Written by Barbara Kesel & Matt Haley.
Art by Matt Haley; Tom Simmons; Bill Oakley; & Moose Baumann.
Cover Art by Matt Haley; Tom Simmons; & Moose Baumann.
SUMMARY:
Released in 1998 by DC Comics, this 64-page Elseworlds tale imagines an alternate reality where true crime novelist Barbara Gordon/Batgirl has forcibly segregated her Gotham City from Earth’s superhuman interference (i.e. the Justice Society).
Despite the presence of both Batgirl and the full Justice Society, a visiting Lex Luthor is abducted from a black-tie PR event by a venom-powered Joker and his new associate/ex-Luthor crony, Dr. Emil Hamilton. Complicating Batgirl’s team-up with a naïve Supergirl is twofold: the Joker’s slimy crush on Batgirl has him transformed to Bane-size to impress her while this Supergirl idolizes the nefarious Luthor. This Elseworld’s Finest Team must then infiltrate Luthor’s Metropolis lab complex to confirm its darkest secrets.
Included are this reality’s origin flashbacks for both Batgirl, whose ‘Alfred’-like assistant is playboy Bruce Wayne, & Kara/Supergirl.
REVIEW:
Good intentions re: super-feminism aside, the story’s sole plus is the starring duo’s cool-looking costumes. They’re impressive enough that DC Direct’s Elseworlds toy line subsequently produced a pair of stellar Supergirl & Batgirl action figures in 2007 during its third wave to cash in. Otherwise, there’s far too little substance present in this disappointing one-shot. For instance, the premise re: at least dozen Justice Society/Justice League members (including Wonder Woman, Big Barda, a Captain Marvel, etc.) kowtowing to Batgirl’s technological wrath is ludicrous.
Far worse is a repulsive plot twist late in the game that confirms Elseworld’s Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl’s negligible plotting. After an unsatisfying climax, the final few pages are ironically this story’s best.
The art squad’s decent visuals mitigate only so much Barbara Kesel & Matt Haley’s unappealing script. Suffice to say, collecting the action figures of Elseworld’s Finest duo is a far more rewarding option than reading this misguided junk.
Note: This title has been published in anthology form twice: specifically, Elseworlds: Justice League, Book One – in 2016 and then its 2024 re-release.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
None.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3 Stars
