Things aren’t quite right with this week’s “So You Want To Read Comics”.  This is our weekly feature where we take a look at a single topic or genre then give you two comic book recommendations, perfect for new readers, based on that topic or genre.  This week we’re taking a look at Alternate History.

Have you ever wondered how things would go if one event happened differently?  Or do you love shows like The Man in The High Castle or For All Mankind?  Then you just might be a fan of Alternate History fiction. This is a brand of speculative fiction that centers around the changing of a single or small group of historical events (either in real life or established fictional history) and then showing the ramifications of that change.  These stories often carry with them a fair bit of social commentary, as if they’re saying “hey, this is how things could’ve gone, don’t let history repeat itself or else we might get the bad ending this time.” Sometimes these types of stories are coupled with time travel elements or alternate universe tropes, but typically those parts are not the focal point, so something like Back To The Future, while having alternate history aspects to it, is typically classified as something else.

Here are a couple of graphic novels that utilize Alternate History well and are accessible to new readers.

MINISTRY OF SPACE

Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Chris Weston
Publisher: Image Comics

As most people know, the space race during the mid-20th century was primarily between The US and USSR.  But, what if there never was a space race and instead space exploration was monopolized by The UK?  That’s the world envisioned in Ministry of Space.  In this series, the reader gets to see history from the end of WWII to modern day play out with the conceit that The UK, through underhanded means, becomes the sole owner of the technology needed for space.  Many of the same events that happened in the real world, happen here except with The UK being the one who own all the accomplishments and thus the world becomes decidedly more “British”.  By the end of this series, things start to veer into full-on Science Fiction territory, but there’s a grounded level of social commentary, especially around the idea of what parts of society suffer when a nation obtains the height of power through supremacy rather than progress.

MANIFEST DESTINY

Writer: Chris Dingess
Artist: Matthew Roberts
Publisher: Image Comics

While many alternate history stories are set up as the result of a binary scenario, “this country won a war except the other, this person was killed instead of this person” but sometimes creators take a different approach and this is introducing an unexpected element into history.  In this case, what would happen if Lewis & Clark during their expedition to the Pacific Ocean encountered monsters.  In this version of history, the whole expedition is shown in a different light.  Instead of being a tale of adventure and perseverance that it is often shown as, it becomes more of a cautionary tale, with many of the monsters Lewis and Clark meet, and encounters they have, being symbolic of actual consequences that came from their expedition.  This is one of those situations where the alternate history isn’t utilized as simply a thought experiment, but as a way to show a different side of a real event that isn’t always explored in history books.

What are some of your favorite Alternate History stories?  What did you think of these recommendations? Let us know in the comments section.

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