Imaginary Tales within a Fictional Universe

books:

	• DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories: 11 Tales You Never Expected to See! Various DC Comics, 2005 - 192 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Absolute Best of DC's Silver Age

If you're at all like me, then you find most Silver Age Superhero stories a bit monotonous. No matter what fascinating complication arises, everything always returns to normal by the issue's close. Apparently some writers felt just as annoyed by this pattern, though. Frustrated by this need to keep returning titles to familiar territory, some of DC's most visionary writers began telling imaginary tales that "may or may not ever occur." In these stories, heroes could marry, make fatal mistakes, and even die.

The least of these stories were wish fulfillments for frustrated fans. Wouldn't Superman ever decide between Lois Lane and Lana Lang? Wouldn't the bottle city of Kandor ever return to full size? But the better imaginary stories saw their premises as an opportunity to explore deeper sides to otherwise familiar characters -- aspects of their personalities that would only surface when their deepest desires were met or their worst fears were confirmed. For that reason, these stories were able to deliver powerful, dramatic portrayals of cherished characters in a way that no other Silver Age story could.

Readers should know that, for better or worse, this is a Silver Age Superman compilation. Yes, a few other stories are thrown in (The Flash story is perhaps the oddest fit in the bunch), but eight of these eleven stories are about Superman and his supporting cast, and they generally happen to be the better stories too. It seems like a supreme effort was made to diversify this anthology to include other heroes in the DC Universe, but the editors of this anthology weren't fooling anyone.

"The Second Life of Batman," "Mr. and Mrs. Clark (Superman) Kent," and "The Origin of Flash's Masked Identity" are the sleepers of this volume; semi-interesting in their "what if?" premises, but not particularly special in their executions.

"Batman's New Secret Identity" is just plain silly and fun, especially when some construction workers accidentally blast the side off of the Batcave. Alfred's shocked reaction in the distance is priceless.

"Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl," and "The Fantastic Story of Superman's Sons" are both quite endearing and worth a read. The first story gives us an opportunity to take Jimmy a little more seriously for a change, and the second can be downright touching at certain moments, especially when our protagonist gets to go back in time and meet his dead grandfather (Jor-El).

"The Three Wives of Superman" has a very touching premise as Superman is forced to watch wife after wife die, but the plot feels a bit hurried along and forced in its execution.

"The Atomic War" didn't amaze me at first, but when you consider its implications to Cold War readers, the thought of Captain Marvel failing to stop a Nuclear World War III from obliterating the human race can send a chill down one's back.

"The Death of Superman" is a sure-fire must read. It's absolutely epic in its telling as a fantastic redemption ultimately leads to our invulnerable hero's untimely demise. This might be the greatest Superman story ever told (which would explain why it's also included in the Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told anthology).

"Superman and Batman - Brothers" is still my absolute favorite Silver Age story of all time. It combines all the best elements of the DC Imaginary Tale - fun pretend, powerful drama, and deep, emotionally resonating revelations about the basic nature of its protagonists. If you don't already think Jim Shooter is a god of a writer, this story will certainly sway your opinion.

In closing, you can't miss this volume if you're a fan of the Silver Age (and especially not if you're a fan of Superman and family). It's the absolute best of what DC's silver age had to offer. I only hope that we'll eventually see a volume 2.

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Very Dated

These stories are from the Silver Age of comics and seem somewhat dated. By that, I mean the writing is very simple and seems very tailored to just kids in general. The artwork is very simple with mostly primary colors. Don't expect any wit or clever ending no matter how short the stories. Most end pretty abruptly and you're left to wonder what is the point of the story. I would buy this if you are curious about the history of comics or how they were during those times, but don't expect too much in terms of writing, story, or artwork.

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DC's Greatest Imaginary Tales

I enjoy reading "What if" stories and this collection from DC allows one to do so. It's fun to sit back and read stories that diverge from the real world of the DC Superheroes. I hope they publish another graphic novel of Imaginary Tales from the DC universe.

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Great stories, but where are the covers?

This is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of DC "What if?" stories from the Silver Age, including many classic tales, such as "The Death of Superman" and "Superman Red and Superman Blue." Many of these brought back wonderful memories. The only thing I can't understand is DC's failure to reprint the covers. Their absence here is what keeps me from giving this a 5 star rating. Curiously, in the places where the house ads would go, DC has reprinted covers for imaginary stories that do not appear in this volume. It's certainly nice to see these, but I hope that if there are future volumes, the editors will remember to include what got us to buy these comics -- their fantastic covers!

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Imaginary Tales within a Fictional Universe

This very attractive graphic novel is perfect for readers who love comics from the gold and silver age. The stories the are included are-

- The Atomic War (Captain Marvel Adventures #66, Oct. 1946) An imaginary story within an imaginary story!

- The Second Life of Batman (Batman #127, Oct. 1959) What would happen if Bruce Wayne's parents were never murdered?

- Mr. and Mrs. Clark (Superman) Kent (Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #19, August 1960) What if Lois Lane learned of Superman's identity and married him?

- The Death of Superman (Superman 149, Nov. 1961) Lex Luthor, Hero! What happens when Lex Luthor quits crime, goes straight and becomes pals with Superman?

- Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl (Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #57, Dec. 1961) When Linda gets amnesia from Red Kryptonite, she falls in love with the redheaded reporter and they make it legal! A two-parter.

- The Orgin of Flash's Masked Identity (The Flash #128, May 1962) Why does the Flash wear a mask, and what made him decide to finally wear one? A simple, shorter tale.

- Batman's New Secret Identity (Batman #151, Nov. 1962) What happens when Batman gets a new identity, and Dick Grayson must give up being Robin? Also includes an appearance from Batwoman! A two-parter.

- The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue (Superman #162, July 1963) A "Brain Evolution Machine" splits Superman into two- and they both have mental powers 100x highter than the original! A three-parter.

- The Three Wives of Superman (Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #51, Aug. 1964) Superman marries Lois Lane, then Lana Lang and Lori Lamaris! A three-parter.

- The Fantastic Story of Superman's Sons (Superman #166, Nov. 1964) Superman has non-identical twins named Jor-El II and a Kal-El II- but only one of them has super powers! In this the mother's identity is *literally* left in the dark. A three-parter.

- Superman and Batman- Brothers! (World's Finest Comics #172, Dec. 1967) We see a world were the Kent's also adopt an orphan named Bruce Wayne- and what happens when two teenage brothers discover the other has a secret identity! Superman is Superboy in this tale.

The stories range from silly to sincere ones that focus on relationships and loss, but I personally find them all very charming. Seeing some of comics greatest heroes in a vintage age living in fantasy is a real treat. Especially when the DC universe is going through a huge "Crisis" at the moment with very dark tones and huge changes to our big heroes, this lighthearted book is a breath of fresh air. This is a must-own for fans of "What If?"-type tales and fans of classic superhero tales in general.

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