| Booster Gold | |
|---|---|
Cover to Booster Gold vol. 2, #1. Art by Dan Jurgens. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Publication date | October 2007 – August 2011 |
| Number of issues | 47 |
| Main character(s) | Booster Gold Rip Hunter Skeets |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Keith Giffen J.M. DeMatteis Dan Jurgens Geoff Johns Jeff Katz |
| Artist(s) | Chris Batista Dan Jurgens Norm Rapmund |
| Creator(s) | Dan Jurgens |
Booster Gold is an ongoing monthly DC Comics comic book series featuring the eponymous superhero Booster Gold created by Dan Jurgens that commenced publication in October 2007. After twelve issues, co-writers Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz left the series, leaving Jurgens as the main writer and artist, along with Norm Rapmund as his co-artist. Jurgens and Rapmund made their final appearances on the series on issue #31. As their current replacements, Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis are writing the series and Chris Batista is the artist.[1]
Contents |
52 Pick-Up is the first story arc (issues 1-6) of the series. Booster traveled through the ravaged time stream with Skeets and Rip Hunter to repair the damage done during 52 and to stop a group of supervillains that were exploiting the anomalies to eliminate the world's greatest heroes. When Booster failed to save Barbara Gordon from being paralyzed and wished to try to save her over and over again, Rip told him that the event was destined to happen. Angry at Rip and wanting to save Ted Kord after Rip refused, Booster is then visited by Dan Garret, Jaime Reyes, and a future Blue Beetle on a mission to save Ted.[2]
Blue and Gold is the next story arc (issues 0, 7-10, 1000000) of the series. Booster traveled through time to save his best friend, Ted Kord, from being murdered, but the resulting change to the time stream created a wormhole of problems for the two heroes and some unpredictable consequences. Realizing the time stream will never be right as long as he's alive, Ted sacrificed his life to make things right. With Booster upset, Rip perked him up when he showed Booster that he rescued his sister, Michelle, from her death, unbeknownst to her.[3]
Vicious Cycle is the third story arc (issues 11-12) of the series. When Batman, Robin, and Batgirl foiled a heist conducted by Killer Moth at the behest of 27th century time-traveler Wiley Dalbert, they were removed from the timeline. Booster and Michelle, now working under the name Goldstar, went back in time to ensure that the villains got away with their crime, eventually succeeding.[4][5]
Stars in Your Eyes is the fourth story arc (issues 13-14) of the series. When Daniel brought back a Starro spore from an attack in Paris, the alien invader used Rip to take over the world. To stop Starro, Booster was forced to make a deal with Lady Chronos. Together, they stopped Starro's invasion.[6][7]
Reality Lost is the fifth story arc (issues 15-19) of the series. A mysterious figure with time-travelling abilities stole a knife and attempted to unlock a vault at Vanishing Point. Booster eventually caught him and set reality straight. Meanwhile, Michelle discovered that she was supposed to die and she's only alive because of Rip. Feeling angry and betrayed, she ran away in time to live her life her own way.[8]
The sixth one-issue story arc (issue 20) of the series revolved around the Time Sphere stalling. Booster then went time diving into the year 1952 and ran into Task Force X and got involved in a dangerous plan of theirs. When Booster noticed Rip fix the Time Sphere, he immediately ditched the team and he and Rip safely retreated to the present.[9]
Day of Death is the seventh story arc (issues 21-25) of the series. Booster had to fix a timeline in which Black Beetle had killed Robin and the rest of the Teen Titans, which caused for no one to replace Batman when he died and for the Justice League of America to become weak, causing Trigon to rule the earth. When Booster fixed everything and thought everything was secure and completed, Rip reminded him that he needed to remove photos that were in the Batcave of him trying to save Barbara Gordon from being killed, taken by the Joker. Although being caught, Booster still succeeded his mission.[10]
Dead Ted, a Blackest Night tie-in story, is the eighth story arc (issues 26-27) of the series. Ted Kord was reanimated as a Black Lantern and hunted down Booster to kill him. Booster teamed up with Jaime Reyes to stop him. When they realized they could not defeat him by simply using their hands or energy blasts, they found out that all Black Lanterns are vulnerable to light. Booster and Jaime went to Ted's industries and grabbed a project of his, which was a light gun. They used this on the Black Lantern Ted and defeat him. Later, they went to Vanishing Point and gave him a proper burial.[11][12]
The Tomorrow Memory is the ninth story arc (issues 28-31) of the series. Rip sent an unwilling Booster on a mission to stop the murder of Hank Henshaw, who would soon become Cyborg Superman. Booster succeeded; however, Michelle was in Coast City, where Cyborg Superman had prepared to kill millions. Time-traveling assassin Sondra Crain arrived in Coast City to murder Henshaw. When Booster ran into her, he was persuaded to help stop Cyborg Superman.[13][14]
However, during Cyborg Superman's attack, Booster and Skeets were only able to save Sondra Crain, a child named Grace Greene and Michelle. Elsewhere, on Vanishing Point, a future self of Booster, who is Rip's father, appeared and meets with Rip. He reveals that Rip did not train the present self Booster alone and he will become the hero that he is destined to be.[15] In the present, an angry and sad Booster spoke with Rip about his career. Rip perked him up as Booster patched things up with Michelle and as Rip took Booster back in time to save a girl's dog he unintentionally killed earlier. Rip then went to Vanishing Point and was notified that something was wrong with the timeline. (see Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne)[16]
The tenth story arc (issues 32-current) ties in with the events of Justice League: Generation Lost and Brightest Day #0. After completing a mission for Rip to retrieve Doctor Fate's helmet, Booster discovered that Maxwell Lord was alive and, after Lord erased the world's memory of his existence, only Booster, Skeets, Captain Atom, Fire, and Ice remembered him. Booster then went into the past to see if Lord is remembered then and to find evidence that he can bring to the present to prove his existence. He returns to the present without successfully completing his mission.[17]
Turbulence, a Flashpoint tie-in story, is the twelfth and final story arc (issues 44–47) of the series. After the Time Masters: Vanishing Point event, Rip Hunter informed them that someone sneaked into their base and left a message on the chalkboard. When an alternate timeline starts due to the machinations of the Flash, Booster Gold and Skeets awaken and are the only ones who remember the original timeline. Booster Gold travels to Coast City, but US soldiers attack him mistaking him to be an Atlantean threat. Skeets is damaged when Booster Gold is attacked by the military's Project Six, which is revealed to be Doomsday.[18] During the battle in Coast City, Booster Gold discovers that Doomsday is controlled by General Nathaniel Adam. Booster Gold escapes from Doomsday and then saves a woman named Alexandra Gianopoulos from Doomsday's attack. Booster Gold learns the timeline has been changed, suspecting that Professor Zoom was behind it. Alexandra and Booster Gold split up, but she secretly has powers allowing her to take others' powers and follows him. Later, Booster Gold flies to Gotham City and Doomsday attacks him. General Adam's control link is destroyed by Alexandra in an attempt to rescue Booster Gold. Doomsday's true personality comes to the surface and he attacks Booster Gold.[19] During the fight, Doomsday beats Booster Gold nearly to death, but he is rescued by Alexandra. Booster Gold attempts to stop Doomsday's efforts to kill innocent people, and manages to put Doomsday's helmet back on. Doomsday's control is restored to General Adam, who grabs Booster, hoping to kills him.[20] Fortunately, General Adam takes Booster Gold back to the base for interrogation, allowing Booster Gold to escape when the sight of "Project Superman" causes Doomsday's true personality to resurface again. Alexandra manages to defeat Doomsday by using the control helmet to make Doomsday tear himself apart, subsequently asking Booster Gold to take him with her when he restores history to normal. However, Alexandra subsequently sacrifices herself to save Booster Gold from an Atlantean attack, leaving Booster Gold to return to Vanishing Point as history resets itself, without any clear memory of his time in the "Flashpoint" universe. Before the "Time Masters: Vanishing Point", Alexandra appeared leaves the message on the chalkboard before vanishing.[21]
Blue Beetle began a co-feature in issues #21-29.
The first story arc, Armor Plated, was about Blue Beetle battling against several robots attacking El Paso. When he, Brenda and Paco investigated who was behind the attacks, it turned out to be a convict's daughter, who later turned out to be a fembot. Although she is very arrogant and dangerous, Blue Beetle defeated her.
The second arc, Black and Blue, features Black Beetle who confronted Jaime and tried to kill him. As they fought, Jaime got angry and the scarab went through a transition, turning the costume into a more deadly look and the scarab started to repeatedly say "Kill." After this happened, Black Beetle revealed he was Jaime from the future and that he will soon become him. Jaime refused to believe this and escaped, although scarred from the Black Beetle said.
In Dead Ted, a story arc of Booster Gold that Jaime guest-starred in, Jaime fought alongside Booster as they tried to stop the Black Lantern Ted Kord. After fighting Ted and failing to defeat him, Jaime and Booster grabbed Ted's light gun and defeated him with it.
The Beginning of the End was the next story arc where Jaime and his friends went to Bialya, as Jaime had felt he had to go there. When they had set off a trap, resulting in bugs attacking them, Jaime went into costume, but when he touched a scarab that was on a wall, he became arrogant and revealed that the scarab had control over him.
The following story arc, The End of the End, concluded the previous story arc and the co-feature as well. Peacemaker suddenly appeared and battled Jaime. The scarab told him to kill Peacemaker, but Jaime temporarily overpowered it and asked Peacemaker to destroy the pyramid so he will be free. The scarab quickly took Jaime over again, but Peacemaker successfully destroyed the pyramid, giving Jaime his freedom back and having everyone remain safe. The story ended with Jaime saying that the scarab is acting better and thinks things will be okay.
| Vol. # | Title | Material collected | Pages | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 52 Pick-Up | Booster Gold vol. 2, #1–6 | 160 | May 2009 | 1-40121-787-7 |
| 2 | Blue and Gold | Booster Gold vol. 2, #0, 7–10, 1000000 | 160 | December 2009 | 1-40121-956-X |
| 3 | Reality Lost | Booster Gold vol. 2, #11–12, 15–19 | 168 | August 2009 | 1-40122-249-8 |
| 4 | Day of Death | Booster Gold vol. 2, #20–25; The Brave and the Bold #23 | 160 | April 2010 | 1-40122-643-5 |
| 5 | The Tomorrow Memory | Booster Gold vol. 2, #26–31 | 160 | December 2010 | 1-40122-918-2 |
| 6 | Past Imperfect | Booster Gold vol. 2, #32–38 | 168 | April 2011 | 1-40123-024-5 |
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