Back when DC launched what came to be known as the "Silver Age," in the mid-Fifties, the "new" characters were started with clean, unencumbered beginnings. Even tho they were in the same "universe" as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, who'd had unbroken runs since the "Golden Age," the new Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, Hawkman &c were introduced as brand new characters, with no attempt made to explain what had happened to the people who previously bore those names. (In a move that would make the heads of many modern fans explode, Barry Allen was actually seen reading an old issue of FLASH COMICS in his debut story.)

There was, in other words, no pandering to pre-existing readers, who were anyway considered to be a very, very small demographic. It had been more than half a decade since the last issue of FLASH COMICS had been published. No current readers were expected to have read it. At least, none that mattered.

But the birth of the "Silver Age" did more than relaunch the superhero concept in a big way. It also laid the foundations for a new kind of fan, the fan who wanted it all to fit together. (Ironically, the very fact that the "rebirth" didn't fit with what had gone before probably encouraged this kind of thinking in some.) And over the years and decades, those fans came to have greater and greater power within the industry, especially once they started infiltrating the companies, and became not only readers but "creators."

Which brings us to this most recent circle jerk from Marvel -- rebirthing themselves, but with everything still deeply entrenched in what has gone before.