Retro Review

This week, I’d like to look at some of the retcons that have happened in comic books over the years. In case you don’t know the term, a retcon is a retroactive change in the continuity of a comic book series, or indeed a TV series or series of books. Retcons can be as simple as revealing that a character that was shown to have died actually survived, or as major as revealing that a character that was established as a hero was a villain all along. Some are done to keep characters seeming young or relevant, like the current retooling of Carol Danvers’ backstory to have her serve with the USAF in Afghanistan, rather than in the 70s space mission with NASA. Others are done to open up new story possibilities or for dramatic effect. Many are controversial, as continuity can be sacred to fans. Whatever the reasons, no retcon will pass without criticism.

There are also the revamp-type retcons, which DC Comics seem to be very fond of, where the entire history of a series is discarded in favor of a new version: the Crisis on Infinite Earths was the first time DC engaged in this kind of retcon, with changes like “Clark Kent was never Superboy, he only became active when he moved to Metropolis” and “Wonder Woman wasn’t in the Justice League of America from its founding”. This kind of retcon, because it disposes of so much history, can really disappoint fans: how do you handle your favorite series being basically cancelled and never referred to again?

So, join me this week for a walk through some of the best and worst retcons I’ve found while reviewing old comics.

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