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That quotation is dead-on with me. Fraction seems like the kind of guy whose attitude matches mine exactly, especially when I read the backmatter from Casanova. I really should get more of his stuff.

Great quote there. I don't know Fraction and I don't know Casanova, but I'm in agreement with the quote. I don't think there's any character that can't be salvaged with some life-changing event, some reboot, or simply some writer's different perspective. I recently bought the DC Comics Encyclopedia, and I'm always surprised to learn that some character hasn't been used in many years. And I guess other people think that way, too. I mean, King Tut is being introduced in Batman comics, for God's sake!

"I mean, King Tut is being introduced in Batman comics, for God’s sake!"

I think we were talking about this one last week, but it's because they've always been worried about being sued by Fox. As it is, it's not going to be *that* King Tut.

But, yeah, Fraction follows my opinion pretty much dead-on. Nothing better than to take a previously "worthless" character and get something special out of them.

(Well, I don't think Continuity is the devil - all it is is a tool, something else for the writer to use to get people to buy into their story. Slavish adherence to continuity... THAT'S evil.)

I'll miss the backmatter, too. I liked seeing how Fraction approached each issue, and how his approaches changed depending on circumstance. He may be embarassed by the personal revelations, but I think they enriched the comic (which was already amazing).

Fraction's statement that continuity is the devil now makes his Uncanny run make a little more sense.

Brilliant quote. The guy just keeps getting cooler.

Fraction (and Casanova) are awesome, obviously, and I actually think it's a good idea to drop the backmatter. It tended to steer pretty close to pretension (as anything of that nature would), and it might be nice to let the story linger in our minds a bit on its own before we read all about how it was created.

They're gonna try to fix Ant-Man, so maybe he's right.

Sadly, his thinking seems to be a minority at the Big Two these days.

I really must go and get Casanova one of these days...

They've been trying to fix Ant-Man for nearly twenty years, though, so...

...Still, I agree with the general sentiment.

I'd say I have to disagree. Take the Ant-Man comment above and add the Atom to it. The shrinking hero simply doesn't generate enough interest on its own. Could a good writer make it work in the short term? Probably. However, it won't have the legs to remain vital once that writer leaves. Relaunches and reboots that are successful tend to be a completely different character who just happens to look like the old guy and maybe even have the same name. If the personality, setting, and background are all changed, then is it really the same character?

An example usually used to support this kind of claim is Grant Morrisson's Animal Man. However, I'd argue that he pretty much created the character since there wasn't really that much there to begin with.

He's talking about quality, Carl, not financial success.

Can anyone tell me if the Casanova HC/TPBs include the back-up material? I just read the first issue of Casanova on Image's website and plan on picking up the series. My preference would be to get the series via HC/TPB (for ease of storing on a shelf and to see Fraction get his - however small - royalty from the new sales) rather than via back issues, but if the back-up material is only available in the back issues I may have to get those. Thanks.

I disagree strongly.

'Characters' are not some finite resource we must husband, nor are they people who deserve respect and another chance. They should be considered more like brands.

Once a brand name is tainted, by low quality or a poor track record any future uses of that name will have an uphill climb. Once a character like Aquaman is dismissed as a joke by readers, DC would be better served creating something new than having to overcome the existing perception that his stories are not good.