Continuity
Continuity is the accumulated history of a shared comics universe — every past event that later stories are expected to remember and respect.
In depth
When characters appear for decades across many series, their histories pile up: marriages, deaths, changes of costume and identity. Continuity is the body of those events that counts as having happened. Writers build on it, and long-time readers track it.
Reboots and alternate lines
Because continuity can become unmanageable, publishers periodically reboot or relaunch, starting characters over or resetting parts of their history. Some lines exist outside main continuity altogether, telling self-contained versions of familiar characters for new readers.
For new readers
You do not need to know continuity to enjoy most collected stories. Good jumping-on points explain what matters in their first pages.
Continuity in manga
Manga series rarely have shared-universe continuity of the American kind. A series is usually the work of one creator, told from beginning to end, so the question is simply which volume comes next. Spin-offs and sequels exist, but they rarely require knowledge of other series.
Multiple continuities
Some publishers maintain several continuities at once: a main line, alternate universes and out-of-continuity imprints. Each is internally consistent, so readers can choose one and follow it without the others.
What it means today
Out-of-continuity and standalone stories are often the best introduction to a famous character: they tell a complete story without homework.
