DCU Comic Book Reviews

BOOSTER GOLD #6

52 Pick-Up, Part 6:  Meet The Beetles

March 2008

Written by Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz

Layouts by Dan Jurgens

Inks by Norm Rapmund

Cover by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

Synopsis

Three different Blue Beetles from three different eras appear in Rip Hunter’s time sphere and tell Booster Gold that need him to save Ted Kord.  Rip Hunter tells Booster that there is no chronal disturbance around Ted’s death and trying to save him would be catastrophic.  Booster decides to save Ted anyway.  In Pittsburgh, Daniel Carter is trying to convince a reporter when Rip appears holding the Supernova costume.  Sixteen Months Ago...Max Lord is about to kill Ted Kord when the Blue Beetles and Booster Gold arrive to save his life.     

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

For a book that is so tied into DC continuity, it probably shouldn’t upset me that most of this issue substitute’s plot and characterization for exposition on Ted Kord’s life.  I am guessing it may be because much of the events talked about in this issue are fairly recent, so I feel like I am getting a recap that is still fresh in my mind.  But I also think it is because after the first few pages, I knew where the issue was going to end, so I was anxious to get to the ending.  As a result, the exposition slowed down the issue, and a frustrating reading experience.  I am guessing that Johns and Katz felt they wanted to end with Ted alive and well (and it makes for a warm and fuzzy ended, so I can’t fault the logic), but the rest of the issue needed some kind of filler to get to that point.  It doesn’t quite work, but Johns and Katz do a good job with what they were working with, so I can’t complain too much. 

Last issue the Beetles arrive to tell Booster they needed to save Ted Kord.  There are two possibilities:  they can’t save him or they save him but things go wrong and Ted dies anyway.  I know that sounds cynical, but I can’t think that DC has planned to return Ted Kord back into the DC universe this soon after his death.  So, really, at least from my point of view, it is difficult to read this story and get too excited about Ted’s return.  It will be nice to see Ted and Booster back together again, even for a short time, but mostly as I am reading this I am looking for the signs that the future Beetle is not who he seems to be.  He is the one character that we know nothing about (including his name or even his face) so it would be easy to turn him into the “Dark Beetle”

Not only do we get the horrible “Meet The Beetles” pun for the title, but we also get (on the top of page 4) a drawing of the four beetles walking in a pose that matches the musical Beatles famous cover to Abbey Road. 

The drawing of the Justice League of America is fairly close to the cover of Justice League America, issue #1, but there are a few changes.  Most notably, Booster Gold was not in the original.  Dr. Fate, Guy Gardner, Captain Marvel, and Mister Miracle are in the right spots.  Batman originally was in Booster’s spot and Martian Manhunter was in the spot now occupied by Batman.  Behind Batman was Black Canary.  To the left, I will assume that is supposed to be Max Lord; in the original that was someone else, whom I can’t recall right now. 

 

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