Action Comics

Cover Description: This book has multiple covers; Booster Gold appears alongside Superboy, Mary Marvel, and Martian Manhunter on Cover A by artist Ryan Sook. (The Kryptonian text on this cover translates to "welcome back kal el.")

Brief Synopsis: Superboy struggles to adapt to the loss of his powers before Epoch returns.

Booster Gold's role in this story:
Featured (Booster Gold plays a prominent role)

Costume Worn: MARK I.v2 power-suit

Story Notes: This story is illustrated in halves by two sets of artists. Booster is mentioned but never seen in the first 12 pages, so as per the policy of this site, those artists are not listed here.

Page 4, panel 3
LIQUIFIED TIME: Martian Manhunter explains to Superboy that Booster Gold insists Epoch stealing his powers (as seen in Action Comics #1098) is "not part of your history." And Booster Gold knows a thing or two about Superman's history, having studied "superheroes of the twentieth century" in Metropolis University in the year 2462 according to his origin story as told in Booster Gold #6.

Page 5, panel 6
This story set "years ago" and avoids making it clear exactly how old Superboy is. Here young Clark Kent is clearly studying trigonometry, which can be taught to American students at any high school grade.

Page 13, panel 4
As Booster Gold explains the dangers of changing history to Superboy and his parents, a flashback is shown to the events of DC K.O. #5.

Page 14, panel 1
As Booster Gold is speaking, Mary Marvel is erased from history, and Booster and Martian Manhunter forget who she was. This is consistent with the Objectivity Theory of time travel as demonstrated during previous adventures of Booster Gold. (For more on the Objectivity Theory, see the Boosterrific! Notes on Time Travel and Booster Gold.) Since changes in time in the DC Universe tend to ripple outward from the changed event, Mary being the first to disappear despite being significantly younger than either Booster Gold or Martian Manhunter suggests the lack of a Superman affects her life path at an earlier age than the other two.

Page 15, panel 3
Despite agreeing in the previous issue that he shouldn't tell Superboy too much about the future, Booster sure seems eager to tell Superboy that Bruce Gordon is destined to become the villainous Eclipso. In Superboy's future, Booster Gold will join the Justice League in the fight against Superman in Action Comics Annual #4 when the Man of Steel also becomes controlled by Eclipso.

Page 17, panel 4
No, seriously. What year does this take place? Superboy gives Bruce Gordon his smartphone. The first smartphone, the Apple iPhone, was introduced in 2007, but the model shown here appears to be a two-lens iPhone 11, introduced in 2019. If Superboy was in high school in 2019, Superman would only be in his mid-twenties during DC K.O.. That doesn't seem right. Maybe what looks like an iPhone 11 here is really some advanced Kryptonian technology?

Page 21, panel 1
While fighting to defend Bruce Gordon and Superboy from Epoch, Booster Gold is himself erased from history. It's been a rough couple of years for Booster: in 2024 he was erased from history in DC All In Special #1. That time, he remained missing for six months before reappearing in Summer of Superman Special #1. Here's hoping he finds his way back faster this time.