▁At ▁some ▁point , ▁" ret ro active ▁continu ity " ▁was ▁short ened ▁to ▁" ret con ", ▁reported ly ▁by ▁Dam ian ▁C ug ley ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 8 ▁on ▁U sen et . ▁Hard ▁evidence ▁of ▁C ug ley ' s ▁abbre viation ▁has ▁yet ▁to ▁surface , ▁though ▁in ▁a ▁U sen et ▁posting ▁on ▁August ▁ 1 8 , ▁ 1 9 9 0 , ▁C ug ley ▁posted ▁a ▁reply ▁in ▁which ▁he ▁identified ▁himself ▁as ▁" the ▁origin ator ▁of ▁the ▁word ▁ret con ". ▁C ug ley ▁used ▁the ▁ne olog ism ▁to ▁describe ▁a ▁development ▁in ▁the ▁com ic ▁book ▁S aga ▁of ▁the ▁Sw amp ▁Th ing , ▁which ▁re inter pre ts ▁the ▁events ▁of ▁the ▁title ▁character ' s ▁origin ▁by ▁reve aling ▁facts ▁that ▁previously ▁were ▁not ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁narr ative ▁and ▁were ▁not ▁intended ▁by ▁earlier ▁writers . ▁ ▁Types ▁ ▁Add ition ▁Ret cons ▁sometimes ▁do ▁not ▁contradict ▁previously ▁established ▁facts ▁but ▁instead ▁fill ▁in ▁missing ▁background ▁details , ▁usually ▁to ▁support ▁current ▁plot ▁points . ▁Thomas ▁referred ▁to ▁" ret ro active ▁continu ity " ▁in ▁this ▁sense , ▁as ▁a ▁purely ▁add itive ▁process ▁that ▁did ▁not ▁und o ▁any ▁previous ▁work ; ▁such ▁add itions ▁were ▁common ▁in ▁All - Star ▁Squadron . ▁Kurt ▁Bus iek ▁took ▁a ▁similar ▁approach ▁with ▁U nt old ▁T ales ▁of ▁Spider - Man , ▁a ▁series ▁which ▁told ▁stories ▁that ▁specifically ▁fit ▁between ▁issues ▁of