History TooBleakStoppedCaring / ComicBooks

* As brutal as ''Series/TheBoys'' can be, [[ComicBook/TheBoys the original comic]] was much darker. But even with people who like dark... well... see above about the difference between conflict and ''meaningful'' conflict. When you've got BlackAndGrayMorality taken to the point that the closest thing to 'good guys' we've got amounts to "every faction is a bunch of amoral killers, but when ''that'' bunch of amoral killers are tearing people into chunky salsa, it's to people worse than themselves often enough that they ''sometimes'' seem like the lesser evil," and every issue trying to out-horrify the last, it's debatable as to whether you have a compelling story where a lot of bad stuff happens, or total bleakness that makes it easy to stop caring for anyone.

* The premise of the ''ComicBook/{{Crossed}}'' comic franchise is "you think the ZombieApocalypse would be awesome? [[{{Deconstruction}} Wrong]]!" coupled with "let's see how we can make each atrocity more {{Gorn}}-filled and horrific than the last one" and sprinkled with a dash of "[[AnyoneCanDie almost everyone's gonna die horribly]]". The original comic (retroactively tilted ''Volume One'' when the later comics rolled around) by Creator/GarthEnnis was already different to Ennis' other works; whereas the others tend to balance the dark and often nihilistic subject matter with moments of levity (albeit usually [[BlackComedy dark in nature]]), ''Volume One'' often tended to be quite grim and serious and comedy, while not entirely absent, is often a lot rarer. It was refreshing for Ennis back when it began, as the tragic events and eventual DownerEnding were well integrated into the plot, and plenty of the gruesome moments were visually hidden via GoryDiscretionShot so as to not overuse the shock value. The later comics with different writers[[note]]Of which Ennis only had involvement in three, those being the ''Badlands''' arcs "Of the World in Its Becoming", "The Fatal Englishman" and "The Thin Red Line."[[/note]], however, throw any plot-shock relations out the window in favor of showing the gruesomeness in all its detail whenever the writers could, combined with repetitive storylines and flat or unlikable characters. This means that a comic or arc's plot can often risk turning into a chain of escalating unpleasant and gruesome events happening to doomed people in an atmosphere of unrelenting misery, making it easy for burnout to set in.

* ''ComicBook/BratPack'' is meant to be a {{Deconstruction}} of the very idea of the KidSidekick in the spirit of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' and ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns''. However, unlike those two, ''Brat Pack'' is devoid of any type of joy, comfort, or hope, with the main cast molded into emotional wrecks by their "hero" mentors who are worse than most villains of the UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks. Also, not helping the comic's message is that superhero-related media since the TurnOfTheMillennium has [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans dealt with]] [[WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan the lives of young]] [[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice pre-adult heroes]] [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming in a much more reasonable]] [[Film/KickAss and compelling manner]].

** ''ComicBook/TheUnfunnies''-- {{Funny Animal}}s get raped and abused as [[FisherKing their world is transformed]] by their KarmaHoudini serial killer/child molester creator. While some read it in horror and disgust, most who read it in the years after its publication find the comic to be a painfully dull example of the SubvertedKidsShow, with most of its humor derived from pure shock comedy that quickly bores more than surprises due to how constant and unrelenting its dark jokes are. It's telling that Millar himself would [[BuryYourArt go on to disown the comic]] and refuse to even talk about it when asked.

* As brutal as ''Series/TheBoys'' can be, [[ComicBook/TheBoys the comic was much darker]]. But even with people who like dark... well... see above about the difference between conflict and ''meaningful'' conflict. When you've got BlackAndGrayMorality taken to the point that the closest thing to 'good guys' we've got amounts to "every faction is a bunch of amoral killers, but when ''that'' bunch of amoral killers are tearing people into chunky salsa, it's to people worse than themselves often enough that they ''sometimes'' seem like the lesser evil," and every issue trying to out-horrify the last, it's debatable as to whether you have a compelling story where a lot of bad stuff happens, or total bleakness that makes it easy to stop caring for anyone.

* Adam Warren's ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}'' is a highly potential case. The {{Jerkass}}-to-genuine-good-guy ratio in the cast leans pretty hard in the {{Jerkass}} direction and CerebusRetcon is also on a high ratio (''at least'' Volumes 7 and 8). The entire cast (except the pure evil villains) is a DysfunctionJunction mine field. The titular heroine being a brutal case of FailureHero with a ''Burj Khalifa''-sized dose of DudeWheresMyRespect (and other DysfunctionJunction issues such as a big case of HollywoodPudgy, FamilyUnfriendlyDeath of her dad, said {{Jerkass}}es on the cast fanatically keeping her down and so on) balancing out her {{Determinator}} attitude can also trigger this. And the villains who are running around, at best held back for another day, and at worst completely unstoppable.

** Seems to be a recurring issue in comics made by Pat Mills, in ''ComicBook/NemesisTheWarlock'' with the exception of Purity Brown, there are hardly sympathetic characters worth rooting for, including Nemesis, who's a brutal demonic Anti-Hero fighting against Torquemada for all the [[ItAmusedMe wrong reasons]]. The series' heavy handed theme of HumansAreBastards, with most human characters being shown as sleazy and pathetic individuals when not committing atrocities, and Kevin O'Neill's grotesque artwork don't help much either.

* One of the reasons why ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' proved to be such a disaster: The nominal [[NinetiesAntiHero heroes]] weren't allowed a win because every enemy they faced was a potential Spin-Off, so they had to be subjected to TheWorfEffect. For the book's entire run, they only had one clear victory: A {{Qurac}} dictator [[YourHeadAsplode whose head was burst]] by a psychic hero... to set up his FaceHeelTurn.