Imaginary Stories

From the early 1940s to the mid-1980s, particularly during the 1960s Silver Age of Comic Books era, DC Comics published various stories about their title characters which did not take place in their regular continuity. Most of these stories were labeled "Imaginary Stories" and featured alternate histories of characters. Although the majority of Imaginary Stories were published in various Superman comics, a few Imaginary Stories appeared in Batman comics and other DC publications.

The first "Imaginary Story" to be described in that way, "Superman, Matinee Idol", was written by Jerry Siegel and appeared in Superman (Volume 1) #19 (December 1942).

The last official "Imaginary Story" ever published—"Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?"—was written by Alan Moore and appeared in Superman (Volume 1) #423 and Action Comics #583 (both September 1986). The Elseworlds series of self-contained stories are essentially Imaginary Stories under a newer label and a wider scope of possibilities.

JLA #8 used the story title "Imaginary Stories".

The Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium reclassified many (but not all of) these stories as taking place on other Earths.

The following is a list of stories that were considered to be "Imaginary Stories" - but then, aren't they all?