4. Comic Books Transcend Authors
When a key actor or visionary director leaves a franchise like this a reboot is seen as a necessity. Yet there is no reason for that to be the case. Indeed the comics themselves provide a compelling example of how changing writers, sharp shifts in tone and radical departures in artistic style can continue within what is supposed to be one continuing adventure. Frank Miller's Batman is very different to Grant Morrison's, but they're both still Batman. In fact the original Bob Kane version of the character is supposed to be the same dude as the current one. That's how long-running superhero comics work. In a way the Burton/Schumacher series got that aspect exactly right, with each film a radical change in look and tone but supposedly taking place within the same series. It was pretty bold when you think about it. Forget the fact that Batman and Robin is total rubbish for a moment: this was not a terrible idea, but one highly consistent with the nature of comic books.