From the Files of Doctor Stomper #2
                       RETCONS: A Scientific Overview
                     copyright 1995 by Dave Van Domelen
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     Abstract: A simple overview on the nature of Retcons, both benign and 
malign, with dicussion of how they can metastatize and become cancerous, 
threatening the health of an entire series.

1.0 Introduction

     In the wake of Retcon Hour, the need for a basic tutorial on Retcons has 
become apparent.  Ignorance can only make the effects of cancerous Retcons 
worse, and this paper's goal is to help spread the knowledge needed to identify
Retcons before they become dangerous.

2.0 Methodology

     As this is an overview, no actual experimentation was needed.  However, we
needed to justify the graduate students on our grant, so we performed the 
following experiments:
     : Subjected three graduate students to fifteen straight hours of Captain 
Pla.net cartoons.  Result: Two dead, one catatonic.
     : Extensive literature search of obscure Retcons that we won't actually 
use as examples in this paper.  Result: One student lost in Infinite Library, 
two suffering extreme dehydration from the lack of humidity in there.
     : Repainting the houses of the principal grant-holders.  Result: 5% 
increase in property values, three slightly paint-spattered graduates.

3.0 Results

     As this is a paper intended for lay-readers, it is first necessary to 
clinically define a Retcon.  A Retcon is a slight lump in a storyline where the
past and present have been knotted together.  It generally involves revealing 
or changing details of the past during a present story.  As it violates linear 
storytelling, a Retcon can be dangerous, but it need not always be.  Retcon 
stands for Retroactive Continuity, the addition of story details (continuity) 
after the fact (retroactive).
     Retcons can be benign or malign.
     Benign Retcons generally fill in holes in the backstory and go no further.
They don't always fit in perfectly, which is why they can be detected.  This is
different from cases where the writer knows the backstory and simply waits a 
while before revealing it, by the way.  A Retcon may be planned out well in 
advance of its use, but it always is thought of after the story has passed the 
point to be Retconned.  Generally a benign Retcon goes no further than filling 
in gaps, but it too may become cancerous under the right circumstances.
     Malign Retcons, however, are parasitic.  They replace pre-existing story 
elements and live off the drained plot vitality.  Often they take the form of 
"that's not REALLY what happened, the observer was in error/insane/under mind 
control/lying/in another dimension/etc."  Malign Retcons take a perfectly good 
backstory and replace it for no good reason, often just because the writer is 
too lazy to work with the old backstory.  Because they already have a start in
replacing old continuity, malign Retcons frequently turn cancerous.
     Either sort of Retcon can metastatize, however.  Once the past has been 
changed, the temptation is there to keep changing, creating character 
development out of thin air rather than showing it actually happen.  Once the 
Retcon comes loose from its tightly-defined initial mission, it can quickly 
spread to the entire backstory, replacing the patchwork of details built up 
over time with a single writer's (often simplistic) view of what "should have 
happened."  Once a Retcon turns cancerous, there's little chance of survival 
for the host title short of a total Plot Transfusion, also called a Reboot.
     If detected before it metastatizes, either form of Retcon may be removed
with some work.  Generally benign Retcons are not removed, but rather smoothed 
over so that they won't turn cancerous and so that they don't leave a visible 
lump.  Malign Retcons can rarely be removed safely, although they can be 
corrected by re-Retconning them and restoring the original backstory.  But the 
taint lingers and may be revived by a later, lazier writer.  The only real cure
for a malign Retcon is for it to be caught by an editor before it takes root 
and prevented from entering the story.  However, since many editors support 
malign Retcons, this is difficult.
     Retcons may be detected by the tangible lump they make in the storyline.  
It's generally fairly obvious after a quick exam that something's not quite 
right, that the story element has been shoehorned in.  Once that is found, a 
biopsy must be performed to determine if it is benign or malign, an if it's 
already cancerous.  In cases of advanced cancerous Retcons, it is often 
necessary to perform a radical Pull-ectomy and abandon the title completely.

4.0 Summary

     Early detection is important when dealing with Retcons.  Benign Retcons 
may be safely ignored, but malign ones may require drastic measures.