If You Hate Spider-Man’s Deal With the Devil, Then His Most Underrated Comic Is For You

Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes in the world. Everyone knows who the Web-Slinger is, and he’s been an iconic, beloved figure for generations now, swinging in to save the day since the early 1960s. He’s starred in countless iconic, memorable stories that have shown us everything from dramatic saves to emotional goodbyes. We wouldn’t love Spider-Man so much if he didn’t have a retinue of some of Marvel’s greatest comics under his belt. From “The Final Chapter” to “The Death of Jean DeWolff,” Spidey has been creating moments that have touched our hearts for decades. However, there’s one story that nearly killed fans’ love of their favorite hero.

“One More Day” is near universally regarded as the worst thing to ever happen to Spider-Man, throwing out decades of storytelling and character growth with Peter and MJ to reset him to a much more hated status quo where it seems like the only consistent thing is Peter’s sufferring. “One More Day” drove fans away in droves, and it’s not uncommon to find those who stopped reading entirely because of it and refuse to buy another comic until it’s overturned. “One More Day” is the mistake Marvel refuses to back away from, but they actually already did in a much different, but very similar Spider-Man comic that’s run for nearly just as long, writen by the legendary Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. themselves.

The Daily Strip to Put the Bugle to Shame

The Amazing Spider-Man newspaper comic was a daily comic strip centered on everyone’s favorite Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. It started serialization in 1977 and ran all the way to 2019. Even more impressively, this strip was founded by the legendary duo of Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., the very men who created Spider-Man in the first place. Romita eventually stepped away, but Stan actually stayed on the strip for its entire run, all the way to his death. He personally scripted every adventure until 2000, when other legendary comic writer, Roy Thomas, penned the adventures under Stan’s supervision. The most prolific artist for the strip was Stan’s brother, Larry Lieber, who drew it for thrity-two years.

The biggest shock about this strip is that it took things in an entirely different direction than the usual comics, as it operated entirely within its own continuity. It’s dramatic, soap-opera style stayed the same for its entire run, with old-school Spider-Man storylines that usually lasted between eight and twelve weeks. Without ties to the grander Marvel Universe, this strip was allowed to evolve into its own thing, even introducing characters exclusive to this reality, like the Protector and Carole Jennings, who served as a Gwen Stacy analogue.

This series actually collaborated with the mainline Spidey comic on only three occassions, the first and biggest of which being when it led the charge to bring Peter and MJ together in “The Wedding!” storyline. The two actually had Peter and MJ married simultaneously, with Stan pitching the idea for his strip and it growing from there. The second collaboration was with “The Mutant Agenda,” and the third and most notorious was when it adapted “Brand New Day” alongside the mainline series. However, this series made a massive change that actually undid the entire storyline, far, far before the mainline Marvel team would even consider that.

The Comic That Returned to an Old, Beloved Day

“Brand New Day” in the comic strip wiped out Peter and MJ’s marriage just like it did in the mainline comic, only this time, instead of making a deal with the Devil, it simply happened after an announcement. Peter and MJ were suddenly never married in the very strip that pushed so hard for them to get together in the first place. Fans flat out rejected this change, and shouted their complaints to the heavens above for Peter and MJ to get back together. The incredible thing is that, against all odds, their calls were answered, as Stan reverted the change, retconning the whole experience away as a dream.

It’s safe to say that fans cheered this change, and Spider-Man and MJ continued to be comics’ greatest couple until the very end of the comic strip. “One More Day” is easily the most-hated Spider-Man event of all time, and while this comic strip might not fix Peter and MJ’s relationship in the main timeline, it’s a fantastic exploration of what their marriage could be like if they stayed together and kept having adventures like they did in their earliest years. It’s a little piece of time preserved for endless adventures and love, and every Spider-Man fan can appreciate the world it builds that’s both familiar and amazingly different.

This is easily the longest-running Spider-Man comic outside of the mainline universe, and more than deserving of a look. Here’s hoping that the comic book follows the strip’s suit and listens to the fans one of these days.

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