "Hawkman: Wanted" story line. This led to scattered characterizations, a plot that never really went anywhere, and an overall voiceless feel to the book.

Neither Liefeld nor Tieri (so far) have found a way to turn this book around following the departure of writer Tony Daniel, who didn’t exactly light it up, either. DC needs to step back, analyze who in its talent pool matches the tone and feel of The Savage Hawkman, and get him/her to write it. Throwing whoever is free that month to script this book simply doesn’t work, and 2012 is a clear indication of that.

Writer: Adam Glass
Artist: Fernando Dagnino, Federico Dallocchio, Clayton Henry, Ig Guara

We’re big fans of the original Suicide Squad comics that John Ostrander created for DC back in the ‘80s. There was something so satisfying about reading a book focusing on a team of villains forced to do good as a shady government agency held a proverbial gun to the back of their heads the whole time. That being said, we’re simply not feeling DC’s relaunch of the book that debuted during last year’s New 52.

Sure, it still features a group of villains banding together—including original Suicide Squad member Deadshot—but the characters are nowhere near as likeable as they were in the debut series. This title seems to be aimed at action/adrenaline junkies, whereas the original was a spy/espionage comic with real-world political overtones. It focused on the morality of government and the anxiety of high-risk missions just as much as it featured action and explosions. In this book, there seems to be a premium on violence and not much else.

We’re also not big fans of the overly-sexualized version of Harley Quinn that takes center stage in this book. Since her debut on Batman: The Animated Series, Harley has become one of the best Batman characters to ever hit the mainstream. Sadly, she looks like a stereotypical “edgy” comic character who spends too much time buying outfits at Hot Topic here. This is just a small taste of the book’s penchant for picking style over substance.

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artists: Whilce Portacio, Steve Dillon, Carlos Pacheco, Jefte Palo

We absolutely love Jason Aaron’s work on Scalped, and his roster of artists on this book boasted some big names, but for some reason they could never find a way to jell for this volume of Incredible Hulk. The book was relaunched in late 2011 after Greg Pak’s run on the character and it soon became evident that Marvel was just letting this title circle the drain until it was relaunched yet again in late 2012 along with the rest of the titles for Marvel NOW.

What Marvel left us with was a book that no one was seemingly invested in because they knew it only had a few months to live. The year began with an arc centered around the Hulk and Banner, now separated, as the Green Goliath had to take down his former master, who had gone insane. The book then moved on to the “Stay Angry” arc where Hulk had to continue to stay enraged at all times, or else he would revert back to Banner, who had merged again with the monster. It was like Crank without the wit.

Unfortunately, repetitive plots, stagnant characterization, and a constantly rotating band of artists stunted the book’s growth all year. Aaron’s Incredible Hulk just seemed to exist simply because Marvel needed a Hulk book on shelves while The Avengers was in theaters. Fortunately, Aaron’s current Thor: God of Thunder title has been outstanding after two issues—it's the best Marvel NOW book on shelves—and the new Indestructible Hulk series has gotten off to a promising start as well. It seems like all is right with the world after the misfire of Incredible.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mark Bagley

Because of how successful the Avengers movie was this past summer, Marvel decided to bludgeon us over the head with Earth's Mightiest Heroes by releasing nearly a dozen Avengers-themed books every month. Oddly enough, the one book that was specifically designed to resemble the movie the most is also the company’s worst. Avengers Assemble focuses on the exact Avengers team from the film in stories that are supposed to be easy to follow for newcomers to the world of comics.

Unfortunately it seemed like writer Brian Michael Bendis was phoning in all of his scripts for this book, likely due to the fact that he was also tackling numerous other projects at Marvel all year. The plots, while easy to follow, were overly simplistic, and we think that this book would actually serve to turn new readers off from comics, rather than get them addicted. The "Guardians of the Galaxy" arc, in particular, just seemed like a sad attempt to advertise another upcoming movie from the company. Most appalling, though, was that Thanos’ return was treated with kid gloves, instead of making him a real threat like he was in Annihilation.

The art by Mark Bagley, however, was still top-notch, as he is always primed for widescreen superhero work. But his talents were wasted on a book that seemingly couldn't decide whether it was for kids or adults all year. In the end, it proved that it’s for no one and an afterthought in the crowded Avengers market.

Recently, writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Stefano Caselli took the book over and are having much better results after just two issues. It’s not enough for us to forget about Bendis’ bland 2012, but it’s enough for us to recommend that people who enjoyed the film give their run a try.

Writer: Christos Gage, Neal Adams
Artist: Neal Adams

The First X-Men was supposed to be Neal Adams’ triumphant return to the X-Men franchise that he helped redefine in the last 1960s. It was also meant to piggyback off of the X-Men: First Class movie and tell the story of how a rough version of the group formed with Wolverine, Sabretooth, a young Professor Xavier, and a Nazi-hunting Magneto to take down a villain called Virus during their younger days. The influence of the movie is undeniable, especially when it comes to Xavier and Magneto’s personalities, but it’s so sloppy and inconsistent with what we already know about the X-Men’s origins that it fails to deliver on any level.

We’re not strict followers of a comic book’s backstory, so we were willing to set those obvious conflicts aside in place of a good story. Unfortunately, a flat plot and awful characterizations—for Wolverine and Sabretooth especially—makes this read more like amateur fan-fiction than a book you should be paying good money for. It really goes against everything we, as X-Men fans, are familiar with, and ultimately serves no purpose for existing at all.

We’ve seen Christos Gage put out good stuff in the past, so it came as a shock that this book faltered so much. It takes the core Magneto and Xavier origin story and bastardizes it to make Wolverine the star. It feels like Marvel held a focus group and found that while people enjoyed First Class, they also missed Wolverine in it. So the company decided to put out this bizarre hybrid comic that would be the best of both worlds. Unfortunately it fails hard.

The worst part, though, is seeing how far the legendary Neal Adams has fallen off. We’re not sure if it’s just age, or the fact that his old-school pencils are clashing with modern coloring and inking techniques, but the work here is simply not up to snuff. Characters are ugly, the inking is muddy, and the storytelling is just plain off. Even the most hardcore X-Men fan should stay away from this.

Writer: George Perez, Keith Griffen, Dan Jurgens, Scott Lobdell
Artists: Nicola Scott, Keith Griffen, Trevor Scott, Jesus Moreno, Dan Jurgens, Kenneth Rocafort

Every other member of the Justice League has a superb solo book on the shelf, but Superman is left with Grant Morrison’s sometimes-brilliant-sometimes-not Action Comics and the self-titled Superman, which has been unforgivably bland since its New 52 launch. The problem is that, over the span of one year, DC has put four different writers on the book, and none of them have yet been able to bring the Man of Steel into the modern world successfully.

Recently, DC placed Scott Lobdell on the writing duties of Superman, but instead of starting with a fresh story, his run began during the lifeless “H’el on Earth” crossover. The story is an attempt to create a new villain for Supes, but the characterization only goes skin deep, and the story as a whole has been widely uninspiring. If this book is going to survive, Lobdell—if he stays on the title for long—is going to need to bring drama back into Superman’s life in the form of a dynamic supporting cast and memorable villains, either old or new.

Some people claim that Superman is past his prime. Those people said the same thing about Wonder Woman, yet Brian Azzarrello has turned that book into one of the company’s best, so there is no reason for Superman to falter. Lobdell and artist Kenneth Rocafort (who is doing great work) might be able to do that if they are allowed to work on their own stories, but they need the editorial freedom to do so, or else Superman will be doomed for 2013 as well.

Thankfully, with Scott Snyder and Jim Lee’s new Superman book set to debut in 2013, as well as writer Andy Diggle’s run on Action Comics starting soon, there might be hope for the character after all.

Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artists: Oliver Nome, Harvey Tolibao, Freddie E. Williams II, Steve Kurth

When Ann Nocenti became the writer of Daredevil in 1986, she brought social awareness and real-life issues to the book that made the Man Without Fear more relevant to the world around him than he had ever been. So when she made her return to comics with Green Arrow—another character with a history of social relevancy—there was hope that Nocenti would bring the character back to prominence after the launch of the New 52 all but destroyed him. Unfortunately, a mix of some poor plots, bland characterizations, and mediocre art led to Green Arrow disappointing us on nearly every level.

Everything interesting that writers like Kevin Smith, Mike Grell, and Denny O’Neil brought to Oliver Queen’s world disappeared in favor of superhero tales that were largely by-the-numbers affairs. As with all mainstream superhero titles, we’re not sure if editorial mandates made it difficult for Nocenti and her artists to have the freedom that they wanted, but it really doesn’t make a difference. There is no excuse for cookie cutter villains and a forgettable supporting cast to appear in every issue.

The Green Arrow is a billionaire who fights for the working class, but unfortunately this year he has been a globetrotting stock hero in desperate need of a personality transplant. If you need your Green Arrow fix, you’re better off just watching Arrow on The CW for now. Thankfully, in a bit of good news, writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino are taking over the book in February, so it’s possible that Green Arrow will actually make our “Best Of” list next year.

Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Simone Bianchi

Wolverine is an interesting book because, while the title was unspectacular for the majority of the year, it definitely wasn’t worthy of our “Worst Of” list. But then Jeph Loeb took over the writing duties for a four-issue story called “Sabretooth Reborn”—a sequel to his horrendous "Evolution" story from a few years back. Why would Marvel green light the sequel to a story that was the comic book equivalent of acid reflux? Because Jeph Loeb is the company’s Executive Vice President, Head of Television, so he has plenty of sway.

This story dealt with the return of Wolverine’s longtime foe after he was decapitated during Loeb’s last romp. But instead of writing a revenge tale where Sabretooth makes Logan’s life a living hell, Loeb imposed his will on the Wolverine mythos by revising the character’s history for absolutely no logical reason. Infamously, this story suggested that Weapon X, the government program that gave Wolverine his adamantium skeleton, was all Wolverine’s own idea, according to Loeb. This nonsensical revisionist history just served to further clutter the character’s past and added absolutely nothing to his future.

This revelation was revealed by another lifeless Loeb creation, the villain Romulus. Senseless continuity changes aside, this story line also included poor dialogue and plot choices that just weren’t logical. Also, for a story about the return of Sabretooth, the character really didn’t do all that much in “Sabretooth Reborn.” Then again, this was written by the same man who introduced the idea that both Wolverine and Sabretooth were descendants of canines and not actual mutants, so we weren’t expecting miracles. Yet somehow Loeb still managed to come in well below expectations.

Writer: Scott Lobdell, Tom DeFalco, Fabian Nicieza
Artists: Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Ig Guara, Ale Garza

Some of you may not remember this, but there was a time when Teen Titans was the premier superhero book on the market. Predominately during the ‘80s and parts of the ‘00s, this title was a top-seller, enjoyed massive critical acclaim, and competed with the X-Men to be the most popular comic team in the industry. Unfortunately since the launch of DC’s New 52, the book hasn’t only been a let down, it’s also been an absolutely horrendous chore to read through.

Instead of focusing on the complex character dynamics from the book’s better runs, writer Scott Lobdell throws one listless plot line after another while never firmly crafting a voice or direction for the title. Where the book was once filled with personality and epic stories like “The Judas Contract,” 2012 saw the Teen Titans get involved in the dreadful “The Culling” crossover, and a few bland character origins (Teen Titans #0).

These issues have all been overly-wordy and filled with monotonous exposition, while robbing the characters of their personalities. Often times they’re just mouthpieces that tell us what the plot of each issue is, without ever letting us know what makes them tick. This makes the title read like a throwback to the ‘90s, and if you know your comics, you’ll understand why that’s not a good thing.

The book isn’t unsalvageable, though. If Lobdell can better understand these characters and write them with a true team dynamic, there is hope. The art has been decent, but there needs to be one consistent illustrator who can work for an extended run with Lobdell so they can build chemistry. Until that happens, we suggest reading up on the Marv Wolfman/George Perez Teen Titans from the ‘80s.

Writers: Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman
Artists: Olivier Coipel, John Romita Jr., Adam Kubert

Avengers vs. X-Men—the name alone should instantly cause comic book fans everywhere to drool all over their keyboards. Sadly, instead of giving us a solid action book between the company’s two biggest franchises, Avengers vs. X-Men was a sloppy, bloated, cash grab that served no purpose other than to fill Marvel’s crossover quota for the year.

The premise of the book was simple: the Avengers and X-Men came to blows over what to do with the Phoenix Force, which was on its way to bond with Hope Summers and make her its host. Though it’s always entertaining to see the heroes go at it, this book was 12 issues of overblown story decisions, terrible characterizations, and shallow shocks to boost sales. Cyclops and Captain America were written so inconsistently from their personalities over the years that they felt like strangers in this series. It’s as if they only acted a certain way to fit the plot around them. Cyclops’ sudden change, in particular, threw away years of characterization so the story had a villain to root against.

Part of the problem has to lie with the number of people who wrote this book. Five different writers were spread over 12 issues, but despite the different names on the cover, none of their individual voices came through. It felt like the whole thing was being written with so much editorial oversight that no one could actually spread their wings and do anything outside of the rigid parameters of the story. This made for a lot of exposition and stilted dialogue that was an obstacle in our way until the next action scene.

Overly long and consumed with pacing issues, Avengers vs. X-Men was a massive disappointment. Coipel, John Romita Jr., and Adam Kubert delivered some great artwork at times, but the bi-weekly scheduling made their work, and the scripts for each installment, feel rushed. You can probably find comics much worse than this from 2012, but when it comes to the expectations attached to it, Avengers vs. X-Men was an easy choice for the top spot.