Despite being published in the late 1980s, the two-issue story of Booster Gold versus the Rainbow Raider in Booster Gold #19 and #20 has the feel of a Bronze Age Superman comic where "realism" and "fantasy" share the same panels.

Superhero comics are inherently absurd, so sometimes it's best to lean in on the silliness. Take, for example, page 8, my favorite of Booster Gold #20:

Rainbows, beefcake, and a Don Herbert Mister Wizard reference. I love it!

Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: favorite pages jack soo rainbow raider

If it wasn't just the top half of a page, the sequence on page 21 where Booster Gold defeats Shockwave with a garden hose (and the sound effects "splooosh" and "crump") would be my favorite page in Booster Gold #11.

But my favorite full page is the inspired sequence on page 7 that looks like it could just as easily have come from the Marvel Age of Comics, complete with a Reed Richards-like mad scientist and Captain America's mighty shield!

The panel with Kirby dots actually has the sound effect "Crackle." Pure. Genius.

Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: favorite pages jack soo

If you visited your Local Comic Shop this week, you might have picked up a copy of the DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Celebration #1 like I did. The title is an accurate representation of what's inside the book, and I enjoyed the much-deserved spotlight on characters who too rarely get their share of the accolades.

If I had any problem with the book, it was only that it was too short. DC Comics has several other notable Asian characters worthy of more attention, characters like August General in Iron, Rising Sun, Maya, Doctor Light, and the head of Research and Design for Booster Gold International, Dr. Jack Soo.

In the spirit of further celebration of the contribution of Asian characters to the DC Universe, what follows is a post about Soo's trailblazing contribution to the cast of Booster Gold Volume 1 in the 1980s, previously published on the Boosterrific blog in 2015:

It cannot be denied that the original cast of Booster Gold was pale. Michael Carter was white. Trixie Collins was white. Dirk Davis was white. About the only characters in the first six issues who weren't white were Booster's orange cats, Jack and Jill. (Hey, it's not Booster's fault that Metropolis was settled almost exclusively by Western Europeans and Kryptonians.)

The eventual introduction of supporting cast member Dr. Jack Soo in Booster Gold #7 finally provided an injection of some much needed color.

Jack Soo was the best young inventor at Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories (aka S.T.A.R. Labs) when he was hired to create a new female super suit for Goldstar, Inc. He delivered on his reputation and earned his place in Booster Gold's supporting cast.

While Soo's specific heritage is never addressed, his tan skin, dark hair, and narrow eyes indicate Asian ethnicity. "Soo" also happens to be a Westernization of the fairly common Chinese surname "Su."

Of course, it's hard not to notice the sudden appearance of an ethnic minority in a comic full of white characters. But was Asian the right race for Booster Gold's first new supporting character? I mean, isn't "Asian scientist" a little cliched?

As always, I turned to creator Dan Jurgens for the answer.

Yes, we realized that we need to have a more diverse cast.

I would also add that "Asian scientist" might seem a bit stereotypical now, but it certainly wasn't 30 years ago.

Jurgens has a point there. While ethnic Asians make up almost 15% of all modern science, technology, engineering, and technology jobs in America today (second in percentage only to — you guessed it — whites), that number was closer to 5% in 1980 according to census.gov.

We haven't seen Jack since Booster Gold #22 (1987). I assume that's because he's been hard at work in his lab creating new wonders. Thanks for all your hard work, Dr. Soo.

Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: dan jurgens jack soo new releases

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, Jack Soo.

Jack Soo was the best young inventor at Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories (aka S.T.A.R. Labs) when he was hired to create a new female super suit for Goldstar, Inc (in Booster Gold Volume 1, #7). Soo delivered on his reputation.

The super suit he devised, a white and gold counterpoint to Booster Gold's familiar blue and gold suit, used magnetic waves to attract and repel metallic objects (Booster Gold #11). That suit is still in use by Booster's female sidekick, Goldstar.

When Booster needed to take a trip back to the future, Soo introduced him to his former classmate, time-travel specialist Ripley "Rip" Hunter, as seen in Booster Gold #13. He accompanied them into the 25th century, where he learned quite a bit about future history and technology. Back in the present day, Soo leveraged that information to good advantage, leaving S.T.A.R. Labs to become the head of the newly rebranded Booster Gold International's research and design division (Booster Gold #16).

Dr. Soo would go on to help Booster Gold thwart a terrorist attack (Booster Gold #17), work with Skeets to design the C-4 Personal Drill Robot, nicknamed Seymour, to keep Booster Gold in fighting shape (Booster Gold #18), and reverse the color-sapping technology of the Rainbow Raider (Booster Gold #20).

Jack was last seen attending the funeral of Michelle Carter, Booster's twin sister (Booster Gold #22). Booster Gold International declared bankruptcy soon after, and it seems likely that the multi-talented Dr. Soo returned to his old job at S.T.A.R. Labs where he has no doubt continued his stellar career in the field of super science.

For some insight into what creator Dan Jurgens was thinking when he introduced Jack Soo to the DCU, click here to read my post from June 12, 2015.

Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: jack soo people in his neighborhood supporting characters

It cannot be denied that the original cast of Booster Gold was pale. Michael Carter was white. Trixie Collins was white. Dirk Davis was white. About the only characters in the first six issues who weren't white were Booster's orange cats, Jack and Jill. (Hey, it's not Booster's fault that Metropolis was settled almost exclusively by Western Europeans and Kryptonians.)

The eventual introduction of supporting cast member Dr. Jack Soo in Booster Gold #7 finally provided an injection of some much needed color.

Soo was the best young inventor at Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories (aka S.T.A.R. Labs) when he was hired to create a new female super suit for Goldstar, Inc. He delivered on his reputation and earned his place in Booster Gold's supporting cast.

While Soo's specific heritage is never addressed, his tan skin, dark hair, and narrow eyes indicate Asian ethnicity. "Soo" also happens to be a Westernization of the fairly common Chinese surname "Su."

Of course, it's hard not to notice the sudden appearance of an ethnic minority in a comic full of white characters. But was Asian the right race for Booster Gold's first new supporting character? I mean, isn't "Asian scientist" a little cliched?

As always, I turned to creator Dan Jurgens for the answer.

Yes, we realized that we need to have a more diverse cast.

I would also add that "Asian scientist" might seem a bit stereotypical now, but it certainly wasn't 30 years ago.

Jurgens has a point there. While ethnic Asians make up almost 15% of all modern science, technology, engineering, and technology jobs in America today (second in percentage only to — you guessed it — whites), that number was closer to 5% in 1980 according to census.gov.

Thanks to Dan Jurgens for being both culturally sensitive and historically accurate.

Comments (2) | Add a Comment | Tags: dan jurgens jack soo origins true story