Because continuity itself is limiting and pointless. Continuity in these things is stupid. 70 years of stories by different writers with different takes and different ideas cannot be fit into the same history. And retcons like Crisis, Zero Hour, and IC are what they are: incredibly lame attempts to "wipe the board clean" and give new creators a chance to play. But they are the lamest stories themselves. Multiverse? Hypertime? Superboy punching a timewall? Seriously?
Well, that's comics for yah. It's part of the whole deal I guess.
Would it hurt to make these stories like Bond? Where a loose framework exists, but stories stand on their own and creators are allowed to change, edit, adapt, or do what they feel is right as creators, in one story?
That'd be near impossible to pull off.......even though most stories today take place KINDA like that, it's not easy to just kinda be loose with past stuff because they kinda matter to the fans. But....for the most part...continuity doesn't really affect everything like all the time.
Why is continuity so damn important, anyway?
Personally, I think it's because fans hold the past great stories so tightly. I guess it's not easy to erase, what some people would call, the iconic versions. But....continuity is alaways a pain really.
Also, Joe Chill was never arrested in the original Joe Chill story.
Chill should be out of continuity because the Chill text contradicted the original material. Where as the original asserts, for example, that both Thomas and Martha Wayne died from bullet wounds, the Joe Chill text asserted that only Thomas Wayne was shot and died from a bullet wound, while Martha Wayne died from shock.
lol....the shock thing would make people laugh....lol.
But the original material is betrayed and refined all the time.
Yup......it's funny how the comics can getaway with it, but if a movie tries it...it get hammered badly for the smallest little detail.
Do you want a pipe-smoking Bruce Wayne who's best friends with Gordon, and a Batman that carries guns and shoots people? That's what's in my original archive books here.
That's the thing about it, I guess. It's about re-shaping the character to fit into the times so that it's still revelant. Otherwise, your right, the character would remain the same...and well.....be outdated.
This is the thing, I would say: People want to know where they stand with these characters. Keeping the character in total mystery is unacceptable because we've gotten so into them already. The past and how they became what they are are important.....but Batman is one character where continuity has been kinda vague. For example, we know Batman's first year as Batman he teamed up with Gordon.....but we're not really sure if Selina was a hooker. Atleast, not anymore.
I do wish it was easier....and honestly, Comics in general do a horrible job of carrying and altering the continuity.
I am in favor of Chill being brought back though, makes more sense I think.