retcon
/ret'kon/ retroactive continuity.
The common situation in fiction where a new story "reveals" things about events
in previous stories, usually leaving the "facts" the same (thus preserving
continuity) while completely changing their interpretation. For example,
revealing that a whole season of "Dallas" was a dream was a retcon.
This term was once thought to have originated on the Usenet newsgroup
rec.arts.comics but is now believed to have been used earlier in comic fandom.
[Jargon File]
(1994-12-08)
Nearby terms:
restriction « Restructured EXtended eXecutor «
restructuring « retcon » rete » RETI »
Retrieve
|