Saving Grayson: a Review of Booster Gold volume 4: Day of Death

 

Review:

Time-travelling hero and Time-Master-in-training Booster Gold has visited loads of key moments in history, in both our IRL timeline and in that of the DC universe. When visiting great moments from comics past, artist and Booster Gold creator Dan Jurgens always takes admirable care to recreate and lovingly reinterpret those moments with a respectful nod to the vision of the original artist.

Top-of-mind examples earlier in the Booster Gold series include the classic Alan Moore graphic novel The Killing Joke's shooting of Barbara Gordon, and Maxwell Lord's killing of Ted Kord aka Blue Beetle.

Now, in this volume, Booster intervenes in the early days of the New Teen Titans, the phenomenal 1980s reboot by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. Booster's mission seems simple enough on the surface - his goal is to save young Dick Grayson from the Black Beetle's attempt to alter the future by killing him in his Robin days. He has found a ripple in the timestream, tracing to a moment of grace by Raven in New Teen Titans #2.

With his visuals lovingly echoing Perez's original work, Jurgens injects both Booster and Black Beetle into the battle that became such a formative moment in the great rivalry between the New Teen Titans and Deathstroke. The result are fantastic visuals and a terrific tribute. The mansion is recognizable, the panels share the same feel as the originals, down to the teens-having-fun poolside scene. If anything, Starfire's bikini is even skimpier here than in the original.

This time, Jurgens is also writing the tale, and it goes a couple layers deeper than the standard save-the-timestream story. Black Beetle, who is emerging as Booster's main foil, is both serving a muysetrious benefactor, and using that mystery man for his own pruposes. 

Together, they are looking for opportunities to tweak historical DC universe events that will lead to the elimination of both the Teen Titans and ultimately the Justice League. With those heroes out of the way, Trigon then conquers the world and Booster must team with early-era Raven to defeat her own father. Along the way they encounter a remnant of other heroes - Green Arrow, Zatanna among them. Black Beetle has his own agenda, however, and takes advangage of Booster's somewhat predictable and gullible reactions to get hold of a Red Scarab.

The script is a little uneven in this volume. Most solid are the chapters in the bat cave or batling alongside the Teen Titans in a recreation of the past events. The mystery man pulling the strings and developments in Black Beetle too. Sequences with Trigon and the remnant of humanity drag a bit in pacing and feel forced. And a big plot hole is the gap around how exactly Booster Gold defeated Deathstroke.

But Jurgens ultimately sticks the landing and his handling of the Epilogue deftly avoids the traps of saccharine sentimentality to give us a touching glimpse of the humanity at Booster's core. I also love the many little touches like the casual hospitality of Alfred bringing lemonade to the hard-working heroes in the bat cave.

Two other standalone tales are included in this collection. Booster's confrontation with Magog is reprinted from The Brave and the Bold #23 and brings out the strong, forceful side of Booster as he refuses to back down. His threats to stop Magog next time tie in well with the later Justice League Generation Lost series, reviewed earlier.

Keith Giffen also gives us a standalone tale, cleverly titled 1952 pickup. Booster travels back in time to 1952 where he winds up involved in a Russian and Task Force X plot. This is candy, a fun enough standalone tale that ultimately does little more than look and taste good but feels out of line with the arc of these characters. Although the nod to TV shows from the 70s and 80s that were set in the era let us end on a Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley scene.

Description:

Time-traveling hero Booster Gold investigates the death of Batman - only to run afoul of another Batman! And this one doesn't want Booster anywhere near this case. To prevent the murder of the Dark Knight, Booster will have to travel back in time, where he must first stop the mysterious Black Beetle from destroying the New Teen Titans - or will Deathstroke the Terminator get in the way? And if Booster fails, the next target on the Black Beetle's kill list is the entire Justice League of America!

Collects: The Brave and the Bold #23, Booster Gold #20-25

Authors:  by Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens
Artists:  Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, Pat Olliffe
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  April 13, 2010
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN:  978-1401226435
Pages:  160 pages

Bending the Rules: a review of Booster Gold volume 3 - Reality Lost

 

Review:

Time travel tales are famously filled with paradoxes and convoluted complexities. And while the rebooted Booster Gold solo series from 2007 embraces those challenges, the seven issues collected here show the cracks of the writers wrestling with those paradoxes.

The first two chapters, issues #11 and 12 of the series, were written by Chuck Dixon with Dan Jurgens on pencils. The two-parter feels like it was intended to be a largely standalone tale as the series transitioned from the hands of Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz (issues 1-10) to those of Booster's original creator (and series artist) Dan Jurgens beginning with #15.

(An odd Starro tale in #13-14 was the second half of this transition and is collected elsewhere)

Dixon's tale is fun and frivolous, with Booster Gold and Goldstar (Michael' sister Michelle) fixing a timestream issue by impersonating key players. Initially Booster fills in for Killer Moth in a museum heist. When that fails to fix things, he seeks to impersonate the great Batman, with Goldstar playing Batgirl, on the other side of the caper.

Incapacitating those people in order to take their place, being seen by folks such as Alfred all lead to more time travel woes. Booster, in need of a new disguise, dresses as... Elvis Prestley to thwart the crime. It all amounts to a bizarre but entertaining if largely forgettable tale.

When Jurgens lands in the writer's chair with #15, his first story ignores the Starro interlude and revisits Dixon's story. It feels like the character creator reasserting control over the direction of his creation by cleaning up some of the loose threads left behind by other writers. Yet his vision was clearly set earlier. On re-reading the Dixon tale, the astute reader will notice visual clues that will tie in directly to the Jurgens continuation. Things like the Egyptian magical knife, forgotten under a table but in the foreground of the image, screaming "pay attention to me!"

The rest of this collection is centered on that knife. From ancient Egypt and the knife's surprising connection to Blue Beetle's alien scarab, to the end of time at Vanishing Point, the story hits so many times and places, travelling the timestream like a kayak on a current.

Jurgens even circles back on the series' own timeline, as Booster meets his not-that-much younger self from about a year earlier, at least in comics publication dates - who knows how long that is in story time? Rip would be horrified if he had been in any position to comment on the potential for chaos and the paradoxes. One also wonders if this isn't Dan Jurgens reasserting his creative control over not only Chuck Dixon's tale but also those of Johns and Katz?

Jurgens keeps our hero's humour and creativity intact, making these chapters fun to read. He also gives the narrative some good emotional rage, especially in the arc involving Michelle aka Goldstar. She discovers the truth about her death and Rip's intervention and must wrestle with its implications. In fact, the very final panel follows common artistic tropes that suggest her death. Having only recently been reintroduced to Goldstar, is she now gone again from Booster's life?

Also notable is older-Booster's annoyance at how naive his (not that much) younger self was. Has he really grown so much in maturity and experience in the intervening time, however long it was?

Jurgens not only writes two-thirds of the book, he is also the main penciller, with an assist on inks by Norm Rapmund. His visuals are an ongoing testament to his affection for these characters, especially Booster Gold. We get lots of the classic Jurgens full-page pinup poses and his love of having the characters fly directly at the reader. With ongoing amazing colouring work by Hi-Fi, these pages are beautiful to behold, with a fluidity to the flow bound together by a strong overall visual consistency.

With Dan Jurgens in full creative control, I look forward to the next issues. This should be fun!

Description:

Exploding from the pages of 52 - and exploring the timeline of the DC Universe - comes this monthly book featuring the greatest Super Hero history will never know: Booster Gold! Longtime BATMAN writer Chuck Dixon pens a story teaming up Booster and Batman when a time-traveling villain from Batman's past attempts to destroy Gotham City! And in a story written and drawn by original Booster Gold creator Dan Jurgens, Booster discovers that the timestream has been inexplicably altered, unleashing all types of anomalies only he can put back in order! Guest-starring Batgirl and Elongated Man!

Collects: Booster Gold #11, 12, 15-19

Authors:  by Chuck Dixon, Dan Jurgens
Artists:  Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Aug. 11, 2009
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN:  978-1401222499
Pages:  144 pages

Couples' Keepsake: Review of Batman / Catwoman - The Wedding Album Deluxe Edition

 

Review:

Comic book writers and publishers sometimes dare to take well-known characters in exciting, unexpected new directions. new looks or new powers are pretty standard, the low-hanging fruit; new sidekicks or a retirement and replacement get a little more significant. Killing off the hero or major characters can be even more shocking and news-worthy, even breaking into mainstream awareness.

The Batman and Catwoman wedding in 2018 was both daring and predictable. The two had been flirting with each other and the idea of a forbidden hero-villain romance for decades. But Batman was always so ethically good and Catwoman so unapologetically bad that it seemed impossible.

Impossible, that is, until Catwoman turned into a complicated anti-hero, a morally grey character with loads of redeeming qualities. Finally, it seemed possible, maybe even natural.

The Deluxe Edition Wedding Album is a beautiful keepsake of the climax of their quest for marital bliss. Leaving to other collections the history and evolution of their relationship, this book focuses solely on their engagement, preparations (dress-shopping) and the oversized #50 of the wedding day itself.

As these three included stories are all available elsewhere, in other collected editions and formats, this deluxe edition offers a higher quality packaging with loads of extras. It is an oversized hard-cover book, wrapped by soft leather-like black matte finish capped with a faceplate worthy of a wedding invitation.

Inside, the three Tom King tales are a mixed bag. The engagement story (Batman #24) is ponderous and meandering, before coalescing into a full-page proposal. David Finch handles the Bat and the Cat artistically while Clay Mann and Seth Mann draw the pages of pensive hero-therapy parts.

I have reviewed #44 'The Dress' elsewhere, and it is loads of fun to tag along with Catwoman as she looks for the perfect wedding dress.

The wedding itself (Batman #50) is beautifully structured as a pair of love letters with interstitial nods to the happy couple courtesy of a real who's who of guest artists. It makes for such a treat for the eyes and a solid read.

The book also includes so many terrific special features. From cover variants to pinups, dress sketches to story outlines and their history pages for reference. 

A beautiful book, a fine way to remember this celebrated moment in the on-again off-again romantic history between the Bat and the Cat.

Description:

The day has finally arrived: the nuptials of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. But their road to wedded bliss won't be easy! The historic journey to the wedding day of Batman and Catwoman is commemorated in this must-have collector's item, featuring more than 30 variant covers and exclusive behind-the-scenes design sketches and scripts.

Written by the critically acclaimed Tom King, this hardcover collection celebrates one of the biggest milestones in DC history and features art by superstar artists Mikel Janín, David Finch, Joëlle Jones, Jim Lee, Neal Adams, Frank Miller, Andy Kubert, Becky Cloonan, Ty Templeton, José Luis García-López, Tim Sale and more!

Collects the road to the altar in Batman #24, #44 and the seminal, oversize wedding celebration in Batman #50.

Collects: Batman #24, #44, 50

Authors:  Tom King
Artists:  Mikel Janin, Joelle Jones, many more
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Sept. 11, 2018
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN:  978-1401286538
Pages:  73 pages

Boostie and Double-B: Review of Blue and Gold (2022)

Review:

One of the best and longest-lasting friendships between superheroes finally gets its own book. Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, whose friendship bean in the late 1980s Justice League books, team up as Blue and Gold Restorations for this 8-issue limited series.

Is "one of the best" friendships over-stating it? I am certainly open to suggestions. Superman and Batman are occasionally portrayed as having a deep bond of friendship and mutual respect, most prominently in their own team-up book Superman / Batman (see my reviews of some of those books). But they are seldom portrayed as just wanting to hang out together, spend non-costumed time together in the same way as the Michael and Ted behind the Booster and Beetle masks.

These two bro-buddies have always been interested in a good time, and this is a book filled with fun situations and humorous banter, making it a delightful read from cover to cover. Booster is as energetic in self-promotion as ever, filled with optimism over what they are trying to build together. Rejected by the Justice League? No problem, we'll make our own team! Kord industries fires Ted and cuts off their funding? Hey, we can crowd-source through social media!

The social media chatter is a constant presence in this very contemporary book, as their audience weighs in on the duo's prospects of surviving any given fight they live-stream. Especially fun are the recurring commenters, two of whom we meet IRL as their obsession with "Boostie" and "Double-B" turns closer to celebrity stalking.

The heroic pair opens our story by teaming up to rescue an incapacitated Justice League from being abducted by an alien ship. The alien leader, a sword-wielding female warrior named Omnizon, swears vengeance on the two. Her quest to destroy them runs through six of the eight chapters, culminating in a mind-controlled battle to the death between the two besties. Fortunately (spoiler!) Rip Hunter intervenes and saves the day.

But that just sets up an even bigger surprise as the identity of the Black Beetle, who has also been causing trouble around the edges of these chapters, is finally revealed! No spoiler for this one, you will have to track down the TPB or a #7 back-issue for yourself to learn who wears the Black Beetle mask!

The collection has loads of fun nods to the early days of this pair and their 1980s solo titles. Writer and Booster Gold creator Dan Jurgens gives the whole series the feel of the first half or so of Booster's original solo series and reinforces that throwback tone by using the original Booster Gold dollar-sign logo (instead of the infinity-symbol one from the 2007-11 series). 

And Trixie returns! One of the fan-favourite characters of Booster's original series comes to the rescue and uses her growing business acumen to help Blue and Gold Restorations get set up. Of course, she's Terri now - shedding her oh-so-80s moniker.

This book is a blast from start to finish. The art is solid throughout, with Ryan Sook doing most of the heavy lifting. Chapter (issue) #7 is temporarily handed over to a couple guest artists whose overly angular style is a jarring change from the smooth and kinetic Sook pages. I also loved how, in part 4, when Booster and Beetle have conflicting memories about one of their early adventures, different guest artists render the visuals for those memories - a nice touch!

Description:

Who needs the Justice League? DC’s fan-favorite duo, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, are on their own—and online, as these underdogs embrace social media and start a superhero business!

Desperate to regain the spotlight, Booster Gold looks to attract the public’s (and Justice League’s) attention the same way any washed-up, second-rate hero would—social media.

The not-so-tech-savvy hero from the 25th century enlists the help of his best friend, Blue Beetle, who possesses both the money and the brains to help his old pal navigate the scary world of internet influencers. Watch out, evildoers, our heroes are live and online! But little do they know, an alien assassin seeking revenge places Blue and Gold in her crosshairs, and The Omnizon never misses!

Don’t miss Dan Jurgens’s triumphant return to Booster Gold with the help of all-star artist Ryan Sook (Legion of Super-Heroes), telling a tale filled with heart and maybe even redemption for DC’s two favorite underdogs!

Collects: Blue & Gold #1-8

Authors:  Dan Jurgens
Artists:  Ryan Sook, Cully Hamner, Kevin Maguire
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Sept. 27, 2022
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN:  978-1779516787
Pages:  192 pages