Storiocraft - Setting Chronology

[Morius]

Hey guys, quick question here! How do you comic creators deal with your comics' timelines and continuity, if at all? Do you set a specific time period for when your story takes place, or do you prefer a more timeless setting? For example, in Mari's stories, the "present" is set in the year 1989. Although I have storylines that span back to the Middle Ages (and even involve cross-universe elements), the main plot I'm currently telling unfolds in 1989. The rest are side stories (like Akemi's set in early 19th-century Japan) or more speculative tales (such as "Mary Milf").

Sometimes, establishing a specific time period can confuse readers. I remember @SovietTiger asking me about the perceived inconsistencies regarding the Stargazer characters' ages, based on the information I provided on my blog. He questioned whether the characters' ages were accurate, given their birth years ranged from the 1920s to the 1960s, and wondered if they shouldn't be in their late 50s or even 90s by now. I explained that the "present" in my story's continuity is the 1980s.

"Timeless" stories don't face this problem. For instance, Ash Ketchum has remained 11 years old for over 30 years. Batman has been depicted as around 40 years old since the 1930s! His earliest stories featured technology, fashion, and geopolitics from the 1940s, while his most recent adventures incorporate elements from the 2020s, as if it's always been that way.

Why 1989? Well, I'm an 80s kid, and I love the culture of the 80s and early 90s, which shaped my childhood and early adolescence. Besides, 1989 is a year rich with potential for a spycraft narrative, given the Cold War context and everything happening around that time.

What about the settings for characters like Serena, Mizumi, and others? Compared to "real-world" stories like Mari's, these characters are set in specific time periods within their own fictional universes. However, the historical context is less noticeable because their stories aren't grounded in our "real-world" history.

Well, Mari's story isn't entirely grounded in the "real world" either. Aside from the obviousreason, like I can't call her right now, in her version of Earth, Gorbachev was assassinated during his visit to the US in 1987, causing the Cold War to rekindle dangerously. Plus, her world includes psionics, werejaguars, ghost-possessed dolls, super-soldiers, and mutants.

How about you? Are your stories set within a specific timeline and continuity, or do they have a more timeless approach? Why? 

 

[Trapp]

On 9/3/2024 at 1:49 PM, Morius said:

Hey guys, quick question here! How do you comic creators deal with your comics' timelines and continuity, if at all? Do you set a specific time period for when your story takes place, or do you prefer a more timeless setting? For example, in Mari's stories, the "present" is set in the year 1989. Although I have storylines that span back to the Middle Ages (and even involve cross-universe elements), the main plot I'm currently telling unfolds in 1989. The rest are side stories (like Akemi's set in early 19th-century Japan) or more speculative tales (such as "Mary Milf").

Sometimes, establishing a specific time period can confuse readers. I remember @SovietTiger asking me about the perceived inconsistencies regarding the Stargazer characters' ages, based on the information I provided on my blog. He questioned whether the characters' ages were accurate, given their birth years ranged from the 1920s to the 1960s, and wondered if they shouldn't be in their late 50s or even 90s by now. I explained that the "present" in my story's continuity is the 1980s.

"Timeless" stories don't face this problem. For instance, Ash Ketchum has remained 11 years old for over 30 years. Batman has been depicted as around 40 years old since the 1930s! His earliest stories featured technology, fashion, and geopolitics from the 1940s, while his most recent adventures incorporate elements from the 2020s, as if it's always been that way.

Why 1989? Well, I'm an 80s kid, and I love the culture of the 80s and early 90s, which shaped my childhood and early adolescence. Besides, 1989 is a year rich with potential for a spycraft narrative, given the Cold War context and everything happening around that time.

What about the settings for characters like Serena, Mizumi, and others? Compared to "real-world" stories like Mari's, these characters are set in specific time periods within their own fictional universes. However, the historical context is less noticeable because their stories aren't grounded in our "real-world" history.

Well, Mari's story isn't entirely grounded in the "real world" either. Aside from the obviousreason, like I can't call her right now, in her version of Earth, Gorbachev was assassinated during his visit to the US in 1987, causing the Cold War to rekindle dangerously. Plus, her world includes psionics, werejaguars, ghost-possessed dolls, super-soldiers, and mutants.

How about you? Are your stories set within a specific timeline and continuity, or do they have a more timeless approach? Why? 

 

Man, this is one topic that took me a while to get to.

I for one think that depending on the type of story you want to tell, chronology can either be very simple, or extremely complex. On the simple side, a self contained story does not need to have much in terms of background and world building in general. If I write a self-contained story, I want it to be simple and to the point, and the characters and settings will establish the timeline of events. Then again, as I've publicited to no end, I have a "TrappVerse" which main focus is the current era, starting from 2019 to 2023 at the moment, but I have thought of a few characters moving past that time frame. To put things in perspective, here's how I picture my timeline for all my comics:

Sex Tales issues 1 and 2 basically occur in tandem in 2019, shortly before the canonical event that was the COVID pandemic. Also in 2019, the Ecchi Squad meetup with Marco Torres occurs. Sex Tales 3 and 4 occur in 2020, with Emi Akatsuki about to graduate high school and awakening as a succubus. Starting with Sex Tales 5, we move into 2022, year where Black Trapper Media LLC, the company under which BTM Babes operates, was founded by Marco. Mid to late 2022 is also the year where Hikaru Ichinose is hired by Sigma Idol Agency and the Gravure Love storyline begins and where the story for VG Elf would start. CNC Baby would start at around January of 2023 as well, happening in tandem with the mainline stories for VG Elf, Gravure Love and The Goddess's Journal. But those are just my approximations.

As a writer, it is very easy to diverge into different time periods and establish multiple characters... But it is also very easy to lose track of the story you want to tell. Giving more emphasis to the world around the characters can very easily work against them and the overarching plot involving them. And chronology is a tool that can very easily break your story if you don't plan it properly and have your characters set from the get-go before writing.

If I write a story, I want it to be set at a specific time. Problem is, if I don't put my mind and time to it (which has proven to be next to impossible lately...), then the substance in the story fades away.

[Exiled_Vizir]

10 hours ago, Trapp said:

As a writer, it is very easy to diverge into different time periods and establish multiple characters... But it is also very easy to lose track of the story you want to tell. Giving more emphasis to the world around the characters can very easily work against them and the overarching plot involving them. And chronology is a tool that can very easily break your story if you don't plan it properly and have your characters set from the get-go before writing.

Hi, I agree with this, that's why I just give only the amount of details needed for the video or the comics I'm making but not more because these added details can be a limit for an eventual sequel. And then I just have to keep track of the event of the ongoing story. And if there are inconsistancies I use loosy writing technics like time travel or parallel dimensions