Just Imagine..., Vol. 1

Just Imagine... #vol. 1

by Stan Lee, Joe Kubert (Illustrator), Jim Lee (Illustrator)

Reprints/Collects:
Just Imagine Stan Lee . . . Secret Files and Origins (2002) #1
Just Imagine Stan Lee With Dave Gibbons Creating Green Lantern (2001) #1
Just Imagine Stan Lee With Jim Lee Creating Wonder Woman (2001) #1
Just Imagine Stan Lee With Joe Kubert Creating Batman (2001) #1
Just Imagine Stan Lee With John Buscema Creating Superman (2001) #1

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Dc Comics

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

About the author

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

Reviews

[A.J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just Imagine was a series where Stan Lee was teamed up with some of DC’s best artists to remake the origins of some of their biggest characters, and it’s pretty fucking bad.

The only redeemable thing about this first volume of stories is the art. Mostly all the art for this series was outstanding, especially Jim Lee’s and Dave Gibbon’s, it’s just everything else that isn’t so great. I am not looking forward to the rest of this.

[The Lion's Share · Rating 1 out of 5]

I lent my friend the infinity gauntlet and he returns in kind with this!!!!??? I thought he was joking, but he's not that into comics so I can forgive him.

Hands down the worst comic i've read. What a pile of tosh, Stan get back to your arm chair!!

[Sean Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stan Lee probably did more for pop culture than anybody the man is a God, unfortunatly for me Stan,s style of writing s now seems a bit dated, I would love it, if this was written circa 1968 when Stan was at his height. Still interesting.

[Rolando Marono · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good:
-The origin stories are engaging.
-Great art.

The bad:
-Stan Lee's dialogue is annoying. very unnatural.
- There are scenes that are very misoginyst.

[IBHAR HERNANDEZ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Realmente no se, si fue por que tengo muy arraigada la historia original de los personajes que no me identifique para nada con esta imaginación de orígenes que les dio el Gran Stan.

Batman . . . el que mas me desagrado

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just Imagine... is a DC Universe book series that was published by DC Comics. It was the first work for DC Comics by Stan Lee, co-creator of numerous popular Marvel Comics characters, in which he re-imagined several DC superheroes. Just Imagine..., Vol. 1 collects Just Imagine: Batman, Just Imagine: Wonder Woman, Just Imagine: Superman, and Just Imagine: Green Lantern.

Stan Lee has died earlier today (12 November 2018) and while I am not a Marvel fan, I admired him greatly as a comic book creator. Therefore, I thought it would be apropos to read his version of the DC Universe today.

Just Imagine: Batman stars Wayne Williams, an African-American, who excels in physical condition and has a vast personal fortune allowing him access to custom equipment. Just Imagine: Wonder Woman stars Maria Mendoza, who is an activist, protesting against the corporate excavation of an ancient Incan holy site near her village. Just Imagine: Superman stars Salden who is an extra-terrestrial who has super strength and speed, and was the weakest member of the Kryptonian Police Force. Finally in Just Imagine: Green Lantern stars Len Lewis is a professor looking for something called "The Tree", which grants him the power of the Green Lantern.

Stan Lee penned most of the trade paperback with many guest writers to help him along the way. It was an interesting take on the iconic DC Comic superheroes – some were better than others, but it was quite the interesting story. The connecting villain throughout the series is Reverend Dominic Darrk and his Church of Eternal Empowerment – Stan Lee really likes his alliterations!

Just Imagine..., Vol. 1 has four different pencilers: Joe Kubert, Jim Lee, John Buscema, and Dave Gibbons who penciled Just Imagine: Batman, Just Imagine: Wonder Woman, Just Imagine: Superman, and Just Imagine: Green Lantern respectively. For the most part, I rather like the penciling styles and it meshed quite well.

All in all, Just Imagine..., Vol. 1 is a somewhat good beginning to a wonderful world that Stan Lee has created.

[Jessica Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I really enjoy the concept of taking a creator that’s so synonymous with one comic book company and turning him loose on the other big name in town, this volume just proved to me that Stan Lee was made for Marvel, not DC. Batman was the best reimagining in this volume and he felt like an amalgam of Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Luke Cage. So interesting and enjoyable but very familiar ground from Lee. Wonder Woman was good mostly for Jim Lee’s artwork, including a redesign for the character that I honestly like much better than her actual costume. The white and gold was great. The paper-thin plot and characterization, not so much. Superman was interesting in that it felt like Lee took everything that’s fundamental to the character’s personality and flipped it, leaving us with a Superman that fights crime not because he’s a great guy raised with romanticized small-town American Midwestern values but because he hopes that these lazy, backwards humans will invent a way for him to get back home if he solves their stupid crime problem for them. I kind of liked it, especially paired with Lee’s Lois Lane. Green Lantern was easily the worst in this collection, boring and nonsensical. I feel like Lee was trying to do a retro Golden Age type of origin story but it just didn’t work for me. Also the running plotline with the evil church felt very Marvel in that it shrunk the world down into tightly interconnected parts—not so much a DC thing—and it wasn’t that interesting. I’ve heard that his version of the Flash is cool so I’d like to read on but unfortunately based on this I’d have to conclude that if Stan Lee had created DC, it might not have stuck around to be Marvel’s greatest rival.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very interesting and has a lot of really great ideas. I think Stan's versions Batman and wonder woman is probably my favourite out of this comic with batman being an African American boxer with a very interesting origin that seems very ahead of its time and wonder woman being blessed by the Aztec sun god but even the ones I don't like as much like the flash or superman are still extremely interesting and are at the very least carried by some amazing art. I think the main thing that holds this comic back is the amount of dialogue in it which could be argued is trying to recapture the original style of the early fantastic four or spiderman but I think not only has the comic format evolved away from that but I think it lacks simplicity because although there is a lot of dialogue in those comics they can be broken down to these simple ideas like a boy crying over the death of uncle saying that with great power comes great responsibility which I think this lacks. I also don't think the characters are written as likable which once again is due to the abundance of dialogue that feels a bit talking down to the audience. Though all in this is a really good comic and a very interesting case study I just think that there things that hold it back from being great.

[AviChaim Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable and entertaining read. The book is undeniably stamped with Stan Lee's signature style—from the classic use of alliteration in character names to the overly explanatory narrative and familiar story elements (for instance, Batman’s initial stint as a wrestler clearly nods to Spider-Man’s early origin). While Lee's tone can feel dated to some readers, I personally appreciated these imaginative reimaginings of iconic characters and their backstories.

The artwork added to the charm, offering a unique visual twist on these well-known figures. That said, I would have preferred a more cohesive storyline that brought all the characters together beyond a single issue. Still, the book succeeds as a light, fun, and creative take on beloved heroes.

I’d recommend it to readers looking for a nostalgic, low-stakes comic with an inventive spin. However, if you’re not a fan of older writing styles, this might not be your cup of tea.
Grade: B

[Randall Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barely a three. The concept was just interesting enough to keep me reading to see how each story turned out, but the dialogue and everything else was just so old-fashioned. It felt like reading a cheesy old comic from the 60s. Okay sometimes, but not what I was expecting here. It would be interesting to see what other writers would do with these characters in a more modern style. May or may not read book two.

[michelle+8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this while browsing for the latest Captain Marvel, and I was intrigued. Despite the bad reviews, I rather enjoyed these Stan Lee re-imaginings of DC heroes. I love Stan's goofy dialogue, quirky asides, and everyday origins for some of the biggest hitters in the DC universe. Don't go in looking for the heroes you know; open your mind to something new.

[Colin Mcclusick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stan lee does the dc universe... You know I am going all in on this. Big fan of the Batman, Wonder Woman, and Flash stories. Superman and Green lantern were also awesome. Overall 8.5/10 would recommend to anyone that is a Marvel or DC fan. Great stories and a great JLA team up issue!

[Jacob Shaffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m comfortable marking these as DNF. They say good story telling is show, don’t tell. Stan Lee just be tellin shit over and over again, his way of story telling is just so out dated. It’s not charmingly matched with older styled artwork, it’s just out of place and awkward.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not very familiar with the DC Universe but this was a cool concept. I thought the stories were OK, with the best one being the "Wonder Woman" re-imagining.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

More for the Silver Age Marvel fan than DC ones, I imagine.

[Adam Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2001-2002, DC Comics published a series of comics books imagining Stan Lee what the DC Universe would had been light had Stan Lee created it (or more aptly what it would have been like had Stan Lee created in the early 21st Century.)This collects the first four issues, imagining Stan Lee's version of Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, and Green Lantern.

The key to enjoying this book is to remember what it is and what it isn't. The book does not set out to offer new and improved versions of DC's heroes. As Lee said on the back, "Please don't think for one minute that this is an attempt to improve on any of the truly great characters that have become legendary throughout the world." Rather, Lee creates a Staniverse, characters with the same name but entirely different origins that should be judged on their own merit.

Stan Lee's Batman is a black ex-con and pro-wrestler who fights to avenge his wrongful imprisonment the death of his parents. His father died at the hands of a local crime lord. His mother died while he was in prison for a crime he didn't committed. Wonder Woman is from Peru and receives her powers through Incan rather than Greek mythology and seeks to stop a man who killed her father. Superman is an intergalactic policeman who has to be extra tough because he's the only member of the force not genetically altered. However, when he lands on Earth, he finds himself the most powerful man on the planet. He seeks to avenge his wife's death and get home. Finally, Green Lantern is an archaeologist who finds the tree of life.

The stories occasionally pepper in the names of traditional DC characters. Steve Trevor appears in the Wonder Woman story with Diana Prince in the back up feature. Superman does adopt the identity of Clark Kent based on reading a couple signs (although, he could have just as easily adopted the identity of Peter Parker) and hires an aggressive agent named Lois Lane. It's worth noting that far more characters in this story became heroes through deaths than in the traditional DC universe. Of the four, only Batman became a hero that way in mainstream, but in the Staniverse only Green Lantern didn't, and even he lost someone he'd been interested in, though in a pretty shallow way.

Personal pain and tragedy is more often a motivator for Lee-created superheroes than for DC's traditional stable. Other Lee touches are present as well. The Batman story is evocative in some ways of Spider-man with Batman's wrestling and the Green Lantern looks a lot like a glowing green Silver Surfer.

The villain is Reverend Dominic Darrk, a classic Dr. Doomlike villain preaching hate and evil in his crossless church.

Overall, while none of the characters are going to replace the mainstream DC continuity, for a thought experiment, the book is fun and well-put together. I'll look forward to future volumes and see how the plot lines all resolve themselves.

[Stuart Butterworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stan Lee has a go at re-imagining the origins of some of DC's most iconic heroes - and generally makes them somehow worse.
With the exception of Batman, the origin stories seem more like cheap knock-offs than quality stories - it really feels that Stan took nothing more than names and abilities and attempted to write a pilot for a TV show that was as little to do with the source material as possible in an attempt to be as un-infringing as possible.
The Batman story was the best of the bunch - it feels like an Elsewhere story, presenting a new take on the mythos that doesn't rely on being born a multi-billionaire - This is the one character I actually cared about, and the only one I wouldn't mind reading more about.
Superman is basically the Superman origin story grafted onto Guy Gardner and given a police background, Wonder Woman is a Peruvian girl out to avenge the death of her parents, and Green Lantern is a bizarre hybrid of The Silver Surfer and Doctor Manhattan.
All in all, I'm glad Stan wasn't at DC when these characters were being developed, because they would never have been the giants of the industry we know and love.

[Helmut · Rating 1 out of 5]

Urgh...

Naja, das war wohl nix. Ich habe nur die Geschichte über Batman und Wonder Woman gelesen in Einzelheftausgaben. Aber das ist ja wohl echt unterirdisch. Lee warnt im Voraus davor, die Versionen zu Ernst zu nehmen und sie als "Verbesserungsvorschläge" zu sehen. Ich glaube nicht, dass irgendjemand das tun würde, bei diesen grottenschlechten Comics. In diesen Versionen geht jedes Flair und jede Stimmung, die den Originalcharakteren anhaftet, völlig verloren. Der Schreibstil ist vorsichtig gesagt gruslig schlecht. Die Zeichnungen von Jim Lee und Joe Kubert sind auch nicht das beste, was die beiden hervorgebracht haben - sie wirken im Vergleich zu den Meisterwerken, die die beiden geschaffen haben, völlig lieblos und dahingekritzelt.

Schade um die Zeit und das Geld, und das sage ich als bekennender Stan-Lee-Fan.

[Dustin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(This is my review for both volumes)
I've always been a fan of the Marvel "What If" and DC "Elseworlds" series of books, so it was interesting to see what Stan "The Man" Lee would have done with the DC universe. He was given a chance to reimagine the classic lineup of DC heroes, and the result was the miniseries collected in these two volumes. In some cases (Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash) I preferred the characters to their regular versions, but in most of the others I think they were a little too "classic Stan Lee" to really be successful. I would have loved to have seen a few of these characters get miniseries of their own.

[Alejandro Yee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though the comics are refined in each iteration, this fits so many tropes and bad writing in very short time. I know it is from the 90s and read other comics from that era or older but I could not like it.

[Kitap · Rating 2 out of 5]

A real let-down. The stories felt dated—I suspect Stan Lee reenvisioned these classic DC characters forty years ago.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly bad writing but fun novelty.