From: mss2@quads.uchicago.edu (Michael S. Schiffer)
Subject: Humor and Continuity (was Re: Green Lantern Rings)
Reply-To: mss2@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 21:34:26 GMT

In article <1992Sep15.104751.2352@wkuvx1.bitnet> barnejd@wkuvx1.bitnet writes:
>> In article <1992Sep14.191117.7451@stsci.edu> wmorgan@stsci.edu (Windsor A. Morgan) writes:

>>>Is a Green Lantern's ring intelligent?

>  But I seem to remember G'nort carrying on a conversation with his
>ring in an early JL, during which the ring _SIGHED_!  I think G'nort 
>said something to the effect of "I didn't know power rings could
>sigh."  Is this standard, or is G'nort's ring (like him) different
>from those of the other GLs?

	Well, the answer to this is technically "yes", since it turns
out to have been made by the Qwardians to discredit the GLC.

	However, as someone who is probably above average in the value
I place on continuity, I hereby wish to promulgate Schiffer's Law:

	"Something which is introduced into a story for comic effect
should be taken with a grain of salt with respect to continuity, even
if the story as a whole is considered to be within continuity."

	Not particularly concise or pithy, I'll grant.  But it saves a
lot of trouble in dealing with a _lot_ of issues.  I would say that
comics writers are least concerned about continuity when they have a
good laugh to portray, and that's as it should be.  Stories done
primarily for humorous effect play fast and loose with self-mockery,
fourth wall games, and the like which don't work very well if they're
presumed to take place inside the "real" continuity.  (E.g. can a
power ring really get frustrated with its wielder?  Did Tenzil Kem
really bite Pulsar Stargrave's nose off?  Did Darkseid _really_ kill
Jonni DC in the presence of Ambush Bug?  Does L.E.G.I.O.N. really have
patrollers who stop travel above lightspeed?)  I mean, it just gets
silly-- which is the whole point of these stories.  Inspired
silliness, when done well, is _fun_, but it's not the stuff of which
even a ramshackle structure like the DC universe is built.

	Oftimes, the story can be proved to have taken place in broad
outline (references in LSH to Gigi Cusimano's debacle with the Subs,
crossovers between the Giffen JLI and other books, etc.) but even
here, it seems to me that later writers shouldn't be held to specific,
humorous (or allegedly humorous) details.  (Even worse, IMHO, is
retroactively applying those details to a characters past, as is
happening with J'onn J'onzz's Oreo habit.)  Of course, this tends to
dovetail with my general view of continuity: it's important, but it's
perfectly legitimate to ignore egregious stupidities on the part of
past writers.  (Defining "egregious stupidities" is, of course, a
matter of personal taste-- but hey, what's r.a.c.m. for if not to
spend weeks arguing about it?  :-) )  Funny throwaways, like plain
bonehead moves (e.g. Garth Ranzz is really Proty) should be ignored
unless there's some good reason not to.

Mike

-- 
Michael S. Schiffer, LHN, FCS	"Indeed I tremble for my country
mss2@midway.uchicago.edu	 when I reflect that God is just."
mike.schiffer@um.cc.umich.edu	 -- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on
mss2@usite-next.uchicago.edu     Virginia (1784)