Well, I've just been reading about the results of the controversial "One More Day" storyline.

Peter and Mary Jane make a deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May's life, and sacrifice their marriage. And it appears that the clock has been set back in a number of other ways, too.

Peter and Mary Jane never got married. Harry Osborn is alive. Peter is living at home with Aunt May. The mechanical web-shooters are back. Spider-Man's identity was never revealed to the world.

More effects from this storyline on Spider-Man's current status quo will doubtless soon be revealed.

The reaction among fans (particularly the pro-marriage people and the "growth/change/evolution is good" people) has been pretty big.

The first part of a spoiler-filled Quesada interview regarding this storyline:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12664

Thoughts?

All good and fine, but I thought this particular topic might deserve a deserve a thread of its own, due to its controversial nature, and due to the passionate discussions that the current state of Spider-Man often elicit. If the mods disagree, they can always nuke it.

Er, Spider-Man made a deal with the devil?!? How... heroic...

Now, why was using the Shaper of Worlds idea a bad one?

A few weeks ago I was watching an episode of "Family Guy" entitled "Lois Kills Stewie". This was the exchange at the end of the show:

Stewie: Yes, well, you said I didn't have it in me to kill Lois, so I was just running a simulation to find out exactly how killing her and taking over the world would play out for me.
Brian: Yeah? How'd that go?
Stewie: Not well, Brian. Not well. I suppose I'm not ready to kill Lois or take over the world… yet.
Brian: So, what you're saying is that what you experienced in the simulation didn't really happen, or even matter?
Stewie: Yes, that's correct.
Brian: So, it was sort of like a dream?
Stewie: No, it was a simulation.
Brian: Yes, but, theoretically, if someone watched the events of that simulation from start to finish, only to find out that none of it really happened, I mean… you don't think, that would, j-- be just like a giant middle finger to them?
Stewie: Well, hopefully, they would have enjoyed the ride.
Brian: I don't know, man. I think you'd piss a lot of people off that way.

Yeah, I think Seth and the crew kind of said it best.

I'm kind of glad they've got Spider-Man back to be a single guy.  I really hope they make it work and I feel like they probably will.  Guggenheim kicked butt on Blade and Slott was awesome on The Thing.  I don't know much about the other writers but I think they can make Spider-Man accessible again.  I'm a little curious about all this and am considering buying the first few issues of the new run of Amazing Spider-Man (especially considering it'll be a Slott story).

It's okay to put the toys back in the box.  Even if it has been a long time.

Greg, my friend, I just entered in the board to start the same thread!

They could use the Shaper of worlds, or the Dragon Balls, or whatever they wanted... Mephisto is an extremely odd choice. A deal with the devil? How unusual, for a character like Spider-Man.

By he way, what I really cared for was the return of Spider-Man. You know, that guy we have loved for so many years, tortured in so many ways by fanboy writers in these last sad years. They half rebooted the character? Oh, who cares? The old, cancelled stories are still in my library. I remember them, I can re-read them. Nobody can take them away from me. Maybe 4/5 years ago I would have yelled at Marvel for this idea... but today, with a destroied continuity and so much garbage on Peter Parker's shoulders, I'm really happy for this.
I can't wait to read ASM #545. I have a bottle of Martini ready for the end of this long, dark age (I'll post the photos!).

Welcome, Brand new day... I hope this new relaunch will give me back the one true Peter Parker. 

While I dont think they should have used Mephisto as the solution - (I prefer Spider-man stories to be more science-based myself ) I have no issue with the whole 'cosmic reset button' being used every now and again. Just not every year, yeah?

And lets face it, did anyone really expect it to go any other way?