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For many years, my father was head of the Zoning Department for the city of Calgary, in Canada. Almost by osmosis, I picked up on a lot of the rules and regulations that were part of his day to day business, and I came to realize how many comic characters violated those rules constantly. Take the FF. There has never been any indication that the Baxter Building was/is zoned for residential, yet the team live there without comment. At the same time, Chris Claremont used to grumble that Child Services should be investigating the welfare of Franklin Richards.

These are examples--two of many--of pulling too much of the real world into the stories.

For the X-Men, the whole concept is in violation of many rules, especially the exploitation of minors. Bobby Drake was 16 when we met him. Jean Grey perhaps a year older. All were under 21. Yet Xavier routinely sent them into scenarios where they could be killed or maimed.

Because it's a comic book.

Marvel strove to be "realistic", but only up to a point.

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After faking it for decades, it was my 3D modeler that finally gave me a handle on drapery. I was putting together a tableau of Spider-Man vs Doctor Octopus, and I wanted Octavius to be wearing a lab coat over his usual duds. I could not find a satisfactory version already available, so I sat myself down and figured out how the sleeves would crease and fold, and built a "skinned" object to represent that. Of course, my "research" flowed over into my drawings.

Suddenly, characters no longer looked like they were wearing accordions on their arms and legs!

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Confession: I almost had, too!

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JB, how do you decide whether a character who is talking to himself does so out loud (speech balloon) or silently (thought balloon)?

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Stan used to have characters talk to themselves--Spider-Man being a prime example--and I followed his lead. I use thought balloons when I don't want the character(s) to be overheard.

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They have not.