The Brave and the Bold
“Shadows of Tomorrow”
Volume 3, Issue 23, July 2009
Released May 20, 2009
Cover Price: $2.99
Estimated Issue Sales: 22,312
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Norm Rapmund
Colorist: Brian (Hi-Fi) Miller
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor: Chris Conroy
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover Artists: Tom Chu, Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund
Heroes: Booster Gold, Magog, Rip Hunter
Villain: Dvorcek
Supporting: Skeets II
Settings: Khandaq, DCU, Middle East, 21st-century; Rip Hunter's AZ Lab, DCU, USA , 21st-century
Cover Description: Booster Gold is reflected in Magog's metal arm.
Brief Synopsis: Booster Gold aids Magog in handling a hostage situation.
Booster Gold's role in this story:
Featured (Booster Gold plays a prominent role)
Costume Worn: MARK I.v2 power-suit
This story has been reprinted in:
Booster Gold: Day of Death (2010)
Page 1, panel 3
SCHOOL'S IN: Responding to an intrusion in Rip Hunter's lab in Arizona, Booster Gold and Skeets race past Hunter's Blackboard, which may or may not hold clues to the future of the DC Universe.
Page 4, panel 2
Specifically, Rip Hunter is holding the S-shield worn by the Superman of the events of Kingdom Come. The alternate Earth of Kingdom Come was revealed to be Earth-22 in 52 Week 52.
Page 4, panel 5
Tonto was the Native American sidekick of The Lone Ranger, a mythical American Cowboy. In Booster Gold, Vol. 2, #20, released a week before this issue, Booster makes it clear that he is a fan of the Arthur "the Fonz" Fonzarelli of television's Happy Days. The Fonz is a noted fan of The Lone Ranger.
Page 10, panel 2
This is not Booster's first encounter with a hostage situation involving a dead man's switch. Dvorcek, the lead separatist and human bomb in this issue, is significantly more reserved than Mister Twister, who held the entire Metropolis Metroplex hostage in Booster Gold, Vol. 1, #5, though they both have an affinity for the color black.
Page 11, panel 3
Booster Gold makes his first trip to Khandaq, an African country between Egypt and Jordan that is the ancestral home to Black Adam, where he is immediately talked down to by the commander of the local paramilitary force trying to resolve a hostage situation initiated by militant "separatists"...
Page 11, panel 4
MEET THE PRESS: ..which does nothing to stymie Booster's bravado for the news cameras.
Page 14, panel 4
The terrorists appear to be using Soviet-designed RPG-7 rocket propelled grenades, the most common anti-tank weapon in the world.
Page 19, panel 1
In this 22-page issue of Brave and the Bold, a book pairing various DC Universe heroes, 18 pages have passed before the heroes come face-to-face. This is the first meeting between Booster Gold and Magog.
Boosterrific Review: It is something of a shame that Dan Jurgens did not save this gem of a story for the pages of Booster Gold. Jurgens manages to squeeze plenty of action into this character comparison between the conflicting morality, method, and manners of two contrasting characters who may be integrally important to the history of the DC Universe's future.
Boosterrific Rating: Worth Its Weight In Gold.
Average Fan Rating: (2 votes)
This issue acts as a set up issue for Magogs' own series while giving a proper nod to what came before it. There's plenty of alluding to Kingdom Come (which Booster and Rip also play into) and the future with Magog. What's great about this issue is that it showcases how different the characters work. Rip doesn't tell Booster all the facts as he knows he's not ready to know yet. Magogs' own harsh actions make him overlook details while Booster keeps the body count down taking everything in. At one point figuring out a solution to the crisis that didn't even occur to Skeets. After his efforts he's still seen as a lightweight, and although he has improved from his own rookie status Booster still has the urge to throw down with Magog. When you look at how both men had similar rocky starts with the man of steel acting as the moral line (in KC and the first BG series) you realize that Booster is now acting in as Superman. That's really good character development showing what he's capable of.
A wonderful contrast between two very different heroes. Booster is at his best here in terms of dealing with his reputation and showing his true character, ethics, and, yes, ability.
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