If a retcon adds to and expands on the backstory, it can be good or bad.
If a retcon directly contradicts established continuity, it is inherently bad and should not be done.
Ukrainian Red CrossI'd say that rectcons aren't inherently bad, but when done poorly, can sometimes be detrimental. For instance, the abundance of Death Is Cheap in comic books usually dampens the emotional impact of even a beloved character's death, because most readers will say "I give it six months before they recton this", even if the character was Killed Off for Real. It's also pretty bad when retcons are retconned, which are then also retconned, leading to Continuity Snarl and leaving everyone unsure about what's canon and what isn't. But, like Vampire Buddha said, they can be good if they add on to the backstory, or as long as they don't contridict continuity. I think the main problem with retcons is when they happen constantly, but if used well they can do good things.
edited 25th Jun '12 12:21:23 PM by cfive
Depends on whether they're well-written. Even a retcon that directly contradicts long-standing canon can be good, if it's written well enough.
X-Men X-Pert, my blog where I talk about X-Men comics.I think it largely depends on whether the retcon is horrible or if it's well thought out. I'd also say the reason matters. If it's fixing a really stupid part of the franchise history then sure but if its some creator's pet idea and ruins established canon then it's horrible.
Really it's a case by case basis and is inherently subjective IMO.
Yeah, if you're retconning things year in/year out, then either you're a hack looking for cheap ways of stirring the pot, or you have deep-seated problems at the most basic creative level (you may draw your own conclusions w/r/t DC).
On the other hand, sometimes a well-planned retcon is the only reasonable choice. Credible plot points become anachronisms, Dork Ages happen, some miserable hack may quickly wreak havoc on a title that no amount of subsequent explanation can paper over. You either man up and implement some solid, well-planned retcons, or your universe goes from a source of creativity to a narrative ball & chain, and a laughingstock (looking at you there, Marvel).
Retcons are fine—nay, desirable—as long as they're well-conceived, get implemented consistently, respect the spirit of the old material, and are rare.
I think Chuck Austen's entire run on Uncanny X-Men should be retconned as all being a dream. Especially the Draco arc. Fuck that arc. Fuck it up its stupid ass.
X-Men X-Pert, my blog where I talk about X-Men comics.Like others have said, retcons aren't inherently bad in and of themselves. It's just like any other storytelling device, in that it's all in the execution.
I know retconning Captain America as having been frozen since WWII was one of the best things to ever happen to Marvel, for example. On the other hand, saying that Gwen Stacy mothered children with Norman Osborn was a terrible idea of a retcon.
I agree about that but I can also see how it also a bad thing. I really don't like retcons especially when they aren't used to well but Star Wars had left a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
"Fan, a Mega Man character."
I actually like Star Wars's retcons. Abel G. Pena and Dan Wallace in particular are artists at retconnery (is that a word?).
For an retcon that illustrates both sides, see what became of the Necrons in the latest codex of Warhammer Forty Thousand. Before they were Terminators In Space, unfeeling machines united under EldritchAbominations with only a relentless desire to destroy life. Now, the soldiers remain what they were, but their leadership is now all too human in its strengths and weaknesses. See here
One the one hand, it steamrolls over the established canon, giving them precisely what they were before stated not to have (emotions, self-determination, petty factionalism). A lot of lore is in need of revision, and some holes can be poked in the new backstory. For conserving established lore, it's bad indeed.
But for the quality of the lore, it's definitely a step up. The Necrons used to be unique as a faction, but with no variety among themselves. They were the Generic Doomsday Villain of the setting; their aims were as one-dimensional as the Tyranids, but without the Nids' spectrum of units, or their multitude of different fleets allowing for customisation of a player's army. Now the Necrons have that, with Destroyers and other units having their own special place in the fluff. It also aligns the fluff with the gameplay for the C'tan.
So, it's difficult for veterans to swallow, but if you can take it, it's a big improvement.
edited 28th Jun '12 8:57:04 AM by RJSavoy
A blog that gets updated on a geological timescale.In an ongoing universe, rectons and reboots do need to happen at some point or else the narrative will collapse under decades of outdated and convoluted continuity and way too many events to fit into a character's average lifespan.
The problem is current comics tend to reboot and retcon too often and for relatively trivial things, because most writers want to redefine canon, don't want to work with previous canon, want to change things for shock value, or a combination of the three.
As a whole, I'll assume retcons for the worst. They can be helpful and functional. They're usually lazy. Consider that ultimately the point of a retcon is throwing out the established facts and replacing it. If you can't trust what's been written to be valid, why should you care?
Are you going to believe a word I say if next week this post is completely pro-retcon?
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The Necron example does really illustrate the good and bad with this. One of the big appeals of the game is painting your army however you want. There was no real reason for a given Necron army to have a different color scheme from any other. They didn't care, flat metal color was all that they needed. They didn't have different tribes, warrior cults, nomad houses, divergent gene-pools, whatever that every other army had. By the same token, their fluff is radically different then before. Most of what you knew about them doesn't apply anymore, with the caveat that the classic Necron kill-all-life mindless hordes do exist, woke first, and are the damaged ones. It's a tough pill to swallow for Necron fans even if as a whole it does more good then harm.
What bothers me is that retcons often contradict what had already been established in a work. I just don't like some of the changes that writers had to put in there in order for the show to make sense. You have a character who was basically a flat, one note villain but a lot of fans like that character so they give him a backstory and some character development. It is not always a bad thing but the retcon just made cringe as that character was a one note villain and all of sudden he isn't. I really hate the retconning in Kingdom Hearts.
"Fan, a Mega Man character."Personally, I dont think so, not if its done right and with the right mindset.
I suppose with how much love and attention characters like these are essentially built to foster in the reader, that people can get attached to the history and all that, but comics are a very unique medium in a lot of ways. With how the characters evolve, how books change writers and artists, all the different creative visions that can be put into place all sort of sh*t can go wrong or just become cluttered and smothering. Thats why things like the DC continuity reboots occur, and why I'm personally supportive of them.
edited 6th Jul '12 9:03:20 AM by Theguru
Apathetic bloody planet, I've no sympathy at all.

After reaidng the page on retcons and how things were changed to fit the storyline, I got to wonder if constantly retconning the main storyline is a bad thing? I don't really like retcons to much as they sometimes change what had already been established but I can see that they can be a good thing sometimes. I already have trouble tracing the long running stories of comics, manga, webcomics and other media enogu but retcons just makes things more complicated due to constant changing of the plot to suit the fans and the story whims. Witht hat said, are retcons a bad thing or can they like most tropes can utilized well?
"Fan, a Mega Man character."