Friday, April 20, 2018
It's A Horrible Life
On Monday, I expressed my sincere apprehensions about what I was seeing in previews for Batman #45, released on Wednesday. Now that I've had the issue and read it multiple times, I am relieved to say that my worst fears weren't realized. Writer Tom King's version of Booster Gold isn't a monster. He's just an idiot.
It's easy to see what King was trying to do with the issue. Clearly influenced by the best deconstructionist superhero tales of Alan Moore and Frank Miller, he seeks to show us A) how the world is worse off without a Batman, and more importantly, B) how Batman isn't the same sort of hero as Superman. This comparison is overt, as Moore's "For The Man Who Has Everything..." from the 1985 Superman Annual #11 is specifically mentioned as Booster's motivation. (Is it mere coincidence that the issue was released the same day as Action Comics #1000?) Unfortunately, the clumsy execution of King's plan leaves a lot to be desired.
The biggest problem here is that while King's inspiration for the story might have been high art, his template for Booster Gold was a Saturday morning cartoon, specifically Diedrich Bader's performance in Justice League Action where the character has been stripped down into a two-dimensional jester. Sadly, what works in an 11 minute cartoon for kids doesn't translate into the traditional DC Universe, especially not in the heavy story King is attempting here. Booster's irresponsible attitude about a world gone mad — a world he created! — isn't fun. It's downright villainous.
Poor characterization isn't limited to Booster Gold. Frankly, Booster and Skeets are the only characters in the story given anything resembling depth. One-note Dick Grayson murders heroes. Jason Todd sells weapons. Bruce Wayne is a selfish fop. These aren't characters; they're paper dolls. Why? How? It doesn't matter. Like the graphic violence, characterization exist herein only for shock value. King explains nothing.
In a story celebrating comic book continuity and superhero motivation, there's no need for Booster be so irritatingly incompetent. With a little more effort, King could use Booster to accomplish all of the goals necessary to drive the plot without ignoring years of character development. And if Booster wouldn't work for where the story needs to go, there are plenty of other established characters in the DC Universe who King could have used to achieve the same ends without libeling Booster Gold's character. Anyone who has read Superman Annual #11 should be able to come up with a few. (Chronos, Per Degaton, Professor Zoom, Time Trapper, Doctor Destiny, and Bat-Mite come to mind off the top of my head.) Back in the day, writers were even known to create new characters when they needed them for specific tasks.
I applaud King's intentions. I would always prefer for a writer to aim high and miss than not try at all. But in this case, in light of his clear misunderstanding about who Booster Gold is in the DCU and his disinterest in exploring the characters he is working with, the best I can say about Batman #45 is "it could have been worse." I'm not particularly eager for the follow up.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2018
New Release: Action Comics 1000
In case you haven't heard, you'll find the 1000th issue of Action Comics at your Local Comic Shop today. The issue is a celebration not just of Superman, but also all the very talented writers and artists who have toiled for the last 80 years to bring comic book fans joy and inspiration.
Booster Gold creator Dan Jurgens is one of those writer/artists. Jurgens not only drew the first appearance of Superman in the 1980s post-Crisis on Infinite Earths DC Universe (in Booster Gold #6!), he was instrumental in bringing us the death and return of Superman in the 1990s. As part of the celebration, he also pencilled one of the 11 different Action Comics #1000 covers!
As if that's not enough reason to celebrate, DC has also released a poster containing all 1000 Action Comics covers. That means it's also a Booster Gold poster! Decades before showing up on the cover of his recent team-up in Action Comics #993, Booster Gold got the better of Superman on the cover of Action Comics #594!
Here's to 1000 more adventures of Superman to come.
UPDATE: SuperPat dropped by the comments to tell us that Booster does make an appearance in Action Comics #1000! Everybody is getting in on the celebration!
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Monday, April 16, 2018
Definitely NOT Awesome
NO. Not even slightly awesome, you monster.
The above image was released late last week as part of the preview for this week's Batman #45. While I'm always reluctant to pre-judge a story before I've read it, I have to say that in all the years I've been tracking Booster Gold appearances, nothing has disappointed me more than what I've seen from this issue so far.
Before you read any further, know that I'm about to rant about what could be considered spoilers.
3...
2...
1...
Still here? As we knew from last week's released previews, this story opens with Tony Daniel's drawing of Hal Jordan blowing out his brains with his ring. Very violently. Very graphically. Even putting aside the moral issues of suicide, that's not the sort of thing I want to see in my DC Comics.
But now we have the dialog that goes along with those pictures, and Jordan's death is nothing nearly so disgusting as the words coming out of Booster Gold's mouth in reaction.
Watching a man shoot himself in the head IS NOT AWESOME. Not a little bit. Not kind of. Never.
At no point in the published history of Booster Gold has the character ever expressed such an ugly sentiment. The character is a hero, yes a hero who has made many foolhardy decisions over the years, but never has he willfully allowed harm to come to someone else or glorified such violence or death in any way. To see those words coming out of the mouth of Michael Jon Carter literally turns my stomach.
It only makes matters worse knowing that this sort of shocking vulgarity isn't in a standalone Elseworlds book, but in Batman, DC's best selling ongoing title. I haven't purchased an issue of Batman in years, but I cringe at the thought that some parent might buy this to introduce Booster Gold to their kid. (As if shooting violence wasn't commonplace enough in schoolyards in 2018.)
If I sound like a sanctimonious prude, maybe I am. Maybe I'm overreacting because it's my hero espousing something I'd expect to hear from an ISIS recruit. But what would fans of Batman or Superman think if their idols said such things? In the DC Universe, Booster is a celebrity. In the real world, if a Kardashian reacted this way, how would their fans respond? I doubt there'd be much applause.
To be fair to issue writer Tom King, I haven't read the full story, and perhaps this is a trick. Maybe that's not Booster at all, but someone wearing his skin. Maybe it's an alternate evil timeline with a Booster Gold too immature or psychologically damaged to understand the callousness of his words. Maybe this takes place inside a simulation, and Booster's comment is a clumsy response to a well-crafted high-definition computer generated hologram. Maybe the Cosmic Cube has turned my hero into a Nazi. Weirder things have happened in comics. Still, I find it revolting that any DC Comics character should be implied to think such thoughts, much less give them voice.
Batman #45 gets the benefit of my doubt. But even if King and Daniel find some way to redeem the story, I doubt I'll be recommending anyone buy it. Personally, I don't think anyone needs a comic in their collection that shows Green Lantern's brains falling out of his skull while someone else laughs at it.
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Friday, April 13, 2018
Running Gear
Booster boosters no doubt recall the image of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold running scared as seen in Booster Gold, Volume 2, #34. You know, it's that image that Dan Jurgens said was his least favorite, remember?
The good news is that you can look down at it every day with the officially licensed t-shirt from 80sTees.com!
The shirt is printed to order, making it a mite expensive at $40 for a large t-shirt, but when has money ever stopped a true fan from wearing his heart on their sleeve? Or, as the case may be, their chest.
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Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Fantastic Foursome Returns From the Grave
I've made no secret of my appreciation of Ross Pearsall's Super-Team Family Presents... mash-ups. They're all great. The latest to feature Booster Gold is no exception.
If I saw that cover on a newsstand, it would definitely be coming home with me. Great work, Ross.
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