Off THEIR Minds: Should Comic Book Deaths be Permanent?

What I appreciate is comics that tell great stories. There needs to be a purpose and reason for death. Bucky's death had meaning and purpose; so did Uncle Ben's and Gwen's. The Wayne's deaths had a point. I'm not a fan of death stories, because if Superman's death can't stick, no one's can. If no one death can stick, then death has no meaning. I'd like there to be some reason, some meaning or purpose to a character's death. If a writer wants me to connect with a character like family, then Ted Kord's life and death should mean something like my grandmothers death.

Ted Knight passed away the same month as my dad did. My dad died from prostate cancer. My dad was 70. I imagine he was about the same age as Ted would have been when he passed, battling The Mist. Everything that Robinson had written up to Starman 72 helped me understand and appreciate Ted's life and death. As a son, I grieved for my dad, and for Jack, for the loss of his dad. Jack was family. Ted's death was a lot better than Pantha's, having her head popped off by Superboy-Prime.

They should remain dead, however that should only be true in the ultimate universe.

Unfortunately, death in comics has become like comas in soap operas. As much as I want to say that death should be permanent, we would be missing some really great characters if it were. Stories such as The Death of Superman, The Dark Phoenix Saga, The Night Gwen Stacy Died, Batman: Death in the Family, and Captain America: The Death of the Dream are some of the best deaths in comics along with the deaths of Superboy, Donna Troy, Hal Jordan, Elektra, and Barry Allen. I feel such relief that they (mostly) have returned and although their returns did somewhat lessen the weight of their deaths - I dont think it lessens the impact of their stories.