Real time vs comic book time in a VEI relaunch?

[Geomancer]

If VEI does launch a line of ongoing comic books - would you prefer the company to age the characters 1 year for every year they publish (real time) or would you rather see them not focus on the ticking clock so closely (comic book time)?

No right or wrong answers here (in my opinion) just different preferences.

[etos45]

I would prefer real time, more because that's how it used to be and I think it's a very creative way to do a comic book. The problem is, though, that it's been so long since the titles were published... so you are losing a lot of the story telling time of each character by doing it that way. Unless they start the relaunch back in time, which I think would cost them a bit of new readers.

[ManofTheAtom]

Real time!!!

[IanAlexavier]

I dont think I liek either LOL wheres the ice cream!

Ok, although I dont think there is a perfect answer to this, I would need to go with real time so that it would continue the continuity from VH1..

Now I dont own VEI, some other very cool individuals do. What they do with Valiant is up to them, not me.

What I would like to see is to start out in real time with some very good stories and then eventually, either through year books or even through an ongoing title, provide the stories of what happened in the last 15 years.

The idea of an ongoing title would be nice to take care of loose ends and provide some additional stories. This sort of title would take a LOT of planning, but I think it could be well done. maybe a Maxie series of 45 issues.. 3 issues for each year lost.

Just some ideas..

[Dr. Solar]

Yes.

[Squirrel]

real time, cuz armstrong could have stomach bypass now and be as skinny as archer...that would be a sight

solar could have developed a gut, magnus is finally wearing shorts that fit, and the geomancer takes off that damn do-rag on his head

[Geomancer]

I've appreciated the answers so far.

I like the "real time" aspect because it is something that helps distinguish VALIANT even more from the other companies.

But I like certain characters enough that I'd be okay with them slowing time for them so I could read about them a lot longer.

But real time would help push writers to be more creative.

[Cyberstrike]

Depends on if the writers can write stories in real time and make them good, but in the end great stories and great art is what I really want the issue of how much times from issue to issue that has passed is of very little interest to me.

[JustCallMeAric]

Real time with flashbacks to fill in the gap

[xodacia81]

Real time with flashbacks to fill in the gap

[Daniel Jackson]

I don't care for the real time aspect. I don't mind them aging a little, but not year for year.

[yardstick]

I dont think I liek either LOL wheres the ice cream!

Ok, although I dont think there is a perfect answer to this, I would need to go with real time so that it would continue the continuity from *VALIANT (1991-1996)*..

Now I dont own VEI, some other very cool individuals do. What they do with Valiant is up to them, not me.

What I would like to see is to start out in real time with some very good stories and then eventually, either through year books or even through an ongoing title, provide the stories of what happened in the last 15 years.

The idea of an ongoing title would be nice to take care of loose ends and provide some additional stories. This sort of title would take a LOT of planning, but I think it could be well done. maybe a Maxie series of 45 issues.. 3 issues for each year lost.

Just some ideas..

Real time, with Eternal Warrior-esque flashbacks

[leonmallett]

Comic book time.

Whilst real-time is a nice point of difference, we saw that mid-way through the VH1 days that it didn't really work, especially where longer arcs of multi-issue stories were concerned.

It is fine if each story is done-in-one, but cohesion goes out of the window a little the moment any title gets a timeframe hiccup due to multi-issue stories, and whilst trying to crossover within intra-title continuity.

More importantly does real-time mean that we get better stories as standard? Not really, in which case it is nothing more than a gimmick.

[BloodOfHeroes]

I agree that too firm a "real time" dictate can hamper good stories. I'd want a *consistent* time, whatever that means. If it's 1 comic year = 1 real world year or 1 comic year = 3 real world years, then apply it equally and let the good times roll.

That and a solid EiC/Editorial team to prevent continuity gaffes would keep me happy.

[Dr. Solar]

One of the things I like about the idea of real time is that we could see the characters get older and "retire" and/or die.

One of the neat things about Valiant is the legacy nature of almost EVERY character.

Solar/Phil obviously lives forever.
Magnus had a son
Rai is one in a long line of Rais, and they descend from Bloodshot
There have been multiple Shadowmen
Aram, Gilad, and Ivar live forever
The continuation of the Harbinger strain in their descendents is established in Harbinger
HARDCorps become the Psi-Lords.
The X-O armor outlives it's wielder, and gives birth to new armor.

Almost every Valiant character has some sort of legacy built into their character, and it would be cool to see this legacy met, and have characters change. There may not be an Aric, but there can be an X-O Manowar. There may not be a Jack, but there can be a Shadowman.

This of course would lead to a different type of stories than Marvel and DC, where Clark Kent will always be Superman, Peter Parker will always be Spider-Man, etc.

It could be a really interesting aspect to what Valiant does. One of the weaknesses of characters in perpetual periodicals is that things can't change too drastically, and they can't age very much. Stories like Dark Knight Returns and Kingdom Come will never actually happen in actual continuity, because that would require ending the characters.

[ManofTheAtom]

Real time works great. Just look at Solar #9 for an example.

One thing I'd hate to see happen would be for the war that the HARD Corps fought in to be changed from Viet Nam to Gulf War I just for the sake of comic book time (as it's happened with Reed Riichard and Ben Grimm, or the Punisher at Marvel. The former originally fought in WWII and the latter fought in Viet Nam, but as comic book time has cemented as being 10 years ago, those events have been changed or deleted - i.e. the Punisher movie, where he's not even a soldier)

I'd rather have NEW HARD Corps characters that fought in Gulf War I (compare it to Sinatra in the original Manchurian Candidate vs Denzel in the remake) than make Gunslinger a GWI veteran.

[ManofTheAtom]

There may not be an Aric, but there can be an X-O Manowar.

Aric will remain X-O until Harada kills him in 2062 thanks to the armor's life-extending capabilities Chronologically, I think, Aric lived to be over a 100 years old (and he didn't look it!)

There may not be a Jack, but there can be a Shadowman.

How and why? The two Shadowmen were created specifically to fight Darque, who dies in 99 with Jack. Why would there be a need for another Shadowman?

[Dr. Solar]

There may not be a Jack, but there can be a Shadowman.

How and why? The two Shadowmen were created specifically to fight Darque, who dies in 99 with Jack. Why would there be a need for another Shadowman?

You DO realize that I was just casually throwing ideas around, not positing theses about the exact nature of a FICTIONAL universe, right?

Besides, since it's FICTION, they can MAKE UP some reason for there to be a Shadowman again.

Maybe Jack and Sandria's illegitimate love child turns out bad.

[ManofTheAtom]

There may not be a Jack, but there can be a Shadowman.

How and why? The two Shadowmen were created specifically to fight Darque, who dies in 99 with Jack. Why would there be a need for another Shadowman?

You DO realize that I was just casually throwing ideas around, not positing theses about the exact nature of a FICTIONAL universe, right?

Besides, since it's FICTION, they can MAKE UP some reason for there to be a Shadowman again.

Maybe Jack and Sandria's illegitimate love child turns out bad.

Michael Leroi becomes the new Shadowman to stop Hwen and Carmen's child, who has absorbed the renmants of the Darque power

Idea, (C) me, characters, (C) VEI

[Dr. Solar]

There may not be a Jack, but there can be a Shadowman.

How and why? The two Shadowmen were created specifically to fight Darque, who dies in 99 with Jack. Why would there be a need for another Shadowman?

You DO realize that I was just casually throwing ideas around, not positing theses about the exact nature of a FICTIONAL universe, right?

Besides, since it's FICTION, they can MAKE UP some reason for there to be a Shadowman again.

Maybe Jack and Sandria's illegitimate love child turns out bad.

Michael Leroi becomes the new Shadowman to stop Hwen and Carmen's child, who has absorbed the renmants of the Darque power

Idea, (C) me, characters, (C) VEI

\

A child turning into a bad guy in the Shadowman mythos (C) me, so you owe me royalties.

[ManofTheAtom]

There may not be a Jack, but there can be a Shadowman.

How and why? The two Shadowmen were created specifically to fight Darque, who dies in 99 with Jack. Why would there be a need for another Shadowman?

You DO realize that I was just casually throwing ideas around, not positing theses about the exact nature of a FICTIONAL universe, right?

Besides, since it's FICTION, they can MAKE UP some reason for there to be a Shadowman again.

Maybe Jack and Sandria's illegitimate love child turns out bad.

Michael Leroi becomes the new Shadowman to stop Hwen and Carmen's child, who has absorbed the renmants of the Darque power

Idea, (C) me, characters, (C) VEI

\

A child turning into a bad guy in the Shadowman mythos (C) me, so you owe me royalties.

Your initial concept, my refinement. 50-50

[Dr. Solar]

There may not be a Jack, but there can be a Shadowman.

How and why? The two Shadowmen were created specifically to fight Darque, who dies in 99 with Jack. Why would there be a need for another Shadowman?

You DO realize that I was just casually throwing ideas around, not positing theses about the exact nature of a FICTIONAL universe, right?

Besides, since it's FICTION, they can MAKE UP some reason for there to be a Shadowman again.

Maybe Jack and Sandria's illegitimate love child turns out bad.

Michael Leroi becomes the new Shadowman to stop Hwen and Carmen's child, who has absorbed the renmants of the Darque power

Idea, (C) me, characters, (C) VEI

\

A child turning into a bad guy in the Shadowman mythos (C) me, so you owe me royalties.

Your initial concept, my refinement. 50-50

You're in Vegas. Get off the forum and go to a piano recital.

[ManofTheAtom]

How and why? The two Shadowmen were created specifically to fight Darque, who dies in 99 with Jack. Why would there be a need for another Shadowman?

You DO realize that I was just casually throwing ideas around, not positing theses about the exact nature of a FICTIONAL universe, right?

Besides, since it's FICTION, they can MAKE UP some reason for there to be a Shadowman again.

Maybe Jack and Sandria's illegitimate love child turns out bad.

Michael Leroi becomes the new Shadowman to stop Hwen and Carmen's child, who has absorbed the renmants of the Darque power

Idea, (C) me, characters, (C) VEI

\

A child turning into a bad guy in the Shadowman mythos (C) me, so you owe me royalties.

Your initial concept, my refinement. 50-50

You're in Vegas. Get off the forum and go to a piano recital.

\

Heh.

I'm out of spending money for the day, but tomorrow I plan to catch a show, if I get tickets that is.

[Dr. Solar]

...piano recital.

Oh, man. You've gotta be KIDDING me, Greg!

<sigh>

[ManofTheAtom]

...piano recital.

Oh, man. You've gotta be KIDDING me, Greg!

<sigh>

I thought that was a little weird.