A letter from DC Comics’ World’s Finest #192 published in March 1970, a few years before Marvel Comics put out What If? #1, cover-dated February 1977.
I’m trying to picture this issue of What If? with those other titles. “Conan…walking the Earth of today? IMAGINE THAT!” Or “What’s NOT Happening? Any more Conan comics from Marvel!” Or, you know, something like that.
I also like the implication in the editor’s reply that the only thing keeping them from publishing an ongoing Imaginary Stories series is the inability to decide on a title. “Gee, we’d like to, James C., but we here at 909 Third Avenue can’t settle on a name. Imagine That? No, no…. Wait, how ’bout…Just Imagine? …Nah, who’d buy that?”
And the 1989 series was titled “What If…?” with the ellipses.
DC’s editors were frequently jerks to their letter writers, weren’t they?
I feel like this kid and I have different definitions of an ‘imaginary’ story.
This also predated the August 5, 1976 premiere of WHAT’S HAPPENING!!
Oh shit, fiction! Run!!
This kid sure is taking a bold stance against the hard-hitting realism of comics of that era.
“DC’s editors were frequently jerks to their letter writers, weren’t they?”
Yes, and i think that’s one of the reasons (a minor one, certainly) that marvel became much more popular than dc. Marvel had friendly letters pages that encouraged communication!