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Showing posts 6 - 10 of 11 matching: death


Monday, April 16, 2018

Definitely NOT Awesome

© DC Comics

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.

Comments (9) | Add a Comment | Tags: batman death tom king

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Regicide

That Civil Rights crusader Martin Luthor King Jr. was killed by an assassin's bullet on this day in 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, is a fact no one disputes. What is disputed is who pulled the trigger.

James Earl Ray, a career criminal, pleaded guilty to the crime and accepted a sentence of life imprisonment rather than face a jury trial with the death penalty on the line. Three days later, Ray recanted his admission and would maintain for the rest of his life that he hadn't been the trigger man. King's wife and children sided with Ray, blaming MLK's death on a criminal conspiracy reaching from the Mafia all the way to the top of the United States government.

Was Ray guilty? Did someone else shoot the gun that killed MLK? The only way to know the truth might be to go back in time and take a look for ourselves.

Lorraine Motel, Memphis, Tennessee, April 4, 1968, photo by Henry Groskinsky

Comments (1) | Add a Comment | Tags: death mlk secret history

Friday, March 30, 2018

This Day in History: 13 Years Gone

For nearly two decades, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold were best friends. First meeting when Booster joined Max Lord's Justice League International, the pair formed a bond strong enough to overcome the gravest challenges. Their shared pranks and misadventures, exemplified by infamous Club JLI on KooeyKooeyKooey, became the stuff of legend. Those were good times.

The good times ended thirteen years ago today with the release of Countdown to Infinite Crisis.

© DC Comics© DC Comics

It's a testament to the relationship between the two heroes (and a perfect example of the value of continuity) that their unexpected and violent parting continues to inform Booster Gold's story all these years later.

See you in the funny pages, Ted.

Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: blue beetle death kooeykooeykooey

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Whatever Happened to the Sidekick of Tomorrow?

Fingers crossed that DC never decides to kill Booster Gold (again). If they do, at least they should know what we expect: a happy ending.

Last week's poll question: What is the most plausible demise of Booster Gold? (41 votes)

What is the most plausible demise of Booster Gold?

Is it any coincidence that voters selected "sneak attack" as the least favorite option when it is the option that has "killed" Booster the most often in the comics? Hmm.

On a semi-related subject, I'm really beginning to worry about Skeets. Why can't we get the little guy on panel already? This is an oversight that must be corrected. I need Skeets in the DCnU!

Comments (4) | Add a Comment | Tags: death polls skeets

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Are You Not Entertained?

Honestly, I expected the opinion pieces to be among the least favorite blog topics. Boy, was I wrong. (And who would have guessed that "25th-century erotica" would receive more votes than non-Booster comics news?) I guess I shouldn't be shy about giving you a piece of my mind.

Last week's poll question: What type of content would you most like to see more of on the Boosterrific.com blog? (38 votes)

What type of content would you most like to see more of on the Boosterrific.com blog?

Death. It happens to all of us sooner or later. In real life, it always marks "The End" of our personal stories. In comics, that's not necessarily the case.

Comic book characters suffer death much like real humans suffer the common cold. It's an inconvenience, but it will pass. This condition jades audiences, and the resulting difficulty to maintain suspension of disbelief then requires something unusual or spectacular to make an audience pay attention, as recent events in Justice League International #7 and DC Universe Online Legends #24 highlight.

Counting alternate realities, Booster Gold has now "died" at least four times, but as expected he keeps getting better. That makes you wonder: what would it really take to kill off Metropolis' greatest hero?

Comments (6) | Add a Comment | Tags: death polls website update


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