This is going to be a very geeky list. We’re talking the height of comic book geekery. Maybe some of your non-geeks will learn something. This will hopefully be a silly list too, celebrating the depths of comic book awesomeness. Is everybody familiar with alternate realities? The idea that somewhere out there in existence is an alternate Earth, with alternate versions of us living alternate lives? Well superhero comics love this concept. There are dozens of alternate realities in comics, hundreds even. It’s a favorite of comic writers and fans to create alternate reality versions of famous superheroes.

Like Calvin and Hobbes as Batman and Robin, for example

Click the jump to read six of my favorites!

6. Superman: Red Son

For truth, justice and the Soviet way!

Two words: Communist Superman. This Elseworlds tale by writer Mark Millar asks what would happen if Superman’s rocket crashed in 1950s Russia instead of Kansas; if he was raised by Josef Stalin instead of Ma and Pa Kent. But as bad as that sounds, Millar is too smart to be obvious. Superman does not automatically become a super-villain just because he was raised in the Soviet Union. He’s still the heroic and honorable Superman. Even as America grows frightened of him and tries to defeat him, Superman never loses his desire to help and save everyone across the world.

The story is brilliant. It’s about Superman using his powers to uphold the Communist ideals of equality among the workers and peace for all. He takes over the Soviet Union when Stalin dies, and he grows it into a larger, fuller empire. Only America stands against him, an America that lost the Cold War…until Lex Luthor takes over as President.

In Soviet Russia, Superman saves YOU...wait...

This book is my absolute favor Superman vs. Luthor story. The climax, Luthor’s secret ‘weapon’ is so awesome that I had to put down the book and cheer! But I won’t spoil it. In the end, Superman: Red Son is a brilliant book and Superman is treated with respect. Millar even gives us a pretty cool and pretty insane reinterpretation of the destruction of Krypton. Again, I won’t spoil it, because Superman: Red Son is a comic that even non-comic fans can read and enjoy.

Millar even has fun creating alternate versions of other DC heroes, like Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Bizarro and more.

Soviet Batman has a very warm forehead

5. 1602 Magneto

Bad to the ass

Old man Magneto is just a fun visual. He starts out as just an old monk, then  eventually becomes more akin to his normal villainous guise. And the revelation of his powers is supremely badass. He survives an assassination attempt by repelling the killer’s knife and turning it back on him. And that beard is completely awesome. That’s a true monk-neto beard. Later on, he loses the beard and gets a costume similar to what he always wears, so he stays cool. Magneto even helps save the day in the end. But his initial appearance in the world of 1602 is just cool. He’s Grand Inquisitor, with his children Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver by his side.

Expansive collars were all the rage

1602 was written by legendary writer Neil Gaiman. It’s the story of the Marvel Universe if everything was set in the medieval year of 1602. Everyone serves Queen Elizabeth I, with a mystery that bounces from England to Doctor Doom’s Latveria to the New World. All of the classic heroes from the start of the Marvel Universe are given alternate histories. The X-Men, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, all of them are recreated under Gaiman’s pen as colonial-era people. It’s a wonderful tale, full of imagination and cleverness. There’s a rather brilliant twist towards the end that completely changes the tone of the book, but it still retains the general idea of the Marvel superheroes in ye olde England.

4. Age of Apocalypse Sabretooth

He still loves killing things though

The Age of Apocalypse was a grand experiment in the X-Men comics in the mid-90s. It’s an alternate reality created by time travel. Remember the X-Men movies, where Patrick Stewart played Professor X, leader of the X-Men? Well in this time travel story, the bad guys go back in time to kill Professor X before he can make the X-Men. And without Professor X or the X-Men, the super-villain Apocalypse takes over the world. And for four months, every single X-Franchise comic book took place in this alternate, Apocalyptic world.  Everyone’s favorite characters got alternate versions, either good or bad, and they worked together to bring back the normal world. Eventually they succeeded and the comics returned to normal, but everybody loved the Age of Apocalypse.

It's like Where's Waldo, but you're searching for everybody!

My favorite character from the AoA was Sabretooth. He’s been in a few movies, so perhaps you non-comic book fans know about him. In the normal Marvel Universe, he’s a savage, vicious killer. He’s Wolverine’s arch-enemy, another feral mutant with sharp fangs and a super healing factor. But in the Age of Apocalypse, he’s a noble hero. He’s still the feral mutant with sharp fangs and a healing factor, but in this universe he’s a hero. He’s selfless and honorable, sticking up for the weak in the fight against Apocalypse’s evil regime.

I only read a few chapters of the Age of Apocalypse. It occurred before I started reading X-Men comics, so I was only able to find a few random issues. One of those issues starred Sabretooth, and his heroism truly made him stand out. I wanted to read the whole AoA just to see more adventures of their world’s Sabretooth. Fortunately, he turns up again even after the AoA was over. The heroes restored the proper world, but the AoA lived on in its own timeline. And thanks to things like time travel or the Exiles, AoA Sabretooth has popped up now and again in other Marvel adventures. So that’s neat.

3. Dark Claw

I'm happy to say that the description lives up to the badassery of the picture

The two main comic book companies are Marvel and DC. Marvel has the X-Men and Spider-Man, DC has Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. They’re like Coke and Pepsi, McDonald’s and Burger King. But what would happen if the heroes from the two companies got into a fight? Who would win?

We found out in the 90s. Marvel and DC collaborated on a big event called Marvel vs. DC (or DC vs. Marvel, depending). They pitted all their heroes against each other in some no-holds barred brawls, and let the readers vote on who should win. Superman vs. The Incredible Hulk, Captain America vs. Batman, Spider-Man vs. Superboy, etc. When the readers voted, Marvel won more of the fights than DC. As a Marvel fan at the time, I was delighted. I very much enjoyed that series. Then Marvel and DC did something wholly unexpected and incredibly spectacular.

They combined their characters and universes into one. They merged popular characters together to make brand new characters. They called it Amalgam Comics, and together the two companies published several one-shot comics telling the adventures of these heroes as if they’d always been around. And it was amazing.

I want a job where I get to think up and design these characters. That's the definition of a dream job.

Dark Claw was my favorite, a combination of Wolverine and Batman. I picked up Dark Claw #1 and Spider-Boy #1, both of which were fantastic reads. They were a true celebration of comicdom, reveling in made-up continuity and showing all manner of fun cameos. There was Super Soldier, the combination of Captain America and Superman. Amazon was a merging of Wonder Woman and Storm. Ghost Rider and the Flash became Speed Demon. Lobo the Duck was a combination of Lobo and Howard the Duck. The comics were silly, but a ton of fun. Amalgam eventually came back for a few more single issues a few months later. As far as I know, they’re universally beloved. And my favorite was Dark Claw.

All manner of win

Logan Wayne is a millionaire artist whose parents were killed when he was young. Now he’s a mutant with claws who dresses up in black and fights crime. His greatest enemy is the Hyena, a combination of the Joker and Sabretooth. The first issue featured a badass fight between Dark Claw and Hyena, then had a femme fatale begin investigating Logan Wayne. We saw the new version of the Bat-Cave, and Dark Claw even had a kid sidekick: Sparrow!

Robin + Jubilee = adorable

Sadly, Amalgam comics hasn’t been seen for years. Marvel and DC have retreated to their respective corners and haven’t collaborated on anything for awhile. Which is a sad shame. Now if only we could get Coke and Pepsi to team up and make…Poke.

2. Ultimate Hulk

He's giving you the crazy eye...and crazy bicep...and pretty much everything else

I’ve mentioned the Ultimate Universe before, but I’ll explain it again for any readers unfamiliar with comics. Back in 2000, Marvel Comics wanted to try something new with their superheroes. They had all their normal titles coming out, but they decided to launch a side project that would retell the origins and early adventures of the heroes, but with a contemporary style. There would be a greater focus on character, and an attempt to make everything as realistic as possible. Take the Captain America movie released this past summer. Remember how his costume looked like something a real military soldier might wear, instead of some silly spandex outfit? That’s the style of the Ultimate Universe. Realism and character over the usual superhero cliches.

I think I like these group shots the best. So many fun designs

And it was a hit! Fans loved the Ultimate Universe. It recreated the classic characters, keeping the basics in place while giving them new, more realistic origins. And my favorite character was the Ultimate Hulk. Or, more accurately, my favorite character was Bruce Banner, the Hulk’s alter ego. He was a pathetic, nerdy little man who kept running into failure after failure in a world populated by the likes of Captain America, Iron Man and Thor. He was a part of the team, but nobody respected him. They were nice to Banner, but in the same way that anybody is generally nice to the weird guy in the office.

Dissed on national television

In the end, Banner just couldn’t take it anymore, so he turned himself into the Incredible Hulk!

Captain America gets knocked down a peg

Banner was chief scientist for SHIELD, working to recreate the Super Soldier Serum that gave Captain America his powers in World War II. But he just couldn’t do it. One attempt turned him into the Hulk, but SHIELD was able to calm him down and get the Hulk under control with medications and therapy. Banner went right back to work, but his reputation was tarnished. Meanwhile, Nick Fury started putting a superhero team together. He recruited Iron Man, Giant Man, the Wasp and Thor; then Captain America was discovered frozen in the ice. Soon Banner’s attempts to recreate the formula are moot because the real Captain America was back!

So when Banner turns himself back into the Hulk, a bigger, stronger version of the Hulk, he tells himself it’s a good idea because it will give the superhero team something to fight and justify their big budget. But in the end, he tells his girlfriend that the real reason he turned himself back into the Hulk was so that he could feel big.

As a geek myself, I know what it’s like to wish you could make yourself more badass and awesome. But the Hulk couldn’t be controlled. He’s the strongest being on planet Earth, and his rampage in Manhattan killed hundreds before Captain America and the Ultimates (the new name for the Ultimate Avengers) could stop him. Banner was locked up, though SHIELD didn’t tell the public that Banner was the Hulk. Bruce remained a part of the team, helping out from his cell whenever he could. Then when aliens invaded, Captain America pulled Banner out of lockup and provoked the Hulk so that he could help out in destroying the alien spaceships. Hulk was a hero!

Until a traitor revealed to the media that SHIELD was harboring the man who killed all those people in Manhattan. Banner was put on trial and sentenced to death…but killing the Hulk is not so easy.

Captain America is a tactical genius - Click to enlarge

Nowadays the Ultimate Universe is not what it used to be. The stories got bogged down in bad writing and confusing plot twists, gumming up what had once been a very smooth, very cool group of characters. I’ve almost entirely abandoned it, and definitely don’t care for all the changes they’ve made to the Hulk. But the original Ultimates stories, especially the Banner/Hulk tragedy, are some of the best comics ever.

1. Robin of Dead Earth

A rare artifact from my childhood

Comic characters do not get more obscure than Robin of Dead Earth. I may be the only geek on the planet who still remembers this single issue story from sometime in the heyday of the mid-90s. I think I bought it at the grocery store. I have no idea how the issue came into my possession, but I loved the holy heck out of that little comic! It had fun characters, a cool story and great art. Everything a good comic book needs. I was a huge fan of Robin back then too, so it was neat to see her in a starring role.

Yep, a her! The Robin of Dead Earth is a woman named Tris Plover. The story takes place in the far future, after the Earth has been destroyed. All of humanity launched from the planet in giant world ships, hoping to find a new planet on which to re-establish civilization. But something has gone wrong on the world ship named for Gotham City. They have been knocked off course, and have been flying nowhere for decades! Entire generations of people have come and gone since the world ship set sail. So much so that people don’t even know that they’re living on a giant spaceship.

Especially not the worker class, of which Tris Plover is a member. All Tris and her people have ever known is the fields. They wake up, plow the fields and go to bed. They are ruled over by a police class, who poke and prod them around, lording over the worker class. Tris hates the life and she wishes there was something more.

She found her salvation in a rebel known as Batman.

She got a neat suit out of it too

Using futuristic technology, Batman created a battle suit for himself. He caused trouble for the police class and became something of a revolutionary figure to the worker class. Tris was fascinated by him. And one day, when an accident gave Tris the chance to escape the fields, she met the Batman. He opened her eyes to the reality of their world, teaching her about the world ship and about the stars. He also needed her help. He had discovered that the world ship was off course, and he had a plan to fix the ship’s navigation. But it was a two-person job, and the Batman of legend just happened to have a sidekick of his own.

So Tris got her own battle suit, named and designed after the Robin of legend. I love the look of the battle suit. She looks badass, and definitely Robin-influenced.

These are, literally, the only three images on the entire Internet of Robin

Batman and Robin attacked the headquarters of the police class. They made it inside, and Batman held them off while Robin went down to the brain of the world ship. She found the computer and used Batman’s plan to set a new course for the world ship. She was able to find a new planet that would support life…but the planet would take several hundred years to reach. Tris Plover wasn’t going to live long enough to reach the planet. She hung her head and told the computer to take them to the planet anyway.

The book ended with an epilogue set on the planet. A grandfather tells his grandchildren the story of Robin, and how she set them free.

So that’s my list of my 6 favorite alternate comic book characters. Who are some of yours? Did I pick the wrong Ultimate character? Is there an alternate universe that I missed that you think needs to be mentioned? Tell me in the comments!

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