 frame|elseworlds logo. elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by dc comics that takes place outside the company's canon. the imprint presents narratives in which existing characters or storylines are introduced to an entirely new idea or concept and often put into alternate timelines or realities. gotham by gaslight, featuring batman, is considered to be the first elseworlds story. the "elseworlds" name was trademarked in 1989, the same year as the first elseworlds publication, and supplanted the previous imaginary stories series that employed the same premise. unlike its marvel comics counterpart what if...?, which bases its stories on a single point of divergence from the regular continuity, most elseworlds stories instead take place in entirely self-contained continuities, with the only connection to the canon dc continuity being the presence of familiar dc characters. ==history== ===imaginary stories=== from the beginnings of the comic book format, adventure story characters such as batman and superman have been presented in different interpretations. sometimes as humorous cartoons with very little logic to the story and sometimes as more substantial works of fantasy fiction where continuity matters. from 1942 to the mid-1980s, particularly during the 1960s silver age of comic books era, dc comics began to make a distinction between the "real" continuity of the most popular characters and the stories with even wilder flights of fancy which did not need to fit that continuity. these latter were called imaginary stories and the very first was "superman, cartoon hero!"ââsupermanââ #19 (1942), by jerry siegel (script), joe shuster (layouts), ed dobrotk the title page of a slightly altered reprint version states that the story is "our first imaginary story", and continues to say, "in 1942, a series of superman shorts started showing throughout the u.s.! so, with tongue firmly in cheek, the dc team turned out this story of what might have happened if lois lane had decided to see... superman, cartoon hero!" the original printing is worded differently and gives no impression that the story is any more or less than a "real" superman story. the rewrite gives us a clear indication of changing editorial policy. it opens with lois determined to learn superman's secret identity and going to the theater to see the max fleisher superman short [[superman (animated short)|"mad scienti
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