It would be nice to have more replies, so stop just looking and give me more opinions.
Unfortunately for them, not many people on this board have read all of the Lemony Snicket books. Which is why it's mostly Tink and I posting on the spoilers thread. However, almost everyone has read Harry Potter. But it's hard to make a comparision, I think, unless you've read a significant amount of the LS series--especially since the storytelling takes on a different purpose after book 6.
People have complained of the LS books being redundant. They are--especially the first five or six. And even in the later books, he employs the same basic plotline and outcome: ie, orphans go to some odd place with bizarre adults where they are treated badly, Olaf and croonies appears in disguise, nobody figures it out but the Baudelaires, they try to foil Olaf but he always seems to be one step ahead of them, and then they are off to a new location for the next book. Granted, there are clues and a sort of subplot story going on that you begin to identify in the later books--which is what really got me excited about them--but the basic plot
is redundant. And, though the absurdism is funny, it is entirely different from the more traditional character growth through story that you see in the Harry Potter books.
However, I like the mystery-type plot that LS employs. The puzzle within a puzzle. It's a different form of story-telling than the more conventional style JK uses in Harry Potter. The fact that the LS books are so different--that they seem to break so many of the "rules" and still work so well--is another thing that draws me to them. And the humor is awesome--I also would read LS whenever I want a good laugh. He is the master of the absurd punchline. However, I also read HP when I want a good laugh. JK, in my opinion, is a master of funny situations between her well-drawn characters. Ron and Lavender's scenes in book 6 still give me the giggles.
So, they're both good, but different. Like you guys said.
Both series have been accused of being "too dark" for kids. What do you guys think?