So many of these problems would GO AWAY if our audience turned over every FIVE or SIX years like it is SUPPOSED TO!!!!

MPH

Somewhere, there's a saturation point for every character. The problem is, in today's marketplace where there are such iconic characters, significant change is either: a. impossible, or b. unwanted. So, the books continue along, derivitive after derivitive until something comes along to revitalize them. Maybe that involves a complete renewal of the character. I think the success of DC's silver age heroes and Marvel's Ultimate titles shows this: give fans a new look on an old hero, and it energizes the genre.

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There are NO bad characters or stale characters or anything like that.  There are only BAD writers, to quote Neal Adams, and I'll add bad EDITORS to that list, too!

MPH

You're stopped reading Marvel and DC superhero books then ?

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Nope...and haven't stopped reading Peanuts, or Dick Tracy, or Shoe, or Calvin and Hobbes, or ZITS, or Dilbert, or any of the other comics I read and enjoyed as a child.  I enjoy them for what they are, escapsit fiction.  I don't NOT demand the characters change and age as I have since I first encountered them.  I want them to be the same things, ideals, and characters that they were when they were created, or at a very least when I first encountered them (all though, reading the original adventures, I'm more likely to say "when created").  If you need the characters "grow" or "change" then you need to get a new hobby.

MPH

You're stopped reading Marvel and DC superhero books then ?

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I have.

As Eric pointed out earlier, this very same thing happened in the first Galactus story. Did the lack of Galactus references in Spider-Man, Daredevil, Avengers etc take away from the readers' enjoyments of the story back then I wonder?"

The difference is that the first Galactus story took only three (2 and a half really) issues and covered, what? a couple hours of time in the Marvel Universe.  The Kang War lasted a lot longer in issues and covered weeks, if not months of time in the Marvel Universe.

I'm not saying we needed Kang War crossovers into every other title, but a caption box in every other comic saying "These events take place before The Kang War story in Avengers" would have been enough.

Mike

It was just a nice touch for me growing up.  A neat way to find out about other stories, and to show they all lived in the same universe.  I wouldn't say every threat has to be acknowledged.  Not to have to read the other comic, and not even the whole comic devoted to said event, but some acknowlement of events sometimes is something I associate with Marvel, at least.

For me, it would have been nice had Asgard in Manhattan been acknowledged in Spider-man. (I believe things are more cohesive now).

I enjoy a shared universe/continuity-as long as we don't get obsessive about it.  It is what helped me get really, really into comics. Marvel in particular.

Of course, the writers and artists and fans were also allowed to have more fun with the characters back then, before the anal retentives took over both sides of the counter.

Working on BLOOD OF THE DEMON I have several times had to consciously force myself to forget that Batman should turn up in virtually every issue, checking out what was happening in "his" city. He never appeared once in Kirby's run on the book. There is no real reason that he should in mine -- unless he serves the story. But treating every book as if it is the JLA dilutes everything.

Of course, the writers and artists and fans were also allowed to have more fun with the characters back then

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That's the key I think. Reading these books is supposed to be fun. Little in jokes or little references or whatever should be used in a fun way.   No-prizes were fun.  Little jokes in the letter pages at the expense of, say Ralph Macchio were fun.

ANyone remember "Buried Alien" popping up in the race between Marvel's greatest speedsters and winning? He was wearing tattered red and yellow clothing, and had blond hair.  This was in Quasar

We need a little more fun I think.