Forum:KB:Obi-Wan and Anakin Timeline Issue?

This is related to the Marvel miniseries Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin. I have noticed an issue in the chronological placement of this comic, and it's a fairly minor issue but is bugging me a bit.

The wiki page of the comic says that it takes place "three years after The Phantom Menace." From what I can tell the only sources for this are a USA Today article and an interview with the writer, Charles Soule. In the interview Soule says "Anakin’s around 12 or 13 years old, he’s been training in the Jedi Temple for that time, he’s got his lightsaber."

This is problematic because in Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, at page 10, it is stated that Anakin builds his lightsaber on Ilum at the age of 14. If that is correct then and the purported date of the comic is correct Anakin should have his lightsaber, but clearly he does.

Moreover, though, there is no definitive reference to either the date or the age of Anakin in the comic itself. The closest we get is the opening crawl, which says, "Several years have passed since Anakin began his studies in the Jedi Temple." Similarly a description on the Marvel website says only that "it's been a few years since [The Phantom Menace]."

So basically should we interpret the comic as taking place at least four years after The Phantom Menace, to explain the presence of Anakin's lightsaber, and in spite of what the author says (since surely the author's comment's aren't automatically canon?)?

Or does what Soule says count as fact? And does that mean the relevant information in 'Absolutely Everything' is wrong?

Or have I missed something that explains this discrepancy?