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Elseworlds
Elseworlds: Superman Vol. 2
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.
Featuring the story of Superman's son in a world without Superman, a Superman raised in England, a Superman raised in the 30th century and an angel's attempt to help Linda Danvers (Supergirl) overcome the darkness within.
Now, for the first time, Superman's Elseworlds tales are featured in a new series of graphic novel collections. Collects Son of Superman, Superboy's Legion #1-2, Superman: True Brit and Supergirl: Wings!
Featuring the story of Superman's son in a world without Superman, a Superman raised in England, a Superman raised in the 30th century and an angel's attempt to help Linda Danvers (Supergirl) overcome the darkness within.
Now, for the first time, Superman's Elseworlds tales are featured in a new series of graphic novel collections. Collects Son of Superman, Superboy's Legion #1-2, Superman: True Brit and Supergirl: Wings!
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2019
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About the author
Howard Chaykin
1,072 books112 followersHoward Victor Chaykin is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 14, 2019
Son of Superman by Howard Chaykin & J.H. Williams III - 4.0 stars
An Elseworlds story where Superman has been gone for the last 15 years and his son Jon is now developing powers. One of the better Elseworlds books with some nice J.H. Williams III artwork.
Superboy's Legion by Mark Farmer & Alan Davis - 3.5 stars
An Elseworlds tale where Superboy did more than inspire the Legion of Super-Heroes, he founded it. In this reality Kal-El's spaceship drifts through space in suspended animation until the 30th century where R.J. Brande (the Legion's financier in DC's main timeline) finds the ship and raises Kal-El as his own. Superboy is inspired by the superheroes of the 20th century to start his own superhero team. It's a nice spin on the traditional origins of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Alan Davis's bright, fun art is perfect for the Legion.
Supergirl: Wings by J.M. DeMatteis & Jamie Tolagson - 1.5 stars
J.M. DeMatteis has never met any comic he can't make less interesting. DeMatteis takes a lot of the elements from Peter David's Earth Angel story in his Supergirl run giving it a theological bent by making Matrix an actual angel. This thing bored me to tears. It's like an Elseworlds crossed with early esoteric Vertigo. Jamie Tolagsen's art was solid. It reminded me of Sean Phillips.
Superman: True Brit by John Cleese, Kim Howard Johnson, & John Byrne - 1 star
Oof, this was a disappointment. I expected a lot better from John Cleese and John Byrne. Maybe if I grew up in England it would be funnier. The whole thing is written as a satire about British tabloids. It's awful. It's such an easy premise to get right. An Elseworlds where Superman's spaceship crashes in England instead of Kansas.
An Elseworlds story where Superman has been gone for the last 15 years and his son Jon is now developing powers. One of the better Elseworlds books with some nice J.H. Williams III artwork.
Superboy's Legion by Mark Farmer & Alan Davis - 3.5 stars
An Elseworlds tale where Superboy did more than inspire the Legion of Super-Heroes, he founded it. In this reality Kal-El's spaceship drifts through space in suspended animation until the 30th century where R.J. Brande (the Legion's financier in DC's main timeline) finds the ship and raises Kal-El as his own. Superboy is inspired by the superheroes of the 20th century to start his own superhero team. It's a nice spin on the traditional origins of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Alan Davis's bright, fun art is perfect for the Legion.
Supergirl: Wings by J.M. DeMatteis & Jamie Tolagson - 1.5 stars
J.M. DeMatteis has never met any comic he can't make less interesting. DeMatteis takes a lot of the elements from Peter David's Earth Angel story in his Supergirl run giving it a theological bent by making Matrix an actual angel. This thing bored me to tears. It's like an Elseworlds crossed with early esoteric Vertigo. Jamie Tolagsen's art was solid. It reminded me of Sean Phillips.
Superman: True Brit by John Cleese, Kim Howard Johnson, & John Byrne - 1 star
Oof, this was a disappointment. I expected a lot better from John Cleese and John Byrne. Maybe if I grew up in England it would be funnier. The whole thing is written as a satire about British tabloids. It's awful. It's such an easy premise to get right. An Elseworlds where Superman's spaceship crashes in England instead of Kansas.
August 9, 2019
Four stories make up this collection:
Son of Superman, by Chaykin, Tischman, Williams III, Gray, et al, looks and reads great, as we visit a world where Superman went missing 15 years ago and Lois raised their son, whose powers are now manifesting, alone. It's shockingly predictive (originally published in 1999) about corporate power and oversight. 4.5 stars.
Superboy's Legion, by Farmer, Davis et al, is a blast, basically boiling down everything great about the Legion of Super-Heroes to a single rousing saga - death, epic stakes, world-building, and the triumpth of heroism. And boy, that Alan Davis can draw. 5 stars.
Supergirl: Wings, by DeMatteis, Tolagson, et al, is a fascinating meditation on spiritualism, building on themes Peter David explored in the underrated Supergirl series of the late 1990s. I seem to recall thinking it was trite when I first read it years ago, but I find it more appealing now. I'm a pretty firm atheist, but I appreciate the spiritual journey and search for peace and personal acceptance. Tolagson is a good fit for the surreality of the script. 4 stars.
In fact, the only story in this book I'd not read prior is the finale, Superman: True Brit, by Johnson, Cleese, Byrne, Farmer, et al, and I've still basically not read it. Byrne's a good comic (in the funny rather than sequential sense) artist, but the script is heavy and clumsy, and I gave up ten pages in. It's entirely possible I just don't have a particularly British sense of humor - I'm not a fan of Monty Python or other "classic" British comedies. 1 star.
Son of Superman, by Chaykin, Tischman, Williams III, Gray, et al, looks and reads great, as we visit a world where Superman went missing 15 years ago and Lois raised their son, whose powers are now manifesting, alone. It's shockingly predictive (originally published in 1999) about corporate power and oversight. 4.5 stars.
Superboy's Legion, by Farmer, Davis et al, is a blast, basically boiling down everything great about the Legion of Super-Heroes to a single rousing saga - death, epic stakes, world-building, and the triumpth of heroism. And boy, that Alan Davis can draw. 5 stars.
Supergirl: Wings, by DeMatteis, Tolagson, et al, is a fascinating meditation on spiritualism, building on themes Peter David explored in the underrated Supergirl series of the late 1990s. I seem to recall thinking it was trite when I first read it years ago, but I find it more appealing now. I'm a pretty firm atheist, but I appreciate the spiritual journey and search for peace and personal acceptance. Tolagson is a good fit for the surreality of the script. 4 stars.
In fact, the only story in this book I'd not read prior is the finale, Superman: True Brit, by Johnson, Cleese, Byrne, Farmer, et al, and I've still basically not read it. Byrne's a good comic (in the funny rather than sequential sense) artist, but the script is heavy and clumsy, and I gave up ten pages in. It's entirely possible I just don't have a particularly British sense of humor - I'm not a fan of Monty Python or other "classic" British comedies. 1 star.
July 3, 2019
It was a good surprise to see that volume 2 of this series is somewhat better than volume1. Chaykin redeems himself with the story "Son of Superman" and DeMatteis does the same with "Supergirl wings" while Superman Legion is quite of a good old school 80s Superman story: lots of action, drama, great writing, and science fiction elements all around. The last story "Superman True Brit" is the epitome of a most boring attempt of a humorous Superman pastiche perpetrated by John Cleese of Monty Python, so I wouldn't say this ruins the whole thing but leaves a sour bitter retro-taste afterward.
August 13, 2020
The last two one-shots collected here are the best in both volumes. Supergirl: Wings draws many of its themes from Wings of Desire, with a human element that is lacking in most superhero comics. Superman: True Brit is just comical and very, very British! It's the funniest comics I've read in quite a long time!
January 31, 2022
I always really appreciate to AU, and this book is no different. While my favorite versions of superman are not contained in this work, I enjoyed most of the stories that were included. Were some a bit too corny or rushed? Sure! But they were each different ideas and fun little fleshed out thought experiments of how his story could have been different.
June 22, 2021
I love the Elseworld series of books, and I love Superman. I probably have all of these stories individually but couldn't resist getting this collection to read them again together. They are all good stories with Son of Superman being my favourite and the Supergirl one being my least favourite.
September 12, 2025
An odd collection quite frankly, Elseworlds stories are weird by nature, but this feels more as if its leftovers from the much more coherent first volume. How else do you have 'Supergirl: Wings' in the same collection as 'Superman: True Brit'.
Quality of the individual stories varies.
Quality of the individual stories varies.
November 4, 2019
Half good.
The first half of this is great. Son of Superman and Superboys Legion are well w
worth reading. Supergirl Wings and Superman: True Brit, are very so so.
The first half of this is great. Son of Superman and Superboys Legion are well w
worth reading. Supergirl Wings and Superman: True Brit, are very so so.
May 18, 2021
wow. That was so bad.
January 9, 2025
Contains the well known Son of Superman along with a few lesser known books. Still alot of fun. The Supergirl story was not great but everything else was a good time.
February 15, 2025
Excellent read a different view on the usual story
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews