Back in the day, a Marvel Comics series containing alternate history stories of the major Marvel characters. The Watcher would introduce each tale with an account of something that happened in Marvel continuity and then show us what would have happened if things had turned out differently. The ones I remember were:

• "What If Daredevil Became An Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
• "What If the Avengers Had Become Pawns of Korvac?"
• "What If Doctor Doom Was A Superhero?"
• "What If the Avengers Fought The Kree-Skrull War Without Rick Jones?"
• "What If Conan Walked The Earth Today?"

There was another cool one I can't remember the title of, but was essentially "What If The Thing Just Went Totally Nuts?", in which Ben Grimm's mind snapped after he turned into the Thing and he went on a rampage. He fought the Hulk and had an atom bomb dropped on him and stuff.

What If? (Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers) is a wonderful book by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter. The ideal companion to Bird by Bird, it contains 83 exercises and discussion pieces designed to improve your fiction writing.

Unlike many books in the genre, which seem to have been written by hacks wanting to make a quick buck off hopeful authors, each chapter is genuinely helpful. It's often incorporated into university creative writing courses.

It's published by Harper Collins, and costs around $13. The ISBN is 0-06-272006-6.