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Last Updated on Saturday, July 06, 2002
The only comic listed here which does not have the Elseworlds logo is Gotham by Gaslight. (The logo is a registered trademark of DC Comics. This site is in no way affiliated with DC Comics.) Confirmed Hypertimelines are marked as such. Elseworlds can be loosely grouped into six categories:
In a Historical Elseworlds, DCU characters are placed in a real-world historical setting. The world itself is identical or similar to the real world, with the exception of having superheroes in it. A Nation Divided
In this universe, infant Kal-El is sent to Earth during the 19th Century, not the 20th. He reaches adulthood during the Civil War, and fights for the North. His powers manifest strongly on the battlefield. Eventually, he alters the course of history by bringing the war to an early end, saving President Lincoln's life, etc. At the end of the story, he is heading west to defend Native American rights. This could technically be classified as an Alternate History Elseworlds, but as the changes occur during the story instead of prior to it, I decided to mark it as Historical. In The Kingdom #2, the Superman of this world is seen in Hypertime.
A Potential Future Elseworlds is set in a future where the modern DCU is a part of history. Some of these potential futures contradict the future seen in The Legion of Super-Heroes, but I'm not going to draw a distinction. Kingdom Come
The major events of this future timeline begin twenty years from now, when Captain Atom is killed by the Parasite, irradiating much of the American Midwest. The end result is the deaths of over 90% of the then-active superhumans. The universe presented in The Kingdom and related titles is almost identical to this one, but there are clear differences. (E.g., Kid Flash died at the end of Kingdom Come.)
Alternate DCU History Elseworlds happen in worlds where history closely
resembles the real world (like the real DCU), but where the history of
superheroes is altered. Some of these verge into Alternate Real-World histories,
when the superheroes begin having a significant impact on the world. Batman: In Darkest Knight
In this universe, Green Lantern Abin Sur chooses Bruce Wayne as his successor, instead of Hal Jordan. Eventually, Sinestro starts dressing like the Joker, Selina Kyle becomes Star Sapphire, et cetera. A moderately silly attempt to follow up on the success of Superman: Speeding Bullets. Bruce Wayne as Green Lantern has been seen repeatedly in Hypertime, starting with Planet Krypton.
Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl
In this world, infant Kal-El was captured by Lex Luthor, and eventually killed. The Justice League never existed, and instead the Justice Society was re-created, led by Wonder Woman. Also, Joe Chill killed Batgirl's parents, not Batman's, so Bruce Wayne became a real dilettante in service to the driven and grim Barbara Gordon. Eventually, Kara Zor-El came to Earth as she did on Earth-1 and became Supergirl. The members of the Justice Society of this world include Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Tarantula, Captain Marvel (a young John Henry Irons), Flash (apparently a robot), Hawkwoman, Barda, Vectron (possibly connected to Metron), Revenant, Green Lantern (Abin Sur), Dr. Midnite, Ambush Bug, Interceptor, Asteria, Tim Drake (probably a mascot), an unknown woman with white hair and a green/yellow costume, Black Orchid, Jade, Firestorm, Black Canary II (apparently of African descent), Starbolt, Blue Devil, Starfire, and Supergrrrl. Previous members include Captan Marvel (Billy Batson), Black Canary (Dinah Lance), Flash (Barry Allen), and an unknown man with a blue/white costume and an "M" symbol. Rather large team, isn't it?
JLA: The Nail
The Kents never find the baby Kal-El because of a nail flattening their truck tire. The JLA fight a hate campaign sparked by Lex Luthor against them. With Batman having killed the Joker, the JLA's plight worsens, while Lois Lane is shown a secret laboratory in Smallville Kansas, and also meets the Kents who have a secret of their own. As more JLA members are caught, the villain is revealed to be a Krypton-converted Jimmy Olsen. But when Kal-el is found, he battles Jimmy and saves the earth and the meta-humans from extinction.
Superman & Batman: Generations
This universe starts as Earth-2 started, with Superman and Batman making their debuts in the 1930s. However, they are "allowed" to age "normally", and the series is a generational saga. Both Kal-El and Bruce Wayne survive into the distant future, after bringing peace to Earth. The Superman of this universe (suffering from red kryptonite exposure) is seen in Hypertime in Kingdom #2. There are many internal clues that this universe and the world of Batman/Captain America are the same, and only one minor contradiction (Bruce Jr.'s hair color is slightly different). However, this world is definitely a Hypertimeline. Batman/Captain America, despite being an Elseworld, is part-owned by Marvel Comics, and thus almost certainly not a Hypertimeline.
Superman: The Dark Side
In this universe, infant Kal-El's rocket is diverted by Darkseid, and lands on Apokolips. Superman is raised as Darkseid's son. He is eventually sent to Earth to help conquer it, but he ends up renouncing evil. This variant Superman is seen in Hypertime in Kingdom #2.
Elseworlds with Alternate Real-World History take place on an Earth where real historical events went differently. (E.g., the Confederacy won the American Civil War.) The DCU characters are obviously altered by their new environment. These Elseworlds may take place at any point on the timeline, and the divergence may or may not have been caused by superhero activity.
Genre grafts are similar to both Historicals, and to Alternate DCU Histories. The occur when DCU characters are placed in a different genre (such as "Western"). Since the superheroic genre is so all-inclusive, this is a fuzzy category.
In a Fiction Graft, DCU characters are incorporated into a classic work of fiction, myth, or legend.
Unclassified As Yet
League of JusticeFour children are transported from Earth to the medieval fantasy type world of Yuirth, where they have to battle the evil sorcerer, Baron Luithorr, and his adopted son Sovereign. The Lady of the Birds, an enigmatic character, and the being responsible for the children's transportation to the fantasy land, informs them, that to be able to defeat Luithorr and his army of undead warriors, they must first assemble an army of heroes, a League of Justice. And so the children split up to search for the heroes, their search takes them from the dark city of Goth, to the Thanagaris Mountains, to the floating city of Amazonia and finally to the Metropolis a towering fortress-city which rips through Yuirths crust destroying all in its path as its despot conquers the lands.
The Justice Riders
In this offbeat Elseworlds tale, the Justice League of America is gathered under the leadership of Diana Price to thwart Maxwell Lord's plans to destroy the old west town of Paradise! Featuring Hawkman, The Martian Manhunter, Kid Flash, Booster Gold, the Blue Beetle and reporter named Kent!
JLA Annual #8
The Justice League visits an isolated crater where they have been asked to appear to respond to a challenge by Felix Faust. Upon the Leagues arrival they are attacked by demons, posing little threat to the League, J'onn leaves to investigates their source. During the Leagues battle, Felix Faust calls upon the forces of Evil to open the ground up and consume the heroes, a massive explosion is seen and Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern are decimated. With no League in his way Felix raises his army of genetically enhanced soldiers and quickly conquers the world, creating a twisted version of a Utopia by ending hunger, by killing the hungry, ending prejudice, by killing off those races he saw as inferior. One Hundred years later Felix Faust still rules the world, but there is a growing underground resistance to Faust's rule. A certain Dr. Martin Jonas, with his Children of Justice is trying to teach the true history of the world to the people, which Faust has altered in the records to make himself look like a savior. In addition, the Children Of Justice have a headquarters in an underground cave, where they have been conducting metagenic experiments to construct a new JLA. The successful results are people wit similar powers to the original Justice League. David West is a man endowed with extraordinary speed, Harrison Dent, although with no special powers is very skilled in martial arts and is also highly intelligent. Debra Trevor is a woman with super strength and speed and a limited flying ability. Kevin Hall grew wings from his back, Mike Morrow has the ability to control air pressure. Perry Ross is the most successful experiment as he is practically invulnerable superhumanly strong, can fly and has heat vision. And so a new JLA is formed with slightly altered costumes of the original, Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Batman, Hawkman and Red Tornado. The new JLA tries to find acceptance in the public eye, as Faust has branded them as criminals. Faust refuses to believe that this new League poses any threat at all to him, partly because he is so powerful, but also that Perry Ross, the new Superman is actually an agent of his. The JLA seems to be accepted by the public. Eventually Faust confronts the League by having Superman attack the league with the help of some demons. The battle moves to the same crater where the original League met their end and where Faust now has his base. Faust decides to repeat the same ploy to defeat the League and while opening up the Earth, the spirits of the deceased Leaguers are released, they bypass the new League instead dragging Felix and Perry Ross to their doom.
Batman: Holy Terror
This, the first official Elseworlds deals with an alternate reality, where Oliver Cromwell, never died from Malaria, instead reigning for another decade, the result is a present day world conquered and ruled by the Commonwealth, where a corrupted Church is the law. A type of Apartheid is enforced, Jews are persecuted, their population strictly monitored, paranormals are locked away and studied, no superheroes exist. Truly a world with little hope. Bruce Wayne, saw his parents murdered as a young boy and has been brought up by the family servant. Bruce, at peace with his parents deaths, is readying himself to take his vows. On the eve of his entry into priesthood, Inquisitor Gordon, visits Bruce Wayne. Gordon informs Bruce that his parents' murder was not by a thief as he had previously been told, but rather by an assassin ordered by the Star Chamber, a secret Church organization. Bruce, confused about the murder of his parents by the Church which he has devoted the rest of his life to, decides to investigate the matter by donning the outfit of a Bat/Demon to protect his identity and to strike fear into those he visits. After terrorizing corrupt members of the Church, Bruce decides that he still needs more information to discover his parents true killer. After taking his vows, Bruce manages to infiltrate the local Cathedral, discovering some of its secrets. He finds paranormal beings imprisoned behind glass windows, one of these he helps escape, Barry Allen, a being with superhuman speed. This escape is foiled by Dr. Saul Erdel, a doctor who deals with paranormal engineering, and his two minions, a witch and a clay being, a battle ensues , Bruce the only one who survives the encounter. Venturing further into the Cathedral, Bruce finally finds the Star Chamber where he meets an old man who informs him that there is no particular person who ordered his parents death, rather a sentence is voted upon by the Chamber consisting of many members. Bruce, understanding that it is the corrupt system that is responsible for his parents death decides to continue his crusade against the Church hoping to one day end it.
Kingdom Come
This imaginary story is more of a possible future for the present DC universe than an alternate reality. About twenty five years from present the DC universe is populated by the adult children of the present superheroes. This new generation of metahumans are generally violent and do not have much care for human life, bringing their devastating battles into cities, often leading to human casualties and much destruction. Superman has long since retired to his Fortress of Solitude after Metropolis chose a new hero, to be their guardian, one who would kill. Batman has created a police state in Gotham City, his army of Batbots monitor the city for signs of trouble, people live in fear of Batman. Wonder Woman, has lost her position amongst the Amazons, as she has failed to bring an end to war. Green Lantern is now a sentinel, he remains in New Oa, a large emerald fortress-satellite orbiting Earth guarding against any extra-terrestrial threat. Flash has now accelerated to incredible speeds, he vibrates even when standing still, he guard his city, moving so quickly that none of its citizens even know he is there. Lex Luthor has in the meantime brainwashed Billy Batson to his own beliefs, and created an organization to eliminate metahumans from the planet, the Mankind Liberation Front. A great disaster effecting the central region of the U.S.A. And the rising violence by metahumans prompts Superman into action he comes out of retirement and creates a new Justice League to bring order back to the world. Superman gains many new allies, the new metahumans finding a leader in Superman. Batman refuses to join the Justice League preferring to use his own network of more clandestine, urban warriors to do his work. Batman with the help of his metahuman and human allies infiltrate the Mankind Liberation with the pretence that their ideals are all the same, to reclaim Earth for the humans. During Superman and the Justice League's clean up operation they encounter some resistance from the more rebellious metahumans. In order to eliminate these threats to the public the Justice League build a gulag to contain the more volatile metahumans. A mistake which becomes increasingly dangerous. Human kind become concerned with the creation of the Gulag, to them it seems that the future of the planet has been taken out of their hands, at meeting with all the world leaders about the possible explosive menace, the UN decides to act. Batman's infiltration of the Mankind Liberation Front backfires on him when he accidentally allows the brainwashed Billy Batson to transform into Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel releases the volatile metahumans from the Gulag leading to a final battle between the swollen ranks of the Justice League and the mob of imprisoned metahumans. The battle is ended by U.N. intervention a bomb of massive destructive capabilities is dropped onto the battlefield. Most metahumans are killed in this strike, only Superman and a handful of others survive. The aftermath of this event is further explored in Mark Waid's upcoming project, currently known as the Kingdom event, which will consist of seven one shots each dealing with a different character.
Created Equal
Writer: "Created" is right! The Amazons of Paradise Island have raised a group of children born of Superman's cells, after every other male on the planet was killed by a disease. But Lex Luthor, sealed away in his airtight tomb, doesn't intend for the future to be created in Superman's image! And he has a couple of ideas to keep that from happening. Some are creative, and others are just plain destructive ... using Superman's sons against his daughters!
The Secret Society of Super-Heroes
Writer: Howard Chaykin and David Tischman Clark Kent grows up using his powers to secretly help people. He forms a secret society of Super-Heroes who remove criminals to the Phantom Zone. Lois Lane and Bruce Wayne are on the group's trail. Discovering the secret society, Bruce Wayne takes on his father's Batman mantle and exposes the super-heroes to the world, while they fight between themselves to the bitter end.
Realworlds:
Justice League of America
Artists: Four adults are sent invitations with a superhero costume they're supposed to wear to a party. Planned twists and turns along the way make them examine what they've become since they were children.
JLA:
Act of God, Vol. 1 through 3
Writer:
Doug
Moench What's the worst thing that could happen to the World's Greatest Superheroes? In one instant, without any warning, a mysterious flash of black light is felt all around the world. The result? All super-powered individuals on Earth -- whether meta-human, alien or of another race -- lose their super-human abilities at once. Suddenly, Superman is unable to save a town from a flash flood. The Flash is unable to outrace a bullet that ends up killing a police officer. And many, many more heroes are left completely and utterly helpless to save lives and fight crime as usual! It's all part of the latest Elseworlds miniseries by Doug Moench, Dave Ross and George Freeman! Full color. 48 pages.
 Writer:
Doug Moench Their powers gone, their lives irrevocably changed, the once super-powered heroes of Earth struggle to retain their grasps on life, love, and in some cases, even sanity. But while the JLA members confront their personal demons, the villain known as Lex Luthor reigns as strong as ever — and is threatening not only all of "normal" humanity, but the seemingly helpless heroes as well.
 Writer:
Doug Moench The result of all of Earth's heroes losing their powers signals the start of a new era. From the ashes rises The Phoenix Group, a post-super-powered band that has trained under Batman to carry on the tradition of super-heroes - only this time, without the powers. Aquaman, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter, and the Flash rededicate themselves to being humanity's greatest heroes - but will they rise to the occasion when confronted with their first great challenge, or fall by the wayside like Earth's other heroes?
The third and concluding volume to the Elseworlds saga that began with BATMAN & DRACULA: RED RAIN and BATMAN: BLOODSTORM. CRIMSON MIST finds James Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth removing the stake from the vampire Batman's heart in order to have him help fend off a swarm of undead descending on Gotham. But will a revived Dark Knight prove to be even a bigger threat? DC COMICS | FC, 96 pg. Softcover $14.95
SUPERMAN
& BATMAN: GENERATIONS II #1-4  Written and illustrated by John Byrne; cover by Byrne Re-enter the world of SUPERMAN & BATMAN: GENERATIONS in this thrilling new miniseries! The lives of Superman and Batman are just part of the rich tapestry writer/artist John Byrne explores in this sequel to the first GENERATIONS epic, as landmark moments in the careers of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the entire Justice Society of America unfold. DC COMICS SUPERMAN | FC, 48 pg. (1 of 4) Prestige Format $5.95
 Written and illustrated by John Byrne; cover by Byrne The surprising miniseries continues! In the 1960s, the teen protegés of the JSA form a teen group of their own; sibling rivalry and other tensions mount within the Kent family; and an unexpected romance flowers in Gotham City's super-hero community. Then, in the 1970s, Deadman takes Batman on a harrowing trip into the shattered psyche of one of the Dark Knight Detective's greatest foes, and Hal Jordan embarks on a new career. DC COMICS SUPERMAN | FC, 48 pg. (2 of 4) Prestige Format $5.95
Written and illustrated by John Byrne; cover by Byrne The World's Greatest Super-Heroes are pushed to their limits as the Prestige miniseries nears its conclusion! In 1986, the Justice League of America must confront the truth that Batman has been driven over the edge. How can Green Lantern Alan Scott and a new Flash and Wonder Woman stop a Dark Knight who has gone completely out of control? Then, in 1997, a new hero stalks the streets of Gotham...but who is Knightwing? And how can Superman come to the new hero's aid while still exiled to the Phantom Zone? DC COMICS SUPERMAN | FC, 48 pg. (3 of 4) Prestige Format $5.95
 Written and illustrated by John Byrne; cover by Byrne The centuries-spanning sequel concludes! In 2008, an unexpected villain is reborn — but can even Green Lantern, Knightwing, Cyborg, and a new Flash stop him without help from either of the World's Finest Heroes? Then, a leap to 2019 includes a look back at the year 1920, as Jonathan Kent and the young Superboy irrevocably change the destiny of the Wayne family, sowing the seeds for a truly timeless friendship. DC COMICS SUPERMAN | FC, 48 pg. (4 of 4) Prestige Format $5.95
JLA: SHOGUN OF STEEL
Written by Ben Raab; art and cover by Justiniano A rocketship from an exploding planet Krypton lands not in Smallville, but rather war-torn 14th century feudal Japan. When the baby from Krypton grows into a man, Hoshi, he is convinced by a ragtag band of warriors — Elseworlds versions of the Flash, Hawkman, and Batgirl, among others — to join a rebellion against the oppressive and cunning "Shogun of Steel." DC UNIVERSE | FC, 64 pg. Prestige Format $6.95
JLA: THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU
Written by Roy Thomas; art and cover by Steve Pugh A certain young Mr. Carr finds himself on an island where a deranged scientist has created a corps of super-human creatures, utilizing amalgams of wild animals! Desperate to prove the validity of his research, the scientist — Dr. Moreau — brings his menagerie back to civilization…to hunt down Jack the Ripper and bring him to justice! DC UNIVERSE | FC, 64 pg. Prestige Format $6.95
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