Since it now appears that plans are moving ahead for a Booster Gold TV pilot (yay) it seems only natural that DC will consider bringing back a Booster Gold solo series. And I was wondering how that might effect Booster's current standing/role in the DcnU, would they again explore his secret time cop role? And if given that role, who do you think would make a good writer if the usual suspects (Jurgens, Giffen or Johns) weren't available?

I know that's a LOT of WHAT IF's, and I'm assuming the time cop role would return because A.) It's a COOL CONCEPT and B.) any decent writer could produce a good "standard hero" Booster series for any number of reasons.

Soooo, considering all that. My choice for a new solo series writer would probably be Kurt Busiek, because aside from being an exceptionally good writer he's also a walking encyclopedia of comics history. And I think knowing all those little moments of comics history is necessary to add believability to a time travel focused book. I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks...

...and remember a solo series, at a minimum, will bring the return of SKEETS!!!

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So you're asking not who we think would be a likely choice to write the comic adaptation of Booster's television adventures, but who we would like to see write the comic adaptation of Booster's television adventures? Because I'm sure that is two different groups of writers.

I love Busiek's work, but I'd rather see something a little simpler and straightforward in a television show adaptation than his typical love letters to the medium's history. Traveling through DC's comics history can be so insular that I would fear the concept could be alienating to an audience not weaned on DC Comics.

I'd rather see Booster wander playfully through real history (a la Quantum Leap). So I'd intentionally steer clear of historians like Busiek and Mark Waid (the two active writers I think are most qualified for a tour of DC's history). I'd consider some writers who had some experience adapting other DC television properties, like Adam Beechen or Bryan Q. Miller.

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I hadn't considered that a solo Booster Gold book might be a direct adaptation of the television series, just wondering how the character might be handled compared to his current JLI role. However, a show adaptation is a real possibility if DC is hoping to capitalize on viewers who don't already read comics. I just assumed DC would want to be publishing a "Booster Gold" comic if the character is appearing in a TV series.

Personally, I hope the TV series follows the comic stories, not the other way round. "Smallville" didn't change Superman within the DC canon but many of the shows stories were inspired from the comics. Exceptionally good or even bad TV writing can occasionally influence comics characters but it's rare, Batman in the 60's (bad) and the invention of Harley Quinn (good) come to mind.

I agree, Busiek's work can be a little too "Inside Baseball" for wider audience appeal. But if you remember his "Superstar" book, that was a character with mass appeal who just happened to remind me of another fame seeking hero. However, Busiek is currently too busy working on "Astro City" and other projects to be seriously considered. Maybe I should have said James Robinson, another DC writer with some Hollywood experience, of course that would probably mean a fair amount of JSA character appearances (depending on series format).

(The following paragraphs probably belong on an older Booster TV series thread)

Regarding the TV series itself, I expect the initial stories will probably deal with a standard exploration of Booster's character, and seeking fame/being a team player v.s. doing the right thing (a la "Greatest Story Never Told"). l too would like to see time travel stories (a la QLeap), but am concerned that a time traveling, fame seeking, "secret" time policeman might be just a bit too much for the average audience to digest all at once, even without the DC history elements. I think we might have to settle for one or the other to begin with, fame seeking hero or secret "time" policeman, but not both (or was that already a Boosterrific question of the week?) at least not until it becomes the #1 series on TV.

I just had an idea (which is likely to have flaws, but) if the TV series initially focuses on Booster's attention seeking persona. Maybe Booster would actually "need" sponsorship/financing so he can maintain his suit's advanced technology. Just a thought, probably one Dan Jurgens already explored back in the 80's... ;>

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The closest Booster has ever come to seeking sponsorship to maintain his operations would probably have been the early issues of 52 (which had its groundwork laid in JL QUARTERLY #1 with the Conglomerate).

I'd love for the television series to surprise me with a recognizable Michael Jon Carter character going creating the Booster Gold persona seen in the first volume of his series in a modern way. That's probably my ideal show. However, I expect that most of his current fans would prefer the time cop approach. (And yes, that makes a GREAT poll question that I have never asked, so be ready to answer it.)

Let's face facts: anything can happen on a comics page where you pay a writer and a small art team, but "anything" costs big bucks on television, so the scope of adventure would need to be much more limited. So if DC were to relaunch a television-associated Booster, they would need a writer who could handle the smaller scope that a television budget would bring to the series.

Robinson, therefore, is probably a bad fit for that. What Geoff Johns is to Silver Age characters, I think Robinson is to the Golden Age: too devoted to continuity at the sacrifice of developing appealing stories. (Not that I don't love continuity, obviously, but I do believe that it can go too far and form a serious barrier to attracting readership.) Both Johns and Robinson love epic stories and killing characters off for shock value, making their comics more soap opera melodrama than action/adventure morality plays.

Maybe the series could benefit from someone like Brian K. Vaughn, whose stories are supernatural but grounded in reality. I heartily recommend EX MACHINA to superhero fans, and that sort of direction of a unique super hero in a real world may be something that a televised Booster Gold could relate to.

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Specifically seeking sponsorship yes, but Dan Jurgens had the original idea that Booster would need BGI technology, and Jack Soo to repair the power suit when it was damaged. I know it's not exactly sponsorship, but what exactly was BGI selling? Why, Booster Gold brand products of course. So it's not a very big leap, from running a personality based corporation to seeking corporate sponsorship, when the end result is maintaining the suit.



Even though I'm a Vol.1 JLI fan and a supporter of Booster's time cop role, I think his "original" persona would (at least initially) be the best fit for a TV series. And since Syfy is already developing two other "time travel" themed series, it's not likely they would be looking for another. Although his use of knowledge of future events for personal gain might play a part in his story. Michael's original persona has a lot of potential as a storytelling vehicle for critiques on modern society, commercialism, media influence, etc. Unfortunately, most news sources reporting on the series tend to be playing up Booster's time traveling aspect, but that's probably just due to the popularity of his recent solo series.



I think the key to that poll question would be the phrase "in the beginning" or "when the series begins". If that caveat were included, you might be surprised by how many "current" fans would vote for original Booster. I believe Booster could ease into a time cop role AFTER an initial series of stories, focused on his early, selfish persona. Stories showing that he's a hero who, through his own actions, isn't taken very seriously. Honestly though, if the stories are well written, it won't matter very much to me which role they focus on for the TV series.



I agree, with an ongoing TV series, any writer doing the comic would be under heavy constraints. That probably eliminates the chance of getting any of our dream writers to work under those kind of conditions. We should probably wait and see what DC does with their Green Arrow comics to associate them with the CW's Arrow TV pilot, that will give us an idea of how they're likey to handle Booster.

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That "small scope" problem was why I originally thought that Bryan Q. Miller might be a good fit, with his SMALLVILLE background. This is the perfect opportunity for DC to hand the book to an inexperienced (read: inexpensive) up-and-comer that is under our radar.

I hope that DC gives us the chance to find out.

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He scope for the TV series I would like to see would the the "reality tv superhero" theme that I think BG is uniquely suited to pull off and could be a fresh, cost effective approach.

I would like to see Abnett and Lanning write a new solo series because I like my BG epic and unrelated to my TV show premise.

A&L epic space war stories strike me as more Green Lantern territory, I think. Despite his powers and time travel, Booster Gold isn't really an epic hero: all of his stories are personal. His crimes, his personal quest for redemption: even when he saved the universe(s) in 52 it felt like Booster trying to take care of his own life in a showdown with his sidekick that sort of spiraled into something much, much bigger than Booster Gold (or the readers) expected.

Rip Hunter, on the other hand, does epic. He's like DC's 21st-century incarnation of the Phantom Stranger.

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I also like DnA, especially their Guardians of the Galaxy series. It's hard to make cosmic heroes relatable, but they did it well. But, I hope their new "creator owned" series "HYPERNATURALS" is so successful that they won't have time for anything else.

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