The greatest superhero you've never heard of
That is the tagline for his comic book. May as well use it as a title for this post.
I spent today re-reading them. Yes, I am aware there were other things I could have done today, but I'd be too distracted by how shiny and pretty they were! ;p
My comic book collection now consists of four books... Actually no, I am pretty sure I have a Farscape comic somewhere...
I've read so much more than I've paid for. But a certain company isn't printing trades with Mark Waid's run on The Flash so I can't give them all my money to get those. Also the Secret Six stuff is out of print, as is GLC Recharge (planning on buying the second Green Lantern Corps story line though, at some point in the future because comic books are expensive).
Anyway. Booster Gold!
Let's take it from the beginning. So, we have this guy who is born in the future, named Michael Jon Carter, he throws his career as a pro football player away by gambling on his own games and deliberately losing them. He ends up as a security guard at a museum where he steals a super powered suit, and a robot, before stealing a time machine and going back in time to become a super hero, calling himself Booster Gold. His motivations for becoming a superhero isn't to save people or anything, no he wants to be rich and famous.
I have a suspicion that they may have tweaked his origin slightly after Infinite Crisis, and made his reason for gambling on his games actually be because he needed the money for his mother's hospital bills. I don't know, but I have this feeling that, that may have been a detail added later. I don't see a reason to do that really, regardless we are going to like him for the character development he goes through, and that will be more powerful if he truly was a bit of a self important jerk.
And he does have a fascinating character development, except no one is allowed to see it happen, it is all for himself (mostly himself). But I'm getting ahead of things.
In the first issue of Booster Gold. After 52 in which Booster and Rip Hunter saved the entire Multiverse, all 52 alternate universes (is universes the correct plural of universe?), Booster is a bit at a loose end. You know, he's not allowed to tell anyone that he basically saved everyone's asses. So instead he stops the Royal Flush gang in an effort to be accepted into the Justice League of America. The League is hesitant about Booster being accepted, and they are frankly rude. Bats though is actually willing to give Booster a chance. So he gets a week to prove that he can actually do superhero stuff without also showing off to the press and marketing products, and he does.
He's really good, until Rip Hunter shows up. This time with brown hair and a beard for some reason (I have a pretty good guess as to why, but that's a spoiler). He tells Booster that he needs Booster's help to fix the holes in the time stream that were caused during the whole 52 thing. The whole reason he needs Booster is because no one would suspect Booster of being the person correcting everything since everyone things Booster is a bit of a failure and an idiot (Ruuuuuude). Booster of course says fuck that shit (though not in exactly those words) because he's gonna be a member of the Justice League and he's going to finally show them that he's a real hero.
Rip still talks him into doing just the one thing, so Booster travels back in time in Rip's Time Sphere. Booster saves a plane and then he leaves because he has a meeting with the Justice League. All his dreams appear to come true as he is handed a membership certificate to the Justice League. For some reason they give out framed membership certificates? What the hell? A bit full of yourselves aren't you? The only place to hang those are in a their secret caves (okay, that't just Batman) they can't exactly proudly hang them up in their homes were civilians can see them.
Unfortunately the certificate in Booster's hands turn into the death certificate for one Green Lantern: Hal Jordan. Booster, much to his annoyance realizes what he has to do, so he says thanks but no thanks. Lies that he just wanted to be the one who said no to the Justice League and then leaves to join up with Rip Hunter. Although he has one condition, he will help Rip, but only if once they are done Booster will get to travel back in time to save Ted Kord.
Turns out that a number of shady characters are traveling through time, taking advantages of the holes in the time stream to stop the super heroes becoming heroes. First one on the list is the greatest Green Lantern in history: Guy Gardner.
Yeah, I don't know why, but this came as a surprise to Booster as well. Of course it's Guy (also these are written by Geoff Johns so there is a foreshadowing to Blackest Night, because the guy's been foreshadowing that since 2005 or something when he brought back Hal). Actually it's supposed to be Hal Jordan but time shenanigans happened. I don't agree and would vote Kyle for greatest lantern ever seeing as he brought back the guardians and the corps. But whatever, we have to continue to pretend that Hal is so great.
I actually really liked this one because it has a different Guy Gardner, it's a Guy long before he found out about the lantern ring, and long before a huge ton of shitty things happened in his life (I've been reading up on him. There is a lot of crap that's happened to him). There's a scene of Booster (dressed in civilian clothes) and Guy talking to each other in a bar, and I think it may be one of my favorite scenes ever. It's a very emotional scene that's also very quiet. I really enjoyed it for how simple it was and still managed to pack such an emotional punch. Both Guy's past with his abusive father, but also Booster's problems being brought up. It's a really nice moment between two characters I can see not exactly getting along all the time in normal circumstances.
So this is what happens, Booster travels in time and fixes things that go wrong with the timeline. And he has to do all of this without taking any credit for it. The superhero who used to save people only to promote products, the superhero who was only in it for fame and money now gets neither. And because of this he has the most perfect character development ever! Also he is no longer motivated by that, he's motivated by Ted. Because Ted was killed, and Ted was Booster's best friend in the whole world. Probably his only friend. So all Booster wants to do is save his friend. And it is heartbreaking and yet the most amazing thing ever. The angst hurts so good.
It's a comic book with a lot of funny stuff.
And then it turns around and punches you in the stomach with the pain and angst and oh the feels! I hate to say it but Booster is very pretty when he cries.
(sometimes it's not so much Booster angst, but because someone else is happily unaware of how angsty their future is, which makes this awkward and angsty. Poor Ralph.)
Booster's doubts in himself is so painful, and I just want to hug him forever. Fortunately for all the angst there is a great plot, as I mentioned there's a lot of funny as well. Other things that can be found in this comic includes:
Questionable fashion choices
A sassy robot named Skeets
There is also Booster's kind of hopeless ancestor Daniel Carter, Booster's amazing sister Michelle. It has Rip Hunter, which is an awesome name for a kick ass dude.
Lots of guest appearances by basically everyone. There's an early arc which has all the Blue Beetles that could fit into a time sphere (Four, excluding Booster). Guy Gardner shows up. Batman shows up a couple of times.
There is time travel shenanigans. There's a Zero Hour issue, and a one million issue, even though those events happened years ago (and because of that they aren't really tied into those events. They are however important for the story line... And the million one is particularly important with regards to the spoiler I did not mention earlier).
And even though Ted Kord is dead he shows up every now and again, and he's so important to Booster. So fucking important. I will cry forever and ever about their friendship. I don't regret a single decision that has led me to this.
Oh, and after Dick Grayson Booster has the best ass in the whole DC universe: http://tramstrams.tumblr.com/post/109034687076/
Seriously it has pretty much everything I want, and I've been having a blast reading the first 19 issues and I hope that the rest will be just as good. Whenever I get to them.
Well, this was fun. And only took two hours to write... Oh well. Booster Gold! I love that dude.
I spent today re-reading them. Yes, I am aware there were other things I could have done today, but I'd be too distracted by how shiny and pretty they were! ;p
My comic book collection now consists of four books... Actually no, I am pretty sure I have a Farscape comic somewhere...
I've read so much more than I've paid for. But a certain company isn't printing trades with Mark Waid's run on The Flash so I can't give them all my money to get those. Also the Secret Six stuff is out of print, as is GLC Recharge (planning on buying the second Green Lantern Corps story line though, at some point in the future because comic books are expensive).
Anyway. Booster Gold!
Let's take it from the beginning. So, we have this guy who is born in the future, named Michael Jon Carter, he throws his career as a pro football player away by gambling on his own games and deliberately losing them. He ends up as a security guard at a museum where he steals a super powered suit, and a robot, before stealing a time machine and going back in time to become a super hero, calling himself Booster Gold. His motivations for becoming a superhero isn't to save people or anything, no he wants to be rich and famous.
I have a suspicion that they may have tweaked his origin slightly after Infinite Crisis, and made his reason for gambling on his games actually be because he needed the money for his mother's hospital bills. I don't know, but I have this feeling that, that may have been a detail added later. I don't see a reason to do that really, regardless we are going to like him for the character development he goes through, and that will be more powerful if he truly was a bit of a self important jerk.
And he does have a fascinating character development, except no one is allowed to see it happen, it is all for himself (mostly himself). But I'm getting ahead of things.
In the first issue of Booster Gold. After 52 in which Booster and Rip Hunter saved the entire Multiverse, all 52 alternate universes (is universes the correct plural of universe?), Booster is a bit at a loose end. You know, he's not allowed to tell anyone that he basically saved everyone's asses. So instead he stops the Royal Flush gang in an effort to be accepted into the Justice League of America. The League is hesitant about Booster being accepted, and they are frankly rude. Bats though is actually willing to give Booster a chance. So he gets a week to prove that he can actually do superhero stuff without also showing off to the press and marketing products, and he does.
He's really good, until Rip Hunter shows up. This time with brown hair and a beard for some reason (I have a pretty good guess as to why, but that's a spoiler). He tells Booster that he needs Booster's help to fix the holes in the time stream that were caused during the whole 52 thing. The whole reason he needs Booster is because no one would suspect Booster of being the person correcting everything since everyone things Booster is a bit of a failure and an idiot (Ruuuuuude). Booster of course says fuck that shit (though not in exactly those words) because he's gonna be a member of the Justice League and he's going to finally show them that he's a real hero.
Rip still talks him into doing just the one thing, so Booster travels back in time in Rip's Time Sphere. Booster saves a plane and then he leaves because he has a meeting with the Justice League. All his dreams appear to come true as he is handed a membership certificate to the Justice League. For some reason they give out framed membership certificates? What the hell? A bit full of yourselves aren't you? The only place to hang those are in a their secret caves (okay, that't just Batman) they can't exactly proudly hang them up in their homes were civilians can see them.
Unfortunately the certificate in Booster's hands turn into the death certificate for one Green Lantern: Hal Jordan. Booster, much to his annoyance realizes what he has to do, so he says thanks but no thanks. Lies that he just wanted to be the one who said no to the Justice League and then leaves to join up with Rip Hunter. Although he has one condition, he will help Rip, but only if once they are done Booster will get to travel back in time to save Ted Kord.
Turns out that a number of shady characters are traveling through time, taking advantages of the holes in the time stream to stop the super heroes becoming heroes. First one on the list is the greatest Green Lantern in history: Guy Gardner.
Yeah, I don't know why, but this came as a surprise to Booster as well. Of course it's Guy (also these are written by Geoff Johns so there is a foreshadowing to Blackest Night, because the guy's been foreshadowing that since 2005 or something when he brought back Hal). Actually it's supposed to be Hal Jordan but time shenanigans happened. I don't agree and would vote Kyle for greatest lantern ever seeing as he brought back the guardians and the corps. But whatever, we have to continue to pretend that Hal is so great.
I actually really liked this one because it has a different Guy Gardner, it's a Guy long before he found out about the lantern ring, and long before a huge ton of shitty things happened in his life (I've been reading up on him. There is a lot of crap that's happened to him). There's a scene of Booster (dressed in civilian clothes) and Guy talking to each other in a bar, and I think it may be one of my favorite scenes ever. It's a very emotional scene that's also very quiet. I really enjoyed it for how simple it was and still managed to pack such an emotional punch. Both Guy's past with his abusive father, but also Booster's problems being brought up. It's a really nice moment between two characters I can see not exactly getting along all the time in normal circumstances.
So this is what happens, Booster travels in time and fixes things that go wrong with the timeline. And he has to do all of this without taking any credit for it. The superhero who used to save people only to promote products, the superhero who was only in it for fame and money now gets neither. And because of this he has the most perfect character development ever! Also he is no longer motivated by that, he's motivated by Ted. Because Ted was killed, and Ted was Booster's best friend in the whole world. Probably his only friend. So all Booster wants to do is save his friend. And it is heartbreaking and yet the most amazing thing ever. The angst hurts so good.
It's a comic book with a lot of funny stuff.
And then it turns around and punches you in the stomach with the pain and angst and oh the feels! I hate to say it but Booster is very pretty when he cries.
(sometimes it's not so much Booster angst, but because someone else is happily unaware of how angsty their future is, which makes this awkward and angsty. Poor Ralph.)
Booster's doubts in himself is so painful, and I just want to hug him forever. Fortunately for all the angst there is a great plot, as I mentioned there's a lot of funny as well. Other things that can be found in this comic includes:
Questionable fashion choices
A sassy robot named Skeets
There is also Booster's kind of hopeless ancestor Daniel Carter, Booster's amazing sister Michelle. It has Rip Hunter, which is an awesome name for a kick ass dude.
Lots of guest appearances by basically everyone. There's an early arc which has all the Blue Beetles that could fit into a time sphere (Four, excluding Booster). Guy Gardner shows up. Batman shows up a couple of times.
There is time travel shenanigans. There's a Zero Hour issue, and a one million issue, even though those events happened years ago (and because of that they aren't really tied into those events. They are however important for the story line... And the million one is particularly important with regards to the spoiler I did not mention earlier).
And even though Ted Kord is dead he shows up every now and again, and he's so important to Booster. So fucking important. I will cry forever and ever about their friendship. I don't regret a single decision that has led me to this.
Oh, and after Dick Grayson Booster has the best ass in the whole DC universe: http://tramstrams.tumblr.com/post/109034687076/
Seriously it has pretty much everything I want, and I've been having a blast reading the first 19 issues and I hope that the rest will be just as good. Whenever I get to them.
Well, this was fun. And only took two hours to write... Oh well. Booster Gold! I love that dude.