The one thing comics can offer that no other form of literature can is a sense of legacy. An author can publish a series of books and, if they're truly committed, pump out 20 to 30 books starring the same character in their career. Now, either time will barely pass across those 30 books, preventing the character from undergoing much change and growth, or the writer will have to leave out entire years between stories, making us feel somewhat divorced from the character (who is now somewhat older and different from the one we saw in the last book) and relying upon the author's explanation to fill in all that we missed between books.

A comic, on the other hand, can provide 30 issues worth of near-continuous character growth over the span of less than 3 years.

For me, it's not the pictures, the action, the easily accessible writing, nor even the superheroes. It's the opportunity to watch characters grow and develop slowly and organically over the years, ideally earning each major change and new phase in their lives. Granted, writers who ignore continuity throw all of this out the window (and piss me off to no end in the process), but Claremont's X-Men, Wolfman/Perez's New Teen Titans, Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo, and many short lived story arcs on other titles that did their best to acknowledge continuity and growth all offer an opportunity to watch characters grow and change in response to all that they encounter over the years. It's not always more character-intensive than a good book, but it can offer greater/better earned transformation and growth.

That's why I love comic books -- the opportunity to grow alongside my favorite characters and chart how far we've both come.

I can tell you right now that if I hadn't read New Teen Titans #39 when I was eleven, I probably would have quit collecting comics after the novelty wore off. This was the big issue where Dick Grayson gave up being Robin for good, all while reflecting carefully on his entire career up until this point. I knew then what potential comic books had, and I instantly became a fan for life.

This above all else, is why I can't stand when writers ignore or just plain violate continuity, as well as why I think fans who feel that it shouldn't really matter are off-base. Continuity is one of the greatest advantages that the comic book medium can offer.