I think this is more like the "Meta Age", because comics companies are recognizing more that these are comics, and are figuring out how to sell them best. For example, when Marvel started printing collections in the Trade Paperback format, stories were crafted into specific five or six-issue arcs. The Heroic Age isn't completely organic, but the result of the writers and editors stepping back, and deciding that things were too dark. The same thing happened with Infinite Crisis, where it was a legitimate story, but also a way to adjust the continuity. Even Invincible Iron Man, one of my favorite ongoings, has been introducing characters from the movies. In addition, we now have websites and messageboards like Comicvine, where nothing comes as a surprise anymore; we already know what stories are coming out months in advance, and spoilers abound.
Perhaps this will segue into the "Digital Age", where everything goes online, and nothing is surprising anymore.
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