The Nostalgia Pillow

The nostalgia pillow, stuffed with continuity and fan reaction, is smothering our super-heroes. And we're the ones holding it over their four-color faces.
Don't deny it. We've all done it. And we'll continue to do it until they're dead. It's the only way to keep them safe, after all. To keep them just the way they were when comics were good. Do you remember when comics were good? I do. I bet you do too. I also bet we have different opinions on just when that was. But we all hold the nostalgia pillow nonetheless.
Continuity has ruined more comics than I care to name. Rather, an overly fanatical adherence to continuity. The iron chain of past events, dragging new comics into the mire of the old.
Continuity can be a good thing, in small doses. A nod to a villain's previous appearances, a quick explanation as to why s/he survived certain death in that crumbling volcano base. A quick recap of a hero's origins (every comic is someone's first comic, after all) in simple terms. These are good things.
It's when the story begins to bog down in the little details that it begins to sink.
You know what I mean. If there's ever a bitch-fight on a fan forum or comic message-board, it's probably got something to do with continuity. Or lack thereof. "Bendis hasn't read the Marvel Handbooks!" "Morrison is shitting on DC continuity!" etc. etc. ad nauseum. It's always struck me as rather akin to complaining about the curtains in your motel room.
It gets worse as time goes on. Fans begin writing they books they loved as kids, following their personal continuity, discarding what they don't consider canon. Other fans get upset. Continuity, like reality, is subjective. Not everyone considers that fourth Venom miniseries as being important to the current status of the character, but other people will shit a brick if you don't mention Pyre (remember Pyre? He was made of fire. And hate. FIREHATE!) or Mace (remember Mace? He had a mace. It did things. And shoulder pads. Why? NINETIES!) or the third symbiote from the left who whacked Venom with a chair. That was a good issue though. Moving on.
Continuity is a fool's bet. You can't please everyone all the time. Heck, you can't even please your intended audience all the time (though Geoff Johns tries, don't he?), so why even try? Think about Wolverine. Arguably, one of the most popular characters in modern comics. Now, try and fit all of his appearances and personal history into the established Marvel continuity.
Can't do it, can you? Not without bacon grease and severe chronal rip. But that doesn't matter. Not really. The stories, by and large, are interesting, regardless of that fact. Wallowing in continuity, while comforting to some degree, is a guaranteed turn-off to a new reader. It's a turn-off to some old readers too.
For my money, consistency is more important than continuity. If a character acts a certain way, has a certain ability, speaks with an accent, etc. then he better damn well do it every time he appears. Unless, of course, the point of the story is that he no longer does this thing/speaks that way/dresses in purple. Beyond that, nothing else matters.
Consistency helps keep the story fluid, without eroding the basics that the story is built on. Only the worthy can pick up Mjolnir. With great power comes great responsibility. Superman is vulnerable to Kryptonite, Batman and magic. Batman's parents were gunned down in Crime Alley. Gwen Stacy went off the bridge. These are basics. They don't change. Everything else is-and should be-up for grabs. Whether we, as fans, like it or not.