DCU Comic Book Reviews

BOOSTER GOLD #27

Dead Ted, Part II Of II

February 2010

Written by Dan Jurgens

Layouts by Dan Jurgens and Mike Norton

Inks by Norm Rapmund and Mike Norton

Cover by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

Synopsis

Booster Gold arrives at the home of his ancestor Daniel Carter (aka Supernova) to find Black Lantern Ted Kord (aka Blue Beetle) fighting Supernova and Jaime Reyes (aka Blue Beetle).  Booster is confused and uncertain, not willing to believe it is really his friend.  Ted tries to appeal to Booster, talking about the good times they shared.  Skeets tells Booster it is a trick.  Booster decides to run, ordering Supernova to take them to Rip’s lab.  There, Booster listens to the Flashes warning about the Black Lanterns and the best way to deal with them.  Booster devises a plan.  Along with Blue beetle, they visit Kord Industries.  Then they return to battle Ted, using one of Kord’s inventions to shine enough white light to destroy the Black Lantern.  The ring is separated from Ted.  The body, however, regenerates.  Booster grabs the body and takes it to the Vanishing Point, where the Black Lantern ring will never be able to find it.  Several years in the past…Michelle Carter, Booster’s sister, finds herself in Coast City, moments before it is destroyed by Cyborg Superman.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I loved this issue; I loved the way Jurgens found a wonderful way to pay respects to the dead character he brought back as the Black Lantern.  This is, I think, the first issue in which respects are paid to the dead.  Usually, the tie-ins to Blackest Night have the heroes fight the dead, with the heroes succeeding near the end of the issue.  The beginning of the issue had more worried, since it was all fighting, with the Black Lantern trying to emotionally play with its victim before the hero turns it around and dispatches the Black Lantern.  It is a variation on scenes throughout the Blackest Night tie-ins and this one was about the same as all the rest.  That by the way is not a slam; it was fun to read and Norton’s art on this part is very dynamic, but doesn’t offer anything new or different than any of the others.  Anyway, Jurgens takes it one step further, however, as the story continues after the Black Lantern is defeated by giving Booster a moment to remember Ted and to give him a decent eulogy.  It works not only in terms of the story that Jurgens tells with Booster unable to do it before, but can do it now, but also as a meta-textual remark about how Ted’s death was swept away in the build-up to Infinite Crisis.  We get it here and it Jurgens nails it, especially with his recreations of some of the most memorable moments in the Justice League.  I am not a big fan of Ted Kor and it still got a smile and warm feeling for me, a sign that it was a fitting tribute.  This was easily the best of the Blackest Night tie-ins. 

It didn’t hit me until the second read-through, but it looks as if Jurgens decided to take full advantage of the extra readers that will come to this via Blackest Night in an effort to try to get more people to read this book.  The scene with Rip and booster arguing, ending with Rip calling Booster his father once more, felt like it belonged somewhere else.  I think what Jurgens was doing was putting in that hook that may attract others, wondering what it all means.  The same is true for the ending, which plays upon on the biggest moments in DC history.

ïPREVIOUS	Main		Page	NEXTð

Home ●  Blog ● Who Are We? ● Site News
Alive and Well since April 16, 2006

 DC Universe Reviews.  All Rights Reserved
  Characters, trademarks, brands are property of DC Comics

For problems or questions regarding this website, please contact our kindly webmaster.
Last updated: 08/06/11.