Last Imaginary Story

[Maximara]

This is the biggest problem when you have an infinate number of earths; somewhere out there every imaginary  'Imaginary Story' actually happened.

I thought that was the beauty of the infinite multiple universe paradigm: any story you come up with can be a "real" story. This allows great freedom for the imagination.

True but it made the whole 'Imaginary Story' thing pointless. With alternate futures and realities why even have such a plot device? Better there be a reality where Lex Luthor was Superman and a Gold K exposed Kal-El was Batman than it be called an 'Imaginary Story'.

[Strange Visitor]

Here is the 1st one ever:

http://superman.nu/tales3/cartoonhero/1.gif

Although this is cited as the first Imaginary Story, I don't think it really is. Note that the bubble on the splash page that says "Our Very First Imaginary Story" was not part of the original. It was added many years later when the story was reprinted in a Superman Annual. The story itself gives no indication that it is "imaginary" in the sense of being outside the ordinary story continuity. I think "imaginary story" in the bubble refers to the story-within-the-story shown in the Superman cartoon that Clark and Lois go to see. This story was "imaginary" within the context of the framing story, but the framing story itself is not an Imaginary Story in the sense that the term was later used.

[Super Monkey]

Sure it is, since it's impossible for that Cartoon to exist in the comic book Earth-1 or Earth-2 or any other Earth besides Earth-Prime but that story can not take place there since Superman is there in the tale, therefore it is clearly an what if tale aka an Imaginary Story.

[Strange Visitor]

Sure it is, since it's impossible for that Cartoon to exist in the comic book Earth-1 or Earth-2 or any other Earth besides Earth-Prime but that story can not take place there since Superman is there in the tale, therefore it is clearly an what if tale aka an Imaginary Story.

I don't think they had all those other Earths back in those days... Also, why do you says it's "impossible" for the cartoon to exist?

[Super Monkey]

Sure it is, since it's impossible for that Cartoon to exist in the comic book Earth-1 or Earth-2 or any other Earth besides Earth-Prime but that story can not take place there since Superman is there in the tale, therefore it is clearly an what if tale aka an Imaginary Story.

I don't think they had all those other Earths back in those days...

I know, that why it's called an Imaginary Tale!

[Maximara]

AFAICFO the last 'Imaginary Story' before "What Happened to the Man of Tommorow' actually noted as such was Superman V1 #230 (1970) where Luthor is Superman and Clark Kent is a gangster.

Sounds like this is an alternate history story as I would define it. It was explicitly labeled as an Imaginary Story? Any others in this category?

Yes it was.; Right on the cover to boot.  This throws the whole idea of 'Imaginary Story' being events that may or may never happen out the window but then again with a Multiverse isn't that idea already DOA in the first place?

[Strange Visitor]

This is the biggest problem when you have an infinate number of earths; somewhere out there every imaginary  'Imaginary Story' actually happened.

I thought that was the beauty of the infinite multiple universe paradigm: any story you come up with can be a "real" story. This allows great freedom for the imagination.

True but it made the whole 'Imaginary Story' thing pointless. With alternate futures and realities why even have such a plot device? Better there be a reality where Lex Luthor was Superman and a Gold K exposed Kal-El was Batman than it be called an 'Imaginary Story'.

I think of Imaginary Stories as a genre or story-type rather than a plot device. Unlike dreams or computer simulations, it's not a part of the story narrative itself. It labels the story as a whole as being "not real". In a framed story the inner story is also "not real", but it is embedded in a real story, and in principle can affect the "real' world because it is observed (on a computer screen) or experienced (in a dream) by "real" characters.

An alternate universe story is different in that it is to be considered "real". It just takes place in a "different" (but no less real) world than the usual one. Granted the intent and effect is pretty much the same, in that the device allows stories to be told that would otherwise adversely affect continuity. And to some, "alternate universe" sounds more grown-up than "imaginary story".

But in the long run I think there is a difference. If all worlds are "real", what makes the usual world (the one that used to be thought of as the "real" world) special? Maybe the usual world is just the one readers have become accustomed to. And if so, maybe there's no reason why they couldn't become accustomed to another...

[Bill 9000]

I usually look at imaginary stories as depicting events that have diverged from the mainstream timeline at a certain key point in history ... kind of like Marvel's What If stories. They're not meant to be taken as gospel. The best example of this is the story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue.