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Boosterrific.com: The Complete, Annotated Adventures of Booster Gold
Boosterrific.com: The Complete, Annotated Adventures of Booster Gold

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Booster Gold

“The Tomorrow Run”

Volume 1, Issue 13, February 1987
Released November 20, 1986

Cover Price: 75¢
Guide Price: $3.00 (as of 2013)

Boosterrific.com Rating
  • Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
Fan Rating
  • Currently 4.0/5 Stars.

Booster Gold, Vol. 1, #13. Image © DC Comics

 

ARTISTS

Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Gary Martin
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
Letterer: Bob Lappan
Editor: Barbara Randall
Cover Artists: Dan Jurgens, Bob Lewis, Gaspar Saladino

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CHARACTERS & SETTINGS

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ISSUE DETAILS

Cover Description: With a cast on his right arm, Booster Gold flees from 27 human heads floating randomly in the background.

Brief Synopsis: In order to save his career, Skeets, and his life, Booster returns to the future with the assistance of Rip Hunter.

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

Costume Worn: MARK I power-suit

Issue Notes: This is the first issue, and therefore the first appearance of Booster, not inked by Mike DeCarlo.

This story has been reprinted in:
Booster Gold: Future Lost (2020)
Showcase Presents: Booster Gold (2008)

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ANNOTATIONS

Page 2, panel 1
Items visible in Jack Soo's lab at STAR Labs include the following items:
an issue of Time Magazine (this magazine appears in the lab as an allusion to Booster's time travel origin, not for a specific cover reference; this same issue will appear again later in the issue), an Apple MacIntosh computer (the MacIntosh computer has been a popular home personal computer since its first release in 1984),and a Ryrie Study Bible (this popular Christian "scholar's study bible" was first published in the late 1970s by Dr. Charles Ryrie).

Page 2, panel 5
Jack has repaired Skeets and Booster's damaged costume to the best of his 20th-century ability. Jack Soo is the first of a growing number of scientists who will have a shot at repairing or upgrading Booster's power-suits.

Page 3, panel 4
Trixie reveals to Dirk and Jack that Booster is from the future. Previously, only Trixie and Superman knew this fact. Booster told Trixie himself in Booster Gold, Vol. 1, #10.

Page 3, panel 7
Jack theorizes that Booster's disease, discovered only because Booster is in the hospital as a result of injuries sustained in his fight against the Director in the previous issue (a broken arm and cracked ribs), is likely related to the differences between modern and future biological conditions. On a table in the foreground, Skeets is disassembled, his top half shell removed to reveal his inner workings.

Page 4, panel 1
Outside Metropolis' General Hospital, a crowd of G. Gordon Godfrey-inspired angry super-hero haters, straight from the Legends mini-series, protest against Booster Gold. No Booster Gold issues are directly tied into the Legends series, but the events of that series have a strong effect on the events of this issue.

Page 5, panel 9
Dirk mentions that G. Gordon Godfrey's actions (as seen in the Legends mini-series) have resulted in Booster losing licensing contracts by encouraging consumers to threaten boycotts of products that Booster was advertising.

Page 7, panel 2
In the "Visitor" parking lot at General Hospital, Jack opens the hatchback trunk of his red Jaguar coupe. Though the license plate says "Jag XJL," the car shown appears to be a Jaguar XKE or E-type produced in the 1960s and early 70s. The E-type has always been a popular car, and was collectible almost immediately after being discontinued in 1974.

Page 7, panel 3
FASHION ALERT: Jack reveals the new power-suit that he developed for Booster's yet-to-be-determined female sidekick. The new suit, very similar in appearance to Booster's costume, gives its wearer the powers of magnetism, an ability to attract or repel metallic (or presumably any ionically charged) objects.

Page 7, panel 6
Also in the parking lot of General Hospital is a Honda motorcycle (with a conspicuously placed red helmet). Though very little of the bike can be seen, it appears to be a late 1970s Honda Goldwing touring cycle. The 1970s GL1000 Goldwing has been a popular and enduring model.

Page 9, panel 1
FIRST APPEARANCE: First appearance of Goldstar, Booster Gold's female sidekick. Trixie arrives in Booster's hospital room dressed as his sidekick Goldstar, just in time to save him from a gun-wielding mob of super-hero haters. Trixie is wearing Dr. Soo's supersuit, which is clearly designed to mimic the design of Booster's costume. The suit is essentially a white leotard with gold bands around the forearms, waist, and calves. Like Booster's costume, the chest has a large golden triangle that covers the shoulders. There is a blue star in the center of the chest. Trixie hides her identity behind the red helmet seen on the Honda in a previous panel. In a thought balloon, she is self-conscious about her appearance in the leotard.

Page 10, panel 3
BOOSTERRIFIC! COUNT: 5. Booster applies his catchphrase to Trixie, complementing Trixie's physical appearance in her skin-tight leotard, which he calls "skins."

Image Copyright DC Comics

Page 10, panel 6
FASHION ALERT: While Trixie explains that Booster's costume is without power and Skeets is disabled, Booster dons his costume. His costume is clearly demonstrated to consist of 5 parts: shirt, pants, gloves, boots, and visor.

Page 11, panel 1
POWER UP: Goldstar is able to follow Booster while flying by using her power of magnetism to attract herself to Booster's costume. She compares the activity to that of waterskiing. This is the first indication that Booster's futuristic costume may contain ferrousmagnetic metals in its construction. Gold, notably, is not magnetic.

Page 11, panel 2
First appearance of Booster's private airplane at the Goldstar, Inc. private hanger at Parker Field. Booster's private plane appears, both in interior and exterior detail, to be a twin-turboprop Beech King Air 200, among the most popular civilian use planes in history. The King Air, now built by Raytheon Aircraft's Beechcraft division, in production since the 1960s.

Page 11, panel 4
Booster references the popular television police drama Kojak, starring Telly Savalas. Kojak was cancelled in 1978, so Booster must have been familiar with the show from reruns in syndication.

Page 11, panel 5
Booster strikes a security guard in order to buy enough time to get the plane off the ground. This is a decidedly unheroic action, but perhaps necessary considering the dire circumstances. Booster's private jet has been grounded by executive order of the president in the wake of the events in the Legends min-series. This is also the first time that Booster and Jack Soo have appeared together on panel since "Dr. Soo" was introduced in Booster Gold, Vol. 1, #6.

Page 12, panel 3
Two Metropolis policemen chase Booster's plane in a Jeep. Though the model pictured has especially wide tires, it most closely resembles a Willy's CJ-3 (or it's military counterpart, the M38) manufactured in the 1950s. The origin of the unusual "sonic canon" mounted to a Metropolis airport security jeep is not explained. The security guards attempting to prevent Booster's take off are planning on using the "sonic cannon" to "blow them right off the runway." Now that's security!

Page 13, panel 1
Booster is confused when he expresses concern about Air Force F-14 fighter jets attempting to down his newly hijacked plane. The U.S. Air Force has never used F-14's, as the F-14 Tomcat is exclusively a weapon of the U.S. Navy. Navy F-14 fighters gained great popularity when they were featured in the 1986 movie Top Gun. They were retired from service early in 2006, replaced by the more versatile F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Page 13, panel 6
HIS STORY: For the first time, Booster explains his origin story in his own words. It is surprisingly less flattering than Skeets' version.

Page 14, panel 3
A street sign in the 25th century clearly advertises for "Coke," proving that the world's favorite beverage will survive for centuries to come.

Page 15, panel 1
In addition to being a security guard by night, at the Space Museum Skeets was an information guide during the day. This explains his extensive knowledge of historical information.

Page 15, panel 6
Jack Soo is wearing a violet sweatshirt emblazoned with the white letters "M.I.T." The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has earned a sterling reputation as one of the pre-eminent engineering schools in the world. Though the official colors of M.I.T. are red and grey (occasionally referred to as "blood and concrete"), the exact shade of red used has varied widely since it was first chosen in 1876.

Page 16, panel 5
FIRST APPEARANCE: First post-Crisis on Infinite Earths appearance of Rip Hunter. Jack describes Ripley "Rip" Hunter as a classmate, "the youngest person to ever write a doctorate at MIT," and "the world's foremost expert on time travel theory."

Page 17, panel 4
BOOSTERRIFIC! COUNT: 6. The first time that Booster has used his catchphrase multiple times in the same issue! In revealing to Rip that his Time Sphere works and providing Rip with pointers about how to make his machine more functional, Booster creates another time paradox. By inspiring Rip to make the design implementations that will make it possible for Booster to fly the ship back in time, he becomes responsible, in some small respect, for his own trip through time.

Page 18, panel 2
Booster refuses to allow Dirk to travel into the future with him in Rip Hunter's time machine. Instead, Dirk must remain behind to find a "new base of operations." Perhaps being beaten up by the Director in Booster Gold #12 caused Booster to forget that he fired Dirk in Booster Gold #11. Despite never being officially re-hired, Dirk appears to be back on Booster's payroll.

Page 19, panel 1
Booster, Dirk, Rip, and Trixie arrive in Gotham City in the year 2462. One of the large buildings shows the name Trump, perhaps a reference to the enduring influence of 20th-century real estate tycoon and popular culture icon, Donald Trump.

Page 21, panel 2
When the Time Sphere loses power, the party hides it in an abandoned alley behind some boxes in a scene reminiscent of Doc Brown's actions in the movie Back to the Future II, released two years later in 1989. Was someone inspired by their comics?

Page 22, panel 5
Despite wearing his goggles and costume, Booster is recognized by his former landlord outside of his former apartment in a run-down tenement building. The apartment number is 37.

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REVIEWS

Boosterrific Review: Booster Gold is dying and has limited powers, and Dan Jurgens still turns in an issue with plenty of fist-fights, stolen planes, gun-wielding mobs. Even after a year, Booster Gold delivers the action. And if the dramatic struggle of a dying Booster Gold isn't enough to hold your attention, this issue is notable for three firsts: the first appearance of Booster Gold's new sidekick Goldstar, the first modern appearance of the Silver Age's Time Master Rip Hunter, and the first telling of Booster's origin in Booster's own words. (Like Skeets' telling of Booster's origin in issue 6, Booster omits the motivation for his gambling which will feature in future versions.)

On a related note, this is the first (and only) issue of Booster Gold inked by Gary Martin, future author of The Art of Comic Book Inking. The inks in this issue are much less invasive than previous issues, often being little more than line drawings. Though regular inker Mike DeCarlo is a capable inker, Martin's minimal inks better invoke the 1980s deco fashion style of Patrick Nagel, clearly promoting the Miami Vice-influenced styles so common in the era and in Booster Gold. We would have loved to see more of Martin's work on the title.

Boosterrific Rating:

  • Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
Worth Its Weight In Gold.

Average Fan Rating:

  • Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
(2 votes)

  • Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
BoosterPowershot (Oct. 5, 2010, 01:04:03)
I wasn't aware of how early on Booster has had an involvement with a Rip Hunter character. (I say it this way because I think Rip is a character whose fate has been retconned too many times to fully grasp) Pretty good issue; those anti-cape guys are pretty hostile!

  • Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
KMD (Nov. 11, 2009, 14:38:13)
Bring back Trixie. As Goldstar. Please. Not a bad issue despite the weird cover.

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