Elseworld’s Finest Supergirl & Batgirl Epilogue

It took me almost 12 years but I finally reviewed Elseworlds Finest Supergirl &Batgirl this month. (Review posts part 1 and part 2 available.)

I always remembered liking this Elseworlds a lot. But as often happens when I read a book more critically, I was even more impressed. This is truly an Elseworlds with a lot of the usual DC continuity shaken up. The story beats work very well. And the art is stunning.

As I usually do, I tweeted out the link to the review and was thrilled to have Barbara Randall Kesel herself make a few comments which I thought I would share here.

On the art work:

Review: Elseworld's Finest Supergirl & Batgirl Pt 2

Welcome to Part 2 of my review of 1998's Elseworld's Fines Supergirl & Batgirl. If just jumping on board, you can read my Part 1 review here.

I am reminded that this was 1998. We are deep into Matrix country for Supergirl at this time. In fact, at the time this issue came out we were more than 2 years into the Peter David run. The Earth Angel Supergirl was about to have a run-in with the protoplasmic remnants of the Matrix base.

But that means we were also over a decade removed from a Kryptonian Supergirl being anywhere on the racks. The very idea of a Kara Zor-El seemed forbidden. So this stands out as about as true an Elseworld's for the time as anything.

I gave Barbara Kesel kudos last review but more are needed here. Kesel throws in Easter Eggs for Supergirl and Batgirl that made me smile. And there is a key plot point that I can remember being shocked at the first time I read this book. I love when I am completely surprised by a plot turn any time I read a comic. And the ending seems like it is poised for a sequel, the two heroes friends. Alas, we never got one.

Matt Haley continues to really shine on art. I am impressed with the action sequences here. The work he does on expressions is impressive. I have never seen him on a con circuit but I would definitely want a commission from him.

And Tom Simmons colors reflect and complement the art perfectly as you will see.

On to the conclusion!

Review: Elseworld's Finest Supergirl & Batgirl Pt. 1

I have been running Supergirl Comic Box Commentary for nearly 12 years now. When I first came up with the idea for the site, I knew that one of the things I wanted to cover was the many incarnations and little odd corners of Supergirl's history. Immediately I thought about 1998's Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl.

Here we are 12 years later and I still haven't covered it before today. And this despite promising several frequenters of the blog that I was planning to do it.

It isn't that I don't like the story. It is a fine Elseworlds book. Writer Barbara Kesel gives us a new universe where Barbara Gordon is a hard as nails, very Batman-like Batgirl who runs a very tightly controlled Gotham. Bruce Wayne is more of an Alfred role, helping her coordinate. Superman doesn't exist. Supergirl is a huge hero. And the main hero group is the Justice Society, led by Wonder Woman but with some interesting members and new characters thrown in. The story introduces us to this world, showcases the somewhat abrasive relationship between our title heroes, and throws in a powerful turn at the end.

The art is done by Matt Haley and is a visual feast. Haley definitely has a cheesecake style at times but also has all our heroes rather muscular fitting their vigilante adventures. Certainly his Supergirl is something to behold in her form-fitting bodysuit.

So why haven't I covered this?

Mostly I think I was daunted by the size. It is a full 64 pages. I wanted to give this the review and summary it needed. And it felt impossible to do in one going.

With the COVID19 pandemic happening and no new comics on the shelves, I thought it was time to finally get to this review. To ease the burden, I thought I would split the review into two parts running on consecutive Fridays. So off we go!

Get ready to see our heroes taken from their usual settings and put into a strange place and time!

Back Issue Magazine: Elseworlds Finest & Barbara Kesel

I am a big fan of TwoMorrows Back Issue magazine, basically subscribing to it out of my LCS. As a amateur comic historian, I love these looks back at themes, comics, and creators from my history.

The latest issue covers all the alternative realities that comics have given us in the Bronze Age, from Marvels What If? to DC's Elseworlds and a ton of other imaginary tales. I love the concept of Elseworlds and What If? so this issue was in my sweet spot. Definitely worth getting and reading.

As always, whenever I stumble across a Supergirl specific nugget, I try to share. As Supergirl has had roles to play in some of the storylines which fit this issue's theme, I wasn't shocked to see her mentioned.

Specifically, the Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl comic got some significant coverage within the Elseworlds article.

Can I say that this issue has been one of the books I have wanted to do a dedicated review of since I started the blog. And yet, somehow, I have never been able to get to it. Part of it is how long it is. It would be hard to cover in one post. And yet, I think it would be cheating a little to cover it in two posts. That said, I recently split each issue of Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds into 2 posts given the dense nature of those stories over on The Legion of Super-Bloggers site. So maybe I shouldn't be overthinking it.

Regardless of my review, I love the issue and if you don't have it, you should seek it out.

And perhaps this TwoMorrow coverage will spur me on a little.

Happy Christmas Eve !

Thanks to everyone on the blog who told me about this picture, showcased on the DC Comics homepage.

What a nice sentiment, Supergirl and Batgirl are exchanging gifts ... each other's arch-enemy. Or more to the point, Superman and Batman's arch enemies Lex Luthor and The Joker. Both innocently ask 'what did you get me?' It's just a fun little picture for the holidays.

It's a great holiday picture by Matt Haley (I think) who drew the excellent Elseworld's Finest:Supergirl and Batgirl comic back in 1998.

Of course, this appears to be the Barbara Gordon Batgirl outfit. And that is the Matrix/Linda Supergirl outfit, my personal favorite. So I doubt we can pigeon hole this into any prior continuity. Does this have any bearing on the immediate future of the characters? Who knows?But hey, it's the magic of the season for us to see a picture like this!

So Happy Holidays to everyone again!