Justice League Quarterly

ARTISTS

Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Barry Horne
Inker: Scott Hanna
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Bob Pinaha
Editor: Brian Augustyn

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CHARACTERS & SETTINGS

heroes: Blue Beetle II, Booster Gold

Setting: 20th-century New York, NY, USA

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ISSUE SUMMARY

Cover Description: A giant toy soldier attacks Elongated Man, Flash III, and Fire. A panel on the left side of the cover identifies key characters, from top to bottom, Power Girl, Blue Beetle II, and Owlwoman. (No Booster Gold.)

Brief Synopsis: Blue Beetle struggles to get his weight under control.

Issue Summary: Blue Beetle Ted Kord visits the doctor and is told that he has been gaining weight despite his best intentions. General Glory puts Blue Beetle through a vigorous calisthenics routine, and Booster Gold shares weight-loss tips from the future, but Beetle's weight gain continues.

The doctor recommends a change of tact, and Beetle turns his weight loss goals into a competition with Power Girl. Beetle redoubles his efforts with a focus on crime-fighting.

Booster Gold celebrates Ted's victory with some fast food, but Beetle has learned his lesson. Reveal Potential Spoilers

Booster Gold's role in this story:
Supporting (Booster Gold plays a lesser role)

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ISSUE ANNOTATIONS

Page 40, panel 1
An overweight and unhappy Blue Beetle II is dining with Booster Gold. Beetle has been drinking and there are 8 brown beer bottles visible on the table. (Booster appears to be drinking from a glass.) Eight beers in one sitting would definitely go a long way towards explaining why Beetle is out of shape. For example, brown-bottled Budweiser, long among America's best-selling beers, has 145 calories per 12 ounce bottle: that's 1160 calories in one sitting for Beetle in beverage alone!

Page 40, panel 4
Booster explains that in the 25th century, weight loss is achieved by laminating the tongue to prevent taste. That sounds no more far-fetched than stapling the stomach shut to shrink the amount that it can hold (an increasingly common process called Vertical Banded Gastroplasty).

Page 46, panel 3
Booster buys Beetle a hot dog to celebrate his new weight loss. Unlike Beetle, Booster has little problem staying "fighting trim" despite having most of his powers aided by technology.

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ISSUE REVIEW

Boosterrific Review: Four stories of uneven quality comprise this Justice League Europe-centric over-sized issue. Elongated Man is featured in "Take My Wife -- Please," the lead, longest, and easily the best story of the issue. Also included is the mediocre story featuring Power Girl ("Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?") and a worse tale about the Global Guardians ("Never Less Alone..."). Of interest to Boosterrific, however, is "Blue Beetle: Fighting Trim," a story detailing the Blue Beetle's struggle to lose some unnecessary weight. The story is short and more an extended joke at the expense of several Justice Leaguers, especially the Blue Beetle, than it is a narrative. In sum, this is a satisfying enough issue if you enjoy the JLE or fat jokes, but there is no compelling reason to rush out and read this comic book.

Boosterrific Rating:

• Currently 3.0/5 Stars.

Average Fan Rating:

• Currently 2.0/5 Stars.

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