Continuity Thought

As you have indubitably noticed by now, I am a huge fan of comic books.  Growing up, I always loved superheroes (especially Batman), but most of my love came from watching them on TV rather than the comics themselves.*  I would get comics here or there, but usually it was a question of finding them and availability of disposable income.  Like most kids into comics in my generation, I could only get handfuls of comics here and there, and usually in the middle of some serialized story, or crossover or what-have-you, making them trying reading. Imagine trying to watch Lost, but completely out of order and only season two episodes per season. Once I got towards the end of high school, a new comic book shop opened five minutes from my house, increasing the availability, and I began to reliable disposable income. I read a lot of comics, thanks to Mark Waid’s time on Fantastic Four and Geoff Johns on The Flash.  Once college started, although Captain Blue Hen was just a few blocks from campus, the disposable income was nil for the first year. By the time senior year came around, comics started to creep back into my life. A friend of mine started watching iFanboy and asking me questions (knowing my love for comics) and the final push came when my then-new girlfriend asked me if I wanted to go to the comic book store with her (I was speechless). Fans in general are known for being sticklers for continuity, and comic books fans are at the top of that nerd heap. And not without reason. Having gone to a comic book convention once or twice, there are many many questions involving conflicting points in a characters history or inconsistencies in characterization, etc. I really don’t see this as valuable. I enjoy learning about a character’s history for sure, and it’s fun to read old stories, but I don’t feel the need to reconcile the 2000+ issues of comics Batman has ever appeared in into a single timeline. Some continuity is important, for sure, especially the major points of the origin story, like Bruce Wayne’s parents, Superman being from Krypton, Fantastic Four’s powers coming from Reed’s mistake, etc. Changing those things would be like making Oliver Twist rich, he’s a different character (in this case, Pip from Great Expectations). And I do expect writers to maintain a sense of consistency during continuous runs on a character (I wish we had all known earlier how Batman, RIP and Final Crisis fit together, Mr. Morrison). But one of the great things about comics is the fluidity that is provided by having such a history. Although it seems like the industry is hampered by the lack of truly new characters to appear in the public consciousness (though DC’s Blue Beetle probably comes closest with his appearances on The Brave & The Bold), the major characters are all modern day myths and legends and folk heroes. Peter Parker is Jack and the Beanstalk, Superman is Heracles. Their stories are timeless and without end. For example, is why I’m not all that worried about the new Star Trek movie. As long as they are playing with the same tropes, the same conceits Roddenberry used, the Federation, the Kirk-Spock-McCoy friendship the name of the ship, etc. it can work. There are many stories to be told, without necessarily using the same actors. While some fans may be aghast at the seeming brushing aside of continuity, imagine if Ang Lee’s Hulk had to star Lou Ferigno and use the same special effects? Having some continuity is nice, but it isn’t the be-all-end-all to these ideas. These stories are classics, perhaps without a permanently definitive version. Things like new Star Trek (I’m just glad someone is trying to resuscitate the franchise), Brand New Day, or the third or fourth “definitive” telling of Superman’s origin story don’t bother me. If you want absolute continuity, read something with an ending. Until then, enjoy the stories for what they are, and don’t read them just to nitpick. Although I still don’t understand how Wolverine can be in 50% of all the books Marvel publishes every month. Maybe that’s his secret mutant power. *However, I would argue the mid-90s was a Golden Age for superhero cartoons, and also reruns of Super Friends on Cartoon Network