D.C. Other worlds Stories are a classic feature of the publisher, imagining iconic characters in new settings with novel backgrounds. These are the perfect stories to place DC heroes in settings from times past. These comics combine genres such as western, film noir, fantasy and political thriller with the story of the superhero.
The period settings also invite artists to create retro designs of classic characters, imagining how to translate the colors and styles of superheroes into gunslinger armor and leather. With Elseworlds returning as an official imprint, there’s never been a better time to check out some of DC’s best offerings.
10 JSA: The Golden Age (1993)
By James Robinson and Paul Smith
Set in the early 1950s, JSA: The Golden Age sees the Justice Society heroes of World War II fighting against aging and the changing political landscape of Cold War paranoia and McCarthyism. Heroes like Green Lantern Alan Scott are blacklisted and forced to retire, while some like Hourman Rex Tyler are losing their powers. Former hero and current politician Tex Thompson assembles a team of heroes looking for direction, but the characters soon discover a dark story behind Thompson’s campaign. The story uses the superhero community as a parallel for idealistic Americans facing a more complicated world. after the invention of the nuclear bomb.
9 “Citizen Wayne” from Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual (1994)
By Brian Augustyn, Mark Waid and Joe Staton
The team behind JLA: Year One and the 90s Flash adapts the story of Batman to the classic film Citizen Kane. Set in a Kane-Inspired by the mid-20th century, the story follows an investigation into the deaths of wealthy Bruce Wayne and prosecutor Harvey Dent. An investigator questions the people who knew Wayne and uncovers a prismatic view of Bruce’s life as a newspaper editor trying to fight for justice. Told by Batman characters cleverly placed in the roles of KaneCast castThe story covers Wayne’s rivalry with Dent, his efforts to put away crime boss Sal Maroni, and the appearance of a mysterious vigilante.
8 “The Last Man” from Catwoman Annual (1994)
By Christopher Priest and Federico Cueva
In a mythical year 1275 AD, the religious House of Lords hunts down the accused cannibalistic House of Selene, protected by the warrior Ra’s al Ghul. With the ability to transform into a feline demon with nine lives, al Ghul is pursued by Prince Timon, the Black Knight, of the House of Lords, who wears a bat seal. Timon has killed al Ghul eight times and, in his final battle, finishes him off with a ninth and final kill. However, after battle wounds left Timon ill, The warrior finds himself pursued by Talia, Al Ghul’s daughter..
7 Batman: Thrill Killer (1997)
By Howard Chaykin and Dan Brereton
Emotion killer Imagine a film noir-influenced Gotham City during John F. Kennedy’s presidency in the 1960s. Optimistic that things could finally change, Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bruce Wayne set out to rid the police force of corruption. . At the same time, thrill-seeking young vigilantes Batgirl and Robin begin to make headlines with their heroic efforts. Although things seem to be going well, the police and vigilantes soon come into conflict, and a murder sends Batgirl and Robin into the darkness in search of justice. The story twists around Batman’s characters and concepts and uses these remixed ideas to tell. a story about a turning point in American history.
6 Horsemen of Justice (1997)
By Chuck Dixon and JH Williams III
This Western-themed story imagines Diana Prince as the sheriff of a town called Paradise. After the city is destroyed when the mysterious Felix Faustus is imprisoned for drunken rioting, Diana assembles a group of local heroes and outlaws to find justice. The series uses a Justice League International-inspired lineup to rethink characters like Flash, Booster Gold, and Blue Beetle in the Wild West. JH Williams III offers his usual creative redesigns of these characters, as well as dynamic designs and detailed borders that give the story an adventure book feel.
5 Green Lantern: The Power of Evil (2002)
By Howard Chaykin, David Tischman, and Marshall Rogers
This Elseworlds story imagines the Green Lantern in 1888, where political cartoonist Kyle Rayner discovers a Green Lantern Ring and becomes a hero to the oppressed immigrant population. Mixed with Howard Chaykin’s usual political commentary, his dark tone, and his satirical bite, Kyle comes into conflict with real historical gang members and corrupt political organizations. like Boss Tweed and the Tammany Hall political machine. He also faces fictional enemies, such as a psychopathic version of Alan Scott who runs a street gang. In her personal life, Rayner finds herself in a love triangle with suffragette Carol Ferris and her fiancé, the popular but fast-paced police officer Hal Jordan.
4 Superman: Red Son (2003)
By Mark Millar, Andrew Robinson, Kilian Plunkett, Dave Johnson and Walden Wong
After Kal-L lands on a Ukrainian bus in 1938, Superman becomes the national hero of the Soviet Union. The story follows the Cold War rivalry between the Soviet Superman and American Lex Luthor, a brilliant CIA scientist and later politician bent on stopping Superman and the Soviet Union’s march of progress. Kal-L struggles with the conflict between his obligations to the Soviet state, his desire to advance and save humanity from itself, and how to control Soviet citizens. The series features exciting twists on DC concepts.from the Marine Corps Green Lantern to a Soviet rebel Batman.
3 DC: The New Frontier (2004)
By Darwyn Cooke and Dave Stewart
The new frontier It spans from the end of World War II to 1960, when the arrival of the Silver Age superheroes intersects with the changing political landscape. Many heroes of the Golden Age have retired in the wake of McCarthyism. The personal lives of the remaining old guard of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, as well as the emerging younger generation that includes Hal Jordan Green Lantern, Barry Allen Flash, and Martian Manhunter, intersect with the onset of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. and the civil rights movement. The disparate heroes must unite against a primordial alien entity. threatening all life on Earth in this DC Comics classic.
2 “The Six Firearms” from Secret Six (2010)
By Gail Simone and Jim Calafiore
A stand-alone story from Gail Simone’s acclaimed work. six secrets “The Six Guns Blazing” takes the Six’s current conflicts to the Wild West. In the issue, bounty hunter Deadshot wanders into Sheriff Scandal Savage’s town, where he gets caught in the crossfire of a local conflict. A rich heiress hires a gang of criminals led by Slade Wilson to kill everyone in town and take over her silver mine, and the Sheriff and six of her friends band together to protect the people. While removed from the plot of the ongoing series, tThe story focuses on the theme of discarded and damaged souls who believe they could be heroes..
1 Dark Knights of Steel (2021)
By Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri
The series that is part of reviving the official Other worlds print in 2024, Dark Knights of Steel sets the DC cast in a medieval era of swords and sorcery. On an Earth where Kryptonians Jor-El and Lara clashed in the Middle Ages and established the Kingdom of El, Young prince Kal and knight Bruce investigate a plot to kill King Jor.. Secret stories are revealed as the plot unravels and unites the rival Kingdom of El, the lightning-powered Jefferson-ruled Kingdom of Storms, and the island kingdom of Amazonia. DC’s characters fit perfectly into an era of mythical heroes and magical threats.