What If?: The Original Marvel Series Omnibus, Vol. 1

What If?: The Original Marvel Series Omnibus

by Roy Thomas

What if the Marvel Universe was not as you know it? Infinite realities offer infinite possibilities for classic creators to unleash their wildest imaginations — and ponder: What if Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four? Or Captain America rescued Bucky in World War II? Or Doctor Doom became a hero? The FF get different powers! Other people get Spidey’s powers! Jane Foster finds the hammer of Thor! The Avengers assemble in the 1950s! Jack Kirby bombards the Marvel Bullpen with cosmic rays, Conan walks the modern day Earth and Doctor Strange becomes a disciple of Dormammu! Peter Parker stops the burglar who killed Uncle Ben, the Hulk keeps Bruce Banner’s intellect, the Invaders fight on after World War II and the Invisible Girl marries Namor — plus more thought-provoking tales that make you ask: What If?

COLLECTING: What If? (1977) 1-15, 17-22

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics, Graphic Novels Manga, Superheroes, Graphic Novels

776 pages, Hardcover

First published August 31, 2021

About the author

Roy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.

Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.

Reviews

[☮ morgan ☮ · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Haven't you learned that the most startling things can happen when people don't give up hope?"

My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined. Some of these were better than others, but so many of these felt like they dragged on, or that they just kind of did whatever, even if it made no sense.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series introduced me to the concept of alternate realities when I was a kid. While I think it is casually accepted nowadays, back then it was novel and fascinating. The idea that a different choice or chance occurrence could result in an entirely different future--anything could happen and I was there for it! And because each reality was (almost) never returned to, the stories could get quite dark. Flagship characters could die and even entire universes might be obliterated. (The latter doesn't happen until the second volume.) We get to see what would happen if Spider-Man had stopped the burglar that would have killed his uncle, or if Bucky had survived WWII, or Rick Jones took the full brunt of the gamma blast rather than Bruce Banner, or someone else had found the hammer of Thor. Some stories are goofy, some are great, but they're all fun to read. In general, I think the series got better as it went on, and the creators refined the idea of what the book should be.

A few of my favorites:

֎ Victor von Doom heeds Reed Richards' warning about the errors in his experiment at university, and therefore does not have the accident which disfigures him and results in his becoming a tyrant and a villain.

֎ A wizard's portal sends Conan the barbarian into the modern era, where he makes the acquaintance of a comely but lonely cab driver and runs afoul of both criminals and the law.

֎ Stephen Strange's selfish nature leads him to follow Dormammu rather than the benevolent Ancient One.

֎ Susan Storm chooses Prince Namor over Reed Richards, but when the rest of the Fantastic Four are invited to the wedding, not everyone is happy about it.

Unfortunately one issue of the series is omitted because Marvel no longer had the rights to characters created by Sax Rohmer, but it can be found in the third Master of Kung Fu omnibus.

[coolwhip54 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tastes like day old tuna

[Paul Cocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up What If?: The Original Marvel Series Omnibus Volume 1 because these stories were a big part of my childhood. That classic hypothetical—“What if Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four?”—was the kind of question I obsessed over as a kid, long before I cared about continuity or canon. It took me nearly a year to finish this 776-page collection, reading an issue or two between other books, whenever I wanted something short and self-contained.

Each story is introduced by the Watcher, who tees up a twist in Marvel history and lets the dominoes fall. The storytelling is pure Bronze Age—heavy on narration, often wild in concept—and it reads like comic book Twilight Zone: a mix of thoughtful, bizarre, and occasionally tragic tales. The highs include Jane Foster wielding Mjolnir, Spider-Man stopping the burglar before Uncle Ben’s death, and Dr. Doom choosing heroism over vengeance. There’s also a fun issue where Conan roams modern New York, one with multiple characters becoming Nova, and even a goofy one where the original Marvel Bullpen becomes the Fantastic Four. Not every story lands, but the creativity is nonstop, and the premise alone keeps things engaging.

The art shifts with each issue—names like John Buscema, Herb Trimpe, Gene Colan, and Gil Kane rotate through—and while not all of it has aged gracefully, it still carries the weight of Marvel's classic style. Some of these ideas were ahead of their time, some are time capsules, but all of them reflect the kind of boundless imagination that made me love comics in the first place.

If you ever spent time wondering how different things could’ve gone in the Marvel Universe, this one’s worth the long haul—even if you read it one random “what if” at a time.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the series that got me into comic books, thanks to a box behind my school bus drivers seat. A wide variety of stories with a lot of marvel characters, most of these stories have a brief retelling and then a twist on it. These from the 70’s have the same art ant writing style from them and are very good, but my favorites come later. Also curiously issue 19 is missing. The Conan story is my favorite in this collection.

[Tim Omstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of stories. I loved this comic as a kid.

[Ada · Rating 3 out of 5]

***after finishing***
⭐3.5 rounded down.
This is a really fun collection for people, like me, who haven't read the old comics when Kirby and Lee were still drawing stuff. Also if you don't know the background of some of the Marvel characters.

BUT some things really didn't age well and if you don't expect it you will be surprised and not in a good way. The flip side is that with some things they were very progressive and I really enjoyed seeing that.

I got the cover variant with 'What If Spider-Man Had Joined the Fantastic Four?' but the issue that I really enjoyed was 'What If Jane Foster Had Found - the Hammer of Thor?'. So now I'm kicking myself for not getting that cover variant.

***before reading***
The trouble I had to get this version...

Pre-orders in my country are a joke...

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic tales and art. A great add on to a collector. It is the original writers and artists at their best.