Tom Cataldi Posted June 15, 2005 Report Share Posted June 15, 2005 Basically, how does it work in general. I'm reading the Uncanny X-Men Vol 2 collection, and on Jean Grey's tombstone it reads 1956-1980. Which makes me think "hey she was 24 when she died" which makes me think "if she was 24 in 1980, then she was a damn good looking 44 year old". So obviously time doesn't work exactly right, but how does it work? Do writers get to choose what time of year it is to fit the story? Is it an editor's choice? What's up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted June 15, 2005 Report Share Posted June 15, 2005 Basically the modern Marvel universe started roughly 10 to 12 years ago (that's when Peter and the FF got their powers and the X-Men were formed). Fifteen to 20 years from now, it will be roughly the same way. Maybe they'll up it a little and say it all kicked off 15 years ago. Who knows. A huge change in editorial standards aside, that's how it will always be. Ten to 15 years at most. The reason for this is because they need to keep Peter -- yes, it's all about Peter -- young enough so teens can relate to him and old enough so adults can too. That said, he will remain in his 20s indefinitely. The Ultimate line, however, has a sanction placed over it that clearly states as long as Joe Quesada is Editor-in-Chief, Peter Parker will not leave high school. That book -- Ultimate Spider-Man -- is meant for young readers as much as it is adults and aging Peter will only put Marvel in the same position they are right now with their regular universe DC on the other hand is at a serious crossroads, especially when you look at Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. Dick became Bruce's ward when he was roughly eight years old, and Bruce was in his early to mid-20s at the time. However, Dick is now clearly in his early to mid-20s (meaning at least 15 years have passed), but Bruce is only in his early 30s. Truth be told, the unofficial rule at DC is that Bruce Wayne is no older than 29. Something is seriously wrong there, and Dan DiDio (VP/Executive Editor at DC) has said that he refuses to read a comic book where Dick Grayson is suddenly older than his adopted father, so DC is going to have to either age Bruce into his 40s, freeze time so that Dick no longer ages, or kill one of them. If they make Bruce 40+, then so is Superman. Granted, Superman's youthful looks can be explained away as his alien nature, but Lois is older than Clark. If he's in his 40s, so is she. And, frankly, young readers aren't going to want to follow the adventures of characters that are the same age as their parents. So, as I said before, DC needs to seriously figure out how to handle this issue. Okay, so how does time work? It used to be that three real years equaled one comic book year, but that no longer holds true. Sometimes one issue-spanning arc can take place over a single day or even months, so there is no set rule. So basically, if you see a date on a tombstone, journal, computer screen or whatever... ignore it. It means nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darque Edge Posted June 15, 2005 Report Share Posted June 15, 2005 It's almost like dog years. One real year = One month Marvel time. That's a total generalisation, but it gives an idea of what we're talking (I read once that it was a rule of thumb over at M). Oh, and as far as the years go, they're flexible. Thus, Tony Stark was a veteran of Vietnam, The Gulf War, and, presumably, the War on Terror - all we need is that within the last ten years or so, he's a veteran. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted June 15, 2005 Report Share Posted June 15, 2005 One real year = One month Marvel time. I know you posted yours at the same time as mine, so you couldn't have read my post before posting yours, but this is no longer true. Not even as a generalization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Paradise Posted June 15, 2005 Report Share Posted June 15, 2005 For DC it's like 3 or 4 months usually = a couple of weeks, depending on the storyline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cataldi Posted June 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 Awesome posts guys. Thanks a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFetch Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 D.C. has a good way of solving this problem. They relaunch their universe every once in awhile to keep up with the "real world". Superman has had many different origins. He wasn't an alien, and he couldn't fly when he was first launched. Everyone wanted to know why he had super powers so they just re-told his origin, and changed it to answer the questions. Marvel doesn't do this, so if taken as whole runs, their books don't make sense. instead of making sweeping changes to everything at once, they make small changes to each book. Charles Xavier for example, fought in the Korean war originally, and they recently changed it to Vietnam(with Logan even). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 Superman has had many different origins. He wasn't an alien, and he couldn't fly when he was first launched. Everyone wanted to know why he had super powers so they just re-told his origin, and changed it to answer the questions. Superman has always been an alien. The very first panel of Action Comics #1 states: "As a distant planet was destroyed by old age, a scientist placed his infant son within a hastily devised space-ship, launching it towards Earth." You are right about the not always being able to fly part: he leapt. Another little bit of history most people don't know is that he didn't always reside in Metropolis. It was actually Manhattan that he protected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFetch Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 Superman has always been an alien. The very first panel of Action Comics #1 states: "As a distant planet was destroyed by old age, a scientist placed his infant son within a hastily devised space-ship, launching it towards Earth." You are right about the not always being able to fly part: he leapt. Another little bit of history most people don't know is that he didn't always reside in Metropolis. It was actually Manhattan that he protected. oops, you are right about the alien part. It was the part about our red sun giving him powers that was different. Originally Kryptonians were evolved to super beings. I don't know what I was smoking when I wrote that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 oops, you are right about the alien part. It was the part about our red sun giving him powers that was different. Originally Kryptonians were evolved to super beings. I don't know what I was smoking when I wrote that. Our sun is red? Yeah, what are you smoking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFetch Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 oops, you are right about the alien part. It was the part about our red sun giving him powers that was different. Originally Kryptonians were evolved to super beings. I don't know what I was smoking when I wrote that. Our sun is red? Yeah, what are you smoking? Give me a break it's late. Their sun was red, and ours is yellow, hence the powers. My point was that they changed the way he got them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 I know. I'm just razzing you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-T Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 How does time work in comics? Time works however the writer needs it to work for the purposes of the story. I gave up trying to understand it a long time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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