Booster Gold #34
Just when I thought they couldn't stuff any more homoerotic subtext into Booster Gold, I get proven wrong.
This issue was fun. This issue was funny.
Let's talk about it.
The cover is very well done and striking by Kevin Maguire - who insists on drawing the same facial expressions on everybody, but those expressions are awesome so it's all good. Max is on the cover, which kinda makes sense since that's why Booster's going back in time to the JLI era, but Max never turns up in this issue, so I dunno.
Chris Barista is on main art duty, whose art is decent, and he has a good handle on character interaction and facial expression that lends itself to Booster. Keith Giffen does the sections in the future and it's not his best work, art wise. And I'm not even sure if I like his penciling style even when he is on top of things (he has drawn Zatara in fishnets, which gains inexplicable points in my book).
Keith Giffen and JM DeMatteis are on art. They're wordy, but hilarious, and their interaction between characters are second to none. More importantly, the new creative team has rescued a title I was loosing faith in, just above dropping into a title I get excited about and downright love.
The colourist Hi-Fi seems to like rendering and bright bold colours. I don't like over-rendering and think that some of the colour combinations are eye-twitch inducing. ...I don't think we'll get along.
Things that happened!
The first page starts with Blue Beetle and Booster Gold running away from a horde of fantasy-esque warriors in a "What crazy hi-jinx are they up to now?" sort of way. The captions are cute and fourth-wall breaking. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't giggling.
Time travel is confusing, so when I say it goes back to the earlier events in the story in the future, trust me on this. Booster's sister Michelle has come back just in time to get in on a debate Booster and Rip are having about Rani, Booster's new “daughter”. I rather like Rani, so I cheered on Michelle when she kicks Booster in the pants and gets him to keep Rani.
Booster decides to try once again to go back in time to the JLI era for proof of Max Lord's existence. The first thing he runs into... Ted "Blue Beetle" Kord!
Ted and Booster quickly settle in back to their old back-and-forth snarky ways, a trope that in general I will eat up every single time. And Booster can't take his eyes off Ted, and lets Ted drag him away from his Mission. That's tick one on the Homoerotic Subtext Sensors (HSS for short).
Also Beetle says "Look, I don't know what bug you've got up your butt today-- wow that was a poor choice of phrase." Tick two on the HSS.
Skeets is all "Booster, Mission - plus maybe hanging out with your dead best friend isn't best for your sanity." and Booster's all "I just want to hang out with him for a few hours. It's time travel! What could go wrong?"
Anyway, so a book written by a dude who took a look at the Book of DestinyTM has been stolen from this secret Vatican church place. Booster and Beetle are going after it - but after seeing the footage of the not-Dormammu dude who stole it, they decide they need help and go to Mr. Miracle and Big Barda.
Who tell them no. Until they realize that maybe the fate of all creation rests on Booster and Beetle, so they say yes.
Booster makes a cute point about how maybe his idiocy is a defensive reflex about being in the past, and gets a punch in the nose for it from Barda. So they go to the planet/dimension where the book was taken, and they run into a dragon, and Barda punches it out.
BARDA PUNCHES OUT A DRAGON.
The four of them snark a little when they find a castle and have to decide on how to attack. In the castle, this blue guy with a terrible fashion sense is monologuing. Not-Dormammu turns out to be blue guy's servant, complete with a funny accent and calling him "master".
Not-Dormammu offers his master a foot rub. What's that, HSS? Another tick?
P'upik vs DormammuBlue guy turns him down, and asks for the Queen, and not Dormammu says "The Qveen? Vhat do you need vith her -- vhen you haffe me! She --" [sic] Villain dudes! You're being more homoerotic than Booster and Beetle and that takes effort.
It goes back to our heroes, who are sneaking into the castle. Booster's thought bubbles reflect on how he's changed. Beetle notices that Booster's emoing and asks what's bothering his friend. Awww. Barda says: "Do you two think you can save the couples therapy for later?" Barda has a HSS too!
Then the mob of fantasy-esque guys from the beginning of the issue catches up with them.
The issue ends with a page in the Future with Michelle packing away her Gold Star uniform. Dani is rather curious about it. Hmmm.....
Justice League: Generation Lost #5
This would be the second Booster Gold title this week. I know, I know, team book and all that - but Booster's pretty much running the show. ...That felt weird to type.
Aaron Lopresti is on art this time, and his style is much more to my tastes. Booster has eyes! He does, hover do things I don't like. Beat panels that are just copy and paste (I don't mind beat panels, but people do change expressions slightly, and redrawing it makes it look a lot better than seeing the same panel repeated. And Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes this time) looks more angry and bulky than he should (I have my priorities).
This issue starts with a flashback in Booster's past to the future (goddamn time travel) which forms the first of the bookends. I may have gotten distracted a little by the extremely pretty Booster here.
Thank you, TherklaAnyway, I'm not going to describe the entire issue (I saved that for Booster Gold this week), but it does have some very nice Captain Atom, Ice and Blue Beetle character moments. And an amusing character moment from Red Rocket.
Booster's still running the show, though. And that still feels weird to type. (Although, Max Lord is running the show too, I guess)
Sketch Parody of the Week
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