you might as well be defending Joe Quesada's portrayal of Spider-Man and Mary Jane in "One More Day." Look, I have no idea how he portrayed them, but it seems to me that the thing most people hate One More Day is because of Spidey's choice, because it was OOC, even given the circumstances. Now, I don't see Dick's choices and reactions in this arc OOC.
There are plenty of stories about circumstances overwhelming the protagonist, and the protagonist struggling and trying and failing to prevent them. I read this arc as akin to a Greek tragedy.