Time Masters: Vanishing Point
“Passageway”
Volume 1, Issue 1, September 2010
Released July 21, 2010
Cover Price: $3.99
Estimated Issue Sales: 34,509
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Norm Rapmund
Colorist: Hi-Fi Designs
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Assistant Editor: Rachel Gluckstern
Editor: Michael Carlin
Cover Artists: Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, Chris Sprouse, Karl Story
Heroes: Booster Gold, Rip Hunter
Supporting: Skeets II
Setting: Vanishing Point, DCU, End of Time
Cover Description: There are two covers to this issue. Both the standard cover by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund and the 1:10 variant cover by Chris Spouse and Karl Story feature Rip Hunter in the foreground, Booster Gold, Green Lantern, and Superman flying in the middle ground, and the looming specter of Batman in the background.
Brief Synopsis: Booster Gold and Rip Hunter set the stage for this mini-series.
Booster Gold's role in this story:
Featured (Booster Gold plays a prominent role)
Costume Worn: MARK I.v2 power-suit
Issue Notes: This mini-series loosely ties-into the "Search for Bruce Wayne" storyline.
Reprint Notes: This mini-series has been collected in Time Masters: Vanishing Point.
Page 12, panel 2
Booster Gold interrupts Rip Hunter and Skeets as they track Batman through history. This is the first chronological appearance of the artificial archivist seen in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #2.
Page 12, panel 5
In addition to providing a proper introduction for the presence of the archivist (a plot device necessary for the aforementioned Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #2, Booster and Hunter discuss the previously unexplained presence Green Lantern and Superman. That is a lot of exposition for the space of just a couple of panels.
Boosterrific Review: What is this series, exactly? The cover claims that the issue is about "the search for Batman," but readers will find that the book has more to do with Rip Hunter, Time Master. Certainly, there is a lot of exposition in this story, explaining many head-scratching elements of Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, but readers will soon discover that Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern appear as little more than set dressing to Hunter's story. Is this misdirection involving several of DC's biggest names necessary to sell this sort of series? Will readers accept this ruse?
Readers who can get past this facade will find a disjointed and confusing issue that frequently alludes to events previously seen in the pages of the second volume of Booster Gold. This issue teases more than it reveals about the secret life of the mysterious Hunter. Clearly writer Dan Jurgens is banking that readers who were brought in by the misdirection will stay for an action-heavy character piece. Characterization and melodrama are Jurgens' strengths, boding well for the future of this series off to a rocky start.
Boosterrific Rating: Gold Standard.
Average Fan Rating: (4 votes)
Since I'm late reviewing this, I'll have to keep each issue review based on what I felt on this sole issue, including my belief on WHERE this series is going. To me, I looked at this series as my Jurgens Booster Gold fix while he's away from the real title. I love Jurgens artwork. I think this series was given Superman and Green Lantern (the biggest name in the DCU and the most popular name in the DCU) to entice sales, but I think this is actually an attempt to get more readers interesting in Booster Gold. The issue is alright, but it doesn't really expound on anything in Return of Bruce Wayne. However, breaking into Morrison's acid trip storyline would be difficult for anyone, especially when editors are enforcing restrictions on you.
This was an average issue. Not much happened. It's not too certain where this book is headed but hey it's Rip and Booster so I'm not too upset with getting another title with them. Not all the questions are answered, if anything it raises more: Is this competent Supernova really Daniel? Why does time traveling master planner Degaton sound like he's a rookie and Desperos' minion? Hopefully some of these questions will be answered by the end of the series. Thus far the best parts are the ones where we get some insight on Rips' character. How he views Booster (with what I think is the best scene in the book) to why he decides to take Superman and Hal with them.
There were a few nice moments (I did like the young Rip Hunter scene) but not enough of them to see this as a strange work that did not do much. I was surprised given how much DC pushed the idea that Tim Drake (Red Robin) was one of the few who knew Bruce Wayne was still alive that he had nothing to do with the story.
The story here feels like it's meant for only 10 pages of a comic book, expanded to make 22 pages while leaving us with not much meaty stuff to sink our teeth in.
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