Best of "What If...?": #8

Volume 2 #13 (1990)
What if Professor X had become the Juggernaut?

Written by Kurt Busiek
Drawn by Vince Mielcarek

Years ago, Charles Xavier realized that he belonged to a species other than mankind: a splinter race that would come to be called mutantkind. Using his awesome power of telepathy, Charles located young mutants across the country and brought them together at a school of his founding. There, he instructed them in the safe use of their powers, so that they might protect themselves and others.

But there are other universes in which Charles could not safeguard the destiny of mutantkind. More probable than it sounds is a reality in which Charles is made invulnerable and immediately thereafter buried beneath a mountain of rubble.

In this other universe, Charles spends years clawing his way to freedom instead of designing a special school. During this time, a madman nicknamed Magneto calls together the mutants of the world for his own sinister purposes. Driven half-mad by his telepathic knowledge of Magneto’s actions, Charles shows remarkable restraint when he at last reaches the surface and confronts the mutant dictator.

“Your presence is no longer required.”

With Magneto out of the picture, Charles proceeds to eliminate every other threat to mutantkind, beginning with Earth’s artificially super-powered humans…

Best of "What If...?": #9

Volume 1 #35 (1982)
What if Elektra had lived?

Written and Drawn by Frank Miller

There was once a woman who meant everything to Matt Murdock. Her name was Elektra, and the assassin Bullseye ran her through with a sai.

But murder for hire is a treacherous trade, and Bullseye was nearly killed himself before things ever came to that. What if Bullseye had indeed died?

Matt is still Daredevil, the sightless superhero. And Elektra is still an assassin in her own right. Tonight, she’s been assigned to kill Matt’s best friend…

“You’ve gone too far, Elektra. No matter what I’ve felt for you… no matter how much I may still love you… you’ve gone too far.”

Best of "What If...?": #10

One-Shot (1995)
Punisher kills the Marvel Universe

Written by Garth Ennis
Drawn by Dougie Braithwaite

Somehow, traditional military conflict persists in a world filled with superheroes. The Vietnam War claimed the lives of 60,000 American soldiers, all while our nation’s spandexed saviors continued to battle familiar villains. Ordinary men like Marine Captain Frank Castle were the ones who risked all in that Hell overseas.

Finally home again in the States, Frank seeks little more than to raise his young children with his loving wife. But domestic work for the military lands Frank and his family in New York City, where hardly a month goes by without an alien invasion. Today, Frank’s wife and kids are at Central Park; and suddenly, so are the Brood.

The X-Men and the Avengers have just concluded their explosive battle with this menace from outer space when Frank arrives on scene. Amidst the devastation, Frank finds his entire family dead, his entire life over. When Cyclops, the X-Men’s level-headed leader, musters his best apology, Frank shoots him in the face.

Frank receives a life sentence for this crime, but his transport never makes it to prison. Instead, it brings him to the Adirondack estate of an old man whom he has never met. This stranger, missing an eye and an arm, introduces Frank to several other cripples. Like Frank, these ordinary people had their lives devastated by the carelessness of those with extraordinary powers; unlike Frank, these victims are wealthy enough to finance a war against the entire superhuman community…

“We want you to kill them all.”

Best of "What If...?": #11

One-Shot (2005)
Wha… Huh?

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, Brian K Vaughan, and Ed Brubaker
Drawn by Jim Mahfood

Travel back in time with me to August 2005.

Brian Michael Bendis is writing Daredevil, New Avengers, and Ultimate Spider-Man. And the limited series House of M… and Powers… and The Pulse.

Mark Millar is writing both Ultimates 2 and Wolverine. He just wrapped up a year on Spider-Man, and he’s returning to Ultimate Fantastic Four next month.

Brian K Vaughan, meanwhile, is writing only Runaways and Ultimate X-Men… for Marvel. He’s also writing both Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina for Vertigo.

Ed Brubaker, finally, is taking it easy by just writing Captain America… plus twelve issues each of Sleeper and The Authority: Revolution for WildStorm.

These four men would have to be crazy to find time to collaborate on a humor special. Luckily for us, their workloads have driven them all quite insane…

“I have never seen anything so pathetic as your purchase of this incredibly stupid comic book. And I’ve seen pathetic. I was there for CrossGen.”

Best of "What If...?": #12

One-Shot (2005)
What if Aunt May had been killed instead of Uncle Ben?

Written by Ed Brubaker
Drawn by Andrea Di Vito

“A spider! It bit me. But why is it glowing that way?”

Spider-Man’s origin story is perhaps common knowledge. Bitten by a radioactive spider, high school student Peter Parker gains an array of arachnid super-powers; once a professional wallflower, he soon becomes a TV sensation. But when Peter chooses not to trip up a burglar who crosses his path, that thief goes on – in a freak coincidence – to murder Uncle Ben, the elderly man who raised Peter.

Peter’s beloved Aunt May is thereafter his only family and support. Without her late husband, May can barely make ends meet, and Peter must think of a way to pay their bills on his own. After rejecting the idea of becoming a super-villain, Peter settles on the idea of selling photos of himself fighting crime as Spider-Man to a wealthy newspaperman who obsesses over the wallcrawler.

The plan works. Peter never erases the guilt that he feels regarding Ben’s death, but it pains him a little less every time that he provides for May. Ultimately, Peter’s one moment of selfishness leads him to a lifetime of compassion.

But Peter could just as easily have lost both of his foster parents. And if that had happened, he would have seen no reason to use his great power responsibly…

Best of "What If...?": #13

Volume 2 #83 (1996)
What if Daredevil was the disciple of Doctor Strange?

Written by Ian Edginton and Mike Baron
Drawn by Rafael Kayanan

Years ago, surgeon Stephen Strange wrecked his car and ruined his hands. Hoping that he might be healed, he sought out not the Ancient One but the Chaste, and he learned from them arts martial rather than mystical.

Years ago, teenager Matt Murdock lost first his sight and then his father. When he located this troubled youth, Strange found both his first pupil and his final patient.

Tonight, Strange descends upon a high-rise rooftop amidst a shower of shuriken. The ninja clan known as the Hand have lured the doctor out of his dojo.

“My hands, which used to operate on human flesh with the greatest delicacy, are now fit only for killing. [They] have been broken and reset, broken and reset. So I use them to break this Hand… to atone for a sin I can never outlive… as long as he lives.”

“He” is Daredevil: Strange’s greatest disciple become his greatest enemy…

A Brief "What If...?" Apology

Shortly after I uploaded my last post, the scan site that I’ve been visiting for years abruptly went down. Over the past month, I’ve set this blog aside and hoped that said site would return to life. That hasn’t happened, and I doubt that it ever will.

To make a long story short, this means that I won’t be able to illustrate any of my future posts with scans of interior pages. And that sucks. The best apology that I can offer is the following brief assessment of 2011’s “What If…?” offerings.

“What If? Wolverine: Father” and “What If? Dark Reign” were just okay. These were the two best issues of the year, and I couldn’t recommend either of them.

Both stories found in “What If…?” #200 – “What if Norman Osborn won the Siege of Asgard?” and “What if I, the Watcher, killed Galactus?” – were lame. “Iron Man: Demon in an Armor” and “What if Venom possessed Deadpool?” were, too.

“What If? Spider-Man”, lastly, was downright awful. If I ever follow up my “Best of ‘What If…?’” with a “Worst of ‘What If…?’”, this story may well make that list.

But before I start on any new projects, I should finish the one I’ve already started. In that spirit, look for “Best of ‘What If…?’” to resume – and wrap up – in March!