This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: What If? and Elseworlds Stories

I had been trying to think of a subject for this week’s column all week, but nothing came to mind. In an effort to clear my mind, and accept I may miss the deadline, I started reading my “I bought this for a $1, or less, so I’ll read it one day” pile, and grabbed What If? #54; What if.. Death’s Head Had Lived? Although I wasn’t overly familiar with the original story, the synopsis provided by the Watcher at the beginning was enough to understand and appreciate the differences that would follow. A trend that while it may not follow within every issue of the series, it was consistent within the three that I had read prior to sitting behind the keyboard.

Although there have been some What If? comics released since the series ended in 1998, for the most part these have been sporadic releases all either tied in to a Major Event (What If: Infinity, Age Of Ultron and Avengers Vs X-Men) or have been small enough in number to be collected into a trade (What If: Why Not, What If: Event Horizon and What If: Mirror Mirror). Fun diversions, but the first two volumes seemed to contain a more cohesive single issue story that was just plain fun rather than the more modern takes.

These alternate universe stories allow writers and artists to play with the characters within the story without any fear of repercussions from a passionate fan base who may not like a certain direction a character has been taken in. More often, however, we get a story that we simply couldn’t get in the normal continuity for obvious reasons – unless Batman travels back in time, he’s never going to face Jack the Ripper. But in DC’s Elseworlds line that’s not a problem at all. Some of these tales are far and away more interesting stories than we’d otherwise get had they been forced into the regular ongoing series.

Next time you’re in your LCS, or surfing your digital retailer, check out either the What If? or Elseworlds stories.

Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.