DCU Comic Book Reviews

BOOSTER GOLD #5

52 Pick-Up, Part 5:  No Joke

February 2008

Written by Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz

Layouts by Dan Jurgens

Inks by Norm Rapmund

Cover by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

Synopsis

Years ago, Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl) patrolled the streets of Gotham City along with Batman.  She was then shot and paralyzed by the Joker.  Rip Hunter tells Booster Gold that this is his mission:  to stop the Joker.    In El Paso Texas, three months ago, current Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes receives a visit from an unknown Blue Beetle.  Meanwhile, Rip Hunter attempts to interrogate “Rex Hunter” but fails to gather any information before Per Degaton, Ultra-Humanite, and Despero kill Rex as a baby and wipe him from the timeline.  Elsewhen, Booster Gold’s attempt to stop the Joker from shooting Barbara Gordon fails.  Rip then pulls him back to the time sphere.  Booster demands he go back and try again, but once more he fails.  Booster tries again and again, but fails each time.  Rip then tells Booster that Barbara’s shooting was supposed to happen and nothing will ever change it.  The same is true of Ted Kord’s death.  They can’t change it.  Disappointed, Booster is about to walk out when Dan Garret, Jaime Reyes, and the unknown Blue Beetle arrive to tell Booster that no matter what rip says, Ted Kord can and must be saved.   

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

The title of this issue is not only a play on the original story that is the source material, but also a sign that this issue is darker and more serious than previous issues.  Certainly, there are moments of levity, especially a few of the exchanges between Booster and Skeets, but ultimately the dark edges outweigh any of the jokes.  To a certain degree it works.  This wasn’t a frolic into the past to re-change the timelines to set it right like the encounter with Jonah Hex or the Flashes, but a mission designed to fail in order to teach Booster a lesson.  Johns and Katz take the right tack, showing Booster’s frustration and desperation as each successive try fails until eventually Booster breaks down and Rip tells him the truth.  It is good stuff.  Perhaps a little different in tone to previous issues, but it works here for that very reason. 

The scene with the three time-traveling villains killing Rex as a baby is particularly gruesome.  Yes, I realize nothing is shown on panel, but just the thought of killing an innocent baby is bad enough without any visual.  A better move would’ve been to have Rip explain what happened, rather than show it.  Johns and Katz could’ve then found another method to reveal the villains rather than show them standing at Rex’s crib. 

On the one hand, we knew right off the bat that Batgirl was not going to be saved.  Altering the moment of her paralysis would undo a lot of history in the DC universe and would significantly alter the Birds of Prey, the book starring Barbara Gordon as Oracle.  That is not to say editorial wouldn’t do it, but if they did, it would have to be a larger event that just the fifth issue of Booster Gold.  On the other hand, it seems weird to introduce the saving Batgirl plot and then not save her.  I suppose Johns and Katz solution is the best one they could’ve come up. 

Jurgens and Rapmund did not do a good job of drawing Jaime Reyes or The Peacemaker, neither of whom look like they do in Blue Beetle.  In fact, Jaime looks way too old. 

The appearance of Per Degaton, Ultra-Humanite, and Despero in this issue is intriguing because these exact same threesome were seen several times in a recent issue of Justice League of America.  At the time it seemed nonsensical they were in that storyline since they had nothing to do with the resolution of the plot.  Looking back at it now, one has to wonder if Johns (and DC) had something bigger in mind for sometime down the road. 

 

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