The life of any comic book hero would be a lonely one if not for the many characters who have made up their supporting cast. Just as Superman has Lois Lane and Batman has Alfred, Booster Gold has also shared his adventures with quite a few people over the years. Today we look at one of those, Ripley "Rip" Hunter, also known as the Time Master.

The details of Rip's early life are vague, and that's just the way he wants them. In one telling, Rip was a wealthy adventurer who invented time travel to "solve mysteries that have plagued mankind for centuries." In another, he was an MIT graduate obsessed with conquering the mysteries of time travel to save the world from Vandal Savage. In yet another, he was a member of the time policing Linear Men. The truth has been intentionally obfuscated to prevent interference from those who would change history for their own nefarious means. Even "Rip Hunter" is a pseudonym.

How deep do Hunter's deceptions go? He would have Booster Gold believe that they first met in Booster Gold #13 (1987) when Booster was desperately looking for a way to return to his own future for medical treatment. From Booster's chronological point-of-view, that's true. However, only Hunter knows that he is actually Booster's son — revealed in Booster Gold #1,000,000 (2008) — sent from the future to ensure that his father got the help he needed. Talk about your classic time paradoxes!

Once Booster was out of danger, Rip continued as a consultant for Booster's B.G.I. corporation while still managing to have his own adventures elsewhere. After B.G.I. closed its doors, years would pass before the two would work together again -- but what's a few decades for a time traver? Together, Rip and Booster (and Booster's 20th-century ancestor, Daniel) saved the multiverse from Mister Mind (in 52).

In the wake of their success, the two joined forces on a more permanent basis. As the new Time Masters, they have saved history from the likes of Per Degaton's Time Stealers (in Booster Gold Volume 2, #10), Black Beetle (Booster Gold Volume 2, #19), Darkseid (Time Masters: Vanishing Point), and Maxwell Lord (Booster Gold Volume 2, #34) to name a few. And they did it all in secret.

Hunter played an essential role in helping Booster resolve the multiverse-colliding events of Convergence, but he has managed to stay otherwise mostly hidden since Doctor Manhattan meddled with known history behind the scenes of Flashpoint. Where will we see the Time Master in action next? If the past is any indication, he'll return when Booster needs him most. That's what family is for.

Interested in meeting other "People in his Neighborhood"? Get to know Trixie Collins, Daniel Carter, Jack Soo, Rani, Dirk Davis, Skeets, and Mackenzie Garrison.

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