I hate to say it ... but I found a glaring problem in Brandon Jerwa's masterpiece of SNAKE-EYES: DECLASSIFIED, and it's one that didn't exist until he defined Snake-Eyes' origin. (Sorry Brandon!)

In Declassified # 3, we see Cobra Commander. And his wife is pregnant with Billy (I assume it's Billy).

In Declassified # 5, we see Cobra Commander, with Billy as a toddler. Something like two years old.

That seems to indicate that somewhere around two years go by between # 3 and # 5, which is fine. My own estimates put Snake-Eyes time with the Arashikage Clan at somewhere around 2-3 years.

The problem is that, if Billy was 2 when the Hard Master was killed, everything falls apart later. After the fall of the Clan, Snake-Eyes supposedly hides away in his cabin for a bit over a year before being recruited by Hawk and Stalker into G.I. Joe.

Now ... here's some speculation.

Snakes was 18 when he went to Vietnam (Southeast Asia).
Snakes was 19 when he gave up vigilantism and moved to Japan.
Snakes was 20 when Cobra Commander checked on Firefly's progress.
Snakes was 21 (Second year with the Arashikage)
Snakes was 22 (Third year, fall of the Arashikage)
Snakes was 23 living alone in his cabin.
Snakes was 24 when he was recruited by Hawk.

That would make Billy only FIVE years old when the Joes first meet him. No way was Billy only five. Like I said, he had to have been 12-13 at the least.

Because by the later years, Billy was attending Berkeley (possibly early, so we'll say 17-18 around Marvel # 100) and wandering the globe.

And frankly, if 12 years had passed between Snake-Eyes earliest days with the Arashikage and the early days of G.I. Joe, that would mean Snake-Eyes spent his three years with the Arashikage and then was secluded in the mountains for NINE years all by himself. Rather, I always imagined (and even Declassified kind of shows) that between Vietnam and G.I. Joe, there were about five years.

Not only that, but if he was 18 when he enlisted, at least a year or two had to pass before he went to the Arashikage Compound (making him 20 - hey, the drinking age was 18 during Vietnam). He'd have been 30 when the Marvel run started, 35 when it ended, 42 when DDP started, and he'd be 45 now.

I suppose it could be just that. 45 isn't "That" old. But DDP constantly said the Joes were in a kind of "35 and stuck there".

No way does that fly with Billy being born at that time. A condensed timeline would fit a lot better, and allow Snake-Eyes to be TRULY 35 ... if Billy was around 7 years old when his father hired Firefly to kill Snake-Eyes. Not still in the womb.

So, how do we combat this glitch?

Do we consider Snake-Eyes 45? Or do we kind of ... forget the panel with Cobra Commander's pregnant wife, and squint our eyes in the panel with CC and Billy in the car, pretending Billy is a good five years older?

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2013, NEW SPRITES!

I have to say no dice. Comic book time is elastic. It expands and contracts to fill the available space. A little faster here, a little slower there. You can debate the order of events, but trying to pin down specific durations always seems to me like adding extra structure where none is required.

Just my two cents. I know opinions are many and varied.

Actually, I hate to say it, but... you didn't do your research. Snake-Eyes stayed on Iron-Knife Ridge for over three years before Stalker and Hawk came looking for him. How much time transpired until the events of Snake-Eyes' disfigurement was roughly 2 - 3 more years. One year alone was used for recruitment of the members of the Joe team and you have to add in another six months for Snake-Eyes to heal at the hospital before issue #1 of the Marvel series. Then, there's a whole year of missions until the Joes meet Billy for the first time in issue # 10...

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"The first rule about Punisher Club:
nobody talks about Punisher Club..."

Dag seanealy you a toxozombie with a slide rule!

Good eye there my man, good eye.

*speaking of eyes it still hurts mine to read your signature yellow text! *

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Sic vis pacem, para bellum
--
The core of the GI Joe fantasy is loyalty. The fantasy isn't about shooting at Cobra,
the fantasy is about 'If I get left behind, Snake Eyes will come and get me.'
-Larry Hama, CHUD Interview

Sorry... Heh. It makes it so much easier for me to find my posts when I'm scanning fast through a thread. I wonder if size makes a diff.?

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"The first rule about Punisher Club:
nobody talks about Punisher Club..."

Actually yeah, the larger font makes it easier to focus and eases my eye strain.

Who knew?

It's funny cause I just got a super awesome cell phone and I can watch anime on it. On it, yellow subtitles are clearer then white ones(but white ones outlined in black are the best!)

_________________
Sic vis pacem, para bellum
--
The core of the GI Joe fantasy is loyalty. The fantasy isn't about shooting at Cobra,
the fantasy is about 'If I get left behind, Snake Eyes will come and get me.'
-Larry Hama, CHUD Interview

See, Seanely ... I would've figured Joe officially getting started (once the members had been picked), Snake-Eyes' early disfigurement, and then healing, took place over just those six or seven months.

But at any rate ... if Snakes' was at Iron-Knife Ridge for 3 years ... and then another year "or so" went by before Joe really got rolling ... then quite a few missions took place before the Joes even "outed" Cobra in a big way ...

Billy would still only be like ... 6 or 7.

It just doesn't fly!

Honestly though, I guess I can accept Snake-Eyes being 45. I mean, Ray Park is like 43 and is playing Snakes ... hahaha.

Plus, with the possibility that our beloved continuity is being wrapped up soon ... I guess once WWIII is over it would be nice if Snake-Eyes and Scarlett tied the knot, retired, had kids ...

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2013, NEW SPRITES!

Nah, it's simple:

When Billy was a toddler, Snake Eyes was twenty years older.

Now that Billy is in his late teens (at least), Snake Eyes is only ten years older.

Comic-book time. The Continuity Freak's best friend.

When are you all going to start listening to my genius???? (Just kidding, I am actually quite dumb )

It is easy...The Joes and Cobras dont age. How is this possible?

Destro found the Fountain of Youth and sells it as Eternium(Baroness' idea as she likes the perfume Eternity) to Joes and Cobras that can afford it and that needs it(You know he sells weapons to both sides, why not Eternium?) All the older Joes are stuck in the 30 year old range, making it possible that Alexander-Destro's son-could one day look older than his father Destro.

When Barrel Roll becomes 30 and the other new Joes get around 30, they plan to buy some too.

As for Billy, I have a reason for this too. If Mindbender can age a Serpentor clone and make him look older, it is logical that the late Dr Venom has the technology to make people younger. While he was brainwashing Billy, he injected some liquids in Billy that made him look younger(For continuity buffs, CC knew Venom since Billy was a baby, not just when he was in Springfield) Perhaps Dr Venom is the one that delivered Billy?

Dr Venom was an evil, evil man. He was a mad scientist and I believe he injected Zandar and Zarana with the chameleon DNA when they were kids and then brainwashed them to forget.

The point of this long thread is to say with Dr Venom and the Fountain of Youth and Mindbender's aging serum he used on Rey, anything is possible! Go with it and have fun!

I'm a Trekkie, man.

I can't let continuity glitches go by, unchecked.

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2013, NEW SPRITES!

Really?

You'd think it would be the opposite....








*quickly heads for the door*

Cover me security ninjas! Nothing worse than an angry trek fan!

_________________
Sic vis pacem, para bellum
--
The core of the GI Joe fantasy is loyalty. The fantasy isn't about shooting at Cobra,
the fantasy is about 'If I get left behind, Snake Eyes will come and get me.'
-Larry Hama, CHUD Interview

Hey, Trek has some weird inconsistencies, but skillful writers (and I guess some not-so-skillful) have made up for the bulk of them.

All I ask is that some like-minded continuity hound go back and change the dates in EVERY single instance of a dated time in G.I. Joe, so that the entire thing is consistent, whilst simultaneously editing the panels with Billy's pregnant mother, and then him as a toddler.

I think it'd be way cooler if Billy had been an indignant, miserable little boy in the front seat of his father's car, looking out the window and trying to ignore his "weird" dad's ranting and raving.

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2013, NEW SPRITES!

He was. Didn't you know they rode around in that car for thirteen years?

Quoted for truth m'man.........I threw away the concept of 'real time' a loooooong time ago with my comic reading.........otherwise the Joe's would be in the 'Sunshine Retirement Community' now.....

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Nah, they'd all be in their 50's, which is somewhat believable. Being full time combat soldiers would have them all be in pretty good shape. (even with the downtime between marvel and DDP) The Splinter Cell video game series has a 50-something protagonist, and he's in good shape. I'd have liked there to be more times where the original Joes get cranky in their old age, and take it out on "those young whippersnappers".

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Cobra in '08.
Change you can Trust.