Review:
Batman and Robin are a more famous DC hero pair. Hawk and Dove have a longer history. But it is hard to find a super-hero duo more fun than the fan-favourite combo of Booster Gold and Blue Beetle.
From their earliest days, bonding in the often dysfunctional Justice League International and introducing "Bwahaha" into the DC lexicon, through the emotional wringer of each watching the other be badly wounded or even killed in battle, theirs has been a charming, entertaining, surprisingly strong and deep bond of friendship.
The superhero comics world has lots of partnerships, lots of mentor-apprentice pairings, many peers and teammates, several lovers. But surprisingly few strong and nuanced friendships.Goofy humour aside, this rarity and strength of the bond is what makes this Blue and Gold pair so memorable.
So it does not take long for Booster, immersed as he is in time streams and alternate timelines, to try and save the life of his best friend Ted Kord / Blue Beetle. His shocking death, shot in cold blood by Maxwell Lord in Countdown to Infinite Crisis, was a tragic moment of true bravery and heroism. Knowing all the details, the who, where and when, can Booster Gold, the new Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes and a couple of other Beetles save Ted?
It is probably not a spoiler, given the cover of this collection,to say that they are indeed successful. What they fail to consider, however, is how this change to the past could change the future.
Breaking one of Rip Hunter's core rules about messing with the past allows Maxwell Lord and his OMAC project - helped by a mind-controlled Superman - to take over the world. Now, instead of just Ted Kord, dozens of heroes have been killed.
To try and put things right, Booster and Beetle connect with a band of resistance fighters, led by Green Arrow and Hawkman and their decidedly low-power and motley group. Can they fix things, defeat Lord, solve the mystery of the Time Stealers and also keep Ted alive?
Booster has always worn his emotions on his sleeve and he endures a roller coaster ride of emotional swings in this book. His deepest desire is to spend some more time with his best bud, and his joy is evident initially. But as he comes to realize the cost of fulfilling his selfish wish, he goes through some dark and desperate pages, all well handled by the creative team of Geoff Johns, Jeff Katz, Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund.
This series continues to be such a treat. Johns and Katz give us action, drama and mystery in a well-blended, well-paced tale. They work well with Dan Jurgens, who created the Booster Gold character and, at this point some 20+ years after introducing him, is still the only penciller for any Booster Gold solo series issue.
The creative team continues to sprinkle in so many hints, red herrings, nod to other books or moments and a few Easter Eggs.
And this book is jam-packed with memorable moments. There's (spoiler alerts) Ted's noble self-sacrifice to restore time and return the dead heroes; Booster's despair at the second loss of his best friend; Batman's surprising compliments; the return of Mister Mind, the villain behind the 52 weekly series; a revisiting and reinterpretation of Booster's origin story; a reunion of the old Justice League International gang with Ice, Fire and Guy Gardner; Peter Platinum, the Booster-inspired self-promoting glory-seeker of the year 1,000,000, and so much more.
With powerful story-telling, emotions both nuanced and extreme, gorgeous art and brilliant colors, this series gets even stronger. I give it four and a half capes out of five.
Description:
This time, the time-traveling hero from the future is determined to change history and save his best friend, the Blue Beetle, from murder. But, as Booster is about to learn, twisting time can have some unpredictable, deadly consequences. This volume also tells the secret origin of Booster Gold, and guest stars the heroes of Justice League International as well as Green Lantern Hal Jordan, in his evil guise as Parallax.
Collects: Booster Gold (2007) #0, #7-10, #1,000,000 and 52 Week 24
Authors: Geoff Johns, Jeff Katz,
Artists: Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Dec 15 2009
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401220143
Pages: 151 pages
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