Not all "breaks" in continuity are created equal. For instance, if a writer has Kang's forcefield broken by Thor's Hammer (a weapon that his forcefield has deflected easily time and time again), that would be sloppy and stupid writing born of laziness.
It would not, however, be as bad as violations of characterization: for instance, if Cyclops left an X-Man behind when retreating. Not only would that make Cyke look bad, it would also contradict Cyclops's most basic character trait: he sees the group as being more important than himself as an individual.
Comics were actually ahead of TV at the time, how many episodes of "Mission: Impossible" reference other episodes? When "My Three Sons" switched to CBS and Mike got married, he sent cards back home for three episodes and was never mentioned again in 7 years. I would actually argue that TV and movie continuity may have emerged from comics and their kin.
Hmmm! Interesting you should point that out.
I was just talking to a friend the other day about how the style of storytelling developed in comics seems to be everywhere: a primary "A" story with the main (usually physical) conflict, combined with long-term mysteries and character subplots (whose continuing developments are what keep you tuning in and interested in the show). THE X-FILES had this style of storytelling in a very basic, embryonic form. You see this really blossom in shows like HEROES, ALIAS, and LOST, which are more like issues in a comic book than singular episodes with "tight" resolutions.
Single "standalone" episodes have a purpose...but I don't watch LOST to see if Jack and Locke will find a source of fresh water on the island. I watch it to see if there are any new developments with the hatch or the Others or the Jack/Sawyer/Kate love triangle, or to find out why Hurley was in a mental asylum.
And after? we can watch the Legionnaires become old,and die of old age? with you continuity Superman and Batman must have 90 years almost
I'm not frightened or threatened by this at all.
I'd love to see Superman get married, have children, get old, and die. I don't think the writers will ever do that because Superman and Batman have to be on seven-eleven slurpee cups and beach towels...which is one key point of difference between them and people like the Legionnaires or (until recently) the X-Men: you can do that sort of thing with them and marketing won't howl.
And it took 20 years for the Legionnaires to become young adults. I seriously don't think they're in danger of being sent to the Old Folks Home. And if they ever did, new characters can be created to replace the ones that retire.
You could probably identify Timber Wolf's baby as the only kid in the maternity ward with a five-o-clock shadow.
"REAL" a characters that fly and have super powers?? If i want real things read a newspaper,not a super heroes comic book.In a real world an alien from a planet like Krypton would be totally different from humans,and maybe could not also survive on earth.Batman would be ended in lunatic asylum or would be died in his first adventure.In the real world kids not become superheroes sayng "SHAZAM"!
I disagree. If something has elements that are fantastic or science fiction, it has to try EVEN HARDER to be realistic as possible (ironically). Just because something is fantasy doesn't mean writers can slack off when it comes to keeping straight important things about the world and the characters' histories.
Just because Ultron is a robot made of adamantium doesn't mean you get to change his motivation, how we know he behaves (at least without good reason), or the past stories where he has fought the Avengers (some of which are pivotal moments in Avengers history).
It's a pet peeve of mine when people say "the character acts like that because its science fiction."
One writer for the complete run then the book ends, never to be brought back again. That's the only way to have perfect continuity.
Whether it is one person or three writing is irrelevant. If Jim Shooter established the Avengers have to log the Quinjets' flight plans with the F.A.A., unless something happens, that's something Kurt Busiek should have the Avengers do as well.
If its established that the Wasp will only date blond men from a line of dialogue in AVENGERS during the Roy Thomas years, that's something Bill Mantlo should keep in mind too.
Here's another advantage to remembering your past: you're guaranteed to not see the same thing a second time. If Batman has a long-term relationship with an intelligent, formidable woman that he feels very special about, he ought to remember Silver St. Cloud and behave differently as a consequence.
It's amazing how many 20-30 year old stories fall apart or need extensive rejiggering in a contemporary or "only a few years ago" context because of cell phones and the Internet.
NEW TEEN TITANS comes right to mind. remember the "Titans Beeper?" A beeper was a pretty high-tech gizmo back in the Byzantine Era (approximately when "NEW" TEEN TITANS was made, making it officially the most ironic title ever). But if "New" Teen Titans was supposed to happen "seven years ago" DC-time...even THEN, a pager was a laughably out of date technology. And it's just going to get worse as time marches on.
One story idea I've toyed with is exploring how general acceptance of innovation is stifled in comic book universes due to it being so easily abused by super bad-guys. "It's taken generations for Motorola to warm the world to cell phone technologies. Y'see, way back in 1952, Luthor introduced cell phones all over the world, but he was just trying to con the world into believing he had reformed and the cell phones were all really a trap for Superman..." -- for example.
Maybe, maybe not. Nuclear proliferation continues on DC and Marvel Earth despite the fact that supervillains are always capturing nuclear weapons to threaten world governments.
Try coming up with reasons why the comic book Earth still resembles our Earth despite the flood of innumerable alien technologies.
Well, for one thing, even a genius like Reed can barely make heads or tails of things like the Kree Sentry. Shi'ar tech is lent to the X-Men, but with an agreement it is to be used for their own use only.
Asking why LMDs aren't in common use in industry, is like asking "Since we know how to build tanks, why is it everyone not driving a tank now?"
The tech is in the hands of organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. and Roxxon Oil, who certainly are very, very different as a result of the presence of this technology: witness things like the Guardsmen and the Mandroids.
As for supertechnology...
Paste-Pot-Pete/Trapster would make tons of dough selling his paste as an industrial adhesive, but he's a megalomaniac and only uses it for crime. This is the same explanation for the Flash's Rogues Gallery and why they don't sell the basis for their technological devices.
Villains like the Beetle, Stilt-Man and Titanium Man have expensive suits of armor that cost about as much as a fighter plane, if not more. It may not be feasable financially for governments to use or duplicate them.
As for Reed Richards's inventions...his rocket was inadequately shielded against Cosmic Rays, and so it makes sense nobody would be interested in it. As for the Negative Zone projector, its use is mainly scientific. It's not like there's oil in there.
Diablo's alchemical secrets are based on formulas known only to him. Further, most of them were lost down a whirlpool, which is why there's never been more than one "Dragon Man."
Hank Pym's size-changing "Pym" particles can cause serious harm with overuse: the poor guy was trapped at 10 feet tall. Plus, the particles caused his psychological unbalancing as Yellowjacket.
As for Hank Pym's work in robotics...gee, that sure worked out well, didn't it? The only way Hank Pym's robot experiments could be any more insane is if he builds his next robot in the shape of a Great White Shark. "It'll work THIS time, honey! I SWEAR!"
And as for his communication with insects...this DOES have practical, industrial applications: he was building a machine to utilize insect minds in Kurt Busiek's Ultron stories!
The very thought of a government or an enemy getting ahold of a machine like Cerebro is frankly, terrifying. It's understandable why the X-Men would want to keep it to themselves.
Magneto himself provides an explanation for why his research in genetics isn't more widespread: he isn't interested in a Nobel Prize, or anythiing else except the benefit of mutantkind.
The Black Panther's inventions require Vibranium (an element he can use freely), or alternatively, like the Prowlers and the Flying Subs, are Wakandan state secrets.
Superman should have some force field device and a "beam me to the Fortress" emergency button for the 47 gazillion times he's been exposed to Kryptonite and the prevalence of the technologies (e.g. imitation GL rings), but that'd make too much sense and give the writer a harder problem to solve.
Everything you just said is why...and I hesitate to say this on this forum...I've always mostly been a fan of Marvel Comics. I've often wondered why, between Superman, the Flash and Green Lantern, there was any crime AT ALL on Earth-1.
(The answer becomes "because its a superhero comic!" And that's not enough for me.)
At some point, there has to be a way to not be encumbered by all that -- a reboot, a universe concept that effectively factors that out (e.g. any story told more than 10 years ago simply doesn't exist with a VERY short list of exceptions -- yes, Superman can meet up with the hot mermaid once a decade). Something's gotta give.
This is a contemporary mentality that I just don't understand: the idea that something as truly unusual and insanely severe as a reboot - truly, a "bazooka to kill a fly" solution if there ever was one - is somehow inevitable, when it ISN'T.
We're still reading about the Stan Lee version of the Marvel characters. There have been a few off runs here and there, but the MU being published NOW is the same MU Stan Lee and Kirby created in the sixties. Hal Jordan is still the exact same character he was when Eisenhower was President; I doubt a single story has been taken out of continuity. Ditto for the Flash, whose now a diffent guy in the mantle, but almost no Flash tale "never happened."
I will agree the so-called "sliding timescale" creates problems but a reboot is trying to sweep up the floor by planting dynamite.
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