Quote Originally Posted by Restingvoice View Post
Being true to character is part of appealing to fans, and I think the most important because that's what people remember from long time characters. They may forget story details but people will remember voice, mannerism, moral alignment, iconic moments...

Changing things is always a gamble since comic fans are notoriously resistant to change. These are the people who consistently buy comics and that's why DC always needs them. So it's safer as a business to do it in out of continuity stories, and then maybe apply some elements of it to the main continuity if it's extremely well-received.
Yes, getting the characterisation right, or at least interesting, is critical.

But so is being able to put the spotlight on undiscovered aspects of the character, or reexamining them in a new context.

If we take a recent example, is Harleen true to Harley Quinn as a character? Not really. It hits the main spots of "Mad Love", but it's really Harleen's story, and a Harleen we haven't really seen before. That changes the entire foundation of Harley Quinn as a character: the way we see her.

And I agree that it's much easier (though it's still far from easy!) to do that kind of stuff in out-of-continuity stories, but that also requires that you nurture the talent able to do that kind of stuff. And sad to say, Black Label is right now dominated by skittishness (after the Batdick) and the same writers who already write over in the continuity tales.

I'd also say that "true to character" can mean different things. To me, the most important thing is to hit the characterisation, as in personality, and possibly a few core elements of their iconography.