I was reading some fan speculation on this X-Men time jump, one suggested it might be interesting if they were to do the book in the 1960's style, sort of like the Marvel Flashback of a few years back with old style art and panels when we see things from the original team's point of view.

JB wrote: Whenever I offer my Sage Council, someone invariably points to an example of my having broken my own "rules". But what I emphasize in these cases, is that the opinions I offer are born from years -- well, yes, DECADES -- in the business. I did not spring fully grown from Zeus' head, already knowing all this stuff. It took me a long time -- and not a few times of doing it WRONG -- to figure out how to do it RIGHT.

John, I'm sorry if my follow-up question came across as an attempt to point out where you've contradicted yourself.  That wasn't my intent.  I appreciate your perspective on the issue and having the opportunity to engage you in these kinds of discussions. 

Unlike DC and Warner Brothers who have some distance between them,  Marvel Films and Marvel Comics are inextricably intertwined.

You're right, Matt. That's why we have Captain America in body armor, a Tony Stark that acts like Robert Downey Jr., and Hawkeye in shades and a very bland costume in the comics. Tom Brevoort is the guy that suprises me in all this. I've heard that he was the kind of guy that didn't allow characters to have frivolous changes. Not sure how much of that is true but he's the now the guy that explains to us why these changes needed to be made. 

When did this happen? When did it become "cool" to bitch about such things, instead of being the oddball who was looked at askance for wasting time on such thoughts?

When those people started becoming the people in charge, I guess. Does anyone really want to see Bart and Lisa in high school and beyond? Maybe I shouldn't ask that because I'm sure that someone does. Ugh. 

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Oh, you can bet the house on that! SO many times, when I have gotten into this debate over the years, and pointed out to those who want "real time" that Batman would be in his 90s, I have been told (with straight faces) that a ninety year old Batman would be "interesting".

This is a typical manifestation in some who have been reading comics too long. They have forgotten what it was that drew them to the books and characters in the first place. And, if they can somehow connect to those lost memories, they cannot imagine that ancient superheroes would be as interesting to new readers as were the youthful ones they encountered when they were new.

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The whole time thing is the biggest problem of an idea like this. When I did HIDDEN YEARS, I received a flurry of complaints about Bobby Drake wearing his baseball cap backwards, because, you know, that was not done in the Seventies.

Oddly, no one complained about Prof X owning a Hummer!