YMMV. I say at best it's not so much science as it's phrases that sound good, as there are no figures explained. Frankly any phrase works for me as long as the ball is rolling and we're getting good stories. Rather than fudge those figures I'd rather study the psychology behind why so many generations of kids have whizzed around the house with towels pinned to their shoulders and tap into some of that.
I have to admit that as a fan I have two lifelong projects. One is years away but there's essentially nothing stopping me as I don't need help to complete it. The other is writing Superman. So like, many of us spend hours within a week exchanging insight on Superman across various mediums. Typically over the course of years. I'm only 30, but Superman does indeed go back before anything I know short of the English language and basic math. You can't study something like that over decades, no matter how casually, and not have bounced around enough to put into writing.
I'd probably be a crummy comic writer though, because it seems like all the pros like writing other stuff. That helps them get better and get enough recognition for a big job. I don't care at all about writing comics, just Superman, so it's pretty likely I won't make it there. But I'll gladly let anyone at DC know that if they get back to the original Kon origin instead of Lex/Superman (in writing, permanently), they can have one of my kidneys.