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{{Short description|Imprint of comics from DC Comics}}
{{About|the imprint of comics from DC Comics|the DC Studios label|DC Elseworlds|the Arrowverse crossover event|Elseworlds (Arrowverse)}}
[[File:Elseworlds (DC imprint logo).png|thumb|''Elseworlds'' logo]]

'''Elseworlds''' is the publication [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]] for [[American comic books]] produced by [[DC Comics]] for stories that take place outside the [[DC Universe]] [[Canon (fictional)|canon]].<ref name="comicsthroughtime">{{cite book|last1=Booker|first1=M. Keith|title=Comics through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas|date=2014|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0313397516|page=1293|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hnuQBQAAQBAJ&q=the+barry+allen+story+elseworlds&pg=PA1293|access-date=5 March 2016}}</ref> 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.<ref name="comicsthroughtime"/>

==History==
===''Imaginary Stories''===
The title page of "Superman, Cartoon Hero!"<ref>''Superman'' #183 (January 1966)</ref> (a slightly retooled reprint of 1942's "Superman, Matinee Idol")<ref>''Superman'' #19 (Nov.–Dec. 1942)</ref> 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 [[Superman (1940s animated film series)|Max Fleischer ''Superman'' short]] "[[Superman (1941 film)|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.<ref name="Superman">''Superman'' #183 (Jan. 1966)</ref>

In ''[[Action Comics]]'' #60 (May 1943), "Lois Lane{{snd}}Superwoman!" told the story of Lois gaining superpowers from a transfusion of Superman's blood; while this is explicitly a dream sequence, it has been called "a forerunner of what would be known as 'Imaginary Stories'".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=Kurt |last2=Thomas |first2=Roy |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940–1944 |date=2019 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1605490892 |page=181}}</ref>

[[Craig Shutt]], author of the ''[[Comics Buyer's Guide]]'' column ''Ask Mr. Silver Age'', states that true imaginary stories differed from stories that were dreams and hoaxes.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}} Dreams and hoaxes were "gyps" on account of "not having happened", whilst true imaginary stories were canonical at least unto themselves. Also, since they were "just" imaginary and thus had no bearing on the characters' regular stories, imaginary stories could show things like people dying and the victory of evil.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}} In the optimistic and hopeful Silver Age of Comics, such stories usually would not be told; this was hinted with writers telling readers how such an Imaginary Story often reassured the readers that it did not really happen.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}

Most of these Imaginary Stories featured [[alternate histories]] of characters, such as "[[Superman Red/Superman Blue|The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman Blue!]]".{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}} There, readers saw possible pasts that could have happened, but did not happen. One such story has Superman being raised by apes in imitation of [[Tarzan]], an idea that would be recycled into a later ''Elseworlds'' tale where Tarzan and Superman were switched at birth. Possible present times were shown, such as one story where [[Jonathan and Martha Kent]], touched by pity, adopt a recently orphaned [[Bruce Wayne]] and raise him along with their own son, Clark. Thus, the present shows Superman and Batman as brothers, with Clark protecting Gotham and working for the ''Gotham Gazette'' instead of living in [[Metropolis (comics)|Metropolis]], and [[Batman]] inviting his foster parents, the Kents, to live with him in Wayne Manor. In keeping with the fact that imaginary stories allowed for much grimmer stories than usual, the story ended with [[Lex Luthor]] killing the Kents and Batman trying to murder him in revenge.

{{rquote|right|This Super-Wedding is REAL!<br />The marriage is not a HOAX!<br />The bride and groom are not ROBOTS!<br />This romance is not a DREAM of LOIS LANE or SUPERMAN!|''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' #15 (Feb. 1960)}}
Possible futures that "could very well happen" were explored, such as [[Relationship of Clark Kent and Lois Lane|Clark Kent revealing to Lois Lane his secret identity and marrying her]]. Futures that "perhaps never will" happen were also examined, such as the permanent death of Superman. ''Imaginary Stories'' appeared often enough that some comics – such as ''[[Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane]]'' #15 (February 1960), the cover of which appears to depict Superman marrying Lois Lane – had to assure readers that their contents were not "imaginary". The cover of ''Lois Lane'' #59 (August 1965), by contrast, promised that its depiction of Lois as the romantic rival of [[Lara (character)|Lara]], [[Jor-El]]'s girlfriend and future mother of Superman, was "real--'''not''' imaginary!".

A few ''Imaginary Stories'' appeared in other DC publications. Batman editor [[Jack Schiff]] supervised stories in which the Dark Knight starts a family or loses his identity, though these were revealed at the end of the story to be stories written by [[Alfred Pennyworth|Alfred]].<ref>''Batman'' #131 (April 1960)</ref><ref>''Batman'' #135 (Oct. 1960)</ref> Schiff's stories were notable for the first appearance of the [[Bruce Wayne Junior|original Bruce Wayne Junior]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}} Writer/editor [[Robert Kanigher]] supervised [[Wonder Woman]]'s own series of ''Imaginary Stories'' called ''Impossible Tales'' which featured the same principle.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}} There, Wonder Woman appeared along with her younger selves, [[Wonder Girl]] and [[Wonder Tot]]. The majority of ''Imaginary Stories'' were published in various Superman comics under the guidance of Superman editor [[Mort Weisinger]], the "King of Imaginary Stories".{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}} This was in part because, according to Shutt, Weisinger aimed for younger readers instead of older ones.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}} Later editors such as [[Julius Schwartz]] rarely used the ''Imaginary Stories'' concept.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}

[[Alan Moore]]'s "[[Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?|Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow]]?" two-part story in ''[[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]'' #423 and ''Action Comics'' #583 in 1986 was the last Pre-''Crisis'' story to use the ''Imaginary Stories'' label.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}

===''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.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/comics/batman-gotham-by-gaslight |title=Batman: Gotham by Gaslight Comics |publisher=IGN |access-date=2015-04-06}}</ref> The first book to feature the ''Elseworlds'' logo was ''[[Batman: Holy Terror]]'' in 1991.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}} In 1994, the ''Elseworlds'' imprint was used as the theme for the [[annual publication|annual edition]] comic books of that summer.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}

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".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sullivan|first1=Michael Patrick|title=CHICAGO DAY 2: New 'Challengers of the Unknown', Richard Corben Monthly Announced, DC Teams with Aspen|url=http://www.cbr.com/chicago-day-2-new-challengers-of-the-unknown-richard-corben-monthly-announced-dc-teams-with-aspen/|website=Comic Book Resources|access-date=2015-03-10|date=2008-08-10}}</ref> 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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}} The planned ''Teen Titans'' tale was released in January 2008 as the ''Teen Titans Lost Annual''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Schedeen|first1=Jesse|title=Teen Titans: The Lost Annual Review|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/01/09/teen-titans-the-lost-annual-review|website=IGN|access-date=2015-03-10|date=2008-01-09}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rogers|first1=Vaneta|title=20 Answers & 1 Question with Dan Didio|url=http://www.newsarama.com/3834-20-answers-1-question-with-dan-didio-9-14-09.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420133739/http://www.newsarama.com/3834-20-answers-1-question-with-dan-didio-9-14-09.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 20, 2014|website=Newsarama|date=2009-09-14|access-date=10 January 2015}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/comics/superman-the-last-family-of-krypton |title=Superman: The Last Family of Krypton |website=IGN |access-date=2015-03-10}}</ref>

After a 14-year absence, DC relaunched the imprint in 2024 with six titles confirmed:<ref>{{cite web|last1=McMillan|first1=Graeme|title=DC revives the fan-favorite Elseworlds imprint in 2024|url=https://www.thepopverse.com/dc-relaunches-elseworlds-imprint-2024|website=Popverse|date=2023-10-12|access-date=12 October 2023}}</ref>

* ''[[Gotham by Gaslight]]: The Kryptonian Age'' by [[Andy Diggle]] and [[Leandro Fernández (artist)|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 (writer)|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 (comics)|The Kingdom]]'' miniseries in 1999 brought the 1996 ''[[Kingdom Come (comics)|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.<ref>''The Kingdom'' #2 (Feb. 1999)</ref>

A new [[Multiverse (DC Comics)|Multiverse]] was introduced at the conclusion of the ''[[52 (comics)|52]]'' weekly series that includes alternate worlds that were previously seen in various ''Elseworlds'' titles.<ref>''52'' Week Fifty-Two (May 2007)</ref>

==In other media==
"[[Elseworlds (Arrowverse)|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 (2014 TV series)|The Flash]]'', ''[[Arrow (TV series)|Arrow]]'' and ''[[Supergirl (TV series)|Supergirl]]'' and introduced [[Batwoman]], [[Gotham City]], [[Nora Fries]], and [[Lois Lane]] to the Arrowverse.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tvline.com/2018/09/26/arrowverse-crossover-elseworlds-theme-batwoman-gotham/|title=Arrowverse Crossover Theme Is 'Elseworlds', Casts Multiverse Observer|last=Mitovitch|first=Matt Webb|work=[[TVLine]]|date=September 26, 2018|access-date=September 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927004706/https://tvline.com/2018/09/26/arrowverse-crossover-elseworlds-theme-batwoman-gotham/|archive-date=September 27, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Quotes==
{{blockquote|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.|Introduction at the beginning of every ''Elseworlds'' comic book}}

==See also==
* [[DC Black Label]] - DC Comics's current imprint for artist deviations
* ''[[What If (comics)|What If]]'' – Marvel Comics' similar comic book line
* [[Intercompany crossover]]
* [[List of Elseworlds publications|List of ''Elseworlds'' publications]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{comicbookdb|type=imprint|id=11}}

{{DC Comics imprints}}
{{DC Multiverse}}

[[Category:Elseworlds| ]]
[[Category:Comics about parallel universes]]
[[Category:Continuity (fiction)]]
[[Category:DC Comics imprints]]
[[Category:DC Comics dimensions]]