Readers have grown cynical - and with good reason - when it comes to big crossover events. Usually they pay lip service to making huge, lasting changes within their respective comic book universes, and they come to nought by the end of the event when everything returns to the status quo. Civil War, however, seemed like it might have some genuine, semi-permanent effect on the Marvel Universe: the introduction of the Superhero Registration Act, the government decree that everyone with powers had to reveal both them and their secret identities to the public, didn't seem like it could easily be undone. One of the heroes who initially sided with the pro-Registration faction was Spider-Man, which meant that issue two of the Civil War miniseries ended with Peter Parker appearing in front of the world's press and revealing that Peter Parker had been the wallcrawler this whole time. Not only did this give us a brilliant reaction from J Jonah Jameson, but it promised big changes for a hero who has closely guarded his alter ego for decades, in respect to his loved ones. In fact, readers were expressly promised by Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada that Spidey's identity being public knowledge would not be undone with a "magic retcon" within the year. Which is exactly what did happen, in the form of the abominable One More Day storyline which saw Peter Parker's secret identity kept safe once more, his marriage to Mary Jane dissipated, and not only was the cause magic (specifically the magic of Mephisto, the Satan of the Marvel Universe) but the story was presided over by Quesada himself!
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
