Mapping the Sentinels Comics History

So one of my favorite things about this game is the rich history it creates.  I love the concept of having a multi decade history to the development of the comic line, introductions of characters, multiple comics, etc.

So for fun and out of boredom I started doing what I know many of you have talked about and have probably done much better then I and that is trying to map out what we know of this world from all the tidbits >G has revealed.

I'm just getting started but thought I'd post what I've fiddled with so far.  I've had to make a few assumptions and wonder if others would agree with them.  As of the initial post here I've started only with the First Appearances (FA)of all the characters as listed here on the website. I've organized it by each column representing a different comic line (Justice Comics, Arcane Tales, etc) and each row representing 12 monthly issues or one years worth of printing.

Assumption 1: The 12 monthly issues per year. This let me stay somewhat general with when things might line up and also fit in the annual issues with the regular issues.

Assumption 2: For comic lines that have nothing else yet seen to direct their start year they start at year 1 while those who have a possible reason for starting later I have listed later in time (with my reasoning listed). 

Assumption 3: Freedom Four Annual's numbering is separate from Freedom Five Annual's though they follow each other chronologically.

So here's what I have so far.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq5Clu8S_TcHdERaNzVPSkFlY3M4bVlZZ0dYbnNpUUE

I know changes will be made to these as I know some card texts have Freedom Four Annuals past 2 which will drop the Freedom Five and others lower in time.

Whether this is totally off the mark or spot on, I'm having fun with seeing how certain characters compare or may compare to one another over the history of the comic line and thought I'd share.

The next step will be gleaning what I can from both card text and pictures to try and better line up when certain comics happen.  So if I see a card in plague rats deck with Ra in the picture, I may adjust things up or down knowing that First Appearances are one of the only concretes in comic history. Long process and I don't know when I'll do that or how well I'll be able to really corallate things.

Thoughts on assumptions or the method I'm following? Input into the findings?

That chart is great.  Makes me wish I could click into any of those cells and read the comics (which don't actually exist). :)

Wild!

It's fantastic. Thanks for kickstarting this.

Mr. Fixer and Bunker both have 2 First Appearance Dates for Black Fist and Tyler Vance respectively.

I don't know if Redeemer Fanatic, Ra - Horus of Two Horizons, Bomber Blade, Cosmic Omnitron or Young Legacy will ever get a First Appearance listing of their own...it would help connect story lines though if they ever do.

Fantastic work!

I will say, the Freedom Four Annual and the Freedom Five Annual are the same yearly ongoing book - it was Freedom Four for the first two, and then #3 was the first one to go to the Freedom Five Annual.

Hope this helps!

So is the flavor text on AZ's Isothermic Transducer which quotes Freedom Four Annual #7 a misprint?  Should that be from annual #2 or be Freedom FIVE Annual #7?

Maybe this has been fixed already in EE but I don't have it yet.

It is not a misprint. It absolutely should be Freedom Four Annual #7. This was discussed in another thread somewhere, but I don't have the time to look it up, and it doesn't really matter as I would just be quoting myself at that point.

*giant grin*

Enjoy your conjecture!

Also, does the Freedom Five comic start the same year the Freedom (insert number here) Annuals were renamed to Freedom 5?  I assume so since the 5 werent there but i did see a quote by Adam in another thread saying Justice Comics started near WWII with Freedom 5 starting shortly after, but with a different original lineup. 

http://sentinelsofthemultiverse.com/forum/topic/comic-numbering

So I guess that confused me on the history of what was the freedom four and freedom five as we know them, and what is the history of the freedom five previously.

Was it a different freedom 5...someone we don't know left or died...became freedom 4 and then went back to freedom five with the addition of AZ?

Or am I misreading Adam's hints?

http://sentinelsofthemultiverse.com/forum/topic/typos-game

Found your quote: "Secondly, and more excitingly, your suppositions are very much on the right track.  You've done a good job of mining the flavor text and backstories to piece together our timeline.  (I have always hoped this would happen!)  It seems like Freedom Four Annual #7 SHOULD be a Freedom Five book . . . but it's not!  There are Freedom Five Annuals #4 and #5, certainly, but for SOME REASON, #7 is a Freedom Four book.  On purpose and everything. Good catch!  I've been waiting for this very thing.  Let the speculation begin!  devilish grin"

So you've let us know that the numbering is consistent but the name changes from four to five between 2 and 3 and #7 is back to four again for one annual. So who leaves? Who's gone? is the 5 we know before and after the same 5? GHHHAAAAAHHH!!!
Freedom Four Annual 1

Freedom Four Annual 2

Freedom Five Annual 3

Freedom Five Annual 4

Freedom Five Annual 5

Freedom Five Annual 6

Freedom Four Annual 7

Freedom Five Annual 8

Freedom Five Annual 9

Freedom Five Annual 10

and so on… I'll have to see how many annual's I can account for across the cards.

And figure out how to show this on my chart.

Okay...Started with Legacy's deck today.  Most things lined up nicely, a couple new comics added, a few notes in whose in which comic elsewhere.

I now have the big question of art and text.

I found pictoral support of Adam's comment about Freedom Five starting before the current 5.  There is a Justice Comics quote on a card with Legacy punching Voss which as I had it is several years before Voss FA...therefore Freeom Five's start has moved up and starts before the current 5 we know are revealed.

First conflict...on "Bolstering Allies" in Legacy's deck it quotes him in Freedom Five Annual #8.

The picture is vague but I'd have said from left to right you see Ra, Haka, Tachyon, Legacy, Visionary, Fanatic, and Bunkers arm.  But Visionary doesn't have a FA until Annual 16 according to her bio page.

Also, I'd have to shift all the annuals down by several years to have this appear after Fanatics FA in Mystery Comics 368, which I haven't double checked all the consequences of yet.

So do I assume that picture is from that same comic?  Is it simply somebody other then Visionary? Are my 12 issues regular per 1 annual assumptions to far off? What do you think?

Something just struck me. The bio says that Legacy first showed up in Justice comics #1, which was around WWII. But Paul Parsons is only 47, so the Legacy in those comics was his father. And that is why it goes from 5 back to 4 in Annual # 7, sometime that year is when the current Legacy's father died.

Also the current Paul Parsons' birth day is listed as 1973, and his age is listed as 47. That would place the "current" year at 2020.

Now those are some interesting thoughts.  I hadn't considered that element at all.  I like your thinking here.

(Sorry for back to back posts...can't edit)

You are timing things based on the concept that all the comics live in real time.  That isn't usually the case in a comic book world.  Some comic heroes have been the same for years and years on end.  But what you say about Paul Parson's father being the first legacy in Justice Comics #1 with Paul joining later after the first legacy dies could line up nicely.  We have more history/backstory to the Baron Blade/Legacy rivalry then we have anything else.  The Freedom Four Annual #1 that kickstarter supporters will be getting in pdf format may shed some light on this. We'll see which legacy is in it and that will either support or disprove your theory.

True, but the current Legacy is the only one I have found a birth year for, I find that significant.

Plus, we don't know how the >G guys are handeling time, they may very well be doing the year for year progression. I, for one would really like if that is the case. I am so tired of the constant need to update a characters background to keep  them the same age.

Some comics simply stay the same with no explanation. Some do age over time at a regular rate.  Some have separate series for the same hero showing different points in their life (think of all the old Batman comics there are). Some age but gradually…say 10 real years is 1 year in comic time.  Lots of possibilities so its hard to say what >G is going for.

What I find signifcant about a year is that they have said that the Justice Comics line started near WWII.  So they either had comic lines set in the future of the time (Stories of the 80s or 90s [when Paul would be old enough to be a super hero] "written from the 40s or 50s), or at least some evolution or retelling of origins must have happened.  And with comics its impossible to say. 

Previously I said the only thing I feel anyone can concretely say is when did the Character have a first appearance?  Though even then a story written later could be set in their past and line up with earlier chronology.

And then when you add time travel and multiverses…all bets really are off.

Okay, I've done Legacy, Haka, Wraith, Bunker, and Mr. Fixer (I'm starting with Heroes in the comics that seem to start at year one.

2 cards thus far causing me problems...

1) Legacy's Bolster Allies, as cited above...visionary in picture on a card before her appearance and I may need to shift whole comic down because fanatic is in the picture.

2) Mr. Fixer's Meditation card has a visionary quote from Freedom Five Annual #15...who as noted above is listed as a first time appearance in Sentinel Comics in Annual 16.  So I'm having trouble lining up the First appearance on the website with 2 cards thus far in other decks. 

I've done Ra and Fanatic now.

New problem card from Fanatic: Smite the Transgressor. It is Fanatic quoted from Mystery Comics #368 which is also listed as her FA in Sentinels Comics. But Apostate is also in the picture and his FA is listed as Fanatic #25.  If this is her First Appearance, her personal Fanatic comic line shouldn't start until at least the same time and #25 would be 2 years later on a monthly release schedule but either way it looks like Apostate's FA should be the same comic as Fanatics cause he's in the picture.

Oh! Oh oh oh! I am terribly sorry for not making this clear earlier!

(this is just going to make a bit of a mess of things...)

The art and the flavor text do not always match up. Most of the time they do, but sometimes the panel depicted is not from the same comic as the quote. This was something we did on purpose for Reasons, but I realize has potentially caused you some headaches. Sorry!

For those who have not seen or noticed the the card Kraken from Ruins of Atlantis from Enhanced Editon, it mentions the Kraken grabbing hold of Ra while the picture depicts Lieutenant Tamar being grabbed by the Kraken. After that moment I realized not all art and flavor text coincide with one another. So sadly it makes it that much harder to figure out who makes the appearance in which comic.

So, it's not just for reasons that the panel and the quotes not always matching up, it's for Reasons.  Surely this must have some importance....

Hmmm…this makes things more difficult.

I guess I should ignore the graphics and just go for the quotes.  Which actually still leaves me some of the problems though as Visionary's quote on Meditation is listed as one annual before her First Appearance.  Hmmm. Have to work on that.

Okay...because I don't remember what all was pictures and what all was text, I'm going to step back and start again from the point of First Appearances only. It shouldn't actually take that long, though I'm not sure when I'll do it.  So going forward with this next draft I'll follow these rules/assumptions...

1) 12 monthly issues or 1 annual per row

2) Comics with no firm evidence otherwise will start at print year 1 while best guesses and assumptions will be noted for logical positioning (ie Expatriatte probably appeared near or after her mother Citizen Dawn...not for sure, but until more obvious evidence appears its likely)

3) All quotes/cards/appearances of a character will be at or after the noted First Appearance (FA) of the character.

4) Freedom Four Annual and Freedom Five Annual are one continuously numbered comic (confirmed by Christopher).

5) Pictures will not be assumed to match the comic quoted on the card (confirmed by Christopher) and will be ignored.

6) If the card is in a given characters deck I'll assume they are in the comic quoted at the bottom, even if they aren't being quoted on the card.

7) If a card quotes someone other then the person who's deck it is, both will be assumed to be in the listed comic.

If any of these assumptions are wrong (most worried about 6 and 7 now that I know pictures don't always match quotes) I hope someone from >G comments to that affect before I get to far into my next attempt.

You are fine assuming 6 and 7.

With regards to passage of time, it's generally accepted among fans of major comic companies that about 100 issues is equal to 1 year. Lots of times an issue will jump forward in time 6 months, but there's a specific Tachyon-centric issue of Freedom Five I can think of that takes place over the span of 5 seconds. *makes weighing motion with his hands*

This is keeping in mind, however that no time really passes at all. What's important to a comic publisher is that the characters are recognizable 50 years after they were created and haven't become elderly heroes, so they measure time in such small increments that it's negligible over a long time. The ages posted on the characters' bios are their current age in the Sentinel-verse, but they've never been portrayed as much younger than that, and - barring time travel or alternate universes - they'll never be portrayed as much older.

Thanks for the input from both of you. 

I'm still waiting on my EE and IR and just learnend through another thread that several flavor texts have been changed.  Would I be safe in mapping all of it, or should i consider changed flavor texts from 1st to 2nd to be corrections of errata?

Flavor text from the original print run is still canon, but not all art is. Some art is fine, but if art has been changed, don't assume the previous art to be canon.

Should be fine on flavor text, though.

Okay...I've started over with just flavor text references in just 1st edition.  (Still happily waiting for the arrival of EE). I'm starting with Heroes who are listed with First Appearances in the several comics that thus far seem to all start at print year 1.  Justice Comics, Mystery Comics, Arcane Tales.

I've done Legacy, Haka, The Wraith, Mr. Fixer, Ra, Bunker, and Fanatic.

I was going to do all heroes first then villains, but I've changed that plan to do those heroes listed, and now the villains with First Appearances in the same couple comics as these seem to let me get all the other comics listed as late as possible before i do the characters introduced in them.

My only major concern thus far is still one I'd found in the first draft...Visionary quoted in Freedom Five Annual #15 on Mr. Fixer's meditation card when her First Appearance is listed as issue #16 of that same comic line.

And yet it's not a typo or a mistake! 

I love that you're doing this. It allows me to grin and twirl my moustache significantly more often than the usual.

Did the villains introduced in that same set of comics.  Baron Blade, The Chairman, Spite.

Lots of extra new comics. No concerns.

Next Step? I think the Heroes and Villains in the Annuals.

PS...my wife just let me know a box form >G arrived for me.  Wonder what that could be? :)

Certainly comics can be written at any time that jump forward and back in "time." My understanding of the definition of First Appearance is the first time in the print history of the comic line that that person shows up. Thats what sparked my organization system the way it did actually. In this case I'm not sure how to line up that definition with this.  Unless messages or words come in the earlier annual but she appears physically in the next? Or maybe communications unidentified and we only know its visionary in hindsight after she appears in the next annual? Or maybe my understanding of the definition of First Appearance is wrong?

I will keep going and see what else I can uncover.

Oh...and is there any way to get a First Appearance for Young Legacy? I'd love one for all the alternate Heros but since they are same person that may not exist.  But since Young Legacy is a separate individual I wondered if she at least has a recorded first appearance.

Her death would be great too but I doubt your mustache twirling self can allow that.

I'll give you this much, at least: your understanding of First Appearances is correct.

As for Young Legacy . . . I'll consider putting out more info on her. Certainly, we'll be talking about her more in the next year or so.

Ooh…more Young Legacy info coming? This is good.  Thanks for the heads up.

I'm guessing "appearance" in this case is literal. Visionary speaks but is not seen in #15, and makes her debut proper in #16.

So...I decided before moving on to go through these same heroes and villains EE versions to note any additions.  So far I've seen two quotes on two cards (one in Ra and one in Baron Blade) which is the same quote but a different issue. Does 2nd edition trump 1st I'd assume? Did the same person just say the same thing two times?

Earlier I felt like Christopher had confirmed that it was all cannon, but now I'm not sure though since the quotes are the same, just the issues are changed.

Also, another problem...Fanatics Holy Nova's flavor text used to have no reference but is now apostate, but I'm not sure how to line that up with his first appearance.  She appears in Mystery Comics #367, this quote is from 368 but his FA is in Fanatic #25, which I can only assume that whole comic of at least 25 issues didn't get printed between 2 issues of Mystery Comics.

Perhaps he was a mysterious benefactor of The Chairman or Spite when Wraith first teamed up with Fanatic and appeared only as a figure behind a curtain or in an evil mirror or some other such trope?

Decided to do Freedom Five then the Annuals doing 1st and 2nd edition checks as I go...

Citizen Dawn - Has a card one issue ahead of her first appearance with a quote from Tachyon talking about Dawn...so they at least new she was coming before she appears in the next issue I guess...no other way to match those up. One change from 1st to 2nd edition here...Citizen Winter's quote was Dawn and is now winter and went from issue 11 to issue 8.

Omnitron - Done, no problems

Grand Warlord Voss - Done, no problems

Tachyon - No inherent problems within Tachyon, (1 quote moved by 3 issues in freedom five) but now i can't get the annuals to line up with where she is quoted in Freedom Five and Mystery Comics, and line up Fanatic's FA with her being quoted in Annual #9.  Is it possible that the Annuals were consistently year by year? Otherwise my basic 12 monthly to 1 annual is just plain off.  Could it be 24 to 1? or some other number?

Absolute Zero - Done, no problems, lines up well with the move i made for the annuals for tachyon, making fanatics quote seem to be the odd one out.

The Matriarch - Done, no problems

Nightmist - Done, no problems

Gloomweaver - Done, no problems

Unity - Done, no problems

Visionary - Done, no problems

Annuals are NOT consistently year to year, but they're no more often than once a year. They're basically used to give a side story from what the main comic is focused on. 

We'll hear more about Young Legacy in about a year, eh? About the same time the new Sentinels expansion is likely to spawn...Oh Parson family, you card(s)! My imaginings are likely much darker than what is actually going to happen, but either way, I'm pleased.

Oh wow…that has me looking back and updating a whole lot of assumptions before moving on to the other characters.  Good to know. Thanks for that tip.

Shifting Comics...

Moved up Freedom Five so Tachyon's first quote is around Bunker's first appearance, and will put Freedom Four Annual 1 (Tachyons FA) on same year. Will spread Annuals by 2 years to fit and for now call that good.

Mystery Comics and Arcane Tales still have no arguable reason to move them to a later start year, but I do wonder if at least Arcane Tales isn't perhaps a later start...Justice Comics Mystery Comics and Freedom Five all have the longest comic life and they seem like they should be the first big 3.

Completed -

Ambuscade - No problems

Expatriette - No problems

Why can't I have the time to do all of this? This seems fun. I really thought about doing this same thing during the summer, but I was always working or occupied with something else. I'm jealous I couldn't jump in on all the investigating fun. Any "discoveries" I make about the overall story are usually easier to put together. Maybe some day I can do this. 

Oh. Wow. Holy... Wow. I didn't even take a look at the spreadsheet until just now. I didn't realize the scope of this. Seriously, I'm blown away. That's incredible. I would never have the time to do something that perfect.

Continued chronicling...

Plague-Rat - Complete, no problems

The Ennead - Complete, no problems

Apostate - Complet, and he adds confusion for sure.  He has quotes in Mystery Comics #367-370...Fanatic's FA is #368 (though quoted in #367)...but Apostate's FA is in Fanatic #25...This named comic must have happened after her FA.  My only guess is that she appears and is seen fighting the demon followers of an "unknown" leader for a long time who is heard to speak but never seen until the later issue.  If thats the case thats a long time for him to be in the background commenting on Fanatic's doings...making his appearance, claims, and the rise of Redeemer Fanatic that much more powerful.

Tempest - Complete, add a little confusion as many quotes move him up some print years before Voss' first appearance but Voss is quoted 8 issues later in Stranger in a Strange World.  Maybe just a voice commanding troops and not an appearance.  But also I have felt the Freedom Five comic should move up (moving up Voss' FA) but I'm having a hard time coordianting that with other comic FA.

Argent Adept - Complete, no problems but hard to place his origin comic Toll of Destiny.  Could be any time time before its listed, all his quotes are later, but so many are in the small stand alone comics vs the long term comics i didn't know if i should move his up or theirs down...for now theirs down as i'm prioritizing comis with a character FA first.

Last One...

Akash'bhuta - Complete, No problems

Major flaws in this mapping...Most comics are listed as the earliest time they could be given the First Appearances of all the quoted characters...so they are all probably later then they are listed.  Where I didn't follow this naming scheme was with comics with FAs in them that were not the core comic lines. Those I started with as late as they could be and moved up, else we'd have several comics all appearing year 1 I'm quite sure weren't.  I didn't follow that with Tome of the Bizarre or Arcane tales because at first they seemd like comics that may well be ongoing.  I no longer feel that is the case.  Tome of the Bizarre is now listed as soon as it seems it could given who's quoted in it.  Arcane Tales I feel also probably should shift down (it didn't have the print run that justice, mystery and freedom five all did) but I really don't know where to put it since so many Haka and Ra spin off comic lines depend upon it.

Logan, you're either a genius or a madman. Probably both.

Ha...thanks.  I enjoy figuring out the puzzle, but this really does just show one possilbe arrangement, and an inherently flawed one at that.  It has a number of things that certainly don't line up.  Like Visionaries two stand alone comic lines New Memories and Mind Over Matter.  I'm sure they aren't meant to be exactly at the same time, but the only evidence there is would be that they could be no sooner than the same year Visionary first appeared.  So its far from exact.  But I had fun doing it.

Now all I can do is ponder and summize until we get Time and Space and more evidence to work with :)

Okay, another update...

Still looking at the content and some things that seemed wrong somehow I have officially shifted Arcane Tales down as a result of trying to better line up Arcane Tales, Ra: God of the Sun and Prime Wardens various First Appearances (especially The Ennead and Akish'Bhuta who are quoted in Ra and Prime Wardens but several print years apart in a way I can't quite match).

While doing so things lined up such that I moved Toll of Destiny up slightly putting the Dr. Blake Washington quote at around the same time he would have appeared before becoming Ra.  Certainly Toll of Destiny could be a flashback story.  And Ra still may go by Blake Washington sometimes (don't quit your day job). But I like the way it fit. 

As I thought about Arcane Tales, moving it down caused no problems.  Haka and Ra generally don't show up in other comic lines (outside of their unique spin off lines) until much later. Again making me think this shifts things to a more accurate portrayal.

All still conjecture, but I like it more now this way.

It kinda bugs me that Expatriette doesn't have a solid backstory here on the site. All of the other heroes have a decently-detailed description of their lives prior to being a hero, except for Expatriette. We just get an excerpt of a shootout with some unimportant character she's fighting. I know we can all infer what happened, and I think there was a little bit of a bio in the RC rulebook (Dawn's daughter, no powers, Dawn tries to kill her, etc.), but I'd still like to have a more detailed background on her like everyone else gets.

Actually, same deal with Spite.

I find Spite's bio chillingly sufficient, actually.  Imprisoned serial killer, testing new drugs, sapped the life of all of his fellow test subjects, brutally destroyed the facility, escaped into Rook City to kill again.  Really, what else do you need to know?

The SotM world is rich enough, that we should really have a wiki laying out all the little bits that have been dug up about character backgrounds and timelines, which should inclue the Sentinels Comic map, of course.  Unfortunately, I'm sure setting up a wiki to hold that info is a pain.  And I remember from another forum I was a part of that had a wiki (JoCo's) that the wiki was constantly bombarded by spambots 24/7.  So it may not even be worth the effort to set up, which is a shame.

Yeah, it is. I do appreciate that we get to see Expatriette's personality through her bio, but I'd still be a fan of getting her actual backstory. I wanna know everything that led up to her being in Rook City, like fighting with Dawn, setting up gun caches, interaction with other heroes, etc. And maybe that would include the details about her father (who was killed by Dawn according to Christopher).

And I agree that Spite's little bio is pretty scary. I do like it and like having it. I'd just like it if we learned more about Jack Donovan before he became Spite.

[Best whining voice]: How come Omnitron-X is the only hero who gets to have a video introduction?! I expect to see live-action videos introducing all heroes, older and newer!

But in all seriousness, I loved that he got that little video along with him. I wish someone had the resources to make intro videos for all the heroes.

With Wraith equating so well to batman I've always equated Spite to Joker, the insane killer with no past interpretation of him. I guess I just assumed it was intentional that he is Spite and nothing else matters.  A man with no connections and no morals.

Actually, that does make sense. Characters like that are pretty scary. And he's even worse because he wears that mask. He's like the opposite of V from V For Vendetta: he's less of a man, and more of an idea.

Except, in this case, the idea is the wrath of every serial killer put into one man.

I like that for his character.

So we've reachd $100k and unlocked a new hero so it looks like I'll have 8 new decks worth of info to glean for the spreadsheet. 3 heroes and 5 villains.  Its less overall material but will probably take me some time as I'm already not as sure what is where on the spreadsheet anymore. Out of sight out of mind.  But it'll be worth it see what happens.

I wonder when we will at least get the website character pages for the new characters.  That is at least my source for First Appearances.  Last time a new website was created in conjunction with everything else and it was fleshed out when launched.

Anyone at >G willing to let some poor needy souls in on even those tidbits before the games ship? The bios are basically done for the kickstarter already anyway.

Pretty please...

Don't forget the three environments.  They have quotes and issue references occasionally as well.

I don't know that I ever did environments at all on my chart...I'd never noticed issues on them...perhaps I've some work to do before timelines gets here.

We will definitely update the website with character bios for the new characters between the time the Kickstarter ends and the time Shattered Timelines ships.

Great job. I just began doing the same but Character centered. How do you figure when the one shots take place?

If you want to link this from the Wiki i just put up, please do! (probably somewhere on the Multiverse page)

sotm.wikidot.com

Or we could even work at converting your excell sheet into a full page on the wiki itself?

Perhaps this has been answered elsewhere, but I'm a late adopter, so I'll ask here. Does >G have any plans to release a (more or less) comprehensive history?

Obviously they would wait until they've finished releasing all the expansions but it just seems like with all the thought they've put into the stories of all of the characters that it should be written down somewhere. I know that you can find lots of information if you dig through the forums here or the kickstarter updates, but I know that I, for one, would appreciate a more organized gathering of all this information.

I would not be surprised if in a few years, after the last expansion, we see a Multiverse Encyclopedia. When there will be no more reason to keep secrets. It would make an interesting KS campaign :D

So I am still waiting for my delivery of Shattered Timelines, but plan to update the chart as soon as I can after recieivng them. I was wondering though when the website will be updated with pages for all the new characters. Thats where their First Appearances in the comics come from and I need that to get anywhere close to accurate on this.

Nice to see the new first appearances are now up! :)

Updated to include First Appearances for Shattered Timelines, The Scholar and Miss Information.

Now I need to find some time with my decks to get this document caught up.

I'd be interested to know if the First Appearance of Miss Information is for Aminia Twain or actually Miss Information.  I'd love a double first appearance like Tyler Vance/Bunker has.  It would be interesting to see how long "readers" of the comic knew Aminia Twain before she takes a turn to evil. Perhaps more in that regard will be revealed when I get a chance to go through the cards.

PS…its kinda hard coming back to this after such a long break.  When Actively first creating it I knew the content really well…now I have to actually search it.

More to come as time allows.

I'd be willing to bet it was Aminia Twain's first appearance... Administrative Assassin aside, all of MI's quotes come from either FF#657 or Annual #21, and her first appearance is Annual #3. That's decades of Twain.

logan,

I've got a spreadsheet like yours but organised by who's in each issue rather than trying to get things organised on a pure timeline basis. Give me a PM if you're interested as it might cut your workload a little bit.

I love this google doc and the timeline info!

Maybe as a community we can pitch in with this effort. I would suggest we open up the google doc to some more people and split up adding new information. 

Another option is that we could write up the summary of issue appearances and post them but you still add them to the timeline. What be you think?

So, just to be clear: was Omnitron-X really just around for a singlecrossover, at the end of which it died, with no other appearances ever?  If so, it must have been quite the "fan favorite" to get included in the game at all...

Ironic

Omnitron X has also appeared in Freedom Five, Jusstice Comics, Mystery Comics, Time and Time Again, Run of Luck, Tides of Time, Terminus, and Vengeance

Okay, so it appears in Singularity #7, then sacrifices itself to take down Omnitron within that same issue, then has numerous later appearances.  Ah, comics.  Good times.

I would imagine it comes back on-line in the Freedom Five issue indicated on its Reset card, given what reset is designed to achieve.

Time travel also allows for a lot of crazy "But I thought you were dead" moments across any comic book history.

Looking at Miss Information's deck, I would tentatively place the Administrative Assassin series before Freedom Five Annual 21. There's nothing in the AA quotes to indicate that Aminia Twain has revealed herself.

An alternative possibility, of course, is that Administrative Assassin is a retelling of Freedom Five Annual #21.

On an unrelated note, the Treacherous Ape appears long before The Visionary's first appearance.

I had assumed that Administrative Assassin was a retelling of Aminia's betrayal of the Freedom Five, with her as the Villain Protagonist, as per the Lex Luthor limited series from a few years back (in which he builds a suicidal robot, has Toyman murder children, and blows up a skyscraped, all while raving about how morally superior he is).

Ironic

sometimes ironic, i get so ugh at your signing your name. Then sometimes you make a post like that and i cant help but giggle. :P

In truth, Lynfox, the name is chosen so that my compulsive signing of posts will sometimes add an extra depth.  In my opinion, the numerous posts in which it serves no purpose save my vanity simply make the situation a little more...

Ironic

PM sent

Okay, working on the heroes...

Chrono-Ranger done. He has a couple I assume are one shots though they don't say it like the other comics usually show.

Omnitron-X done. Reminded me that one of my biggest puzzles I can't unpuzzle is the Fanatic Apostate First Appearaance mystery. they are quoted in back to back issues in one comic, one being Fanatics First Appearance...but His First appearance is issue 24 of a title in her name which MUST have come after her own First Appearance. Cant get my mind around that one.

The Scholar done. Man he is everywhere. Seems like he has mentored and helped many other heroes find their path. Expatriatte, The Wraith, Argent Adept, Haka...he's all over. And he also adds to the Fanatic Apostate mystery with Fanatic being quoted on one of his cards 80 issues before her First Appearance as listed on the website. Mystery Comics is really a mystery to me.

Looked through The Dreamer quickly to see if she'd take long.  I don't even know where to start with her.  She's got quotes on her cards from other characters all over the board. (It was confirmed that a quote on a card by someone other then the decks main character did show they were also present in that issue. She's quoted in Freedom Five Annual #4. That puts the Dreamer in WAY before the Visionary ever first appears (later in that same comic) but many of the quotes by others in the comic would put them before their own First Appearance dates...like the quote from Unity.

Did the Dreamer enter comics before The Visionary ever did? Or when she was created later was it revealed that years worth of unexplained events were actually connected and all came from this little girl? Do her dreams transend time as well?

Not even sure where to go with this now.  Might try the others and come back to her.

Regarding Mystery Comics: is it possible that there's a renumbering problem here, and the flavor text doessn't have room to note Volume 1 versus Volume 2?

The quotes source file is attached.

I figure that the Dreamer's projections have a much longer history and appearance in the comics than she does. I also suspect that the earlier than first appearances are off panel 'appearances' such as a shadowy figure for Apostate. Fanastic could be Helena reporting whatr she saw the Scholar do before it's revealed she's Fanatic. Although then, I'd presume the quote would be for Helena. Possibly another quote that is only later revealed to be her so it doesn't count against her first recognised appearance.

Also, a theory that I haven't seen, probably because it's obvious to everyone, but it looks like Absolution is the renaming/renumbering of Fanatic and is her 'Redeemer' series. I say this as we know from Apostate's backstory that his appearance maanges to shock Fanatic and make her doubt her faith. Given he appears in the highest three issue numbers, so far, of the Fanatic series it seems that this is the storyline that brings about the fall of Fanatic. The quote of Absolution  also has a very "I have fallen and will now climb back up" feel to them. Plus, absolution and redemption are close concepts, so it seems reasonable that there is a link (at least to me). If I had to guess, I'd place A Day in the life: Fanartic between them as that quote has a very down and near defeat air to it. This is just thoughts rather than anything concrete, of course.

Quotes sources.xlsx (20.5 KB)

not to throw a rock into your gears… but what I’d the shattered Timelines quotes… (or just some of the decks) are… from an alternate reality Timelines of comics… so Mystery Comics and Mystery comics (alrernate)

heh… sorry

Is F first appearance on your chart?

Yes. F for first appearance, Y for everything else. I assumed if it was in a given deck, that counted as an appearance, so The Dreamer appearas a lot where she may not belong owing to her projections.

I just got done playing a game using the Miss Information Villian deck. I laid them out by quote and it looks like it is all one story arc. Freedom Five #657 Introduces the limited run series of Administrative Assassin and the story culminates in Freedom Five Annual #21.

I think the spreadsheet should have FF #657, AA #1-5 and FFAnnual #21 all in the same year.

edit-spelling

I endorese the "retelling" theory.