The biggest DC superheroes have claimed the spotlight in the legendary ongoing series to non-canon prestige graphic novels. But these Other worlds Imprint means a long line of all-star creative teams have been able to go even further than regular stories, casting heroes in past and future settings, as well as blending them with classic literature.
The Elseworlds imprint brings readers some of the company’s best stories, with the likes of Kingdom come Still being iconic today. The juggernauts overshadow the rest, so for readers who want to get deeper in The best worlds from DC’s Elseworlds comicsThese stories are just as worth reading as Gotham by Gaslight Or The doom that has come to Gotham.
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Elseworld’s Finest
John Francis Moore, Kieron Dwyer and Hilary Barta
Elseworld’s Finest Reimagines Batman and Superman as early 20th century costumed heroes in the vein of Platinum Age pulpy vigilantes. The story follows this alternate take on the world’s finest as they meet for the first time in their superhero personas as they get caught up in a hunt for a powerful artifact, the Godstone, and the lost city of Argos. Here, Luthor is reimagined as a turn-of-the-century Russian inventor and pirate, while Ra’s al Ghul is closer to his classic depiction, as the two compete for power.
A love letter to pre-superhero pulp magazines, Elseworld’s Finest Reimagine the Caped Crusader and Man of Steel as more exaggerated versions of themselves: Batman through a more dark fantasy-inspired lens and Superman a more deified, though subdued, science fiction superhero. For readers who want to see Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent cast in a classic adventure, this miniseries is the best there is.
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Planetary / JLA: Terra Occulta
Warren Ellis and Jerry Ordway
One of the best comics to come out of the 1990s was PlanetaryA series that is effectively one big pastiche of pop culture icons, from Doc Savage to Godzilla. The series revolves around Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent and Diana Prince, who target the leaders of the Planetary Agency to bring them to justice for their role in controlling the world of the shadows.
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Planetary / JLA Makes for a seamless blending of two brilliant franchises, giving DC’s trinity a fun makeover as they set out to rid the world of its secret conspirator puppet masters. The story makes for a great science fiction conspiracy thriller, one that sees the heroes triumph over their dystopian overlords – while delivering its share of tragedy.
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Superman: War of the Worlds
Roy Thomas and Michael Lark
Some of the best uses of DC’s Elseworlds imprint saw the placement of key heroes in works of classical literature, such as Dracula And Jekyll & Hyde. Among the best of these was Superman: War of the WorldsWhich reimagined the Man of Steel in its Golden Age setting defending the world from the Martian invaders from HG Wells’ novel.
Superman: War of the Worlds Is everything an Elseworlds tale should be, exploring how a classic story would have ended differently with the Man of Steel involved. With the hero at his lower Golden Age power levels, the story has real stakes, and sees Clark Kent giving his all in defending the world from invasion.
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The Golden Age
James Robinson, Paul Smith and Richard Ory
The Golden Age Follow classic DC heroes in the aftermath of World War II, exploring their activities during the age of McCarthyism in the 1950s. The story reveals a grand conspiracy involving the Ultra-Humanite and Adolf Hitler himself, pitting the era’s most valiant heroes against evil villains posing as revered heroes.
The Golden Age Borrows elements from stories like GuardExplore political intrigue and the nature of what it means to be a superhero in a changing world. However, with Moore and Gibbons’ iconic story understandably stealing the spotlight for its genre, the miniseries hasn’t retained the same evergreen status – despite being just as great a story, one key to DC’s Golden Age heroes.
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JSA: The Liberty File
Dan Jolley, Tony Harris and Ray Snyder
JSA: The Liberty File Reimagines the Golden Age of DC in a cloak and dagger-style tale of espionage. It follows a trinity of heroes, the Bat, Clock and Owl (Batman, Hourman and Doctor Mitten Knight) as they hunt for a smuggler, Jack the Green (Joker), to uncover key German secrets. Their mission leads to the revelation of the Nazi’s discovery of their own Ubermensch: Superman.
The Liberty File Delivers readers a great alternative take on DC’s Golden Age, reimagining key characters like Batman and Joker alongside the JSA. Along with its sequel, the two-issue mini-series is perfect for readers who enjoy espionage-themed war stories, as well as a masterful reinterpretation of the Justice Society.
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Deathstroke: Journey’s End
Marv Wolfman, Ed Benes, Rus Sever, Terry Beatty, Bob Smith and Mike Deodato Jr.
Deathstroke: Journey’s End Follows Slade Wilson in the aftermath of a nuclear war that has caused the extinction of the human race – with the sole exception of the immortal mercenaries. Now, the Earth’s surface is populated by the Genetics, a race of mutants created by scientists, the Terminator fights his way through the streets, eventually leading a band of humans against their overlords.
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Deathstroke: Journey’s End Blends Elements by Richard Matheson I am legend With stories like Escape From New York, casting Slade as a lone gunman trying to hunt down the world’s new monstrous inhabitants. Whether for fans of dystopian science fiction or hard-boiled action, the Deathstroke tale is one of Elseworlds’ best stories.
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Batman/Lobo
Alan Grant, Simon Bisley and Nathan Eyring
Batman is forced to take on some of DC’s most chaotic and violent villains, but few compare to his battle against space-based bounty hunter Lobo. The story follows a competition between Joker and Ventriloquist for control of Gotham, with the latter turning to the main man to get rid of his rival. In response, the Clown Prince of Crime hires Lobo to kill Batman, with Victor deciding the killer clown’s fate.
Batman/Lobo is an over-macho, hilarious struggle between two completely opposite characters: the orderly and methodical Batman versus the chaotic, ultraviolet Bastich. While true Elseworlds fans continue to praise the story, it has been forgotten by many mainstream readers, something not unusual for painted art comics of its era.
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Castle of the Bat
Jack C. Harris and Bo Hampton
Castle of the Bat Brings readers an 18th century version of Bruce Wayne, one haunted by the murder of his father. In an effort to set things right, Wayne throws himself into biochemistry, specifically as it relates to bats, and begins his horrifying experiment to resurrect Thomas Wayne. Naturally, this results in the young scientist inadvertently unleashing a monstrous man-bat upon the world.
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As one of Elseworlds’ most immersive books when it comes to art, Castle of the Bat Perfectly encapsulates the eerie tone of its setting and inspiration. For readers who want to experience a truly incredible horror story, it doesn’t get much better than this tale, and Bo Hampton’s painted art sets it apart from the average comic.
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A fistful of bastiches
Alan Grant, Christian Alamy, Sergio Aragones, Martin Emond, Carlos Ezquerra, Val Semeiks, John Ridgway, Barry Kitson, Ray McCarthy, Frank Gomez, Kieron Dwyer, John Dell, Peter Gross, Wayne Faucher, Dave Johnson, Chris Alexander, Dusty Abell , Pablo Raimondi and Gabriel Morrissette
To say that Lobo is one of DC’s most over-the-top characters would severely undersell the main man and his outrageous space adventures. in A fistful of bastichesThe antihero is reimagined as a Spaghetti Western bounty hunter—among other identities—as an all-star creative team explores the bastiche in a host of Western parodies.
“A Fistful of Bastilles” is a must-have annual issue that delivers some of Lobo’s best stories, blending elements of Sergio Leone’s “Dollars Trilogy” with Looney tunes– inspired action. The comic honors everything that makes the main man one of DC’s most entertaining anti-heroes, while giving people who enjoy Westerns an over-the-top love letter to the genre.
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Justice Riders
Chuck Dixon, JH Williams III, Mick Gray and John Van Fleet
set in the wild west, Justice Riders Follows various JLA heroes reimagined as gunfighter vigilantes who fight to bring justice to the American frontier. The story primarily revolves around a band of brave lawmen and gunmen in the West who set out to confront the alliance between a murderous Felix Faust and cruel baron, Maxwell Lord. When they realize that the villains are planning to use a devastating war machine, differences are set aside to bring them down.
Justice Riders Stands out as a fantastic Western comic book, casting figures like Wonder Woman and Blue Beetle as classic gunslinger-inspired heroes. The real appeal of this story is seeing the Justice League dynamic reimagined through Western archetypes, from gangster Wally West and Pinkerton agent Guy Gardner to martial Wonder Woman and steampunk inventor Ted Kord.