Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Supergirl CW Crossover: Elseworlds

The annual CW crossover story for Arrow, Supergirl, and Flash has been officially named Elseworlds
and this comic fan couldn't be happier.

In 1989, DC Comics published Gotham by Gaslight, a story imagining Batman in the 1880's Gotham, hunting down Jack The Ripper. It is a great book, written by Brian Augustyn with art by Mike Mignola. Spurred by the success, DC began printing all sorts of books tagged with the logo 'Elseworlds', stories where familiar characters could be re-imagined or have their lives changed.

Let's face it, they were imaginary stories.

So you could see 'what if Superman was raised by the Waynes?' and 'What if Batman met Houdini and fought vamipires?' and 'what if Superman was around during the Civil War?' and 'What if Batman existed in a world where America was a Theocracy?'

Released in the wonderful Prestige Format, and usually with great creative teams, they were enticing. And as they existed 'outside continuity', as a reader you could pick and choose which stories intrigued you. I got a bunch of these and liked most of them.

So is the television Elseworlds going to be a similar take? Will there be new worlds? Changes in reality? Is Batwoman present because the idea of 'Batman' has been rewritten?

My guess is yes. But there is even more going on perhaps making this feel more like a certain Crisis.

Read on!



Around the time the 'Elseworlds' moniker was dropped that  LaMonica Garrett would be on the crossover as the Monitor. Here is link:
https://deadline.com/2018/09/warner-bros-tv-imports-dcs-elseworlds-and-the-monitor-to-the-cw-superhero-crossover-1202471716/

Now longtime readers know that The Monitor was a hero trying to save the multiverse in the Crisis on Infinite Earths maxi-series. In that series, we saw infinite Earths, perhaps one might say 'Elseworlds'?

So could the CW be doing what I have sort of hoped they do and merge their worlds into one? Is this a sort of COIE? Or is he simply there to bring the heroes to some Elseworlds to help them save those worlds? That would seem a bit of a repeat of last year's Crisis on Earth X but still would be cool.

Garrett certainly looks the part!

And then is was revealed that actor Jeremy Davies will also be in the Elseworld's story as Arkham Asylum physician John Deegan. Here is a link:
https://deadline.com/2018/09/arrowverse-crossover-jeremy-davies-arkham-asylum-dr-john-deegan-casting-1202468506/

One rumor I heard was that perhaps Deegan is more like John Dee, the name of Dr. Destiny. After all, Destiny had the Materioptikon, a machine that could make dreams come true. What simpler way could you have to explain the creation of crazy worlds?

I loved Davies in Solaris as the addled satellite scientist/Solaris creation. He showed a level of instability which I think would be perfect for Destiny.


Supergirl certainly has meandered through her own Elseworlds books.

I have never reviewed Elseworld's Finest but seems like this might push me to finally getting to it.

Of course, there was J.M. DeMatteis Wings, an Elseworlds look at the Linda Danvers angel story.

And maybe, just maybe, she plays a big role in another Elseworlds book that I'll probably review tomorrow.

I am very excited for this crossover.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

"In 1989, DC Comics published Gotham by Gaslight, a story imagining Batman in the 1880's Gotham, hunting down Jack The Ripper."

DC in 1985: "Let's get rid of all parallel worlds!"

DC in 1989: "Let's create parallel worlds!"

Further evidence that destroying the Multiverse was a stupid idea.

I wonder what the Monitor's role will be. Hero? Villain? I hope for the former. I'm tired of heroes and nice people being turned into villains by media adaptations. And yes, I KNOW it happens the whole time. Hence, my tiredness.

Maybe there will be a reality merge. I'm afraid it can make continuity needdlessly convoluted, but we'll see.

"I have never reviewed Elseworld's Finest but seems like this might push me to finally getting to it."

YES! YES! YES!

"And maybe, just maybe, she plays a big role in another Elseworlds book that I'll probably review tomorrow."

Oh... Maybe it be... JLA: Created Equal? Or -ugh!- Act of God? I guess it being Linda rules out "Distant Fires" and the like.

Martin Gray said...

This should be a good one and yes, merge those blooming worlds!

Bring on the review. SO what's everyone's favourite Elseworlds? I would likely choose either JLA: The Nail or Generations... the latter would likely win overall.

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for this year's crossover! Tyler Hochelin? Lois Lane? Batwoman? I'M IN!! I do find it odd
that Legends of Tomorrow, or even Black Lightning isn't included in the crossover... but we'll see how it
all plays out! Counting down!


Regards

Martin Gray said...

Anonymous, I was reading yesterday that LoT only have 16 episodes this year, and a crossover would really squeeze/derail things... but suggestions are already being thrown around for next year.

Anonymous said...

"SO what's everyone's favourite Elseworlds?"

I checked the Elseworlds list in the DC Wiki, and Kingdom Come is on the list, so...

Other than him, "Elseworld's Finest", and I'd like reading "The Nail" and "Gotham by Gaslight". I never cared for "Red Son".

I don't like "Generations"... at all.

Anonymous said...

There were some very good Elseworlds Stories and others that were pretty lackluster and the rest plain awful.
"Elseworld's Finest" pretty much jobs out Supergirl/Superwoman and neatly Gender Switches the BatGoddess Meme...other than that, pfft.
Oh and John Byrne's "Generations" Elseworld what kills off Supergirl twice?

As long as Kara Danvers survives the crossover, I'll be happy....:)

JLG

Professor Feetlebaum said...

Kara Danvers will survive. Otherwise, they'd have to change the name of her show from "Supergirl" to "Just Another Girl".

The big question is, now that Superman is wearing trunks again in the comics, will Tyler Hoechlin have them in the crossover?

Anonymous said...

""Elseworld's Finest" pretty much jobs out Supergirl/Superwoman and neatly Gender Switches the BatGoddess Meme...other than that, pfft."

Yes, Supergirl was jobbed out to a Batgirl who displayed the worst traits of Batman's Frank Miller: the anti-social, self-righteous, arrogant asshole with is prepared for ANYTHING and is one hundred times smarter than EVERYONE.

And still... it was 1998, during the "Supergirl and Batgirl are silly Silver Age concepts that belong to the past. Superman HAS to be the Last Kryptonian, and Batman doesn't need a female sidekick" dark era. And still we had Kara Zor-El, adopted by Wonder Woman and teaming up with Barbara Gordon. And at the end, they befriend each other.

I mean that the good parts are good enough to make me overlook the bad stuff.

""Oh and John Byrne's "Generations" Elseworld what kills off Supergirl twice?"

... unlike this tripe. Generations good parts simply DON'T make up for the bad. I know JB hates legacy/distaff counterpart characters (and I know this because he himself said so in his message board), but he had to kill Supergirl thrice? And that isn't even my BIGGEST issue with that series.

"Kara Danvers will survive."

Yes, it's probably harder to kill Supergirl in 2018 than in 1985. Back then she hadn't headlined several successful solos, appeared constantly out of comic media and showed more staying power than her substitutes. It's telling that instead of blaming Superman's continued decline on Supergirl, WB is considering to make a Supergirl movie now DCEU Superman is "damaged goods" due to their incompetence.

Anonymous said...

> Anonymous, I was reading yesterday that LoT only have 16 episodes this year, and a crossover would really
> squeeze/derail things... but suggestions are already being thrown around for next year.

Thanks for that @Martin Gray.

> As long as Kara Danvers survives the crossover, I'll be happy....:)

Agree that Supergirl's got MUCH more staying power than she did, but let's not give TPTB any ideas, shall we? :)

"We need to do something new / shocking. I know, let's kill our lead char!" :/ Seen that gimmick before...


Regards

Anonymous said...

Speaking of Supergirl love across all media, I just ordered my copy of DCSHG: Search For Atlantis, and Supergirl 1984 on BD.
Can't wait for it to arrive!


Regards

Anonymous said...

If the DCEU couldn't get Superman done right as a feature film franchise, why would they be able to get his cousin launched as a successful tentpole?
Not without some radical rethinking as to what works and doesn't work...and I'd advise they look at the larger wellsprings of the Berlanti-verse for inspiration...("focus on hope & help" and cherry pick the best elements of the bronze and modern age in respect of specific characters)

:)

JF

Anonymous said...

> "focus on hope & help"

+9000 to that JF. Just to throw it out there, a post-Justice League movie Wonder Woman tie in, and Wonder Woman mentoring
a newly arrived Kara to Earth?

A GREAT line for Wonder Woman to say to Kara would be : "I was in a dark place myself for a long time, but someone showed
me that there's things worth fighting for." Toss in a trinity with Batgirl and I'd TOTALLY be over the moon!


Regards

Anonymous said...

A Batgirl, Supergirl, Wondie "Fem Trinity" film would be fine thing indeed (if the script "got"all three characters properly)...and these days that might be the DCEU's best hope going forward.

JF