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Elseworlds: Justice League
Elseworlds: Justice League, Vol. 1
The Justice League as enforcers in the Wild West? A world where Superman and Batman never came to be and instead Supergirl and Batgirl protect Metropolis and Gotham City? Wonder Woman fighting Jack the Ripper in Victorian England? In Elseworlds, anything is possible.
These reimagined, alternate histories of the Justice League are all now here in one collection for the first time ever in JUSTICE LEAGUE: ELSEWORLDS VOL. 1. Included many tales either never before included in graphic novel form or long out of print, including LEAGUE OF JUSTICE #1-2, JUSTICE RIDERS #1, ELSEWORLD'S FINEST #1-2, ELSEWORLD'S FINEST: SUPERGIRL & BATGIRL #1, TITANS: SCISSORS PAPER STONE #1 and WONDER WOMAN: AMAZONIA #1.
These reimagined, alternate histories of the Justice League are all now here in one collection for the first time ever in JUSTICE LEAGUE: ELSEWORLDS VOL. 1. Included many tales either never before included in graphic novel form or long out of print, including LEAGUE OF JUSTICE #1-2, JUSTICE RIDERS #1, ELSEWORLD'S FINEST #1-2, ELSEWORLD'S FINEST: SUPERGIRL & BATGIRL #1, TITANS: SCISSORS PAPER STONE #1 and WONDER WOMAN: AMAZONIA #1.
500 pages, Paperback
First published July 19, 2016
22 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Dixon
3,352 books1,018 followersCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 16, 2019
As with most anthologies, this was something of a mixed bag. But outside two awful stories, the rest are great.
Elseworld's Finest by John Francis Moore & Keiron Dwyer - 4 Stars
A fun re-imagining of Superman and Batman as a serial from the 20's. I like how Moore manages to incorporate several cameos from the rest of the Justice League. Keiron Dwyer's art works well with the setting, even though I'm not his biggest fan. His period appropriate costume designs are a lot of fun.
Justice Riders by Chuck Dixon & JH Williams III - 4 Stars
The Justice League in the Old West? This is the kind of setting I love about Elseworlds. Sign me up. Especially with JH Williams on pencils. I love his inventive page layouts, borders and use of shadows. Wonder Woman is a sheriff whose town is wiped out while she's out chasing horse thieves. So she heads out for those responsible, rounding up the Justice Riders along the trail. It's too bad they never made a sequel. This was great.
League of Justice by Ed Hannigan & Dick Giordano - 1 Star
I love the Elseworlds series but this was tough to get through. Four kids gets transported to a fantasy world where they are sucked into a battle between good and evil, meeting analogue versions of the Justice League along the way. Sounds great so far. It even started with a zombie Alfred attending Batman. But then everyone in this fantasy world begins to speak and I was instantly lulled to sleep by the insipid, archaic dialogue. It was like being trapped in a terrible Renaissance Fair for days. The art felt rushed and sloppy as well. I was very disappointed.
Wonder Woman: Amazonia by William Messner-Loebs & Phil Winslade- 3 Stars
This Elseworlds is brutal. It could have been the inspiration for Bitch Planet . It's set in an incredibly misogynistic Victorian England where women are chained and follow behind their husbands like geishas. Steve Trevor is an utter dirt bag who wiped out the Amazons. But when she's pushed to the brink she reaches her breaking point and fights back. Phil Winslade employs an antiquing line drawing style that looks like the illustrations in old-timey newspapers.
Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone by Adam Warren - 1 Star
One of the worst comics I've ever read. This isn't really an Elseworlds. The Teen Titans don't appear in it at all. It's set in the far future where four kids are fighting some kind of kaiju. They are downloading superhero archetypes or some such bullshit inspired by the Titans. I couldn't really understand most of the terrible dialogue. It's written in some sort of "future speak" where Warren uses a bunch of made up words to indicate they are in the future. He uses so many though it just sounds like a bunch of made up jargon and there's no context to infer what is actually being said. I found Warren's art overly busy and full of too many explosions and energy effects to tell what was going on by the art. I'm guessing you'll like this if you're a fan of Adam Warren's. For anyone else, just beat your head against the wall for twenty minutes to get the same amount of enjoyment as reading this nonsense.
Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl by Barbara Randall Kesel & Matt Haley - 4 Stars
This Elseworlds puts a fun little spin on the Superman and Batman origins. What if Jim Gordon stepped in front of the bullet meant for the Waynes? And what if Kal-El never grew up to be Superman? Now Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) and Supergirl are the two main heroes in the DC universe. Matt Haley's art is great. It's got some Adam Hughes influences in there.
Elseworld's Finest by John Francis Moore & Keiron Dwyer - 4 Stars
A fun re-imagining of Superman and Batman as a serial from the 20's. I like how Moore manages to incorporate several cameos from the rest of the Justice League. Keiron Dwyer's art works well with the setting, even though I'm not his biggest fan. His period appropriate costume designs are a lot of fun.
Justice Riders by Chuck Dixon & JH Williams III - 4 Stars
The Justice League in the Old West? This is the kind of setting I love about Elseworlds. Sign me up. Especially with JH Williams on pencils. I love his inventive page layouts, borders and use of shadows. Wonder Woman is a sheriff whose town is wiped out while she's out chasing horse thieves. So she heads out for those responsible, rounding up the Justice Riders along the trail. It's too bad they never made a sequel. This was great.
League of Justice by Ed Hannigan & Dick Giordano - 1 Star
I love the Elseworlds series but this was tough to get through. Four kids gets transported to a fantasy world where they are sucked into a battle between good and evil, meeting analogue versions of the Justice League along the way. Sounds great so far. It even started with a zombie Alfred attending Batman. But then everyone in this fantasy world begins to speak and I was instantly lulled to sleep by the insipid, archaic dialogue. It was like being trapped in a terrible Renaissance Fair for days. The art felt rushed and sloppy as well. I was very disappointed.
Wonder Woman: Amazonia by William Messner-Loebs & Phil Winslade- 3 Stars
This Elseworlds is brutal. It could have been the inspiration for Bitch Planet . It's set in an incredibly misogynistic Victorian England where women are chained and follow behind their husbands like geishas. Steve Trevor is an utter dirt bag who wiped out the Amazons. But when she's pushed to the brink she reaches her breaking point and fights back. Phil Winslade employs an antiquing line drawing style that looks like the illustrations in old-timey newspapers.
Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone by Adam Warren - 1 Star
One of the worst comics I've ever read. This isn't really an Elseworlds. The Teen Titans don't appear in it at all. It's set in the far future where four kids are fighting some kind of kaiju. They are downloading superhero archetypes or some such bullshit inspired by the Titans. I couldn't really understand most of the terrible dialogue. It's written in some sort of "future speak" where Warren uses a bunch of made up words to indicate they are in the future. He uses so many though it just sounds like a bunch of made up jargon and there's no context to infer what is actually being said. I found Warren's art overly busy and full of too many explosions and energy effects to tell what was going on by the art. I'm guessing you'll like this if you're a fan of Adam Warren's. For anyone else, just beat your head against the wall for twenty minutes to get the same amount of enjoyment as reading this nonsense.
Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl by Barbara Randall Kesel & Matt Haley - 4 Stars
This Elseworlds puts a fun little spin on the Superman and Batman origins. What if Jim Gordon stepped in front of the bullet meant for the Waynes? And what if Kal-El never grew up to be Superman? Now Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) and Supergirl are the two main heroes in the DC universe. Matt Haley's art is great. It's got some Adam Hughes influences in there.
December 12, 2017
The concept of DC's Elseworlds won me over with the first one I ever read. (What can I say? It was Batman as a pirate. How could that not win me over?) Collections are always a mixed bag, and while some of these (the first one in particular) were pretty good, there were still a couple I didn't care for.
Elseworld's Finest #1 & #2: 4/5 stars
Superman and Batman in the 1920s, as pulp fiction adventure heroes. I loved it. I loved it a lot. (and that's saying a lot since I'm pretty picky about love interests, and am generally not a fan of any ships besides Clark/Lois and Bruce/Selina. This story had neither, but the plot + art + setting more than made up for it.) If you enjoy Indiana Jones or The Mummy movies, you get an idea of what this one was like.
Justice Riders #1: 3/5 stars
Loved the concept- the Justice League, led by Sheriff Diana Prince, in the Wild West. I do think I would have enjoyed it more had the rest of the team contained heroes that I was more familiar with; most of them were lesser-known members of the League. Still, I'm all up for more Western AUs like this, and I enjoyed Clark's cameo appearance.
League of Justice: 3/5 Stars
Not really my thing....kind of a 90s fantasy with the tropes of the era (and all the regrettable color & fashion choices). The plot had some good ideas, it was just hard to get past the style of the story for me. My favorite parts were at the beginning:
Bruce: You can't enjoy it much, being re-animated as a Zombie.
Alfred: Please, Master Bruce...the preferred term is "vitality challenged."
Bruce: I'm sorry old friend. I didn't mean to offend...if walking dead can be offended. I merely wished to explain why I favor reason over necromancy.
Alfred: And traipsing around town wearing the flayed skin of a giant bat is an example of the use of reason?
It's nice to know that whatever universe we're in, Alfred remains Alfred, even as a zombie.
Wonder Woman: Amazonia: 2/5 stars
I had high hopes for this one, because it looked like it was going to be a Victorian circus thing-even the art style was reminiscent of it-but that hope died out quickly and it was more a battle-of-the-sexes sort of thing that wasn't my cup of tea. Set in an alternate Victorian-like society where woman are scorned and brutally oppressed, I just wasn't a fan. And my early surprise that Diana was married to Steve Trevor (yay, right?) turned to dismay when it turns out that Steve is a jerk! Still a little bitter about that. I wanted my Victorian Circus Wonder Woman.
Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone: DNF
Soooo not my thing. Not a fan of the art style, and within the first few pages I was lost and figured I'd just skip to the next one.
Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl: 3/5
I actually wasn't a fan of this one at first but it grew on me. It's basically set in a world where the male counterparts never became heroes, but Supergirl and Batgirl still exist. It wasn't a favorite, but I didn't hate it.
Overall, this collection follows much the pattern of the previous Elseworld's collection I read. I think the first two were the best, while the middle ones were mediocre or just plain bad, while the last one ends on a somewhat better note.
Elseworld's Finest #1 & #2: 4/5 stars
Superman and Batman in the 1920s, as pulp fiction adventure heroes. I loved it. I loved it a lot. (and that's saying a lot since I'm pretty picky about love interests, and am generally not a fan of any ships besides Clark/Lois and Bruce/Selina. This story had neither, but the plot + art + setting more than made up for it.) If you enjoy Indiana Jones or The Mummy movies, you get an idea of what this one was like.
Justice Riders #1: 3/5 stars
Loved the concept- the Justice League, led by Sheriff Diana Prince, in the Wild West. I do think I would have enjoyed it more had the rest of the team contained heroes that I was more familiar with; most of them were lesser-known members of the League. Still, I'm all up for more Western AUs like this, and I enjoyed Clark's cameo appearance.
League of Justice: 3/5 Stars
Not really my thing....kind of a 90s fantasy with the tropes of the era (and all the regrettable color & fashion choices). The plot had some good ideas, it was just hard to get past the style of the story for me. My favorite parts were at the beginning:
Bruce: You can't enjoy it much, being re-animated as a Zombie.
Alfred: Please, Master Bruce...the preferred term is "vitality challenged."
Bruce: I'm sorry old friend. I didn't mean to offend...if walking dead can be offended. I merely wished to explain why I favor reason over necromancy.
Alfred: And traipsing around town wearing the flayed skin of a giant bat is an example of the use of reason?
It's nice to know that whatever universe we're in, Alfred remains Alfred, even as a zombie.
Wonder Woman: Amazonia: 2/5 stars
I had high hopes for this one, because it looked like it was going to be a Victorian circus thing-even the art style was reminiscent of it-but that hope died out quickly and it was more a battle-of-the-sexes sort of thing that wasn't my cup of tea. Set in an alternate Victorian-like society where woman are scorned and brutally oppressed, I just wasn't a fan. And my early surprise that Diana was married to Steve Trevor (yay, right?) turned to dismay when it turns out that Steve is a jerk! Still a little bitter about that. I wanted my Victorian Circus Wonder Woman.
Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone: DNF
Soooo not my thing. Not a fan of the art style, and within the first few pages I was lost and figured I'd just skip to the next one.
Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl: 3/5
I actually wasn't a fan of this one at first but it grew on me. It's basically set in a world where the male counterparts never became heroes, but Supergirl and Batgirl still exist. It wasn't a favorite, but I didn't hate it.
Overall, this collection follows much the pattern of the previous Elseworld's collection I read. I think the first two were the best, while the middle ones were mediocre or just plain bad, while the last one ends on a somewhat better note.
April 14, 2020
An interesting Elseworlds concept. Not a bad story and art overall. Something different to try. Recommended
July 28, 2016
Mostly good
There's only one bad story in here, a titans pastiche by Adam Warren. done in a geeky faux anime artwork, it is talky and convoluted. Worst of all, it's boring. The rest are fine with the best being Elseworlds finest, a supergirl, batgirl team up.
There's only one bad story in here, a titans pastiche by Adam Warren. done in a geeky faux anime artwork, it is talky and convoluted. Worst of all, it's boring. The rest are fine with the best being Elseworlds finest, a supergirl, batgirl team up.
Read
October 28, 2019I skimmed this for the most part so I'll dispense with a star rating, suffice to say it wasn't my cup of tea and if this is the best they could pull together for Volume One I doubt I'll bother with any of the others.
December 9, 2024
Same opinion on a second read. Just nothing really elevated here.
August 4, 2017
A mixed bag anthology, erring on the side of "mostly good."
ELSEWORLD'S FINEST sets the Superman/Batman dynamic in the realm of 1920s pulp heroes. Great fun, works surprisingly well in the new setting.
JUSTICE RIDERS - Chuck Dixon and JH Williams take the Justice League into the Old West. Fantastic read; Dixon layers in shades of the JLA we know and love, while JHW3's art is moody and gripping.
LEAGUE OF JUSTICE was not my cup of tea, and so I didn't finish it. The JLA in a fantasy setting with some very dated 90s kid archetypes... no need for me to go back to this one.
AMAZONIA finds Wonder Woman a strongwoman in a stage show circa the era of Jack the Ripper. Gets a little bogged down in the alternate English history of the period, but it sticks to the core of Diana.
Next follows a TITANS story by Adam Warren in his manga-inflected style. Very heavy on action with a neat twist about how this story relates to the Titans we know. A little thin, though, and I probably wouldn't have sought it out were it not in this anthology (though I do remember the house ads in DC Comics of the time).
The book closes with another ELSEWORLD'S FINEST, this time with Supergirl and Batgirl meeting on a world where their male counterparts never existed. This was a great read, had lots of delicious Elseworlds twists, and left me wanting to see more of this world.
ELSEWORLD'S FINEST sets the Superman/Batman dynamic in the realm of 1920s pulp heroes. Great fun, works surprisingly well in the new setting.
JUSTICE RIDERS - Chuck Dixon and JH Williams take the Justice League into the Old West. Fantastic read; Dixon layers in shades of the JLA we know and love, while JHW3's art is moody and gripping.
LEAGUE OF JUSTICE was not my cup of tea, and so I didn't finish it. The JLA in a fantasy setting with some very dated 90s kid archetypes... no need for me to go back to this one.
AMAZONIA finds Wonder Woman a strongwoman in a stage show circa the era of Jack the Ripper. Gets a little bogged down in the alternate English history of the period, but it sticks to the core of Diana.
Next follows a TITANS story by Adam Warren in his manga-inflected style. Very heavy on action with a neat twist about how this story relates to the Titans we know. A little thin, though, and I probably wouldn't have sought it out were it not in this anthology (though I do remember the house ads in DC Comics of the time).
The book closes with another ELSEWORLD'S FINEST, this time with Supergirl and Batgirl meeting on a world where their male counterparts never existed. This was a great read, had lots of delicious Elseworlds twists, and left me wanting to see more of this world.
January 12, 2025
Like most collections it was hit or miss. Some interesting ideas here but several of the stories didn't quite hit with me.
May 4, 2017
Inconsistent but some brilliant 5 stars story.
June 10, 2019
I really miss Elseworlds, and I'm very happy to see them start to collect them. The problem is that the way in which they are collecting them is annoying as all hell.
Elseworlds takes What-If and asks it to hold its beer, taking the classic characters we know and love and putting them in new circumstances. When done right, it's amazing, like the opening where John Francis Moore, Kieron Dwyer, and company re-imagine Bats and Superman as pulp heroes, with others brought along for the ride. When done wrong, it's the Adam Warren monstrosity that butchers the Titans. (And begs the first question: WHY IS A TITANS STORY IN A JUSTICE LEAGUE COLLECTION?)
And that's the problem, I got this from the library, but I'd never buy it, because the Warren story is unreadable, Wonder Woman vs Jack the Ripper (By Williams Messner-Loebs Phil Winslade, and company) is based on a paper-thin premise with really awful dialogue (and again--HAS NO JUSTICE LEAGUE IN IT), and Justice Riders (Chuck Dixon, JW Williams III, and co) can't decide how to handle the powers of the characters in a Western setting. They take up entirely too much space, and with the exception of Justice Riders, don't even belong in a Justice League Elseworlds collection.
The others are good, however. Elseworld's Finest, as mentioned above, really makes their powers work within the pulp setting, and seeing Bruce go from selfish to selfless instead of being the usual ruthless good guy and the inversions of several character tropes was a lot of fun.
League of Justice, by Ed Hannigan, the late Dick Giordano, and company, is Bob Haney-level nuts. Some ordinary folks get zapped into a fantasy world where all the DC heroes are turned into fantasy analogues, some of which are really fun (Alfred as a Zombie, the Atom as a befuddled Wizard, and so on). John Stewart Green Lantern as a former Knight of the Round Table might be the best, though. Goddess mode Black Canary helps the humans and the heroes against a Luthor-influenced Superman, and plays a lot with the idea of legacy heroes. It's very strange, and very Bronze Age, and I of course, loved it.
The closing story's art is a bit clunky (by Matt Haley and Tom Simmons), but their plot, along with co-plotter and scripter Barbara Kesel's re-imagining of a world in which Kara and Barbara are the two iconic heroes (with Kal out of the picture and Bruce-as-Alfred/Microchip) and their views on how to protect humanity couldn't be more different. When their worlds collide, it's a great way to show the dichotomy between human-powered heroes and those with superpowers.
The art varies wildly--Dwyer, a personal favorite, knocks the Doc Savage/Shadow style out of the park, and his nod to Captain Marvel is really cool. JW Williams III can draw anything, and Hannigan/Giordano is a Hall of Fame combo (but again, very much of their era). Warren is a fan favorite but makes my eyes hurt, and I realize that's a personal thing. Winslade tries to evoke an old-time feel, but I think it looks forced here. Most of the time, though, each art style works for what they were trying to do, save maybe Winslade.
This isn't something I'd read cover-to-cover, but if you like seeing heroes in new settings, grab it either cheap or at the library.
Elseworlds takes What-If and asks it to hold its beer, taking the classic characters we know and love and putting them in new circumstances. When done right, it's amazing, like the opening where John Francis Moore, Kieron Dwyer, and company re-imagine Bats and Superman as pulp heroes, with others brought along for the ride. When done wrong, it's the Adam Warren monstrosity that butchers the Titans. (And begs the first question: WHY IS A TITANS STORY IN A JUSTICE LEAGUE COLLECTION?)
And that's the problem, I got this from the library, but I'd never buy it, because the Warren story is unreadable, Wonder Woman vs Jack the Ripper (By Williams Messner-Loebs Phil Winslade, and company) is based on a paper-thin premise with really awful dialogue (and again--HAS NO JUSTICE LEAGUE IN IT), and Justice Riders (Chuck Dixon, JW Williams III, and co) can't decide how to handle the powers of the characters in a Western setting. They take up entirely too much space, and with the exception of Justice Riders, don't even belong in a Justice League Elseworlds collection.
The others are good, however. Elseworld's Finest, as mentioned above, really makes their powers work within the pulp setting, and seeing Bruce go from selfish to selfless instead of being the usual ruthless good guy and the inversions of several character tropes was a lot of fun.
League of Justice, by Ed Hannigan, the late Dick Giordano, and company, is Bob Haney-level nuts. Some ordinary folks get zapped into a fantasy world where all the DC heroes are turned into fantasy analogues, some of which are really fun (Alfred as a Zombie, the Atom as a befuddled Wizard, and so on). John Stewart Green Lantern as a former Knight of the Round Table might be the best, though. Goddess mode Black Canary helps the humans and the heroes against a Luthor-influenced Superman, and plays a lot with the idea of legacy heroes. It's very strange, and very Bronze Age, and I of course, loved it.
The closing story's art is a bit clunky (by Matt Haley and Tom Simmons), but their plot, along with co-plotter and scripter Barbara Kesel's re-imagining of a world in which Kara and Barbara are the two iconic heroes (with Kal out of the picture and Bruce-as-Alfred/Microchip) and their views on how to protect humanity couldn't be more different. When their worlds collide, it's a great way to show the dichotomy between human-powered heroes and those with superpowers.
The art varies wildly--Dwyer, a personal favorite, knocks the Doc Savage/Shadow style out of the park, and his nod to Captain Marvel is really cool. JW Williams III can draw anything, and Hannigan/Giordano is a Hall of Fame combo (but again, very much of their era). Warren is a fan favorite but makes my eyes hurt, and I realize that's a personal thing. Winslade tries to evoke an old-time feel, but I think it looks forced here. Most of the time, though, each art style works for what they were trying to do, save maybe Winslade.
This isn't something I'd read cover-to-cover, but if you like seeing heroes in new settings, grab it either cheap or at the library.
December 22, 2022
Yes, Comic Books count for your reading goals.
Should I have been preparing for the Bombogenesis event? Probably. But did I power through this? Yep. A great break down of the What If of the DC universe.
This one is a great collection. "Wild West" Justice Leauge, a gender-flipped Superman(Supergirl) and Batman( Batgirl) are in the standouts. A good old fashioned sword and magic romp, which was definetly written during the 80s. It was written in the 80s cause a group of inner city kids get transported to a magical realm. It was trippy illustrating but not really the top five.
The anime "heroworshipping" one didn't really click with me, beside the inventive new language usage but it seemed just an excuse to draw manga style.
A great story, richly illustrated and with facinating suffragette overtones- Wonder Woman in Victorian England, turned into a set up for a 1980s wedding joke which left me scratching my head.
Some comic book logic permeated it- like the head of the city-state of Gotham writes books in her spare time about her exploits and THATS what people know about her, and how Wonder Woman just kind of... submits... to the patriarchy.
The cool thing about these stories is they trust you enough to know the background. We don't question why Wally West is the Kid Flash gunslinger in the Old West, we just know that he's filled with remorse and trying to do the right thing. Likewise, most of the references and call backs will be familar to most fans.
Great book only regret as I said is the anime inspried one and that it took me so long to read it.
Should I have been preparing for the Bombogenesis event? Probably. But did I power through this? Yep. A great break down of the What If of the DC universe.
This one is a great collection. "Wild West" Justice Leauge, a gender-flipped Superman(Supergirl) and Batman( Batgirl) are in the standouts. A good old fashioned sword and magic romp, which was definetly written during the 80s. It was written in the 80s cause a group of inner city kids get transported to a magical realm. It was trippy illustrating but not really the top five.
The anime "heroworshipping" one didn't really click with me, beside the inventive new language usage but it seemed just an excuse to draw manga style.
A great story, richly illustrated and with facinating suffragette overtones- Wonder Woman in Victorian England, turned into a set up for a 1980s wedding joke which left me scratching my head.
Some comic book logic permeated it- like the head of the city-state of Gotham writes books in her spare time about her exploits and THATS what people know about her, and how Wonder Woman just kind of... submits... to the patriarchy.
The cool thing about these stories is they trust you enough to know the background. We don't question why Wally West is the Kid Flash gunslinger in the Old West, we just know that he's filled with remorse and trying to do the right thing. Likewise, most of the references and call backs will be familar to most fans.
Great book only regret as I said is the anime inspried one and that it took me so long to read it.
December 13, 2017
These were all pretty disappointing. The first one was some weird adventure serial. The Western one didn't really live up to the concept and Wonder Woman looked like that crummy David E Kelley pilot costume not like you see on the cover. Then was a weird Dungeons and Dragons thing. And the Wonder Woman Victorian one I'd already read. And then some manga thing. The Supergirl /Batgirl one could have been a lot better if it had really shown how things would be different if the Worlds Finest were female. The whole Justice Society was pointless to the story.
September 24, 2023
Obviously the quality changes with each story. Both Elseworld's Finest stories are pretty great! I really, really like Justice Riders. The Titans story took a long time to get interesting, but I did appreciate where it ended up. Amazonia is a little too self-important, but like it was ok. League of Justice however just DRAGSSSSSS it's way overstuffed and instead of the AU concept being fun and liberating it just becomes an absolute slog. Genuinely had to just flip through it in sections, zero fun at all.
September 20, 2020
As always, the post-Crisis out-of-continuity stories are a mixed bag. The title of this collection is a bit of a misnomer, too, since it contains a Superman/Batman pulp team-up, a Justice League western, a Justice League high fantasy, a Wonder Woman solo steampunk story, a Teen Titans future anime riff, and a Supergirl/Batgirl dystopian story. In other words, more stories without the full Justice League than with them. Still, mostly fun and entertaining stuff.
January 27, 2024
A real mixed bag, very '90s, with a few entertaining stories (one set in the 1920s, another in the wild west) and some that slog their way through stretched "what if" superhero scenarios. The least appealing is "A Tale of the Wonder Woman," set in a pseudo-late-1800s London. The story is awfully bleak and Phil Winslade's art, while detailed, is muddy, ugly and sometimes hard to follow. Whoever greenlit the story was obviously a supervillain.
March 13, 2023
While the fantasy setting of League of Justice and Titans: Scissors, Paper Stone are underwhelming, the other various continuities explored Elseworld: Justice League make this volume worth exploring, though not necessarily an essential read. I am particularly fond of the opening story's decision to utilize a 1920s and the Wild West aesthetic of Justice Riders.
September 3, 2017
first two stories were very good others not so much
September 11, 2017
Did not care for the Titans story, or the League of Justice, but Justice Riders made up for both.
April 14, 2019
Uneven collection. Some were pretty good, some were, frankly, not interesting.
August 2, 2018
Meh, 2 of the stories were alright
October 22, 2018
A fun collection of what if books from dc comics!
January 4, 2019
I liked all the stories but one the teen titans one. It was neat seeing the justice league in different settings
October 26, 2019
All of the stories were really good, except the Titans one, I couldn't even finish that. I think my favourite was "Amazonia", but I'm a big fan of William Messner-Loebs.
June 22, 2020
The good, the bad and the silly.
May 28, 2022
What a compilation
Great stories, not so great stories and awful stories, but all worth reading according to your own tastes. If you like elseworlds this is a must read.
Great stories, not so great stories and awful stories, but all worth reading according to your own tastes. If you like elseworlds this is a must read.
February 26, 2023
Almost worth docking a star for the ridiculous Titans story but the Batgirl/Supergirl story was redeeming. The Western dragged a bit sweetened by some action set pieces. Definitely worth a look.
March 7, 2025
Very interesting. The Wild West with WW was the ‘most story.
May 10, 2025
A FANTASTIC COLLECTION. WELL DONE WRITING AND ART. MY FAVORITES WERE WONDER WOMAN, BATGIRL AND SUPERGIRL. LEX LUTHOR WAS A TERRIBLE MONSTER.
February 20, 2017
All of these stories were great, except the Titans: Rock, Paper, Scissors story. I felt the art was terrible, as well as the story.
December 27, 2016
Elseworlds is a popular concept that DC should use more often on a regular basis as a part of the Multiverse. The focus is on The Justice League.
The superteam is in different times and settings such as the 20's with Superman and Batman, The Old West with The League, The future With The Titans, a fantasy world with the League, and a gender reversed World's Finest team up. My personal stories was the following 3 except the Titans story. It was too long and boring.
The other stories was fun to read and looking forward to Volume 2 as it becomes available.
The superteam is in different times and settings such as the 20's with Superman and Batman, The Old West with The League, The future With The Titans, a fantasy world with the League, and a gender reversed World's Finest team up. My personal stories was the following 3 except the Titans story. It was too long and boring.
The other stories was fun to read and looking forward to Volume 2 as it becomes available.
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