Review:
When Booster Gold's first solo series introduced him to the world in early 1986, it gave us a happy-go-lucky, media-savvy hero with a flair for self-promotion. Sure, he fumbled the occasional colloquial slang, but what else would you expect from a 25th century disgraced college football star getting a new start in late 20th century Metropolis?
As the character evolved over time and in the hands of different creators, happy-go-lucky turned into jokes and slapstick farce; self-promotion became selfish, self-centred and even manipulative. Fans were glad to see him in regular Justice League appearances but were occasionally aghast at the increasingly buffoonish portrayals.
His second solo series is a new start, a bold new take on this character. Writers Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz turn Booster on his head. The guy so motivated by fame and glory now needs to save the world in total anonymity. I tip my hat to whoever redesigned the series logo, as well, for nailing this character shift. Gone is the $ dollar-sign shape of the S in the middle of "Booster", replaced by the two Os in the name merging into an Infinity symbol. Brilliant! The logo and the character are amazing reinventions that invert our established perceptions of who Michael Carter is, and what Booster Gold is all about.
This new series follows directly on the heels of 52, the ambitious weekly series that filled in the year in the DC universe without Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman. Booster's role as a Time Master and his need to work in secret started there, culminating in his saving the multiverse - without anyone knowing! A sign o the true heroism at his core. But that climactic battle left cracks and wormholes in the time stream. Booster Gold and Rip Hunter seek to seal them up, with as little downstream damage as possible.
The result is a series of jumps into fascinating moments in the history of DC characters.
We meet a college-aged Guy Gardner with tickets to the Rose Bowl, before he became the arrogant, hot-headed Green Lantern. Jonah Hex and his wild west make an appearance, in scenes that give us a delightfully drunk Booster! Flash and Kid Flash get into a fender-bender with Booster's Time Sphere, putting at risk the night that lightning struck and turned Barry Allen into the Flash. And so on.
This book is also filled with some amazing visuals. With Booster Gold creator Dan Jurgens on layouts and pencils, these characters get the loving care and attention of a parent. He also works in some great nods to classic DC moments and occasional "Easter eggs" as well.
The strongest example is the series of panels when Booster tries to prevent the Joker from shooting and paralyzing Barbara Gordon. From the legendary Batman: Killing Joke graphic novel by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, Jurgens faithfully reproduces these memorable panels while weaving in the Booster twists.
Jurgens nails it again, in similar fashion, at the moment Maxwell Lord shoots Ted Kord / Blue Beetle. Booster jumps between them to try and save his friend, and the sequence of panels nods to the originals in Countdown to Infinite Crisis.
There are also Easter Eggs and teases aplenty. Things like Rip Hunter's blackboard and its mysterious one-liners, or glimpses into DC moments through the rips in time, plus the occasional "upcoming" issue-ending panels.
My favourite, though, has to be the nod to the Beatles and their Abbey Road album cover, reproduced as Booster and three Blue Beetles (get it?) leave Rip Hunter. So clever!
One small artistic annoyance is the over-use of the classic pose of the hero flying toward us, body tapering to small feet far behind. See the cover of this collection to see what I mean. It's a Comic Books 101 technique, and is over-used in these pages.
Hi-Fi does the colors and these pages look fantastic! For maybe the first time, the gold in Booster Gold's uniform shines brightly. Even standing next to Kid Flash, you can see who wears yellow and who wears brilliant Gold!
This is an exciting new beginning for Booster Gold, and I give it four Capes.
Description:
Named by James Gunn as an influence for Gods and Monsters, the first chapter of the new DC Universe film and television slate! This story inspires the upcoming series BOOSTER GOLD.
Who the hell is Booster Gold?!
A scoundrel from the future intent on making a name for himself in the past, Booster Gold has nevertheless exhibited his share of heroism.
When opportunity arises, you have to seize it! That’s an idea that has driven Mike Carter, a college football star of the 25th Century who earned the nickname “Booster” on the field. Even though people assured him a professional career of fame and fortune was in his future, he decided he couldn’t wait and wagered on his own games. The scandal halted his dreams of professional stardom and ruined his reputation.
Taking a job as a security guard in the Metropolis Space Museum, Mike saw another opportunity. With future and alien technology stolen from the museum, and a time machine that was on display, he realized he could not only become a superhero himself in a past era where his criminal history was unknown, but he could also make his good deeds profitable.
Mike time-traveled to the modern age and debuted as Booster Gold. Now, he fights evil alongside different versions of the Justice League and his good pal Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle. Though always eager to take credit for good deeds on social media or sign with a well-paying sponsor, Booster is a good guy at heart and will drop everything if he genuinely sees someone in need.
BOOSTER GOLD: 52 PICK-UP explodes from the pages of 52 with Booster Gold on a mission to repair the damaged timeline of the DC Universe...if he's going to earn membership in the Justice League of America!
Collects: Booster Gold (2007) #1-6
Authors: Geoff Johns, Jeff Katz
Artists: Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: April 25, 2023 (reprint)
Parental Rating: PG-13
ISBN: 978-1779524355
Pages: 158 pages
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