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How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:04 pm
by angelusbr
I'm asking this because sometimes the time flow seems a bit off to me. In one strip is autumn and two strips later it's winter. I wo't mind it that much if it's intentional for time to skip unimportant events.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:56 pm
by exranio
They usually follow when the strip was realeased. Seems like three years in sorta real time.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:07 pm
by Dissension
However, by virtue of being a comic, time does not actually progress.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:10 pm
by PhoenixAsper
I sort of beg to differ, there. Rick HAS stuck to SOMETHING of a timeline and time progression, and certain story elements definitely call for one.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:31 pm
by Aquablast
I think we can just count the amount of Christmas passed. I believe we have seen 3 Christmas, so it must have been at least 3 years since the first strip.

I agree that it probably depend on the date when the strip was released.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:42 pm
by Obbl
Rick has stated that time will not actually progress in this comic; however, I too have noted character development.
But I think we can assume that if any time does actually pass it will be negligible unless we get further word from Rick to the contrary ;)

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:53 pm
by RandomGeekNamedBrent
Aquablast wrote:I think we can just count the amount of Christmas passed. I believe we have seen 3 Christmas, so it must have been at least 3 years since the first strip.

I agree that it probably depend on the date when the strip was released.
we've seen about 20 christmases on the Simpsons, yet Maggie is still an infant.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:03 pm
by IceKitsune
I really think the only way to determine how much time has passed (though I agree just going by the comics release date is best) would be to wait for the comic to be over to do a proper timeline or just have Rick tell us.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:37 pm
by Sleet
My assumption based on observations alone:

-Time passes in that events of the past are remembered.
-Time passes in that the seasons change and holidays come and go.
-Time does not pass in that the year becomes later and the characters age.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 5:26 am
by jopencjusz
Characters developed during this time, but we can't see any visible effects of it, so in this meaning time passes very slowly (because there're some changes, so time have to pass a little). Season changes (winter, summer, etc.) are visible so in this meaning it surely passes.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:30 am
by Karl
Dissension wrote:However, by virtue of being a comic, time does not actually progress.

I agree with Dissension.

The timeline in comic is cartoonish. Like someone said, seasons come and go away (they are like a bonus for us), but time still stands in one place.

Look on Donald Duck comics for example. So many years passed, there were so many seasons... and yet, their appearance haven't changed. Just like in cartoons :)

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:19 pm
by CaptainPea
I think, like most comics, the timeline is left up to the MST3K mantra.

Charlie Brown, by virtue of a logical timeline, would be in his mid to late sixties today judging from his age in the first Peanuts strip. Also, the original supporting cast (think Shermy, Patty, Violet) was weeded out character by character and was replaced by characters like Lucy and Schroeder who were initially several years younger than Charlie but then became his peers. How does that work.

In short, don't think about it or you'll go insane.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:27 pm
by GameCobra
Yeah, i view these comics also as timeless. art seems to evolve however, and whether Rick wants to call that a age evolution is up to him, but if the characters stay the same for 5 years? Then they are still the same age =P

And i'm to assume also even if there was a birthday party arc, time still won't move forward age-wise, rather it's just a step towards maturity in a way i would say.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:32 pm
by CaptainPea
GameCobra wrote:Yeah, i view these comics also as timeless. art seems to evolve however, and whether Rick wants to call that a age evolution is up to him, but if the characters stay the same for 5 years? Then they are still the same age =P
You mean 3 years?
GameCobra wrote:And i'm to assume also even if there was a birthday party arc, time still won't move forward age-wise, rather it's just a step towards maturity in a way i would say.
Yes, I think the characters are just meant to stay at a constant age because it's convenient and there's no reason to break comic tradition. Unless Rick is going to pull some sort of Funky Winkerbean gambit in a couple years.

I just remembered, I had a timeline lying around th WMG thread that perfectly explains Housepets' chronology.
CaptainPea wrote:I have a very complex theory on time travel and how different characters experience time differently- luckily, I was able to sum it up in this simple, easy to follow timeline.
Timeline.png

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 6:56 am
by Leitrean
Technically no time has passed because the housepets universe exists within a continuity bubble or may have a small dose of negative continuity http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... Continuity

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:49 am
by exranio
I dunno it always LOOKED like everyhthing was pregressing normaly. The seasons and holidays switch with ours. The comic seems to have pretty consistant continuity. And there is somewhat of a plot going on. Plus animals don't grow all that after a set point so they don't need to develope.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:42 pm
by Leitrean
exranio wrote:I dunno it always LOOKED like everyhthing was pregressing normaly. The seasons and holidays switch with ours. The comic seems to have pretty consistant continuity. And there is somewhat of a plot going on. Plus animals don't grow all that after a set point so they don't need to develope.
but as far as i have seen (correct me if i'm wrong) no comic even in the same arc has ever referred back to another comic.
ex: "Bino, i don't want you pulling another stunt like you did on fox last year" for a Christmas comic THAT would be continuity.

I think it's the the ARCs have continuity within them but the comic as a whole does not have continuity

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 2:51 pm
by Foxstar
Housepets has it's own timeline. Rick addressed this, somewhere. While he may follow the seasons that take place IRL, it's unlikely we will see the pets age and such.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:06 pm
by exranio
Well all the pets seem fully grown.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 11:02 pm
by Sleet
They're biologically fully grown, but they still act like children. :3

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 4:30 pm
by Foxstar
Sleet wrote:They're biologically fully grown, but they still act like children. :3
Well the smartest dog out there still has the mindset of a 6 year old, I think.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 11:25 pm
by Koda
RandomGeekNamedBrent wrote:
Aquablast wrote:I think we can just count the amount of Christmas passed. I believe we have seen 3 Christmas, so it must have been at least 3 years since the first strip.

I agree that it probably depend on the date when the strip was released.
we've seen about 20 christmases on the Simpsons, yet Maggie is still an infant.
Yeah, but when Bart's 30 he'll probably still be in fourth grade.


EDIT: Oh, wow. I'm sorry for a huge bump. Didn't look at dates, I apologize and will try to be more careful in the future.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2023 9:22 am
by NHWestoN
I think Gasoline Alley was the first strip where the characters actually grew older each year. I'm eager to be corrected.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2023 3:15 pm
by Amazee Dayzee
The first instance I can remember is when the Wolf Cubs ended up getting older and more buffer. Though I probably am mistaken about that being the first time.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2023 7:16 am
by TyVulpintaur
Some time has passed, since Bailey met King, mated, and had their THREE (Three, Peanut!) pups.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2023 2:43 pm
by NHWestoN
Should be about time for Housepets! - BOOK 14 to hit the stands. 8-)

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2023 3:01 pm
by Amazee Dayzee
I just realized that even if time does pass by at any rate whether its a normal flow or sped up we won't know. When the adult pets age they do not look like they have gotten older. For example Rufus was old and there was clearly no difference between him being old and him being young when he was helping out Max.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2023 7:24 pm
by NHWestoN
Nor for the limerick-spouting hermit. Maybe for his flies.

Re: How many years have passed since strip 1?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2023 4:01 am
by Amazee Dayzee
I am pretty sure that he somehow transcends time and won't be affected by it. I think no matter what we will always see him as the old, insane, disgusting vagrant who hasn't been told about the wonders of soap and deodorant. XD