Status quo changes, good? Liar!

Change is not good in comics. Nobody wants change in comics. They'll tell you they do, but believe me, they're lying. People like the status quo, and they'll raise hell if you try to change it.

There was a time when some guy named Grant Morrison took the X-Men franchise and turned it in a brand new direction. Gone were the costumes, the super-epic missions and in their place were a school-based setting with the team members functioning as teachers. It was different, edgier, and at first, people didn't like it. Sure, no one will admit to it now, because the run turned into one of the greatest periods in X-Men history. Looking back, the complaints appear as what they actually are - hating change to the status quo.

Where were you when Captain America died? If you're like a good number of fans, you were in front of your computer complaining about it onto any and every forum you could find. How could you kill such an iconic character? Surely he won't stay dead! How could you have the title go on without him? Nevermind that since his death, the title has churned out quality issue after quality issue, showing the strengths of the supporting cast without the lead being present.

So of course, we get to One More Day, the Spider-Man storyline that completely changed the status quo of the character. While in my mind it's not as tragic as people seem to think (read Joe Quesada's five part interview closely), people seem unable to get past the fact that it happened, and do not look forward at all to future storylines. You have star teams of writers and artists taking on a character in a setting that really makes him shine. Personally, I would prefer a happy, wise-cracking Spider-Man with a colorful supporting cast mixing his two lives rather than the grim, no-nonsense, on-the-run Spider-Man that followed Civil War. Was this the best way of solving the solution? Perhaps not, but it was better than taking the years needed to get there, with brash mischaracterizations in every other place Spidey was appearing (why was he so happy in New Avengers?).

If the storylines of Brand New Day are good, which I say is a strong chance with the star power involved, people will quickly forget about One More Day. That's how it works with status quo changes - about a month of complaining, then acceptance and moving on. The future may vindicate the story, like Morrison's New X-Men did, or it may bury it like the Electro-Superman debacle did.

Either way, quit your bitching and try to enjoy the stories for what they are, rather than what you think they should be. If you don't agree, feel free to write your own.