Retcon, or Actually it's a Play About Ethics in Superhero Journalism

by Joe Zarrow

RETCON is a universe-hopping comedy about geek culture, race, and keeping your story straight. An unknown African-American actress wins the lead role in the movie debut of Chronometa, a beloved comic book heroine who first appeared in the 1940s. Nerdy traditionalists, led by a mysterious blogger, think their hero must stay absolutely true to the original comics and be played by a white performer. The...

RETCON is a universe-hopping comedy about geek culture, race, and keeping your story straight. An unknown African-American actress wins the lead role in the movie debut of Chronometa, a beloved comic book heroine who first appeared in the 1940s. Nerdy traditionalists, led by a mysterious blogger, think their hero must stay absolutely true to the original comics and be played by a white performer. The traditionalists pressure the studio to make some unsavory alterations to the screenplay. The actress, unhappy about this compromise, leaks the script to an idealistic young fan who publishes it on the internet. This escalates into a vicious campaign of trolling against the fan and the actress. This main plot is interwoven with the storyline of Chronometa herself, a superhero who grows with the decades. We also see the “origin stories” of the play’s real-life characters: the actress, the trolling blogger, the fan, the director, and the nebbishy continuity supervisor. The play ends on an optimistic note, jumping ten years into the future to see how comic books might continue to evolve.

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Retcon, or Actually it's a Play About Ethics in Superhero Journalism

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear: Retcon, or Actually it's a Play About Ethics in Superhero Journalism

    It takes a superhero to change the world of comic books for the better. With trolls and threats, can there be a better world? Well done.

    It takes a superhero to change the world of comic books for the better. With trolls and threats, can there be a better world? Well done.

  • Unicorn Theatre: Retcon, or Actually it's a Play About Ethics in Superhero Journalism

    This play was a SEMIFINALIST for the 2017-2018 In-Progress New Play Reading Series at Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. It is our pleasure to support RETCON OR ACTUALLY IT'S A PLAY ABOUT ETHICS IN JOURNALISM.

    This play was a SEMIFINALIST for the 2017-2018 In-Progress New Play Reading Series at Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. It is our pleasure to support RETCON OR ACTUALLY IT'S A PLAY ABOUT ETHICS IN JOURNALISM.

  • Hallie Palladino: Retcon, or Actually it's a Play About Ethics in Superhero Journalism

    This play is clever, timely and full of insider humor that at once lovingly celebrates and mercilessly critiques geek culture and the on and off line discourse that influences the gatekeepers of trademarked superheroes. This play is a story about collective storytelling that exposes the stakes we all have in our desire to feel represented.

    This play is clever, timely and full of insider humor that at once lovingly celebrates and mercilessly critiques geek culture and the on and off line discourse that influences the gatekeepers of trademarked superheroes. This play is a story about collective storytelling that exposes the stakes we all have in our desire to feel represented.

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Theatre Nova (Ann Arbor, MI) , Year 2017

Awards