DCU Comic Book Reviews

BOOSTER GOLD #1

52 Pick-Up, Part 1:  Secret Origins

October 2007

Written by Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz

Layouts by Dan Jurgens

Inks by Norm Rapmund

Cover by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

Synopsis

Week 60, Day 1... Booster Gold defeats the Royal Flush Gang.  Just then the Justice League of America arrives.  The league is skeptical of Booster’s motivations.  He tries to convince them he is for real and not the huckster he had been in the past.  They give him a week.  A week later, Booster has returned to the home in Pittsburgh he shares with his ancestor Daniel Carter when Rip Hunter suddenly arrives.  Rip tells Booster that there are still problems to be dealt with and takes him away, leaving Daniel behind.  Then Daniel is attacked from behind; the mysterious person takes Daniel’s Supernova costume.  Meanwhile, Rip tries to convince Booster he needs to stay with him and help him fix temporal anomalies, but in order to do so, Booster’s exploits must remain a secret.  Booster doesn’t like this, so he declines Rip’s offer.  When he returns, he is given an offer to join the Justice League of America, but when is certificate of membership changes to a death certificate for Green Lantern, Booster realizes what he must do.  He joins Rip Hunter, on one condition:  by saving his friends, starting with his best friend:  Ted Kord. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

For me, the key to whether or not this series would work would hinge on whether or not Johns and Katz can make Booster’s decision to shun the spotlight convincing or not.  From the beginning, Booster has always been shown to be someone who would do anything to be in the limelight.  In recent DCU history, the death of Ted Kord has changed things slightly, as Booster became a little more introspective and serious about being a hero.  This, of curse, culminated in saving 52 universes at the end of 52.  But is this change believable?  I am not entirely sure that Johns and Katz make a compelling case in this issue, but when placed next to the past few years over DC publications (OMAC Project, Infinite Crisis, 52), it holds up pretty well and makes a compelling argument for the logical progression of his character.  As such, this is a great re-introduction to the character and set-up for his new status quo.  There is a lot going on in this issue, but Johns et al. keep the tone light-hearted and fun that it doesn’t ever feel that way. 

Unlike previous 52 spin-offs, this one actually deals with the 52 aftermath, with Booster and Rip dealing with the consequences of Mr. Mind’s trip through the multiverse.  Booster’s status on New Earth is also a result of his actions (he faked his death!).  Plus, Johns and Katz employ the same date stamp (Week 60, Day 1) that was used for 52. 

Because of the time-traveling aspect of this series, I think Johns et al. could be faced with the problem of trying to inform the reader of whatever era they are without forcing them to run to the internet and do a little research.  There is a lot of DC Universe history (and future!) to draw from, but some of it may be inaccessible to the average reader.  Johns needs to take careful note not to fall into the trap of assuming we all now who’s who from a particular moment in DC publication time.  I suppose this is where Skeets will come in handy.  While he imparts information to Booster he also does the same to the reader.  Kinda like a talking Wikipedia. 

I like the credit page in which Johns thanks his fellow co-writers from 52, but “definitely not” to Keith Giffen, who did the artist breakdowns for the series.  Giffen was also the writer of Justice League International, where Booster (along with Blue Beetle) gained most of his fan following. 

Rip Hunter sure does like to doodle on his chalkboard.  I doubt this one will get as much scrutiny as the one in 52 (due in part due to the fact that some of the things were never really addressed), but it will be interesting to see what (if anything) comes true over time.  But I do like the dig on Countdown (“Don’t worry about Countdown - Focus elsewhere”). 

The final page of this issue also features a look at upcoming issues, much like what was done for the first issue of the Justice Society of America.  The OMAC Project revision (fourth panel) looks the most interesting, but really all of them are intriguing.  This series promises to be something special.

 

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