Part of the magic of the comic medium is the illusion of time created by observing an image and extrapolating a past and future around it. The effect can take place in a wordless image or with text. It can be a single panel or caused by a thousand panels published at once or over decades. I think we’ve all read our Scott McCloud, you should know what I mean.

So how often do you think about time in comics? How often does time in the real world come into play?

When you think about the intersection between time in the real world and the comics, does it trip you up? Do you obsess with sliding time scales? Or only when a comic contradicts or tries to adjust for it?

Have you read comics that come out in real time? How did that work for you?

Last week, we conversed about shapeshifters and masters of disguise.

Next week, we’ll talk about legacy characters.