Importance of Continuity

So, as i have documented many times before, I have an affinity for comic books. both their print characters, as well as the movie adaptations. and i have an ever growing list of comic books at this point now. but, there is an important point of note on my comic list, that is not very apparent at first. I like continuity. all of my batman books, with the exception of 3 stand alone origin stories (batgirl year one, robin year one, and killing joke) are part of the larger, ongoing DC Universe mythology. The only other books that could possibly qualify as stand-alone would be Wonder Woman: The Hiketia, and Superman: Birthright. those only qualify because they are a stand alone graphic novel, and an origin story, respectively. I'd like to spend the next essay explaining why continuity is important, and how comic books are able to do this, usually, better than most other forms of media, at least for an extended period of time.

me writing.

First, I want to classify the major media platforms, that can have an extended chronology. so something like gossip magazines, although a media platform, would not qualify. we have TV, Movies, Prose Books, Comic Books, and Radio. Now, just to get it out of the way, Radio is a viable source of media, that can keep up an extended chronology. However, the days of long stories being broadcast over the radio are long behind us, and more often than not, those were prose stories, being adapted to a radio transmission. therefore, i have no direct interest in addressing radio broadcasts further. complain if you wish.

TV
So, tv is rather good at keeping up an ongoing storyline, and tying together multiple story lines. In fact, that is predominately its purpose, compared to films. a television series has, if done well, usually between 5 and 10 years to build their own universe. This can be a good thing, like the early seasons of HIMYM, or say, the incredibly complex continuity of something like Doctor Who. But having a complex system is not necessarily a bad thing. the problem arises, because of the necessity for an end point. That is the problem with television, in this regard. There will ALWAYS be an end point to the series, regardless of one time popularity. Therefore, ongoing continuity will have to end at some point, creating their own universe, in a concise bubble, eventually.

But, that is not the only problem with television. tv ideas are usually conceived by 1, or a group of people, and then thrive under them. dan harmon & community. Damon Lindelof & Lost. But, once the original creators and/or writers leave, or have outsider influence, the show tends to go downhill or change in a not always favorable way. Case and point: (again) Community, Doctor Who, or House.

These things taken into consideration, television is not the most ideal place for universe building.

Movies
First note, is that comic book movies are in this category (mostly). they do not count under comic books, because they fall under a different set of parameters, than the physical books do.

movie studios love to make a franchise out of films. It makes them more money, and to a lesser extent (from the executive's minds) it allows them to build a world for their movie to exist in. You can see that throughout history, from Star Wars, to Star Trek, to Aliens, to Rambo/Rocky, to Marvel (we'll get to them later). The list could go on and on, with such recognizable names it would be pointless for me to link to them, because everyone is familiar with these movies, even if you haven't seen them. also, people seem to want there to be interconnection between films, even when it is farfetched.

So there is a great deal of continuity in films. However, there is a problem, that tends to arise. movies tend to cost a lot of money. so if they do not make back hundreds of millions of dollars, it is seen as a failure to the studio. therefore, negating their desire to make more, and all but killing their (possibly) well developed universe. So money is often the first problem with movies.

The next problem is the same that arises with TV. when an new writer/director is introduced to an existing franchise, problems tend to arise. Pirates. Ironman. Batman. Shrek. I am sure there are more examples that don't come to mind.

"but wait! what about the marvel movies?! there are 6 thus far, with 5 more announced, and bound to be more than that!"

Yes, the recent string of marvel films has been able to build a (reasonably) cohesive universe. However, this does appear to be more of an exception, rather than the rule. Name another string of so many well connected films? but, being able to adapt comic books, will really just further support one of my main reasonings for why comics work so well...

Prose Books
This will be the briefest, because i am the least knowledgeable on the subject. However, i can still make a reasonably sound argument. prose books, they do tend to have large, overarching plot, all dictated by the author. and that is the problem. the majority of prose books are put together by a single individual, with it all being in his or her head. so, as soon as the author decides to end it, it is over. there is no way to continue a series, whether to good or bad acclaim, once the author has decided to stop that particular series. so the universe building is all limited to the interest of a single person, or the longevity of that single author. therefore, having such a singular source of knowledge, keeping up continuity for a prose book is difficult to sustain overtime. that's not to say it can't be done.

Comic Books
If this was an actual essay, I'd be in so much trouble by now. I've ignored my main thesis that continuity is important, and that comic books do it better than any other media. All i've done so far is point out the problems (mostly) of other forms of media. but now we are at comic books, my main point, and i want to explain why i think they avoid the pitfalls of the other forms of media.

The first big argument for comic books is their already lasting longevity. DC comics, to a certain extent, functioned for 73 years. Marvel for 52 years. DC more arguably has been functioning as a continuity maker since 1985, or approximately 26 years. and no, i didn't do my math wrong, but we'll get to that*. So, already there is a great deal of set in stories to work off of, and reference. but that doesn't take into account that writers don't stay around forever. and a change of writers is a problem for tv and films, so why not comics?

i think comics are different, because they have built in back stories, and their ever changing landscape allows for multiple storylines that could plausibly happen from one set beginning. that is how you can get so many different batman stories, for example, over the years, and still have an overarching reading order.

But, i think comics can survive better than movies or tv shows when a change in writers happen, or a downturn in quality happens, because of a couple reasons. first, is that it is not as money dependent. don't get me wrong, poorly selling books still get cancelled, and there always seems to be a gimmick going on to buy the next book. but, because the industry is, nowadays, more based in the thousands, or low millions of dollars range, as opposed to the hundreds of millions for films, is a main factor that comics can survive a poor writing stint. because there will inevitably be a good one to come along again. this inevitable upswing in writing is the other primary reason why they can survive better; most movies or tv shows don't have enough time to recover from a poor outing, like a bad film, or poorly reviewed season.

Now, not all comics are part of the overarching mythology. there are a great number of stand alone, or "one-shot stories" that are well done, but do not add to their in universe lives. Kingdom Come. All Star Superman. Superman: Red Son. And the New 52. Yes, i count the newest incarnation of my favorite comic company as an Elseworlds title. That is because it neglects, for the most part, the 73 (or 26) years of continuity that was painstakingly built up. but, these elseworld titles, even if well written, do not add to the overarching mythology. they are essentially stand alone movies, or spin off tv shows, is a simple way to think of them. So, that is why i don't own many of them. they do not add to the mythology i so crave.

now, to go back to my comic collection, I have all my comics, particularly batman related titles (because i have so many), in continuity order. Now, this is not just a neurosis of mine, it is helpful. having a richer, fuller back-story can allow newer titles to thrive. knowing what a character has gone through beforehand, can significantly impact your understanding of the character in their current story. for example, knowing that a Robin had recently died, can give a great deal of context to how so many of the batman books are reading at the time. having that continuity adds layers to the characters, and increases their Pathos.

So this is why i like & read comics. knowing the struggles, and joys of a character beforehand can greatly increase the enjoyment of the book you are currently reading. other mediums of entertainment simply cannot provide the same level of character development that happens in comics. Knowing the evolution of dick grayson from 12 year old robin, to late teens nightwing to mid/late twenties batman shows more character growth than you ever get to see in a tv series, or movie. it allows for more complex character development, years long story arcs to take place, and relationships to develop, and fall apart. the longevity of comics allows for a more realistic fictional universe than a tv series set in the "real world" that only lasts for 5 years. because you only get to see 5 years of those people's lives. and there's only so much they can time allowing show you of a person's life in a movie. you literally grow up with some of the characters in the comics.and that is why continuity works best in comics. you can better grow with, and appreciate the characters, and well written characters is the reason all of us engage in fictional universes to begin with.

*i end DC continuity in 2011, at the New 52 reboot. and that is not out of a dislike of the reboot, but rather it's disregard for the previous continuity, preferring to instill its own mythology, and interconnectedness. It will just take it time, more than the current 2 years it's been going on, for it to develop the level of development of the old continuity.