Ever since the Flashes of the Golden and Silver Ages met in 1961, DC Comics has been the pioneer of multiverse stories in comics. With infinite universes, writers are allowed to tell stories with new and engaging reinterpretations of DC’s greatest heroes. Although currently DC’s biggest alternate universe title is the Absolute Universe, for decades that status belonged to the Elseworlds imprint. Elseworlds is home to a multitude of one-shots and miniseries that explore alternate versions of DC heroes from across the multiverse, offering new takes on their origins and storylines. Over the years, some of DC Comics’ most iconic and thought-provoking storylines of all time have been Elseworlds.
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Unbound by the restrictions of the DC canon, these are the greatest stories under the Elseworlds imprint that are cemented in the comic book hall of fame.
10) Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham
The Dark Knight has fought all manner of serial killers and supervillains, but Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham has him facing off against creatures beyond human comprehension. A crossover between Batman and the work of H. P. Lovecraft, this Elseworlds pulp adventure/horror tale set in the 1920s sees an ancient evil awakened in the Antarctic. When the influence of this eldritch entity reaches Gotham, Batman must fight Lovecraftian abominations and demons to prevent a doomsday cult led by Ra’s al Ghul from freeing the all-powerful Iog-Sotha and wiping out humanity. To save the world from the cult and their twisted deity, Batman must be willing to become a monster like the ones he fights. Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham is a gripping and chilling tale that takes full advantage of the Lovecraft mythos while also offering some of the most terrifying incarnations of Ra’s al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Penguin, and Two-Face.
9) Justice Riders
Many of Elseworlds’ best storylines have DC’s heroes placed in entirely different time periods. Justice Riders is set on Earth-18 and reimagines the Justice League as gunslinging heroes of the Wild West. When US Marshall Diana Prince finds her hometown of Paradise destroyed and everyone dead, she embarks on a quest for vengeance against the perpetrator, railroad baron Maxwell Lord. For her mission, Diana assembles a colorful cast of Wild West-inspired incarnations of several DC Heroes. The members of the Justice Riders include the Martian J’onn J’onzz, an outlaw Kid Flash, a sheriff Guy Gardner, a Native American Hawkman, the inventor Beetle, and the con artist Booster Gold. What follows is a fun and crazy ride across the American Frontier as the Justice Riders battle Lord and his numerous henchmen and a steampunk robot. Despite not including Superman or Batman, Justice Riders still manages to be an exciting Justice League story that takes full advantage of its Wild West setting.
8) Dark Knights of Steel
After a 14-year hiatus, DC Comics finally revitalized its Elseworlds imprint with one of its best works: Dark Knights of Steel. Despite the name, this series doesn’t just focus on Batman, as it delves into numerous DC heroes and villains in this incredible Game of Thrones-style inspired world. On Earth-118, Jor-El and Lara escape the destruction of Krypton and land on Earth, where they become rulers of a kingdom and give birth to their children, Kal-El and Zala Jor-El. Batman is the illegitimate son of King Jor-El, making him half-Kryptonian. The other major kingdoms of this world are Themyscira, led by Queen Hippolyta and Princess Diana, and the Kingdom of Storms, ruled by King Jefforson. Like with any high-fantasy setting, Dark Knights of Steel is a tale full of magic, betrayal, engaging character dynamics, and brewing wars between rival kingdoms, while also having time to throw in an alien invasion.
7) Superman: Speeding Bullets
Some of the best alternate versions of Superman rely on having his rocket ship crash-land somewhere other than Smallville. In Superman: Speeding Bullets, the infant Kal-El lands in Gotham City, where he’s found and raised by Thomas and Martha Wayne, who name him Bruce. Unfortunately, tragedy would still strike as Joe Chill in Crime Alley killed Bruce’s adoptive parents. This event caused Bruce to manifest his Kryptonian powers, as he incinerated Joe Chill with his heat-vision. As an adult, upon learning of his alien heritage, Bruce became the high-flying scourge of Gotham’s criminal underworld known as Batman. Not only does this storyline depict a Batman with superpowers, but it also features a Jokerized Lex Luthor to oppose him. Superman: Speeding Bullets shows how the Man of Steel’s overwhelming power can’t be driven by rage and trauma. In the end, Bruce decides to become a symbol of hope by taking up a new identity: Superman. It’s a brilliant story that compares Superman and Batman’s aesthetics and drives.
6) Batman and Dracula Trilogy
The crossover between the Dark Knight and the Lord of Vampires was inevitable. Across Batman’s many clashes with vampires, the Elseworlds Batman and Dracula Trilogy is the most iconic. Originally released as Red Rain, Bloodstorm, and Crimson Mist, in this epic trilogy set on Earth-43, Dracula makes Gotham City his new hunting ground. To defeat Dracula, Batman is forced to become a vampire himself. Although Batman manages to kill Dracula, he loses his humanity in the process. Despite his best efforts to continue operating as Gotham’s protector, Batman’s bloodlust, mixed with the death of Catwoman, causes him to transform completely into a feral beast. As Batman starts slaughtering his rogues’ gallery, his former friends Alfred and Commissioner Gordon are forced to become vampire hunters to put the Dark Knight to rest. The Batman and Dracula Trilogy is a stunning storyline drenched in gothic horror and existential dread as Batman is transformed into a blood-sucking creature of the night.
5) The Golden Age
In the main DC Universe, the Golden Age superhero teams, the Justice Society and the All-American Squad, fought to save the free world from the tyranny of the Axis Powers during World War II. However, the Elseworlds story The Golden Age offers an unflinching look at post-war America, the rise of McCarthyism, and what happens to these heroes once they come home. Numerous heroes of this generation find themselves struggling due to the new American landscape and their trauma from the war. Green Lantern is accused of being a Communist spy, Hourman struggles with his addiction to the Miraclo pill, and Starman grapples with the guilt of discovering that his Cosmic Staff helped inspire the atom bomb. All the while, a nefarious conspiracy is working behind the shadows to take control of the United States. The Golden Age is an incredibly tragic and poignant story that takes a hard look at PTSD and the ugly side of post-war America.
4) JLA: The Nail
The thesis of JLA: The Nail is that the smallest of changes can impact the entire world. Earth-898 is a universe where a nail pops the tire of Jon and Martha Kent’s truck, causing them to miss Superman’s rocket. Several decades later, without Superman present to act as a symbol of hope, humanity has a far more tense relationship with the superhero community. In this world, Lex Luthor is the mayor of Metropolis, and the Justice League is viewed by the public as a looming threat despite their good deeds. As tensions rise and villains stoke the flames of hatred, the Justice League must save the world from an unseen threat. And of course, this Elseworlds story eventually reveals where the Man of Steel had been for all these years. JLA: The Nail is a gripping exploration of the disconnect between heroes and the people that they’re sworn to protect. It also acts as a fitting tribute to Superman by showing how much the world needs him.
3) Gotham by Gaslight
Set during the 19th century, Gotham by Gaslight is a story of the World’s Greatest Detective hunting down history’s most elusive serial killer, Jack the Ripper. Taking place on Earth-19, Batman is the protector of a Victorian-era Gotham, which soon finds itself plagued by a series of gruesome murders. Unfortunately, as Batman tries to uncover Jack the Ripper’s identity, Bruce Wayne finds himself framed for the serial killer’s crimes. Given the era in which the story is set, this incarnation of Batman wields steampunk gadgets, and he must rely more on his detective reasoning than high-tech gadgets to uncover history’s most unsolvable case. Gotham by Gaslight is an incredible tale that ranks among Batman’s greatest detective stories of all time, thanks in part to its gothic atmosphere, tension, and numerous plot twists. Additionally, Gotham by Gaslight proved so popular that not only did it inspire several sequels, but it also helped jumpstart the entire Elseworlds imprint.
2) Superman: Red Son
Superman is well-known as America’s shining beacon of hope, but Superman: Red Son delves into a world where things play out very differently. Earth-30 is a world where Superman’s rocket crashed in Soviet Ukraine in 1938. Superman is quickly molded into a tool of Joseph Stalin’s Communist regime and becomes a symbol of the Soviet Union. Over time, Superman is made the new leader of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, his newfound power and well-meaning attempts to save the world led him to expand the Soviet Union across Europe and to come into direct conflict with the United States. In addition to Superman, this Elseworlds story includes a Russian terrorist Batman, a United States President Lex Luthor, and an American Green Lantern Corps. Superman: Red Son is a masterful exploration of Superman’s character, the corruptive nature of absolute power, and a critique on Russian and American patriotism, propaganda, and aggression during the Cold War.
1) Kingdom Come
Revered by many as one of the greatest DC Comics stories of all time, Kingdom Come is an awe-inspiring tribute to the superhero genre across the ages. This story is set on Earth-22 which is a dark future where the older generation of heroes, including Superman, has fallen out of favor and has been replaced by new “heroes” who serve as satires of ‘90s anti-hero cliches. When Kansas is inadvertently destroyed by one of these new heroes, Superman comes out of retirement and forms an all-new Justice League, bringing together the best heroes of every generation. Superman and the Justice League try to lead the world to a better tomorrow, but their efforts create tensions with the anti-heroes that risk an all-out superhuman war. This series debuted some of the most iconic alternate versions of DC heroes, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern. As a story all about hope, humanity, and legacy, Kingdom Come is the ultimate DC Comics story.
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