The Canon. Two words that come with oh so many implications, drama and confusion. With over 80 years of lore, it’s impossible to have everything line up all at the same time.
Sometimes, you don’t want to have to deal with all that.
Sometimes, you just want to sit back and read your favourite characters with no worry about the effect the story will have on that pesky canon.
Sometimes it’s cool to see Batman as a priest.
If you have ever thought any of these things, I have good news for you. So, join me on an adventure through:
The Elseworlds
Before we get into any of the stories themselves, we have to answer one question. What counts as an Elseworlds story? Some of you may be rolling your eyes at the screen, thinking, “Isn’t it obvious? Anything with an Elseworlds logo on the cover!”. While I do agree that anything with the logo is obviously going to be included, there are other categories of books that I also feel should be included. The first one of which is series under different imprints like Black Label and All-Star. DC tend to lump them all in together already, with titles like Kingdom Come originally being printed as an Elseworlds now being printed as Black Label. All-Star Superman used to just be Superman, just under the All-Star imprint, but now it’s ASSM under, again, Black Label.
Then we get to books that are obviously not part of a canon that aren’t under any imprint at all. Superman: Secret Identity isn’t part of anything, but you could clearly make the case that it’s an Elseworlds story. Luckily for us, DC offers us a line of text that tells us exactly what counts as an Elseworlds tale. Something I’m sure you may have read before:
In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places – some that have existed or might have existed, and others that can’t or shouldn’t exist. The result is stories that make characters that are as familiar as yesterday seem as fresh as tomorrow.
With that established, let’s start our journey at the beginning:
Earth 19 – Batman: Gotham by Gaslight
Are universe numbers really a thing anymore? I don’t know, but I think they’re cool. What can I say about Gotham by Gaslight that hasn’t already been said? A great start to Elseworlds as a concept, and also to differentiate it from Marvel’s What If line that had been around for over a decade at the time of its release. Instead of having a key difference in the timeline (What If Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four, per se), the whole world is different. I definitely enjoy this as a mood piece more than anything. The story is quite good, but it’s a little formulaic and predictable. Mike Mignola’s art, on the other hand, I think is some of his best work. Incredible.
Earth 1927 – Metropolis, Nosferatu and Blue Amazon trilogy
Here’s one I don’t see discussed so often. This is actually a trilogy of stories called Superman’s Metropolis, Batman: Nosferatu and Wonder Woman: The Blue Amazon. As you may have guessed by the titles, these are inspired by classic German expressionist cinema. Superman and Batman pulling directly from Metropolis and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, with Wonder Woman being an original tale in the same style. Even though it’s a bit of a step down from the first two in my opinion, if you’re a fan of that era of films (I certainly am), you’ll definitely find something to like in these books. Minus points for having an inconsistent naming convention.
Earth ??? – Superman: Secret Identity
As we’ve already discussed, this book was not printed as an Elseworlds, nor has it been put under Black Label. That aside, this has to be one of my favourite comic books ever. I tend to reread it around Christmas or the wintertime as an emotional little pick-me-up.
A four-issue miniseries with each detailing an important period in the life of Clark Kent, a boy named after the fictional hero Superman, who then finds himself with superpowers. Stuart Immomen provides the visuals to a story that beautifully describes fiction’s effects on the real world, love, loss, family and mortality. At the end of the day, a much more nuanced take on the “What if Superman was real?” question that doesn’t just reply “He’d be evil”.
Earth ??? – Batman: Holy Terror
Here we are. The big one. This is my favourite Elseworlds book. While Gotham By Gaslight is often credited with being the first of the line, Holy Terror (not to be confused with Frank Miller’s title of the same name. They are not the same.), was actually the first to be branded as such. This universe is one where Oliver Cromwell didn’t die of malaria, which causes England to remain a puritan theocracy. There is seemingly no war of independence between the UK and the US, and “The Commonwealth” is on the verge of ruling the whole Northern hemisphere.
I’m not going to dive into too much of the plot because this really is a book you should experience yourself. The only thing you need to know is that Bruce Wayne is a priest who uses Batman to investigate a corrupt church because he believes that it is God’s will. The comic itself is also very precise in its critique. It would be all too easy to just say “Boo, Christianity bad”, but Alan Brennert is very clear that this is a critique of the corruption in organised religion rather than the concept itself. To top it all off, you have Norm Breyfogle on the art here, and I wholeheartedly believe that this is some of his best work.
Earth 43 – Batman & Dracula: Red Rain
As we started our journey with a classic, so shall we end it. If you’ve never read this, you’ve probably at least heard of it or seen some art. And if you haven’t? You’re in for a really good surprise. Batman & Dracula is a great read. The highlight of which, for me, is Kelley Jones’ gorgeous artwork. The story is very good, don’t get me wrong. Batman investigates a series of murders, only to find out that they were committed by vampires.
Led by Dracula.
Then he becomes a vampire to stop him.
Try and tell me that doesn’t sound at least a little bit fun. As I’ve already mentioned, the book has incredible art that highlights the gothic and horror elements of the story. Which is most of it. If you enjoy it, it’s got a couple of sequels you can read too.
To finish up
So, today’s journey in the Elseworlds comes to an end. This was more of a list of personal favourites, but there’s so much more you can look at. How about stories only set during civil wars? There’s quite a bit to keep you busy. Alternate futures (mostly dystopias), different countries, reversed origins, worlds where villains are heroes and heroes are villains, worlds where heroes are two in one. There’s every type of story you can imagine. Maybe we can look at some more in a future instalment of:
Across the Elseworlds
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