Elseworlds — BrandWiki

Elseworlds is the publication imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that take place outside the DC Universe canon.[1] Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realities that deviate from the established continuity of DC's regular comics. The "Elseworlds" name was trademarked in 1989, the same year as the first Elseworlds publication.[1]

History

Imaginary Stories

The title page of "Superman, Cartoon Hero!"[2] (a slightly retooled reprint of 1942's "Superman, Matinee Idol")[3] stated that the story was "Our first imaginary story", and continued to say: "In 1942, a series of Superman shorts started showing throughout the U.S.! So, with tongue firmly in cheek, the DC team turned out this story of what might have happened if Lois Lane had decided to see... Superman, Cartoon Hero!" The story opens with Lois determined to learn Superman's secret identity and going to the theater to see the Max Fleischer Superman short "The Mad Scientist" in hopes of seeing the animated Man of Steel reveal his secret identity. In addition to other things, when the opening credits roll and state that the cartoons are based on DC Comics, Lois Lane states that she has never heard of DC Comics. Clark Kent then wonders if the people there are clairvoyant. In the final panel, Clark Kent exchanges a knowing wink with the image of himself as Superman on the movie screen.[4]

In other media

"Elseworlds" was the title for the fifth crossover in the Arrowverse franchise, which aired from December 9 to 11, 2018, on The CW. The crossover was told across episodes of The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl and introduced Batwoman, Gotham City, Nora Fries, and Lois Lane to the Arrowverse.[16]

Quotes

"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, couldn't or shouldn't exist. The result: stories that make characters who are as familiar as yesterday seem as fresh as tomorrow."

External links

References

M. Keith Booker. Comics through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas ABC-CLIO, 2014, retrieved 5 March 2016^
Superman #183 (January 1966)^
Superman #19 (Nov.–Dec. 1942)^

Elseworlds imprint

The first Elseworlds title was Gotham by Gaslight (1989), written by Brian Augustyn and drawn by Mike Mignola, which featured a Victorian Age version of the superhero Batman hunting Jack the Ripper, who had come to Gotham City. The title was not originally published as an Elseworlds comic, but its success led to the creation of the Elseworlds imprint and this title was retroactively declared the first Elseworlds story.[8] The first book to feature the Elseworlds logo was Batman: Holy Terror in 1991. In 1994, the Elseworlds imprint was used as the theme for the annual edition comic books of that summer.

DC sporadically published various Elseworlds titles from 1989 to 2003. In August 2003, editor Mike Carlin mentioned that DC had scaled back the production of Elseworlds books in order to "put the luster back on them".[9] Several titles that were announced as Elseworlds books prior to this, such as Superman & Batman: Generations IV and The Teen Titans Swingin' Elseworlds Special, were cancelled. The planned Teen Titans tale was released in January 2008 as the Teen Titans Lost Annual.[10]

In September 2009, Dan DiDio revealed the return of the Elseworlds imprint as a series of Prestige Format books, with the approach of taking the basic concepts and origins of DC characters and twisting them in various ways.[11] The only Elseworlds story released under the initiative was the three-issue miniseries Superman: The Last Family of Krypton, published from August to October 2010, which told the story of baby Kal-El reaching Earth with his mother and father and how the world handles the emergence of a superpowered family.[12]

After a 14-year absence, DC relaunched the imprint in 2024 with six titles confirmed:[13]

Gotham by Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age by Andy Diggle and Leandro Fernández

Batman the Barbarian by Greg Smallwood

Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter by Jay Kristoff and Tirso Cons

Green Lantern: Dark by Tate Brombal and Werther Dell'Edera

Batman: Nightfire by Clay and Seth Mann

DC vs. Vampires: World War V by Matthew Rosenberg and Otto Schmidt

Relationship to DC continuity

Although the Elseworlds imprint was created to feature stories separate from DC continuity, concepts from various Elseworlds stories were incorporated into DC continuity at various times.

The Kingdom miniseries in 1999 brought the 1996 Kingdom Come miniseries into DC continuity as part of a series of alternate timelines known as Hypertime, which included some of the alternate worlds depicted in various Elseworlds titles.[14]

A new Multiverse was introduced at the conclusion of the 52 weekly series that includes alternate worlds that were previously seen in various Elseworlds titles.[15]

History

Imaginary Stories

In other media

Quotes

See also

External links

References

Elseworlds imprint

Relationship to DC continuity

Relationship to DC continuity