Floating timeline
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A floating timeline (also known as a sliding timescale) is a device used in fiction, particularly by DC and Marvel Comics, to explain why characters created years or even decades ago, seem to have aged little or not at all since their inception (the floating timeline may be considered a subtle form of retroactive continuity). Characters who debuted as teens in the 1940s, such as Robin (now Nightwing); or the 1960s, such as the X-Men, are still relatively young in today's comics. Events in the characters' history are still alluded to but they are simply changed from having taken place years ago to having taken place more recently. This enables the company to continue to use their characters for as long as they wish.
The use of a floating timeline is usually abstracted from that of historical events, but containing (mostly non-canon) subtle references to the real timeline. Thus, any relative dates given within the work are relative to the publishing date of the comic (i.e. "10 years ago" means "10 years before you read this"). In practice, this often manifests itself as incongruities between the art and colloquial dialogue in a comic book and contemporary culture: for example, early Spider-Man comics appear to be set in the 1960s, but that is simply the interpretation of the Marvel Comics Universe in that particular era. This makes storylines ambiguous, at times, and increases the importance of interpretation in the reading of such a text. Certain aspects of a work may need to be retconned due to this. For instance, during the 1960s, the Marvel character the Thing said he had fought in World War II alongside Nick Fury; during the 2000s, the Thing himself considered that the idea of him fighting in World War II was ridiculous, as he would be much older. Another instance is the DC character Wonder Woman, who was an active heroine in the 1940s, but as of her most recent adventures implies that she began as a hero in the mid-to-late 1980s. The fact that there was a Wonder Woman in the 1940s is later explained by the retcon that Diana is the second Wonder Woman, having inherited the mantle from her mother, Queen Hippolyta. A similar situation exists for the DC characters called Black Canary.
In the DC multiverse, alternate explanations have been introduced for such enigmas; in the 1960s, it was shown that the stories from various eras took place in different parallel universes, with the Wonder Woman of the 1940s, for example, being not Hyppolyta but an alternate reality Diana; later, in a series of stories entitled Crisis on Infinite Earths, they were consolidated in a single universe from which a new timeline started over again.
Such a timeline often creates confusion due to major historical events such as World War II or the Vietnam War, which many characters, such as Captain America or various members of the Justice Society of America, need to be based on. It seems that only storylines (apart from those based on real-world events such as 9/11, World War II, etc.), character designs, and dialogue abstracted from current affairs are truly canon, though as many of these fade into the distant past it remains to be seen whether characters will be tied to these origins still or retconned for a more recent war.
Batman's origin often shows his parents murdered in 1930s or '40s fashions, while the adult Bruce Wayne clearly lives in the present (this is shown in fashion and technology).
Another interesting effect has been seen in the Fantastic Four comics when ran by artist John Byrne back in the 1980's. In these stories, characters appeared celebrating Christmas when in the December issue and then, four issues later, they appeared in full Spring, although the events had happened just a a few weeks ago in the storyline. This may be called "seasons shift" in periodical publications such as comic books.
This effect is also seen in most syndicated comic strips and, in some cases, is even mentioned by characters. For example, in a certain FoxTrot strip, Andy remarks to Jason "You can stay 10 your whole life. I won't mind."
Continuity-based webcomics often exhibit floating timelines as well; the webcomic 1/0 often mentioned the fact that an hour from the characters' perspective could translate into months to the author and readers, while Megatokyo, since the end of its first year, has had just over one day of in-comic progress per real-world year. Thus, for instance, preview posters for Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 have been seen within mere months of one another [1].
Outside of comics, many anime and manga series also feature a floating timescale; Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo (started in 1976) and Golgo 13 (started in 1968) are two such examples. However, the use of a floating timeline is rare in eastern comics as most publish weekly rather than monthly.
In fiction, author Rex Stout allowed his principal characters to age, although much more slowly than the world they inhabit. Alternatively, Leslie Charteris' The Saint and Peter O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise have not aged and their stories take place in an eternal present. The James Bond of the novels was a veteran of World War II, but is immortal in the movie versions.
Certain franchises, such as Doctor Who or Highlander, can follow our current date and time without need for a sliding timescale due to time travel, or slowly aging characters. Tarzan's eternal youth was explained in the novels as the result of a witch doctor's potion.
Another notable example of this is cartoons such as The Simpsons, as the characters in the show never age, despite having significant character development as well as passage of time. In an episode, Bart Simpson is in love with a girl and wonders why she rejects him, asking Lisa: "Would it be that I've not changed my clothing in years?", making reference that although years have passed by in the series, he has always used the same T-shirt. However, there is little continuity in The Simpsons, as major developments or changes in one episode are ignored in the next; the stories are similar to Archie Comics or commedia dell'arte, in which stock characters with identifiable personalities repeatedly appear without much reference to what has gone before.
In Family Guy, Peter Griffin has even commented on this fact in the Season 4 episode "Blind Ambition", stating that his neighbour Bonnie Swanson has "been pregnant for six years" with no signs of progress.
