BG#33

Obviously this issue came out a week ago; I'm still considering how to balance the pace of the blog with two BG-centric titles coming out the same day each month.

This is the second issue in the new authorship of Booster Gold. It was solid, if not necessarily memorable, from start to finish. Many things that I felt took away from the previous issue were lessened in this one, and that's quite good. I liked that Booster went back to the old JLI (as we knew he would through interviews) but did not yet encounter Ted Kord. I'm thankful for that, as that encounter may deserve an issue by itself.

I find it pretty neat that we will get to see a little of the old school Blue and Gold even as a new Blue and Gold partnership seems to be developing in Justice League: Generation Lost. I think some of the parallels (and the differences) in the relationships will make things interesting.

That may be another post for another time. For now, though, Booster Gold #33.

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Continuity:

I'm adding this section in to the reviews only because with three featured roles a month, Booster is getting a little crowded. I want to make sure that I keep this all together.

This issue could only fit in during the middle of JL:GL#2... that one ended on a cliffhanger, and #3 picked up right there. My guess is that these events take place during the side stories in JL:GL#2 where the various characters are asking their fellow superheroes about Maxwell Lord.

The Cover:

I like it. The cover is a reflection, in my mind, that Booster kind of got the hell beaten out of him in two out of three issues last month, which is further made funny/ironic given its similarity to the cover of #32... at the beginning of last month, Booster was fine, smiling, self-assured. In the time since then, he witnessed the destruction of Daxam, got his suit busted up, saved a litte girl, found out that Max Lord is still alive, got the crap beaten out of him by Max Lord, and by the end of JL:GL#2, was ready to square off against some OMAC drones. Yeah, Booster looking boat-raced is about right.

The Story:

This issue is bookended by some Rani moments. They're a little funny, especially because her messing around with Rip's board must drive him mad - longtime readers know how much jargon he keeps there. Largely, this was just purely for an intro and conclusion and had little to do with the story - though we must ask now if it is possible that Rani is of the Carter bloodline, given that she said that Rip looks like her grandpa.

At first, I thought of the Big Bad that Booster is battling as pretty ridiculous. Upon reflection, it occurs to me that as random as Brigadoom's appearance in the middle of the city seems, that's simply the conceit of the classic super hero story. Sometimes, a baddie just appears. The purpose of this fight, of course, was to set up his encounter with Cyborg and get his mind going about the JLI.

When you think about it, Booster's plan isn't a bad one. If he can find the proper piece of evidence of Max's existence, he may gain a little more support - perhaps at least Batman, who has sympathy for Booster's mission and situation.

So Booster's foray back into the old JLI managed to be pretty interesting... His interaction most especially. The exchange with J'onn was funny - leave it to him to see through the deception just in passing - especially when he grabbed Booster by the collar. We know that our writing team is planning on going back to those days with some degree of regularity, so I wonder if this will set up future strife between the two...?

The bit with Black Canary was funny, but it really felt pointless. Did we need two panels of Booster listening at the door for her to leave? In any case, the most significant thing, in my mind, was Booster's encounter with Max. After everything that happened, Booster was right on - it WAS the old Max there, right before him.

In any case, Booster goes to look for DNA for Max Lord briefly before realizing that it won't be any good in the future. Then he had a fantastic idea - the JLI recruitment tape. Booster takes it and zips back and immediately begins cursing up a storm - the tape was gone. Rip's reasoning for this is sound - solidified time means that since the artifact was important to Power Girl joining up, he can't take it.

I understand that and it fits with the canon so far. That's fine. So what about:

1) Copying the tape
2) Going to a time when said tape was no longer important.

I mean... duh? Obviously it's one of those things that will be ignored because otherwise, there won't be a point to the rest of the story. Sort of like if the gunner had bothered to destroy the escape pod with R2 and C-3PO on it at the beginning of Star Wars... no more movie after that.

I like the artwork in these so far. I was a big fan of the artwork before the new team as well, but this good; perhaps in a slightly different way, but good nonetheless.

What I Liked:

- Could Rani be a Carter? This would be an interesting twist; I'm struggling with whether or not it would be a predictable one, but I think it would be a good direction to go. I know that JMD played the question lightly in an interview, but I don't necessarily believe him!
- It's nice to know that Booster, like the rest of us, needs his coffee.
- Booster slapping down Cyborg was great. First, I'm not big on Cyborg (no real reason why, I guess the Titans just annoy me sometimes). Second, for all of his shenanigans back in those days, the JLI really did mean something to Booster.
- Brigadoom? Seriously? What a terrible name. I love it.
- Still lots of word bubbles, but the things that were said felt more relevant and it was not nearly as crowded as last issue.
- Once again, Keith and J.M. alleviate my fears of the "Bwa-ha-ha" taking too much precedent (until we start seeing more of Ted Kord).

What was "ehhhhh..."

- The issue felt a LITTLE rushed.
- There were a couple of situations that really didn't feel necessary (Black Canary)... not everything needs to be story, but I'd like it if the filler felt a little less forced.
- Would it have been THAT much trouble to go back again and copy the VHS tape? Or to go back after the tape's significance had ended and grab it then?
- I fear that Rani's remark about Rip looking like her "Boppy" is going to end up a red herring just to make her parts seem significant until there's no more use for her. JMD said it was just a joke in an interview, but I'm not sure there wasn't a *wink wink* there.

To sum it up...

I don't want to be a cheerleader, but I did like this. I'm pretty optimistic, after all, and since this is a Booster-themed blog, I'm in a position of WANTING to like it! It was a solid issue, not a particularly memorable one, but it met expectations in most cases and exceeded them in some instances. Despite all of the changes, 33 issues in to this series, Booster is still in good hands.

Hopefully, we can still say that in another 33 issues!