Normally I would be talking about all the comics I picked up this week but instead, I’m just going to talk about the most important one, in my opinion, One More Day.

Issue #544 of Spider-Man came out yesterday and, like any Spider-Man fanatic, I rushed out to pick it up. To get you up to speed, this issue is the opening chapter in what many are calling the biggest Spider-Man story in recent memory. It marks a number of changes to Spider-Man and all of the titles that bear his name. Both Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Sensational Spider-Man, which will both be parts of One More Day, are going to be discontinued and, in their places, Amazing Spider-Man will be released three times per month. Rumor also has it that the relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane will come to an abrupt end, much to the dismay of Spider-Man fans everywhere.

Now that you know what’s going on, let’s take a little bit of time to dissect issue #1 of One More Day. I really don’t think I need to say this but this little review contains spoilers so read on at your own discretion.

I said in an earlier entry that I really wasn’t excited seeing Marvel’s editor in chief Joe Quesada take over for Garney. After reading #544, my opinion has changed slightly. It’s a nice change and almost seems like a throwback to the old style of Spider-Man comics. Take the cover for example, it almost looks like something that would have been released back in the mid-90s. As for the rest of the artwork within the comic, it was mediocre. As I said before, a welcome change.

You can tell by the pace of the story that Straczynski is starting to tire out a little bit. The story seems drawn out and pointless in certain areas. It almost felt like I was reading issue #543 all over again with the exception of a quick encounter with Iron Man, which was easily the highest point of the issue. I’m hoping that this whole four issue story isn’t something that could take place in one issue but is stretched out instead simply to fill more paper. I also hope that the rest of this series does Straczynski justice since it’s been announced as his last one for Amazing Spider-Man. He’s had an awesome run until now and hopefully he’s able to go out with a bang instead of burning out at the finish line.

Overall, I was a little disappointed with what we were offered although this is only issue 1 of 4 and I’m fairly confident that things will get better from here. I guess I’ll have to see what Friendly Neighborhood and Sensational Spider-Man bring to the table when they arrive on the 10th and 30th of October. Part 4 then comes right back to Amazing in November.

Edit: CSBG had a nice review of OMD. Check it out here.

Have you read One More Day? What did you think? Comments are always welcome!