What if? Stories

[Bluebow]

I have been reading a few posts about old characters returning or current ones taking different roles. Does anyone else think that bringing back the old What if? stories might be away to satisfy this idea, or is it too soon post re-boot? If not, what unlikely situations would you like to see?

[booyah]

I have been reading a few posts about old characters returning or current ones taking different roles. Does anyone else think that bringing back the old What if? stories might be away to satisfy this idea, or is it too soon post re-boot? If not, what unlikely situations would you like to see?

Honestly elseworlds stories are generally my favorites. I would love to see some kind of elseworlds/atypical Batman stories ongoing. I would die a slight bit happier.

But I don't think it's too soon. Do it DC!

[Buried Alien]

Are we talking about ELSEWORLDS? That's the label that DC used in the past for a somewhat similar line of books, but WHAT IF is a Marvel trademark.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[melkorjunior]

DC should create an "Ultimate" type outside of continuity Batman book (a monthly, unlike Earth One) in which we get a complete revamp of the character, and, most importantly, he lives in a world without any other DC heroes. I'd love it if Azzarello's Joker graphic novel became the basis for a new series.

[batGRRRl4ever]

Well there's a monthly Elseworld title out essentially right now in the form of Ame-Comi Girls, a title where only female heroes predominate, and Batgirl is Gotham's main protector.

[booyah]

Well there's a monthly Elseworld title out essentially right now in the form of Ame-Comi Girls, a title where only female heroes predominate, and Batgirl is Gotham's main protector.

And Lil Gotham, if that's a monthly. What I mean is a title with a rotating cast of writers and artists doing different Elseworlds arcs, one after the other, each one a different alternate universe. That would be sooooo sweet.

[batGRRRl4ever]

Only problem there is that DC seems to want to only have a limited number of alternate earths, hence the 52 worlds concept they've put out there for the last number of years now.

Marvel has literally hundreds of alternate earths and never seems to have any problems continuity wise, wonder why it's always such an issue for DC.

[Bluebow]

Are we talking about ELSEWORLDS? That's the label that DC used in the past for a somewhat similar line of books, but WHAT IF is a Marvel trademark.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

The name is not important, Elseworlds is a good title and more succinct. What I was wondering is what kind of things people would like to see and if it would be a good or bad idea post re-boot. I was thinking more one offs putting established characters in different situations, like if someone else got shot in Killing Joke, Tim Drake became a father instead of Stephanie Brown becoming a mother or even a world where there were multiple Batgirls and only one Robin.

[dupersuper]

a world where there were multiple Batgirls and only one Robin.

So: pre Flashpoint DCU with only 1 Robin?

[Bluebow]

So: pre Flashpoint DCU with only 1 Robin?

No, not specifically it was just a random example that occurred to me.I could just as easily have said a world where Bruce Wayne was shot along with his parents, but survived to become Oracle and Catwoman became Gotham's protector.

[Ed Sizzers]

Dunno if it'd work, given that the entire DCnU is essentially an Elseworld. It's just one we're permanantly in, now.

[batGRRRl4ever]

Dunno if it'd work, given that the entire DCnU is essentially an Elseworld. It's just one we're permanantly in, now.

Naw, that was the LAST continuity, and we've finally gotten back onto the main road

[booyah]

Dunno if it'd work, given that the entire DCnU is essentially an Elseworld. It's just one we're permanantly in, now.

Hahaha too true.

[direction9]

there's a multiverse.
you never really need elseworlds, all of these things can happen in the dcu, in continuity. it's a weakness to shuffle them outside.
the earth one books a an excellent example of this. they are essentially weak stories that no one really needed or asked for at this point. we've got parallel earths and reboots.......tell these stories and let them feel like they matter.

of course, every elseworld story "matters" just as much as any other comic and canon is a myth.

[Bluebow]

there's a multiverse.
you never really need elseworlds, all of these things can happen in the dcu, in continuity. it's a weakness to shuffle them outside.
the earth one books a an excellent example of this. they are essentially weak stories that no one really needed or asked for at this point. we've got parallel earths and reboots.......tell these stories and let them feel like they matter.

of course, every elseworld story "matters" just as much as any other comic and canon is a myth.

Yes, but one offs that don't affect continuity if someone has a good idea for a story that is entertaining or provocative. To use the obvious example The Killing Joke was never meant to be in continuity, but it has had a profound effect on the DC universe for many years surviving re-boots even to the present day which was supposedly never the original intent.