Craig Shutt, author of the
Comics Buyer's Guide column Ask Mr. Silver Age, states that true imaginary stories differed from stories that were dreams and hoaxes. Dreams and hoaxes were "gyps" on account of "not having happened", whilst true imaginary stories were canonical at least unto themselves. Also, since they were "just" imaginary and thus had no bearing on the characters’ regular stories, imaginary stories could show things like people dying and the victory of evil. In the optimistic and hopeful Silver Age of Comics, such stories usually would not be told; this was hinted with writers telling readers how such an Imaginary Story often reassured the readers that it did not really happen.
Most of these imaginary stories featured
alternate histories of characters, such as "
The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman Blue!".[
citation needed] There, readers saw possible pasts that could have happened, but did not happen. One such story has Superman being raised by apes in imitation of
Tarzan, an idea that would be recycled into a later Elseworlds tale where Tarzan and Superman were switched at birth. Possible present times were shown, such as one story where
Jonathan and Martha Kent, touched by pity, adopt a recently orphaned
Bruce Wayneand raise him along with their own son, Clark. Thus, the present shows Superman and Batman as brothers, with Clark protecting Gotham and working for the Gotham Gazetteinstead of living in
Metropolis, and
Batmaninviting his foster parents, the Kents, to live with him in Wayne Manor. In keeping with the fact that imaginary stories allowed for much grimmer stories than usual, the story ended with
Lex Luthor killing the Kents and Batman trying to murder him in revenge.
