I haven't read the Batman: White Knight books (although I think I have a McFarlane Batcycle from it, that I gave to Signalman!) and for all I know, this will be a speedrun through that: from 1996, Catwoman Annual #3, written by Joan Weis, pencils by Michal Dutkiewicz, inks by Gerry Fernandez.

Catwoman's spin through the Legends of the Dead Earth begins at a museum, where children learn about the crazy, violent nonsense mankind went through to become the peaceful types they were then. The historical record might be a bit dicey, though, as this is about the criminal dynasty of Catwoman and Batman! Starting with a robbery at a chemical plant, that led to a cop, Jock Bozer, taking a dip in a vat of chemicals and becoming the Joker. Joker would eventually become police commissioner, but never caught those villains. Over the years, even as they had a son, Dick; Selina is the brains of the Bat-Cat team, using clever robberies to get inside information that Wayne Industries could then capitalize on, making them millions. Still, she commits other robberies, and is not squeamish about killing any potential witnesses. Which might be a problem, as Dick becomes a teenager, that hates Catwoman and Batman!

When a reporter starts to get too close, Batman and Catwoman test an experimental "brain-tumor buster" on him, inadvertently creating the Riddler, who then works with Commissioner Joker. Batman is starting to feel the heat, and proposes their 'retirement,' but Selina still wants the big score: engineering a chemical spill, and Wayne Industries would be positioned to stop an environmental disaster in the nick of time. But they aren't prepared for Dick to find out the family secret... 

Were any of the other LotDE annuals historical reconstructions like this one? Oh, I guess I've read most of them by now; I can say 'no.' Interesting, even though it makes this a completely "imaginary story." Still, only two more to go!

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Maybe if I finish the "Legends of the Dead Earth" annuals, I could go on to these--no. No. We're not doing that.

I was familiar with the cover from a house ad, a Jim Balent number with a woman turning into a cat-woman in front of Castle Greykitty; but hadn't read this until recently: from 1994, Catwoman Annual #1,"The Last Man" Written by Christopher Priest, pencils by Federico Cueva, inks by Alberto Pez.

This was another Elseworlds annual, with a medeval Batman winning his final battle against the Cat-Man, R'as al Ghul. Perhaps because this Batman did not seem like the most noble of warriors, his name wasn't a variation of Bruce Wayne; it was instead "Lord Timon Vicar." Timon was having all of the Selenites, the cat-people, put to the sword; since he saw them as sorcerous, soulless abominations; and he had already killed R'as eight times. The ninth time might be the charm; but Timon loses an eye and is grievously wounded. Feverish and sick, Timon isn't able to put up a fight, when his men are later killed by bandits; but he is saved by a mysterious cat-woman.

After dispatching the bandits, the cat-woman asks him where Timon was; perhaps wisely, Timon points to one of his dead men. The woman claims, if her father R'as had still been alive, she wouldn't be covered in fur now. Mockingly calling him "Truman," for a true man; she forces him to bury his dead men, then plans on taking him to speak with the Emperor, and end the slaughter of the Selenites. Still feverish, Timon has a dream about saving the cat-woman from R'as; and awakes to find her asleep in human form. Finally giving her name as Talia, she explains how he's a backwards, prejudiced, sexist tool; but she needs him, useless as he is. Later, while Talia is getting horses, Timon is accosted and beat by his own Legionnaires, who don't recognize their boss, and seem like the thugs Talia saw them as. When they plan to "have their fun" with Talia, a furious Timon rallies and murders them all, but can't bring himself to hurt Talia.

Later, Talia is furious over losing the scent of a murdering band of Legionnaires, and reveals she had known who Timon was all along. They spend a night together, then Talia disappears, leaving Timon to make his way home. Back in his Bat-armor, he tries to convince his father to end the war, and gets slapped down. Furious that his own son might have been ensorcelled, he resolves to triple the slaughter, and is immediately murdered by Talia. Timon tries to stop her escape, leading to a fall into the moat and a fight with a gator; and Talia rescues him again. She thinks while his father never would have, Timon could end the war: she is immediately shot in the back by Timon's men. Timon does end the war, but knows at some point he will face Talia again: she still had eight lives left.

OK, even though I read a ton of those in '94, there is no way we're going to get to all the Elseworlds annuals! So far I think we've seen Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #4, Legionnaires Annual #1, and Robin Annual #3. Read more!