How important is it to you that your Batman or Spider-man comic be in-continuity? Would you collect a monthly "stand alone" Batman or Spider-man series that was not in continuity?
What spurred this question on is an interview with new Brave and Bold writer J. Michael Straczynski on Newsarama. Brave and Bold has become a cause celebre as of late, with some bloggers asking why more people aren't picking up the title. I haven't been following Brave and Bold myself, but apparently -- at least according to the interview with Straczynski, the stories are either not in continuity or the continuity is not observed closely.
If you are a superhero comics fan, how important is continuity to you? If Brave and Bold features cool but not in-continuity stories, are you ok with that? Or do feel as if the stories "don't mean as much?"
Stand-alone stories or arcs relatively untouched by the continuity was the motivation behind the DC "Classified" books, which started with JLA. Originally, the stories in JLA Classified were supposed to be in the monthly series. The idea was that instead of running stories encumbered by the the continuity of the JLA-ers monthly solo books, several high-profile teams could create stand-alone arcs. These arcs could be worked on all at the same time, without worrying about continuity (or slow artists), and "banked" for future issues and arcs.
But, I think somewhere along the line DC got cold feet on the concept, and decided to put the stories in their own title. Thus leaving the monthly JLA title to be the continuity-heavy title it currently is.
But would you even be interested in JLA stories that didn't reflect or change the status quo? Or is simply having a good story more important?
Note: I realize that both Brave and Bold & JLA Classified are supposed to take place in a "fuzzy" continuity area -- with the stories in Classified supposedly taking place in the JLA's past. But my question remains. If you see a JLA story not reflecting the current status quo, but referencing an undefined past, are you okay with that? Case in point: The New Frontier. Not exactly "canon." But enjoyable, right?
