Why You're Wrong About Spider-Man: One More Day

Was One More Day Actually Worth It?

It was that build-up of history that led to Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada feeling that for Spider-Man to continue to be the face of Marvel Comics, he needed to return to his roots. There is still a heavy assumption by the Marvel readership that Quesada did this merely due to his own dislike of Peter Parker and Mary Jane’s marriage and it can be argued that is why he did it. The point is that it was done and there are still huge Spider-fans that have not picked up a Spidey comic since One More Day was published.

There is a uniqueness to this controversy, not because it was Peter Parker making a deal with the devil to save his aunt, or even the fact that every story after the 1987 marriage was altered or outright could not have happened, but it boils down to one word: fandom.

Joe Quesada was a huge fan of comic books, and Spider-Man specifically while growing up. Whether it was because Quesada wanted to try and lay a foundation so that Peter Parker would be a leading character 30 years from now or if it was due to his dislike of the marriage, the fact is he had an idea of what Spider-Man should be from when he was younger. Outside of his personal opinion, there were lifelong fans of Spider-Man who saw his evolution throughout the decades and felt this was a massive step backwards, as well as those invested in the current storylines because of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man getting them interested; even the hit of Ultimate Spider-Man brought in new readers as well.

To play devil's advocate, there is merit in the idea of returning Peter Parker to his roots, regardless of editorial biases. There was a new generation of readers coming into the consumer market who had grown up not reading the convoluted mess that was the nineties Spider-titles, but instead watching the hit animated cartoons, the blockbuster movies, the hilariously outdated video games and even the secondary comics like Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel Adventures - all of which held the pop culture identity of Spider-Man as the single or dating photographer in a mediocre-at-best flat. From a business perspective, reinventing Peter was the only way for him to survive in a changing industry.

Finding a definite answer in regards to this controversy has proven to be slightly problematic, as there are both compelling arguments for and against One More Day that label it either as a necessary course-correction to save the Spidey brand, or as one that that set the character back another 20 years. The story itself was bad, with J. Michael Straczynski unable to hide his lack of passion for the project and Quesada not seeming to care for the repercussions it would have on the past of the character. It was a swipe, whether deliberate or not, to the people who were engaged with the status quo at the time.

However, taking out the dip in sales that happened industry-wide in the following years, Spider-Man has become a juggernaut of a property with tons of titles, spin-offs and events that have boosted the character back to being a flagship hero. Peter Parker found renewal, and all it took was the one marriage.