I think what I’m talking about is more like Batman in the animated world: Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, The Batman, Bats in Justice League, and Brave and the Bold all work together for fans who’ve watched all of them… Thanks in no small part to Dini and Timm. More casual viewers may not even realize that all of those are separate series. But each one is slightly different, and each provides a jumping-off platform for new readers.

I already feel overwhelmed by the concept of catching up to the Ultimates continuity.

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LE–

I’m sure Wikipedia helps– and it wasn’t something I was thinking of.

And I found my way into the continuity of series I liked via various comics “finding tools” like Who’s Who & Marvel Universe, Secret Origins, etc.

But honestly? Try to figure out the Civil War or Infinite Crisis and their aftermath, using Wikipedia and blogs, and you’ll still be thoroughly confused. Or at least, I have, and I am. Given that comics are now up to four bucks a pop, I can’t afford these crossovers as a grad student, and I doubt your average unemployed nine year old can, either. The stuff’s too convoluted not to read, and too expensive to read. Which leaves you with Marvel Digital Comics, or illegal scans. Or just walking away.

I totally think that the industry’s stuck ever since the 90′s speculation bubble burst. But massive crossovers that achieved nothing and seemed exploitative to readers are totally a part of their toolkit from that time period. I’m glad we got rid of the ridiculous “six different die-cut covers!” things, but that doesn’t mean that Infinity Gauntlet was a good idea.

I don’t know. They can’t even get my money most of the time, and I’m a die-hard fan. SOMETHING needs to change.

Also, I wouldn’t discount Marvel’s attempt at reboots; they have done this several times over the years including the Marvel 2099 line, the Marvel 2 series, and most successfully (at least until recently from what I read on Wikipedia) the Ultimate line.

I generally agree that continuity is a bitch in many ways cause it limits your characters (Spider-man never grows up; Wolverine’s origin gets twisted every other year; Batman is still pissed and alone)…but I also wonder if the industry is simply stuck; that the second they shift away from their continuity; they risk losing much of their base and crashing the whole industry (or at least the whole mainstream economy); after the 1990s crash, they are a bit paranoid in terms of taking risks…