COMIC BOOK PROFILE: WHAT IF...?! VOL. 1 #1

 

COMIC BOOK PROFILE

Welcome back!  It's been a spell since I last dove into the classic comic bins (and as you can tell by the plethora of shows I watch and recap, plus a couple of movie reviews, you can understand why), but with the current Disney Plus Marvel show going on, I thought I'd pull THIS gem from the library.  In one of the more unusual series that Marvel published during the 70's, What If...?!  Was a new format, where it gave creators a chance to tell new and interesting stories featuring the growing cavalcade of Marvel characters that had been growing over the course of the (then), 16 years of the company's re-branded existence.  This book gave us a NEW take on these classic characters, and put them in new and interesting situations where it's one choice, or incident, that would alter the course of their lives. The popularity of this series spawned a few new volumes, and has now culminated in the television show, which is a part of the MCU, and comes about at a time where the MCU movies will be exploring the Multiverse with the likes of the new Spider-Man:  No Way Home, Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, and the Disney Plus show that's already aired, Loki.  So, let's see how this all got started...as we explore....What If...?!

WHAT IF...?!  Vol. 1 #1 

COVER: Jim Craig, Joe Sinnott, John Romita, & Gasper Saladino

WRITER: Roy Thomas

ARTIST: Jim Craig

INKS: Pablo Marcos

LETTERS: John Costanza

COLORS: Janice Cohen

EDITOR: Roy Thomas

COVER DATE: February 1977

PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics

TAGLINE:  All new!  Cover to cover!

QUOTE:  "If Dr. Doom and company thought the OLD F.F. was tough---wait'll they meet the FANTASTIC FIVE!" - Spider-Man 

STORY TITLE:  "What If Spider-Man Had Joined the Fantastic Four?"

What If...?! Vol. 1 #1 was a fascinating brand new series Marvel started publishing in 1977, giving us a chance to see alternate versions of our favorite Marvel characters in different scenarios based on something that may or has happened in regular Marvel continuity.  The series would debut the character of Uatu the Watcher, who would introduce each new story (and was replaced by different characters in later volumes of the series), but he was just the being who would observe all these alternate realities, and we'd get to see just how things would play out.  Sometimes it would completely alter the course of a characters history, and sometimes, the characters' path towards a new reality of who and what they are, or what happened in their history, is still a set point, but it takes a different path to reach that decision. This series didn't have one set writer or artist, but rather a bevy of creators that would put their own spin on a hero's story, or a point in a hero's history, that would break it off from the tanget of their "mainstream" (which we now understand as "Earth 616" as the "main" Marvel Universe), counterparts. There have been 13 volumes of this series published between 1977-2018.  It's gone from a regular series, to a mini-series, to one-shots over the course of that time.  And now, a six-episode mini-series on Disney Plus.

THE STORY:  In order to find a way to make a few bucks, Spider-Man tries to apply for the Fantastic Four.  At first, he's turned down, but then the team changes their mind, and is allowed to join, thus creating the Fantastic Five.  As Spidey, Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, and the Human Torch go on new missions, battling various villains like the Red Ghost, the Vulture, and many more, Susan Storm, the Invisible Girl, is often left behind to monitor things from the Baxter Building.  This causes her to feel left out and unwanted.  She then eventually meets Namor, the Sub-Mariner, who is under control of the Puppet Master.  The team frees both Namor and Sue from the control of the Puppet Master, but Sue decides that she's had enough of the team, and she decides to leave with Namor to go and live in Atlantis.  This causes Spider-Man to regret having asked to join the group, as they leave in defeat. 

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This comic proved to be a GREAT platform for writers and artist to get really creative with ideas, and gave Marvel a series to show different avenues for their denizens in new situations that we're not familiar with, often spawned from an incident that could've happened in the regular Marvel continuity.  It lives up to the name, and allows the reader to see things from the perspective of the Watcher, who does nothing but observe during the story.  Despite various stops and starts in the series, it's still a viable avenue for Marvel to explore stories we've often asked when it comes to our favorite Marvel characters.  It's a series worth picking up in all volumes, and very fascinating reads.  The TV series only explores just six episodes, but you have a plethora of stories to draw from in the form of these comics.

NEXT TIME:  another gem from our historical bin