Current Continuity is more messed up than ever

[Anarchist]

I seen people say this all the time but it seems that many who say this don't understand the business and financial risk of what they call a "real reboot". It would be a silly decision altogether that isn't worth the risk.

Also, In this medium a "real reboot" can never occur anyway because then all you are really doing is creating another universe/company entirely. There are certain things about characters that make characters who they are, to have a "real reboot" that means you would have to take those aspects of them away. You would have to never revisit old stories of the past that made the characters who they are, therby making them completly different characters in general. DC reboots are as real as a reboot is going to get.

What sense has a reboot then?
The point of a reboot is winning new readers.
What does a newbe care about when stories like the Killing Joke are mentioned?
He doesn't understand it, is confused.

With this half-assed thing, DC has made almost nobody happy. Newbe's are irritated because there is still so much they don't understand because of the broad strokes of the old DCU and old fans are irritated because of the continuity-nonsense.
Either completely reboot or don't do it at all.
Win one side for real instead of splitting both bases.

[Trident]

What sense has a reboot then?

That's is the question isn't it?

The point of a reboot is winning new readers.
What does a newbe care about when stories like the Killing Joke are mentioned?
He doesn't understand it, is confused.

With this half-assed thing, DC has made almost nobody happy. Newbe's are irritated because there is still so much they don't understand because of the broad strokes of the old DCU and old fans are irritated because of the continuity-nonsense.
Either completely reboot or don't do it at all.
Win one side for real instead of splitting both bases.

From my experience reboots have been more used to help the writer of the company to not actually have to remember or look up various characters past before writing a story they want to tell. In a sense allowing them to be lazy. It is also used to "fix" various errors or extreme characterization that has placed certain character in a Conner regarding the various aspects of characters personality and lives. I always felt that the idea to bring in new readers was only a secondary affect of that.

However, that is besides the point. A total reboot can not be achieved because like I stated before the risk for the endeavor would be to high and in actuality all you would be doing is creating something else entirely. To an extant on some levels that's is what DC has done with some of their characters with the New 52 and for a large part those ideas didn't catch on. If they did the same thing for their whole line after the first year or so it's pretty obvious they would have been in trouble financially as a company.

[strathcona]

It depends on what you think continuity is. For me, it is stuff like how a character acts, what their powers are and what major events have shaped their story. Writers do not have to tell us everything about a character each issue because they expect us to have an understanding of that character going in. When a writer does something that goes against continuity, whether intentionally or not, it can actually weaken the story because the readers understanding is put into question. It can range from "is there a reason the character is acting oddly?" to "if the writer can't get this right, what else should I not be expecting to be followed".

I agree with your definition of continuity, but I'd also add 'keeping track of events in other books' I don't read Thor, so it shouldn't bother me, but when you read a book that has young Cap and Thor losing his hammer and then another book with old Cap (so it clearly takes place later), but Thor still has his hammer... It takes you out of the story. It makes you, as you said, question if it's on purpose or a mistake. And if a mistake, what else might slip through. Having the writer/editor pay closer attention, and let us know what is going on helps avoid that confusion that ultimately has hurt the story.

[Anarchist]

Axis confirms this thread.
Original Sins must have already happened (see Hulk's outburst), Steve is already old, but Tony is still with the Avengers and nothing seems to indicate anybody knows about the Illuminati stuff.
This is just so frustrating.
How am I supposed to enjoy the stories when there are such major contradictions within each other?

[brainwasher]

That's what happens when the writers become more important than the source material.

You can not have the source material without writers. The opposite it's not true, comics don't write themselves. So writers are more important, because without them you wouldn't have any source material at all. And continuity errors have always existed. At least, I remember people bitching about continuity errors in 1984.

[Mutant God]

50+ years of continuity is one thing but getting something wrong that was heavily promoted for last year is weird for a comic

[brainwasher]

Axis confirms this thread.
Original Sins must have already happened (see Hulk's outburst), Steve is already old, but Tony is still with the Avengers and nothing seems to indicate anybody knows about the Illuminati stuff.
This is just so frustrating.
How am I supposed to enjoy the stories when there are such major contradictions within each other?

Well there shouldn't be issues at all unless you're used to read multiple books at once while comparing them

[UltimateTy]

Axis confirms this thread.
Original Sins must have already happened (see Hulk's outburst), Steve is already old, but Tony is still with the Avengers and nothing seems to indicate anybody knows about the Illuminati stuff.
This is just so frustrating.
How am I supposed to enjoy the stories when there are such major contradictions within each other?

I have this problem too. I don't think continuity errors have ever bothered me this much.

[Cameron Samurai]

You can not have the source material without writers. The opposite it's not true, comics don't write themselves. So writers are more important, because without them you wouldn't have any source material at all. And continuity errors have always existed. At least, I remember people bitching about continuity errors in 1984.

Ever read the content of the website "FF Was The Great American Novel?", it's pretty much all about this.

Sorting out headaches like this is precisly why I stick to the syndicated Spidey daily strip...and to put things into perspective, even that has faulty continuity I have to sort out with headcanon. All the more fun for me of course 'cause I'm a writer.

[captain Qball]

Well there shouldn't be issues at all unless you're used to read multiple books at once while comparing them

Sadly, this is exactly the way it is because of the comic medium. If Marvel wants to tell stories that aren't impacted by what else is going on, tell it in a Graphic Novel. When you have one part per month of an 5 issue story coming out with a dozen other parts of stories, some of which might involve events or characters crossing over, continuity between these books is important. Why boast having a shared universe if they can't cross over in any order that makes sense?

[Joe Acro]

Axis confirms this thread.
Original Sins must have already happened (see Hulk's outburst), Steve is already old, but Tony is still with the Avengers and nothing seems to indicate anybody knows about the Illuminati stuff.
This is just so frustrating.
How am I supposed to enjoy the stories when there are such major contradictions within each other?

It's possible that things keep happening that hinder Cap's pursuit of the Illuminati--that he's willing to accept their assistance as long as it's needed, but still plans on breaking them up, and it becomes more of a focus later. I think it's hard to say since Avengers and New Avengers jumped forward before Steve got old, so we don't know exactly how the age change might've changed his perception.

[JaggedFel]

I have this problem too. I don't think continuity errors have ever bothered me this much.

Yeah usually its not a problem but clearly no one is on the same page at all.

[Mark]

As far as I can tell the type of fan who cares about continuity is the type of fan that marvel laughs at.

[UltimateTy]

I think this is BS but Brevoort posted this reply on his tumblr.

http://brevoortformspring.tumblr.com...-at-tony#notes

[robreedwrites]

I think this is BS but Brevoort posted this reply on his tumblr.

http://brevoortformspring.tumblr.com...-at-tony#notes

Why do you think that's BS? I mean he's basically acknowledging there is an error, but that on several issues of contention we don't have all the information yet.