As You Know, I'm Not One To Bitch About Decompression... (Potential Spoilers)

[The Cheap-Arse Film Critic]

... However...

... there was a little throwaway line in this month's New Avengers that set my teeth on edge. It comes at the point where Tony tells Peter to look up the Avengers files, and Peter says, "We have files? We've only been together for two weeks."

Now, take into consideration that this is issue eighteen of an ongoing series. Also take into consideraton the occasional lateness of this series.

That means it's taken nearly two years to tell two weeks worth of stories with this team.

I'm not saying it ruins my enjoyment of this comic or anything. It's still on of my faves each month. But, when you think about it, that is pretty "wow".

[Bart A Thompson]

Welcome to comic time!

What throws me off is when fiction does the opposite... I'm still watching the season 1 ER episodes and someone mentioned that the episode before was two weeks ago.

[The Cheap-Arse Film Critic]

Welcome to comic time!

What throws me off is when fiction does the opposite... I'm still watching the season 1 ER episodes and someone mentioned that the episode before was two weeks ago.

Yeah, I know comics time and all that, but...

... two weeks?

Isn't that a little extreme? Almost an abuse of comic time. I could but only a couple of months passing, but...

... two weeks?

[joeyart]

I took it as an estimation...almost as if he'd said, we'd been together for 5 minutes...

[Akira]

... However...

... there was a little throwaway line in this month's New Avengers that set my teeth on edge. It comes at the point where Tony tells Peter to look up the Avengers files, and Peter says, "We have files? We've only been together for two weeks."
I'm not saying that you're point isn't valid and true, but take into account that Peter, the resident wisecracker, said it. Sure, they may really have only been together for a little while, but you also have to take most of what Parker says with a grain of salt.

[CraigM]

I'm not saying that you're point isn't valid and true, but take into account that Peter, the resident wisecracker, said it. Sure, they may really have only been together for a little while, but you also have to take most of what Parker says with a grain of salt.
Exactly. The group has probably been together a month, maybe 6 weeks. It would have to be like that or else, how would've the Other gone down in just those two weeks. If I'm Peter, I'm moving to Australia if all of this happens in two weeks.

Craig

[The Cheap-Arse Film Critic]

I see your points, guys.

I'm more than willing to admit I jumped to conclusions with this one.

[Jerome Gibbons]

I just figured he was joking. Take it from Spider-Man's own perspective: in the time that the New Avengers have been together, Peter Parker had his house blown up, moved in with Tony Stark, went after some of the villains that escaped during the breakout, met the Young Avengers, fought HYDRA, fought the Thunderbolts, found out he was about to die, died, got better, fought a weird version of himself who happened to have boobies and was made out of spiders and got a new costume.

I figure the team has probably been together for a couple of months. I took the 'two weeks' thing to be either an exaggeration of the (relatively) short time since the New Avengers first appeared on the scene for comedic effect, or a reference to how long it's been since they went public.

EDIT: On the other hand, the last 93 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man have taken place in less than a year. THAT, if you ask me, is stretching it a bit.

[NickT]

Well considerign Breakout could have been done in 2 days, Sentry in 1, Ronin and Spider-Woman in 2......still a week untold! :)

[nihilance]

Well considerign Breakout could have been done in 2 days, Sentry in 1, Ronin and Spider-Woman in 2......still a week untold! :)
But you're skipping all the stuff that's also going on in other titles the characters are attached to or that they at least refer to. Or does Scarlet Witch and HoM just explain all continuity gaffs?

[Good & Evil]

But you're skipping all the stuff that's also going on in other titles the characters are attached to or that they at least refer to. Or does Scarlet Witch and HoM just explain all continuity gaffs?

Pretty much.

[Wagon]

... However...

... there was a little throwaway line in this month's New Avengers that set my teeth on edge. It comes at the point where Tony tells Peter to look up the Avengers files, and Peter says, "We have files? We've only been together for two weeks."

Now, take into consideration that this is issue eighteen of an ongoing series. Also take into consideraton the occasional lateness of this series.

That means it's taken nearly two years to tell two weeks worth of stories with this team.

I'm not saying it ruins my enjoyment of this comic or anything. It's still on of my faves each month. But, when you think about it, that is pretty "wow".


there was a moment in one of the Ultimate Spider-man issues a while back that made me realize just how little time has actually passed in that book... I forget the precise example, though.

I agree with the others, though... that was probably just Peter using sarcasm when he said two weeks...

[Kefky]

But you're skipping all the stuff that's also going on in other titles the characters are attached to or that they at least refer to. Or does Scarlet Witch and HoM just explain all continuity gaffs?

What's "all the other stuff"?

[Ray G.]

They've only really had three missions before this one, though. And one wasn't really as a team. Makes sense to me.

[ThisSpaceForRent]

I'm not saying it ruins my enjoyment of this comic or anything. It's still on of my faves each month. But, when you think about it, that is pretty "wow".


Doesn't bug me at all...
And it's more of a timeline than many comics give you...
Figure out the math on how much time has passed in 800 issues of Action Comics or even the 470 issues of Uncanny (though some issues were reprints).

[sequential_artist]

I don't really think the slow movement of NA is a problem. Look at movies like Die Hard, where it relatively little time passes. Doesn't mean the story is bad.

[nihilance]

What's "all the other stuff"?
Exactly.

I would love to do a timeline of Bendis's 616 books and the books they intersect with but I simply don't have the time. I have a sneaking suspicion that we've got some contradictions going what with all the stories taking place "one year later" and "one year ago".

[Gavin]

But you're skipping all the stuff that's also going on in other titles the characters are attached to or that they at least refer to. Or does Scarlet Witch and HoM just explain all continuity gaffs?
Prime punch.

[Kefky]

Exactly.

I would love to do a timeline of Bendis's 616 books and the books they intersect with but I simply don't have the time. I have a sneaking suspicion that we've got some contradictions going what with all the stories taking place "one year later" and "one year ago".

Eh, you missed the point. But never mind.

[ds9]

Yeah, I know comics time and all that, but...

... two weeks?

Isn't that a little extreme? Almost an abuse of comic time. I could but only a couple of months passing, but...

... two weeks?Its Bendis time.

[xyzzy]

I don't really understand the complaint. If you feel that the series has been paced well, then you can't really accuse of it being padded, can you?

[Akira]

Prime punch.
If I were drinking, I would've shot liquid out of my nose and all over my monitor.:rofl:

[ds9]

Prime Punch makes sense

[xyzzy]

Prime Punch makes sense

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

[Akira]

Prime Punch makes cents
Yep, Prime Punch can turn a stack of green backs into fat, Scrooge McDuck bags of money in the blink of an eye.

[Kefky]

Okay, then, let's take a good look at this:

Breakout- one day

Breakout mini- one day if you consider that it starts BEFORE the NA arc ends.

NA ASM arc- one day

Cable and deadpool- one day

Thunderbolts- less than a day

Sentry- one day

Young avengers- First arc was pre-NA, current arc's post-collective, the rest was a just real quick appearance.

Ronin and spider-woman arcs- all in a single day

HOM- A couple of minutes, considering that when the whole thing ended, everyone got back to the time when the first issue started...

Runaways- one night

Extremis- couple of days

Current Cap arc, illuminati special, spidey books, the pulse- All in the future.

See, is that so terrible?

[TheTravis!]

Read it again knowing what you know about Bendis not being able to tell time.

[Akira]

Okay, then, let's take a good look at this:
spidey books the pulse-All in the future.

You had me up until here. How do the events of "The Other" occur after the current issue of NA if the events of "The Other" lead to Spidey's new suit that he's shown wearing in the new issue? Also, Spidey is wearing his old duds in the final arc of The Pulse. In my mind, the Spidey books and new suit are proof positive that this didn't all happen in two weeks. Now, what makes more sence? That somehow, the NA got involved in a time travel storyline without telling anyone? That the editors totally screwed up continuity on one of their biggest stories of the year (Spidey's new suit)? Or that Spider-Man made a funny?
Occam's razor, man. Occam's razor.

[Kefky]

You had me up until here. How do the events of "The Other" occur after the current issue of NA if the events of "The Other" lead to Spidey's new suit that he's shown wearing in the new suit? Also, Spidey is wearing his old duds in the final arc of The Pulse. In my mind, the Spidey books and new suit are proof positive that this didn't all happen in two weeks. Now, what makes more sence? That somehow, the NA got involved in a time travel storyline without telling anyone? That the editors totally screwed up continuity on one of their biggest stories of the year (Spidey's new suit)? Or that Spider-Man made a funny?
Occam's razor, man. Occam's razor.

I meant the post-other spidey books. I mentioned the other before.

But you're right about the pulse. Still not a big deal since that was a quick appearance.

[Akira]

I meant the post-other spidey books. I mentioned the other before.
My bad, I missed that post.
But I still don't think it fits. Immedeately after getting his suit, Spidey and Stark fly out to DC for the hearings. If you wanna be a stickler for details, I thing that "The Collective" arc occurs after "Mr. Parker Goes To Washington".

[Kefky]

My bad, I missed that post.
But I still don't think it fits. Immedeately after getting his suit, Spidey and Stark fly out to DC for the hearings. If you wanna be a stickler for details, I thing that "The Collective" arc occurs after "Mr. Parker Goes To Washington".

Eh, there's nothing that says it's "immediatly". The other ends in ASM 528. In 529, Tony already finished the spider-armor. And in 530, he's already done some upgrades to it. There were definetly some time lapses in there. That's the stuff you gotta work with. Continuity's never been more detailed than that, not even during the shooter reign.