Batman: 10 Elseworld Comics That Still Need To Be Animated | CBR – CBR – Comic Book Resources

DC has animated standalone stories like Gotham by Gaslight, so there's a chance there'll be more Elseworlds in the future.

Comic books have long since established themselves as wholeheartedly leaning into the multiverse concept. Frankly, this is necessary given thatplenty of characters Marvel and DC work with have existed for several decades and therefore need ways to tell stories with at leastsomewhatbelievablelengths. DC popularized acollection of arcs centering around their most beloved characters delving into this with theirElseworldsimprint, with the goal of telling stories that are canon to their own universes, while separatefrom the mainline series.

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Batman is among those beloved superheroes and he's seen some great ones in the years since, like in theDC Black Labelimprint, which essentially succeedsElseworlds.DC hasanimated standalone stories likeGotham by Gaslight,sothere's a chance there'll be more Elseworlds in the future.

Three Jokerslargely got positive reception& sold well, and would make a great standalone DCUAO movie.A sequel's planned from Johns and Fabok, but even still it could work as aneffective one-off.

Three Jokerstells an intimate story in Gotham City that doesn't needed grandiose, world-wide setup. It plays on an exciting concept of having three separate Jokers that have their own unique manifestations of narcissisms in relation to Batman that also puts a satisfying spotlight on Red Hood and Batgirl, delving into themes of PTSD.

Perhaps the most praisedBlack Labelwork is Sean Murphy'sWhite Knightand the maxiseries it's part of. Murphy writes (and draws) an engrossing Gothamand characters that flip conventional canon on its head, doing so in a manner that isn't for cheap shock value. Joker being an alter ego of the good but flawed Jack Napier that Batman beats into submission, and the latter being questioned from a moral and philosophical standpoint in this universe presents a compelling, new narrative perspective.

Plus, having Harley Quinn actually prove to also be a good person who rejects the Joker persona and Jason being revealed as this world's original Robin,butsurvivingJoker's kidnapping and torture are satisfying plot devices that serve their purposes well.

The next step would beanimating the second entry in Sean Murphy's maxiseries,Curse of the White Knight.This sequel takes Batman's character arc and development to new heights in part bysetting him ina Gotham City whose crime fighters have grown increasingly separate from the Dark Knight, with him reluctant to officially join Nightwing and Batgirl in the GTO.Cursecontinues bringing twists to traditional lore in ways that push the plot in bold new ways, like bringing forth the revelation of Bruce Wayne's true lineage.

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It presents real, genuine consequences that are well written and emotionally impactful, all while being a great homage and rendition of Chuck Dixon's iconicKnightfallarc.

This would undoubtedly make for the wildest animated Batman movie to date, as writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo use the creative freedoms granted byBlack Labelto tear up the script for what canon typically allows.Last Knight on Earthessentially destroysthe DC world as fans know it.

A thrilling story of twists and revelations have Batman wander a Mad Max-esque DC wasteland that mixes in sci-fi elements in the neo-noir, authoritarian-ruled Gotham City. It's self-aware and leans into the premise's crazinesswhile throwing in some great dark humor in the midst of it, particularly with the Batman/Joker dynamic that makes them unlikely allies and making the latter Robin. Seriously.

WhileFrank Miller'sYear One hasplenty of alternate renditions across all mediums, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank'sEarth OneVol. 1would still be welcome. One thingholding this back is thatit's another Bruce Wayne origin. However, making this an animated movie instead of a two-hour-plus-long live action one would soften this caveat. Plus,Earth Onetakes cues from Nolan's theatrical trilogy in how it interweaves past and present in telling origins and being a cinematic-feeling, grounded comic.

Its plot and scope is even tighter in scale thanBatman Beginsand tells more of a crime drama. We see a Batman that's surprisingly raw and amateurish, giving fans a satisfying payoff to Bruce's personal growth after discovering the truth behind his parents' murders and Alfred bring him back down to earth, all with a refreshing but lovingly familiar take on Penguin.

Vol. 2continuesthe refreshinginterpretation on this universe's Batman and Gotham,making it a candidate for a good animated movie sequel especially withVol. 3finally getting a firm release date.Earth One Vol. 2continues with the smaller-scale, crime-drama/thriller story and cinematic toneby introducing this world's Riddler, Killer Croc and Catwoman.

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While Nygma's riddles and death games were exciting, they were devices to move the plot forward more than Riddler himself; but Croc's fun, bold newiterationwas great to see, making him an empathetic, misunderstood destitute and eventual ally instead of a supervillain.

Lee Bermejo'sNolwould make for an entertainingholiday-season animated movie given its Christmas setting and it beingA Christmas Carolwith Batman. It's a fairly concise story, making material to adapt none tootaxing, and given the comic's influence, it could also fit the mold of a limited/miniserieslasting three or four episodes.

The plot effectively usesA Christmas Carol,Batman, his world, and related characters to tell the story of a jaded, cynical, damaged man ultimately moving on and growing from past traumas for his own sake and for those around him.

Gaining more spotlight despite being under-the-radar is Darwyn Cooke'sEgo,thanks to Matt Reeves revealing that it serves as a major influence of his highly-anticipated, Robert Pattinson-led The Batman.

Egodives deepinto the philosophical and psychological realms of Bruce's mind, exploring his reasoning behind Batman's famous "no killing" rule. Things turn into an enthralling philosophical debate as the vehicle driving this premise is the superego Bruce Waynedebating with the angry, vengeance-hungry id Batman over whether they should kill the Joker.

Speaking of renditions onKnightfall,a current-era DC series titledTales from the Dark Multiversequite literally did their own take that would make a direct parallel. Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins' Dark Multiverse storypresents fans with a timeline where Bruce Wayne passed on the Batman mantle to a soon-to-be-deranged Azrael, but lost in trying to reclaim it.

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What resulted was a dark, twisted futurewhere Azrael ruled Gotham for 30 years as Saint Batman, while keeping Bruce alive to torture.

LikeGotham by Gaslight,Doug Moench'sBatman & Draculatrilogy Red Rain, Bloodstorm,Crimson Mist was a cult-classicElseworlds series. The trilogy's now reprinted into a single book, but could arguably work as a single animated movie or a trilogy. As expected, the plot centers around Batman fighting Dracula.

He has todefeat Dracula, his minions as well as his own rogues gallery, and eventually deal with becoming a vampire himself. It's a wonderfully-ludicrous plot that only animation would allow outside of comics, withThe Batman vs. Draculabeing an example.

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Guillermo Kurten is a journalism major at the University of Houston. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, he now resides in Houston. He is a fan of pretty much anything involving nerd culture. Video games, comics, movies, TV, anime, manga, you name it. He also has experience writing about soccer, specifically, the German team Bayern Munich.

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Batman: 10 Elseworld Comics That Still Need To Be Animated | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero