Comics that have gotten worse since last year

Alright, so I'm just being lazy here. Here's a probably-short list of comics that have tanked since the last time I wrote.

All-New Atom: *sigh* Oh, I loved Simone on this, but then Remender took over and the title went from one of my favorites (sure, a troubled favorite, but a favorite nevertheless) into something I dreaded reading. It wasn't just a trainwreck; it was a trainwreck that involved characters I'd grown fond of dying or being hideously mutilated, along with their backstories. This was the first time in a long while I was actually happy a book had been cancelled.

The Spirit: This was a tragic tale. Darwyn Cooke's take on the Spirit was one of the best things to happen to comics in a long time. His quitting over Dave Stewart, while understandable, was a tragic blow to a license (a license that's going to get destroyed by Frank Miller's take on it anyhow, though). Aragones and Evanier's take on the Spirit is sort of a bummer, too, as Groo is so great I had expectations. However, their take on things lacks wit or feeling, substituting it all with bad slapstick and moderately chauvinist writing. Sadness.

The Amazing Spider-Girl: I had a soft spot for this title in my heart, but as of the last few months DeFalco has had the protagonist continually act out of character, which just gets old after awhile. Not so bad that it's a dead title to me, just a bit worse.

The Blue Beetle: This title was growing on me, giving off a very nice Invincible feel, but with its own flavor. However, the past few issues have been very stagnant on Jamie's growth as a hero, and on the changes occuring in his life. Again, hopefully just in a slump.

Are these all the titles that have gotten worse? No, just the ones that spring to mind. Also, these aren't necessarily bad titles -- they're just ones that have gotten worse in the last year that I can recall right now. Maybe I'll edit this later to add more here, but this gets around writing tons of backed up reviews.

The Spirit #8

One-sentence summary: Honestly one of the best books on the market, and if you're not reading it, start.

Darwyn Cooke is one of my favorite guys in the comic book industry right now. New Frontier was simply phenomenal, and his work on the Spirit is fantastic. He's the perfect fit for it, too.

I sincerely can't think of enough good things to say about the Spirit. You have these wonderful one-shots, many connecting through specific character interactions, all of which tell well-plotted stories with art that I adore more than, yunno, words and junk. And, on top of all this, you have a nice dollop of old-fashioned humor that fits the book (and the characters) perfectly.

This is a great book. There aren't too many other books out right now I would claim that of; maybe none. This, however, is great. This is the sort of comic that could get people into comic books, or the sort they enjoy without ever reading another comic.

The Spirit #8 doesn't disappoint in that regard, reuniting our masked protagonist with his secondary romantic interest (which is all sexual tension and nothing else, which makes it all the better), both of them (indirectly) facing off against the main villain, it seems, of the series. It's just a spectacular issue in an incredible series. Highest recommendations for this book.