Showing posts 1 - 5 of 309 matching: blue beetle
Friday, February 13, 2026
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we come in our chronological order of releases to Justice League Quarterly #10.
If you're a regular Boosterrific.com visitor, you probably already know what my favorite story in this anthology issue is. I posted about it at length back in 2021. "When Titans Date," is the story of Ted Kord's "friends" spying on his disastrous blind date, and it's is so much fun, I encourage frequent re-readings.
So rinse the horrors of DC K.O. out of your eyes with this page of Ty Templeton's pencils, Karl Kesel's inks, and Steve Mattsson's colors working a script by Mark Waid:
Smoking in a comic? This *must* be the 90s.
Enjoy your Valentines, Booster boosters.
| | Tags: blue beetle favorite pages fire justice league international
Eskana posted on Feb. 14, 2026 at 7:19 PM
I love these little odd slice-of-life stories, like the one where I think Fire, Ice, and Booster go with Ted to his high school reunion, which ends up to be all aliens. Just good fun.
Boosterrific [Official Comment] posted on Feb. 14, 2026 at 8:10 PM
That's JUSTICE LEAGUE QUARTERLY #7. A pretty good book.
Monday, February 2, 2026
I'm beginning to wonder if anyone loves comics books as much as Ross Pearsall, whose Super-Team Family cross-company team-up covers continue to amaze and delight.
Sometimes, I think Ross is making covers just for my personal amusement. Take, for example, these three consecutive covers he released late in January (click on any of the images to visit the original, with Ross's notes, at braveandboldlost.blogspot.com):
I sure hope that the recently announced Superman/Spider-Man crossover is a huge success. I could really use a comic in which Booster Gold tries to straighten out the history of the Marvel Universe.
| | Tags: blogspot.com blue beetle fan art robo force ross pearsall skeets super-team family x-men
Friday, August 15, 2025
There are people who frequent this site who do not care for Dan Jurgens' Justice League run. A recent commenter complained that the run is "essentially either an unimaginative retread of past stories or a vehicle for his absolute hero worship of Superman." I have to admit, that's not inaccurate.
Everyone can like what they like, of course, but I will point out that during his run, Jurgens was aware enough of exactly this criticism that his Justice League America #66 is 22 pages of team infighting while former Leaguers complain about how rotten everything has gotten. And then they worship Superman.
In light of the "things were better back in my day" theme of the issue, I particularly like this page that hints that when no one is looking, the Blue and Gold team aren't quite the pair of doofuses they play on TV.
Speaking only for myself, I think this issue is pretty good. But then, I tend to enjoy Superman hero worship, so I'm the target audience. You do you.
| | Tags: blue beetle favorite pages justice league international superman
Rob snow posted on Aug. 15, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Im the complete opposite. I loved this run. One of my comfort food collections. Mostly because lot of the arcs are Beetle-centric. Hes the hero in most of the conflicts. And Boosters personal trials are deep
Brandon posted on Aug. 15, 2025 at 11:51 AM
I found Jurgens' JLA run to be bland.
He tried to walk the line between the original humorous tone of the book and a more traditional action oriented tone. Trying to please both fan bases.
A reasonable approach, but one that often winds up pleasing nobody
SLW (Steff) posted on Aug. 15, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Aw, Walter, you can name me if you want to. I agree on this page! I like it too! And I don't think that every single page of Jurgens' run on JLA was bad. I just don't think the man deserves to sit pretty on any unearned pedestals, and in terms of how he handled the JLI-- he most definitely does not. But he did have moments in it I liked quite a lot.
But I think him writing Booster as a caveman is pretty awful; I absolutely think Booster's own creator should have respected his characterization more, especially since Dan himself established some of the more charming parts of it in Vol. 1. I do think Dan turning Ice into some vapid fangirl was lousy. And, as I think I mentioned, he ignored most -- if not all -- of Guy's better traits. (Bear in mind that I think Giffen and DeMatteis did a pretty bad job with Ted Kord and Guy Gardner too, though. I hardly venerate them, either.)
In fairness, I think I had also pointed out that I too appreciated Ted Kord being treated as less of a joke. If I didn't, I should have.
Dan's big problem was a lack of imagination. As Brandon says above, he tried to thread the line between the funny sitcom-style humor preceding him and the more traditional rock 'em-sock 'em comic plotting. Thing is: Dan's really only funny when he's channeling his dry wit. I think that's probably the midwesterner in him, because boy, I can recognize that tone.
He could have probably leveraged that, instead of trying -- and failing -- to find the humor in team dynamics. Mostly, everyone kind of comes across as actively disliking one another in his run, with rare exceptions. Aside when they're getting beaten half to death by Doomsday, you don't really get the feeling his version of the JLI is a family, and remain such even when they argue, which is something Giffen and DeMatteis did right.
Max Lord was also sort of ill-used. He'd reached a fairly good spot at the end of Breakdowns, as a character, only for Superman to charge in and treat him poorly. Another fan I talk with said she's surprised he didn't go full villain right around then, and honestly-- so am I. When you go from J'onn J'onzz calling you a good man to Superman in your face on the team you built -- regardless of original motivation -- that's a pretty mean kick in the crotch.
I do appreciate your point of view, Walter. You have indeed made me take second looks at things I might not have without you. I hope you don't feel my POV is a shot at you, as I'd never want to do that or to make you feel like I am.
Boosterrific [Official Comment] posted on Aug. 15, 2025 at 6:36 PM
@SLW No need for any apologies. I don't take your opinions on Jurgens body of work as a personal attack. A diversity of viewpoints can be enlightening. (I should also probably mention that I wasn't trying to call you out on this. If I was going to take issue with your commentary, I'd have done it directly in private. I just thought it was interesting that your recent comments were pretty aligned with this particular issue.)
SLW (Steff) posted on Aug. 15, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Fair enough! I'm glad; I think if I didn't find some of Dan's creativity to be genuinely brilliant, I probably wouldn't get so nettled by where I believe his failures to be. And even though I quite like Superman as a character, I'm way more apt to get starry-eyed over Captain Marvel, which probably doesn't help when the Superman hero worship feels especially thick. 🤣 I mean, even beyond their fraught history and DC's constant foundering with knowing how to handle Cap.
Friday, July 11, 2025
Considering that Maxima is the planetary-invading bad girl in this week's Superman Treasury 2025: Hope for All #1, I find it interesting to look back to June 1992 when it was her planet being conquered by outside enemy forces in Justice League America #65 (also written by Dan Jurgens).
Who saved the day then? Hint: it wasn't Superman....
Fzzzam. Speowww.
Ah, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle! Is there anything they can't do?
| | Tags: blue beetle dan jurgens favorite pages justice league international maxima superman
SLW (Steff) posted on Jul. 11, 2025 at 11:53 AM
True facts: Is there anything they can't do? No, I think they're actually a really solid pair of heroes who have indeed helped save the world repeatedly (and led the charge to in a case or two), and I really wish DC would remember that. One's a literal genius with a more diverse skillset than Bruce Wayne and the other is certainly clever as hell and quick on his feet literally and mentally, never mind willing to take a heartbreaking amount of punishment in the line of self-appointed duty.
Hell, they're both really good heroes even solo, but they do make a pretty awesome combo when business gets serious. (And know how to have fun before it does.)
Rob snow posted on Jul. 11, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Ive always maintained they are serious about what they do, just not serious in HOW they do it
Brandon posted on Jul. 11, 2025 at 1:44 PM
I always found it amusing that on the cover of this issue all the leaguers are firing energy beams except poor Ice who's made a couple little snowballs to throw
Eskana posted on Jul. 11, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Great analyses, guys! Well said
Friday, May 23, 2025
In Justice League Quarterly #7, we learn that Ted Kord graduated from Marquette (Illinois) High School in 1977 when he attends his high school reunion with his teammates and friends Booster Gold, Fire, and Ice.
Of course things wouldn't get interesting until the Lord High Reacquisitor Vinic arrived to abduct the entire reunion back to their native planet Klaarsh.
Which is how Ted Kord learned that he went to a high school populated entirely by aliens.
High school reunions are just the worst.
| | Tags: blue beetle favorite pages justice league international
Rob snow posted on May. 23, 2025 at 10:13 AM
One of my favorite stories. Ed Barreto was vastly underrated as an artist, gone WAY too soon
SLW (Steff) posted on May. 23, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Absolutely one of my faves.
Boosterrific [Official Comment] posted on May. 24, 2025 at 3:27 PM
If ya'll like the issue, why not follow the link to its page and leave a positive rating to encourage others to read it? (You can just leave stars; you don't have to write a review.)
SLW (Steff) posted on May. 24, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Why, what a casual suggestion, Walter. 🤣 I might just do. (And hey, feel free to throw commentary on my reviews on Boldly Reading, substack or ghost variation. I love exchanging enthusiasm with a fellow fan.)
Boosterrific [Official Comment] posted on May. 24, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Thanks, SLW. It's always nice to see that at least the code is working.
SLW (Steff) posted on May. 25, 2025 at 6:32 PM
I mean, apparently not entirely since I wrote out a whole review to go with the star rating. LOL! Unless it got caught on the back end somewhere. Or unless my browser was a jerk in some fashion.
Boosterrific [Official Comment] posted on May. 26, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Oof! Do you know what you posted? I updated the parser recently. Maybe that's the problem? I'll double check that this week.
Eskana posted on May. 26, 2025 at 9:44 AM
I thought this story was hilarious.... of course Ted Kord went to school with aliens! Why not? It might explain a lot XD
SLW (Steff) posted on May. 26, 2025 at 10:09 AM
@Walter: Just a review. It was a bit more than a handful of paragraphs because I tend to be one wordy woman. LOL! I saved it on my Substack for cleanup and repost at some point, at least!
Boosterrific [Official Comment] posted on May. 30, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Finally got around to digging into this problem, and, yes, it was my code. Oops. Fixed now. Sorry about that. Thanks for helping me catch it!
