Theoretical discussions regarding the Continuity Bottle continued...
Up to now, the Continuity Bottle has only really been discussed in terms of the comic book medium, but we know these shared universe also have a life in other media. Many DC and Marvel characters have managed to escape comic book continuity into feature films, television shows, cartoons, and other media. And each time, a new continuity springs forth. The Batmen of the 60s tv series, of the Tim Burton or Chris Nolan films, of the Super-Friends, of the Bruce Timm animated series, of "The Batman" cartoon and of Brave and the Bold are clearly not the same person. And they are not the same person as the one comics readers see on the comics page. So, what are they? Elseworld bubbles? Well, yes. However, they definitely have their own particular properties, which we'll explore in this discussion.
They are seen by many more people than the comics are
This is important. Though the film or tv show is part of/based on a comics Continuity Bottle, it has a better chance of reaching mass audiences than does the parent continuity. It's like those bubbles are right up against the glass, in a much better position to get noticed, and thus generate interest, and so develop. It means that public awareness of any given dynastic molecule (i.e. character) is deeply affected by non-comics media even if they do read comics. They'll think of Lynda Carter when they think of Wonder Woman, for example, or of Aquaman as he was presented in a cartoon (old school Filmation, new school B&B). It's easy to understand why. To non-comics readers, this may be the only exposure they have to a character (those never seen in other media might as well not exist, and there's no telling a movie fan that Iceman was one of the original X-Men, not a late-comer student of theirs). To comics readers (and creators - they started out as readers after all), comics are an always evolving thing. Any given character's depiction is transitory at best, and while the reader will have favorite iterations, these come and go and are rarely reread in the face of the continuous stream of new comics being published. Superhero comics are akin to daytime soap operas in that sense. Stories are followed, sometimes remembered, but rarely revisited. Not so with film and tv. It is quite common to see a film or tv episode multiple times. Additionally, watching moving images - whether or not you believe has a greater impact on the human psyche than reading - is often a shared experience, and as such will generate more discussion in one's environment, and so, more creation of memories. One might also suggest that, as mass market distillations of the characters, they are more properly iconic and unburdened by the continuity manipulations suffered by on-going "soapy" characters. Any or all of these factors make the comics reader remember the alt-media version of a character more readily than any print version. And here's where it gets thorny:
The reverse funnel
While Elseworlds (as discussed yesterday) have funnels that direct Continuity Fluid into them, but rarely let any out, conduits linking standard continuity and movie/tv bubbles are much more likely to go both ways. As we've seen, movie/tv mass appeal makes those bubbles garner more attention than comics continuity (at least, in the case of successes). That attention makes the bubble develop and sometimes exceed its bounds, backwashing continuity into the bottle proper. It's like Kingdom Come Superman suddenly appearing in the DC Universe, or Agents of ATLAS making an old What If story a reality. When a version of a dynastic molecule in a movie/tv Elseworld becomes better known and more accepted than the one in the comics continuity, that continuity becomes subject to revision. Examples include Gotham City going Gothic after Burton's film came out, or the relatively recent Donnerization of Superman with its crystalline Fortress of Solitude and Kryptonian criminals. In some cases, those changes are merely aesthetic, like Superman being drawn like Christopher Reeve or Warner Brothers mandating a certain acceptable length for Batman's ears (how much of Wonder Woman getting pants was part of a push to make her look like the aborted David E. Kelley series?). In rare cases, characters will cross over, like Harley Quinn. Most often, appearing in alternate media will simply transfer the attention garnered there to the comics version of the character. When Mr. Freeze appears in a movie and cartoons, he starts developing more in the comics universe as well.
From a real world point of view, there are various reasons why these funnels should backwash. Marketing is one, and the most immediate in its effects. The "developmental attention" comes initially from editorial mandate and is geared towards cross-marketing both the comics and the film/show. Here we see changes bringing the characters more in line with their alt-media representations in preparation for success. When a failure, readers may be forced to continue living with their mark for some time, but usually not for long. For example, had Superman Returns been a huge success, Christopher Kent might have remained a regularly appearing character. In the long term, it's the iconic power of alternate media's versions that plays a part. A creator raised on a certain version of the character will want to bring its elements into standard continuity. Think of Alex Ross' Super-Friends fetish, or the previously mentioned Donnerization of Superman. Changes here occur not while the Elseworld is on the air or at the cinema, but rather decades later as their influence is felt on young creators' work. That influence has a further effect, and that's normalizing the Continuity Bottle. When an alt-media representation is properly iconic, comics will tend to revert to that ideal. No matter what changes you make to a character, any retcon, reboot or relaunch will take into account "what people know" about the character. It's why Wonder Woman's star-spangled bathing suit and invisible plane are unlikely to disappear forever. (Of course, any piece of iconic continuity will have this effect, but alt-media versions have a serious advantage.)
Acceptable retcons
In this age of grumbling over retcons, reboots and relaunches (cough - Flushpoint - cough), it's amazing that in the world of alt-media, no one much cares that there are so many different versions of Batman, Superman or the Hulk out there. Spider-Man film franchise to be rebooted? No problem. Can't wait to see their new take and who plays the web-slinger. No doubt, public understanding of the film-making process is such that actors cannot remain as youthful as their counterparts drawn on the comics page. Years if not decades pass between the various versions of a character on the big and small screen, and while these invite comparison, with fans of one denouncing the other, the fact the franchise has been dormant for so long means we have had time to reconcile ourselves with the changes to come. This may change as superhero franchises are put under more and more pressure. Rebooting Spider-Man only 5 years after Tobey Maguire threw his suit in the garbage can may prove a problem, for example. We're no longer making a film version for a new generation, but rather catering to the same generation and perhaps muddling their iconic perception of a character. Or are we ADD enough as a culture that yesterday's version is literally yesterday? Are we, in fact, able to accept more than one iconic version of a character simultaneously? Or will we forever make comments like "the one true Batman is the one from the 90s animated series", regarding the movies of the time and those that came after as interesting, but pale imitations? And are comics then evaluated based on how closely they come to that iconic representation?
Up to now, the Continuity Bottle has only really been discussed in terms of the comic book medium, but we know these shared universe also have a life in other media. Many DC and Marvel characters have managed to escape comic book continuity into feature films, television shows, cartoons, and other media. And each time, a new continuity springs forth. The Batmen of the 60s tv series, of the Tim Burton or Chris Nolan films, of the Super-Friends, of the Bruce Timm animated series, of "The Batman" cartoon and of Brave and the Bold are clearly not the same person. And they are not the same person as the one comics readers see on the comics page. So, what are they? Elseworld bubbles? Well, yes. However, they definitely have their own particular properties, which we'll explore in this discussion.They are seen by many more people than the comics are
This is important. Though the film or tv show is part of/based on a comics Continuity Bottle, it has a better chance of reaching mass audiences than does the parent continuity. It's like those bubbles are right up against the glass, in a much better position to get noticed, and thus generate interest, and so develop. It means that public awareness of any given dynastic molecule (i.e. character) is deeply affected by non-comics media even if they do read comics. They'll think of Lynda Carter when they think of Wonder Woman, for example, or of Aquaman as he was presented in a cartoon (old school Filmation, new school B&B). It's easy to understand why. To non-comics readers, this may be the only exposure they have to a character (those never seen in other media might as well not exist, and there's no telling a movie fan that Iceman was one of the original X-Men, not a late-comer student of theirs). To comics readers (and creators - they started out as readers after all), comics are an always evolving thing. Any given character's depiction is transitory at best, and while the reader will have favorite iterations, these come and go and are rarely reread in the face of the continuous stream of new comics being published. Superhero comics are akin to daytime soap operas in that sense. Stories are followed, sometimes remembered, but rarely revisited. Not so with film and tv. It is quite common to see a film or tv episode multiple times. Additionally, watching moving images - whether or not you believe has a greater impact on the human psyche than reading - is often a shared experience, and as such will generate more discussion in one's environment, and so, more creation of memories. One might also suggest that, as mass market distillations of the characters, they are more properly iconic and unburdened by the continuity manipulations suffered by on-going "soapy" characters. Any or all of these factors make the comics reader remember the alt-media version of a character more readily than any print version. And here's where it gets thorny:
The reverse funnel
While Elseworlds (as discussed yesterday) have funnels that direct Continuity Fluid into them, but rarely let any out, conduits linking standard continuity and movie/tv bubbles are much more likely to go both ways. As we've seen, movie/tv mass appeal makes those bubbles garner more attention than comics continuity (at least, in the case of successes). That attention makes the bubble develop and sometimes exceed its bounds, backwashing continuity into the bottle proper. It's like Kingdom Come Superman suddenly appearing in the DC Universe, or Agents of ATLAS making an old What If story a reality. When a version of a dynastic molecule in a movie/tv Elseworld becomes better known and more accepted than the one in the comics continuity, that continuity becomes subject to revision. Examples include Gotham City going Gothic after Burton's film came out, or the relatively recent Donnerization of Superman with its crystalline Fortress of Solitude and Kryptonian criminals. In some cases, those changes are merely aesthetic, like Superman being drawn like Christopher Reeve or Warner Brothers mandating a certain acceptable length for Batman's ears (how much of Wonder Woman getting pants was part of a push to make her look like the aborted David E. Kelley series?). In rare cases, characters will cross over, like Harley Quinn. Most often, appearing in alternate media will simply transfer the attention garnered there to the comics version of the character. When Mr. Freeze appears in a movie and cartoons, he starts developing more in the comics universe as well.
From a real world point of view, there are various reasons why these funnels should backwash. Marketing is one, and the most immediate in its effects. The "developmental attention" comes initially from editorial mandate and is geared towards cross-marketing both the comics and the film/show. Here we see changes bringing the characters more in line with their alt-media representations in preparation for success. When a failure, readers may be forced to continue living with their mark for some time, but usually not for long. For example, had Superman Returns been a huge success, Christopher Kent might have remained a regularly appearing character. In the long term, it's the iconic power of alternate media's versions that plays a part. A creator raised on a certain version of the character will want to bring its elements into standard continuity. Think of Alex Ross' Super-Friends fetish, or the previously mentioned Donnerization of Superman. Changes here occur not while the Elseworld is on the air or at the cinema, but rather decades later as their influence is felt on young creators' work. That influence has a further effect, and that's normalizing the Continuity Bottle. When an alt-media representation is properly iconic, comics will tend to revert to that ideal. No matter what changes you make to a character, any retcon, reboot or relaunch will take into account "what people know" about the character. It's why Wonder Woman's star-spangled bathing suit and invisible plane are unlikely to disappear forever. (Of course, any piece of iconic continuity will have this effect, but alt-media versions have a serious advantage.)
Acceptable retcons
In this age of grumbling over retcons, reboots and relaunches (cough - Flushpoint - cough), it's amazing that in the world of alt-media, no one much cares that there are so many different versions of Batman, Superman or the Hulk out there. Spider-Man film franchise to be rebooted? No problem. Can't wait to see their new take and who plays the web-slinger. No doubt, public understanding of the film-making process is such that actors cannot remain as youthful as their counterparts drawn on the comics page. Years if not decades pass between the various versions of a character on the big and small screen, and while these invite comparison, with fans of one denouncing the other, the fact the franchise has been dormant for so long means we have had time to reconcile ourselves with the changes to come. This may change as superhero franchises are put under more and more pressure. Rebooting Spider-Man only 5 years after Tobey Maguire threw his suit in the garbage can may prove a problem, for example. We're no longer making a film version for a new generation, but rather catering to the same generation and perhaps muddling their iconic perception of a character. Or are we ADD enough as a culture that yesterday's version is literally yesterday? Are we, in fact, able to accept more than one iconic version of a character simultaneously? Or will we forever make comments like "the one true Batman is the one from the 90s animated series", regarding the movies of the time and those that came after as interesting, but pale imitations? And are comics then evaluated based on how closely they come to that iconic representation?
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