52 week 37 spoilers

[invader]

From mazingman728 at dc message boards

If you DO NOT want any Spoilers in regards to this issue please back out at this time. These Spoilers will also reveal the identity of Supernova so if you do not want to know who Supernova is at this time please back out. ALSO PLEASE keep any conversation in regards to these Spoilers and the books contents to this thread until the book is releases and everyone that wants to read it has had a chance to so as to not spoil the book for them if they choose to by-pass these spoilers; I only want you to read the spoilers by choice and would like you to respect others decisions to choose to read them or part of their contents ahead of time.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
AND, if you so choose to copy and paste these Spoilers onto another board, ex: Newsarama, please include the Spoiler warning. My concern is not that my Spoilers are on another board, my concern is the ruining of somebody’s reading enjoyment; Yes I know that this is really repetitive but I want to make sure it the Spoiler rules are folloed after last week.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
.
.
W
A
R
N
I
N
G
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Cover has Skeets with a reflection of Supernova on Skeet’s body armor and Booster Gold on his face plate..

The ticker at the bottom reads “Booster Gold Returns!...Funeral for a Friend!...Skeets Attacks!...…”

Pat Olliffe is the penciler. The Origin of Firestorm by Mark Waid and Jamal Igle


Week 37, Day 1
Kandor: Kandor falls under attack by Skeets by Skeets bumping the bottle holding Kandor.
Rip: Oh, No…
Supernova: Damn it! It’s Skeets! It has to be!
Skeets: You and your errand boy have gotten sloppy Rip! A tachyon here, a chronal footprint there—you left a trail and I found you! Surrender yourselves immediately or it’s Krypton all over again
Supernova starts to leave but Rip pulls him back.
Rip: Er’ew—we’re not prrrreeeeepared for a confrontation! Size up and stall him! Leave the costucostucostume so I can reassemble its cir—cui—ts into somethingwitha little more oomph! I’ll p-p-pull myself rehtegot! Go! Go!
Siupernova leaves the bottle and sizes up surrounded by the Atom’s size changing swirls.
Skeets: Fine. Have it your way, Hunter!
Supernova: He’s not your problem, pal I am
And upon growing to full size Supernova is revealed to be Booster Gold. Skeets does a scan on Booster to confirm through a DNA match that Booster is Michael Jon Carter. When Skeets asks how, Rip tells Booster say to “Tell him everything, Booster. It’ll buy me some time and he’ll know soon enough anyway”.
Booster: I’ve known what’s up with you for week’s now. When I wnt into Rip’s lab, the clues were everywhere. I was stunned, confussed. I almost asked you about it but Rip showed up to stop me. I told you Rip wasn’t in the lab…the first of many, many lies I’d learn to spin. Cloaked from you in a chronal field, he told me the truth about you and we made a plan. First off, I had to play dumb. And if you were really yourself, Skeets, you’d be having a field day with that statement. Rip knew he was destined to face off against you you, so he needed weapons—but had to stay hidden until he was prepared to fight. It was my job to gather an arsenal and there was no way to do that under your 24/7 observation. I had to get totally off of your radar somehow so we pulled a fast one. Rip explained how I could be in two places at once with the help of time travel. Rip faked my death yanking me out of the time stream at a crucial moment and replaced me with my own corpse—something I would rather no dwell on by the way. Suddenly, I was twelve weeks back in time—co-existing both as Booster and under a new humble, virtuous identity that would, frankly, be the last place anybody’d look for me. The Booster/Supernova Rivalry was designed to throw off any lingering suspicions, and it worked. Meanwhile Rip—who had me lift the Atom’s size changing belt and gloves from JLA storage—he took advantage of the super-science in the Bottle City of Kandor. AS Supernova, I brought him every super-weapon I could find from Luthor’s Kryptonite Glove to Hawkgirl’’s NTH Metal in hopes of building something that could beat you here in the most remote location on Earth. That’s right buddy. We operated out of the Fortress of Solitude. Even leveled and abandoned, it’s sublevels were still intact. And don’t think we didn’t plunder it. Where do you think we found parts and powers for the new suit? Think back. Everything I did as Supernova—everything—was based on unearthly lights and applied teleportation. Ralph Dibny called it. Every circuit in that suit was cribbed from Superman’s Phantom Zone Projector!

All this time we are seeing a mix of flashbacks to the story as well as Booster flying around fighting with Skeets. Rip sizes up and comes out of Kandor with the Phantom Zone Projector and fires it off at Skeets.
Booster: That’s it! Crank it up!
Rip: It’s not a guitar amp, Booster! It’s a prison portal and Skeets is holding on for dear life.
Booster: Rip, what’s he—what the Hell is he—
Rip: Oh, dear God—
Booster: The Zone…He’s eaten the Phantom Zone…!
The Phantom Zone whirls around Skeet and then into Skeets with people now showing in Skeet’s face plate.
Rip: I’ll go you one worse. It’s not a meal for him. It’s just an appetizer. But it bought us a retreat. Are you ready?
Booster: Ready? Ready for what--?
Rip: Fifty-Two…Fifty- one…
Rip grabs Booster and they disappear.
Skeets: Oh, No, No. You don’t get away that easily…
The purple affect of the Phantom Zone is still slightly seen and Skeets also disappears.

Week 37, Day 4
Star City: Green Lantern (Hal) is using his power ring to help restore basic services to Star City. Ollie is talking to Dinah about become mayor of Star City. Dinah says that she is on sabbatical from the Birds of Prey and that Gypsy is filling in for her.
Dinah:…you wanna come with?
Ollie: Only if we can stop on the way to find somebody.
Dinah: Ollie, I’ve told you, we’ve all been looking high and low for Ralph. Everyone who even puts on a cape or a mask has been asked to report any sighting whatsoever.
Ollie: He’s unstable, Dinah. When we lost him, he was searching for a way to bring his wife back.
Dinah: Don’t mistake passion for insanity, Ollie. Ralph just loved Sue too much to ever, ever let her go.
Dinah then takes off and as Ollie watches her go he asks himself “How does that work…?

Week 37, Day 5
Space: Buddy is laid to rest with Arch-Bishop Lobo performing the ceremony. One he is done Lobo tells Kory and Adam “This is where we part company. Alpha Centauri’s that way. I can slingshot ya round th’ Binary System up ahead if ya need the boost…maybe you can hook up with one of them Green Lantern patrols… Let’s go, Fishy. On ta th’ Seven Golden Planets with the Emerald Eye! So what didja see out there anyway that everybody wants ta know?
Adam: I don’t know. Giant hands and…and…something else…I can’t remember. Lobo look…we just want to thank you for getting us through this…
Lobo: Ya can thank me by never crossin’ my path again, Strange, how ‘bout that? Giant hands. Figgered it hadta be something stooped.
Adam: Kory?
Kory tunrs away from Buddy and enters the ship and joins Adam in the cockpit.
Adam: I know. But we can’t take the chance that his body was contaminated. We have to go. Lobo takes off on his cycle followed by Adam and Kory on the ship into a warp and disappears with Buddy shown on the funeral slab. Time passes and Buddy opens his eyes.
Buddy: No. DON”T LEAVE ME!!!
Buddy turns to see the tall yellow aliens that showed him about space from his own series.
Aliens: And so it begins.

NEXT IN 52: Renee and Charlie, Infinity Inc, Egg Foo and the Mad Scientists.
Next Weeks cover is kind of dark but my best guess is that it is the Four Horsemen.

[Drink]

Well Ho-Ly crap.

So Buddy's not dead either then?

[Infra-Man]

Wow... Welcome back, Buddy. Now that'll be an interesting story to follow.

Thanks for the spoilers, invader. It's issues like these that kinda make me wish I wasn't waiting for the trades.

[General Grievous]

booster gold!!!!!!!!!!!

[Taskmaster]

Taskmaster does a happy dance :) WHoo hooo Booster's back baby!!!!!!!!!!!! Now the biggest mystery for me (other than what the heck 52 is) is who the heck is "Skeets" because it's obvious that it's not the real deal. It's gotta be a time traveler, probably a robot, maybe Brainiac?

[noface]

Now the biggest mystery for me (other than what the heck 52 is) is who the heck is "Skeets" because it's obvious that it's not the real deal.

Week 52 Spoilers:

It's the spirit of Ted Kord trapped in a robot. At the end, it turns out that he was just leading Booster into a surprise birthday party.

--Eric

[blackphoenix]

Dammit, there is NO FRIGGIN' WAY I'm reading those spoilers...mebbe just a peek...a little peek..oh god. No. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO....Then that means...Supernova is...he's always been...

PSYCHE! Didn't look. I can wait a few hours to find out the answer.:p

EDIT: Dammit, I peeked! *EVILAUGH* Ok, I'm completely having a "meh" moment. Come on, is there anyone who didn't see this one coming?

[mrc1214]

Id really didnt see that coming. Good twist there with who Supernova was.

[sly_kat]

i think the supernova thing was played out magnificently.... considering that they said in an early interview that supernova was played out as he was.. supernova... that add our speculation and them throwing stuff around, if we went back to the beginning and how supernova came about then simple as that it was there for us all along:)

[Drew Geraci]

I'm very satisfied to see that not only did the Supernova surprise worked, but it's being received well! You know how long I've been burdened with this knowledge since inking the issue?:D

New blog this week at
www.drewgeraci.com

[Sean Walsh]

Here's a 52 Week 37 spoiler alert:

DON'T LOOK AT THE COVER!

:eek:

[MAK15]

BOOSTER GOLD IS BACK!
B00-Y34H! now we need him and skeets in an epic battle to thew death.

[skally19]

jeez, people are complaining about this now? anything else wouldn't make any sense. it had to be something that we could figure out, or the whole mystery would be useless. i'm extremely happy. though i don't think michael'll survive 52 anyway. can you imagine how dumb it would be if that "supernova is hawkman and ray palmer" thing was true? that would make NO sense at all. o well, can't please everyone.

[thetube]

Booster Gold Lives!!

[davros42]

Booster Gold AND Animal Man alive and well again!

Well, doesn't get much better than that, does it?

Anyone figured out the code from the DC Nation page yet?

[Paul Newell]

Booster Gold AND Animal Man alive and well again!

Well, doesn't get much better than that, does it?

Anyone figured out the code from the DC Nation page yet?
Right here (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=160398). :)

[Jack Zodiac]

Though long-expected, and not very surprising, every single !@#$% page of this issue was pure god!@#$% gold. So happy, I almost cried. Not only is Booster not a jackass, he's not dead! !@#$% yeah! And Buddy, man... thank God (or Grant Morrison, whoever!). They brought the little aliens back. Can't wait to see where that goes.

Kickass! The only way this book could get any better is if everyone survived it. :p

[FanboyStranger]

I was about 99% sure that Buddy would be back, but I didn't think it would happen so quickly. I'm not surprised that they brought the yellow aliens back with him as 1) Buddy is the only character in the DCU to actually have a grasp on the true nature of the universe, and 2) Morrison has been spouting theories of the nature (sentience, I believe) of the DCU for the past few years, but really has done nothing with them. Anytime anyone asks him about what his role in developing 52 is, he gets (deliberately) vague, but Waid, Johns, Rucka, and Wacker said that he presented a concept that changed everything midway through the planning sessions. Today's coded revelation from Didio indicates that the multiverse is back. (Rich Johnston also reported a few months back that Michael Moorcock was allegedly contributing to a DC Multiverse bible, and Moorcock is one of Morrison's chief influences.) I'm guessing Buddy is going to be our guide to principles of the new multiverse, which is sort of fitting, as Morrison's Animal Man was a guide of sorts to the principles of the post-Crisis DCU (Limbo, in particular).

Also, I like that Booster is back. I'm glad he turned out to be Supernova. He's a million times more interesting now that before his death, and I'm curious again as to what's up with Rip Hunter.

[Jack Zodiac]

Buddy Baker as both a character and the comic-aware guide to the multiverse? I like it. I'd like it even more if it were Ambush Bug. :p

[skally19]

Wacker said that he presented a concept that changed everything midway through the planning sessions

actually that was when he said "what if skeets is eeeeeeevil?"

[Don]

Granted, they kept us speculating, and that kept us buying the books...but "Rip Hunter showed up" is just kinda...contrived and lame.

So the only two real clues were: We'd seen Booster previously in the series, and Supernova used what appeared to be borrowed technology.

Maybe I'm just upset that I didn't guess it first :o

But I'd still like a definitive answer: As far as anyone else in the world knew, including Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman, Booster was dead. How did Ralph figure out it was Booster? Are we supposed to believe that since Ralph is so opposed to death being final, that he was the only one who could figure it out?

(I'm glad Booster's back, by the way; it's nice to see him being treated seriously, like Ted Kord was just before they senselessly killed him off)

By the way: For those of us that didn't catch the Animal Man series, who are the yellow aliens?

[jtd]

Terrific issue! Congrats to those who speculated this. I even remember reading a few people that pretty much nailed the whole Who Is Supernova? mystery to a tee. Nice job. And fantastic accolades to the team at DC for a great mystery in the SN part, and a very nicely done reveal (not to mention in a book that saw TWO hero's return, turning the table on last issue!)

---------------------Countdown: 52, 51, 50, 49, 48...----------------------

[Jack Zodiac]

But I'd still like a definitive answer: As far as anyone else in the world knew, including Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman, Booster was dead. How did Ralph figure out it was Booster? Are we supposed to believe that since Ralph is so opposed to death being final, that he was the only one who could figure it out?

No, but Ralph having known and worked alongside Michael for years should be enough.

By the way: For those of us that didn't catch the Animal Man series, who are the yellow aliens?

They're the aliens who gave Buddy his power to mimic the attributes of animals.

[shanejayell]

Wonder if the continuity changes between Animal Man and Infinite CRisis are going to be dealt with?

[skally19]

the fact that booster gold is a known time traveler probably helps.

[EnDwiGast]

I'm very glad to see Booster back and Animal Man still with us. Just recently it was seeming like my list of DC characters who interested me was getting a bit slimmer.

Two huge steps in the right direction.

[Deadpooligan]

HOW THE HELL DID SKEETS EAT THE PHANTOM ZONE?!

He should be a spinning space parallelogram! I'm so confused!

[ScottDMSimmons]

Ah, this was SUCH a pleasant surprise and a happy happy comic for me. I love Buddy, and Booster in recent years had become a favorite (the JLU episode was so funny).

This will make my already planned purchase of the Booster and Animal Man figures seem less morbid, haha. Can't wait to stand Michael up next to Ted.

Scott

[MAK15]

Right here (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=160398). :)

well, howabout that?
does that mean the crime syndicate will return?

[lonewolf23k]

HOW THE HELL DID SKEETS EAT THE PHANTOM ZONE?!

He should be a spinning space parallelogram! I'm so confused!

I'm guessing it's got something to do with why Skeets has turned all Evil and stuff... I think it's now strongly hinted that he's been possessed/reprogrammed...

[FanboyStranger]

By the way: For those of us that didn't catch the Animal Man series, who are the yellow aliens?

In one sense, they are the beings that gave animal-based heroes (Buddy, Vixen, the B'wana Beast, etc.) their powers (or the means to their powers), but they are also monitors/correcters of continuity. In Morrison's Animal Man, they constructed a new origin for Buddy that would fit into the post-Crisis universe. (Buddy's post-Crisis existence was a discrepancy in the continuity, and had to be refit in order to prevent paradox.) They aren't necessarily yellow aliens, although that is the form they chose to communicate with Buddy. In truth, they were actually avatars of Morrison, who would appear as himself at the end of the run. Like the creators on the book, they have power to make characters do what they want (especially incidental characters who exist solely for the sake of the story, ie the man with no name or background killed by invisible assassins pursuing Buddy and Vixen because the story needed something to indicate the level of the threat), and are able to add or erase (using an pencil's eraser!)characters, continuty, events, etc. That's why it's significant that they appeared when Buddy returned to life.

Like I said in a previous post, I suspect Buddy via his interaction with these beings will spell out the principles of the new DC multiverse. (I think Rip and Booster may work in a similar fashion in regards to time travel, possibly leading to some revelation on the fate of the Reboot Legion, who are rumored to be appearing in "WWIII" arc towards the end of 52

[skally19]

what was buddy's original origin?

[Phoney Bone]

2) Morrison has been spouting theories of the nature (sentience, I believe) of the DCU for the past few years, but really has done nothing with them.

In The Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp , the helmet moved through the universe at "The speed of God", which Bobo says is the speed that the universe becomes self-aware. It could be a confirmation on Morrison's theory, but it may just be Willingham doing his thang.

[CYOTI]

They aren't necessarily yellow aliens, although that is the form they chose to communicate with Buddy. In truth, they were actually avatars of Morrison, who would appear as himself at the end of the run.
Actually I think Morrison has pretty much said that the Six/Seven Unknown Men from Seven Soldiers are the avatars of the writers of the DCU including himself.

[garin]

Man, what an improvement on last week. Things are getting interesting now..

[DarkCrisis]

Good read though I didn't like the "It was OBVIOUSLY Phantom Zone Tech! A-DUUURRRRR" stuff.

[Davmeister84]

Good read though I didn't like the "It was OBVIOUSLY Phantom Zone Tech! A-DUUURRRRR" stuff.

I think that was more for Skeets, who should be familiar with all kinds of advanced tech.

[FanboyStranger]

In The Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp , the helmet moved through the universe at "The speed of God", which Bobo says is the speed that the universe becomes self-aware. It could be a confirmation on Morrison's theory, but it may just be Willingham doing his thang.

That's a good point that I didn't even think of. Bobo had knowledge of everyone's story, past, present, and future. Certainly works within what I'm assuming Morrison means.

[SlightlyMad]

Booster Gold AND Animal Man alive and well again!

Well, doesn't get much better than that, does it?


Only if The Question makes it three.

[Erebus]

...
DAAAAAAAMN!!!!!!!!!!
Only if The Question makes it three.

I agree :(

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

Wait, this is what I don't get, how did Booster Gold survive the Sub? Also why is skeets evil now?

[skally19]

Wait, this is what I don't get, how did Booster Gold survive the Sub? Also why is skeets evil now?

1st question: he explains
2nd question: haven't explained

[Don]

Wait, this is what I don't get, how did Booster Gold survive the Sub? Also why is skeets evil now?

I'm on board with the "Mr. Mind is controlling Skeets" theory. Explains why everyone in Skeets' visor was wearing Mr. Mind glasses after Skeets "ate" the Phantom Zone....

[ReccaSquirrel]

the fact that booster gold is a known time traveler probably helps.

And let us not forget that Booster Gold told Ralph "This isn't what it looks like" back when he was being found out as a fraud.

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

1st question: he explains
2nd question: haven't explained

Who is "he"?

[skally19]

Who is "he"?

your question had booster gold in it, "he" refers to booster gold. reread your comic man

[ReccaSquirrel]

Can someone explain in laymen's terms the yellow aliens at the end? I know next to nothing about Animal Man's history and I'm quite confused in that regard.

[ReccaSquirrel]

Who is "he"?

Booster Gold explains by use of the Phantom Zone generator, Rip Hunter replaced Booster Gold with Booster Gold's body from the future.

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

your question had booster gold in it, "he" refers to booster gold. reread your comic man

Well I haven't read it yet...
Booster Gold explains by use of the Phantom Zone generator, Rip Hunter replaced Booster Gold with Booster Gold's body from the future.

Thanl you...

ALso it's so sad to see question die from lung cancer :(

[Don]

Sophisticated Gamer, you need to stop commenting until you've caught up to the rest of us. Finish reading the series up to the latest issue (#37), and then feel free to chime in.

In other words, Question ain't dead yet.

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

Sophisticated Gamer, you need to stop commenting until you've caught up to the rest of us. Finish reading the series up to the latest issue (#37), and then feel free to chime in.

In other words, Question ain't dead yet.

But won't he die though...

[Jack Zodiac]

I'm on board with the "Mr. Mind is controlling Skeets" theory. Explains why everyone in Skeets' visor was wearing Mr. Mind glasses after Skeets "ate" the Phantom Zone....

Not the boy up front. Have you been reading Action Comics lately?

The boy up front is the son of Zod and Ursa, who comes to Earth and is adopted by Superman. The three directly behind the boy are Zod, Ursa, and Non, Kryptonian criminals. Their goggles are part of their costumes (part of their uniforms if they're still astronauts in this continuity).

So, no, they aren't Mr. Mind glasses. There's obviously a living being inside of Skeets, hence the word balloon changes in this issue and the issue where Skeets reveals himself as the one behind the breaking of time. Someone who knows Michael is in there.

[Jack Zodiac]

Can someone explain in laymen's terms the yellow aliens at the end? I know next to nothing about Animal Man's history and I'm quite confused in that regard.

They're the aliens who irradiated Buddy years ago, giving him his power to mimic animals.

[BoosterBronze]

heeeeeee's Baaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!
:):):):)

[The Shadow]

I'm very satisfied to see that not only did the Supernova surprise worked, but it's being received well! You know how long I've been burdened with this knowledge since inking the issue?:D
Did you tell ANYONE outside of DC??

[TCJohnson]

I'm very satisfied to see that not only did the Supernova surprise worked, but it's being received well! You know how long I've been burdened with this knowledge since inking the issue?:D

New blog this week at
www.drewgeraci.com

Dude, as somebody who has been heavily critisizing DC lately....you got now idea how well I recieved it. You should have seen the smile on my face when I saw that cover....

[Apathy Boy]

BWAH HA HA! I knew Booster and Buddy would be back before 52 ended. But to bring them both back in the same issue? That's freaking brilliant.

The Green Arrow interlude bothered me though. Not terribly interesting, and the only purpose of that scene is to sort out continuity. And not a particularly important bit of continuity, either.

[SKETCHSANCHEZ]

But what about Boosters anncestor? Daniel Carter? I always thought he was gonna turn out to be supernova

[themazingscrewonhead]

*Spoilers ahead*







I read this issue and was happy to see the return of the two heros but is it
a return???

Booster's return while actually pleasant...more of an 'oh yea' than 'oh my god'
Had an reasonable answer to it... with his background as an time traveller...but how can he operate in two places at once?? ever since the whole 'age of aplo" in marvel... portraying that Cable and his alternative persona getting too close.. they suffer massive headaches.. I feel that if alternatives universeses (or going backwards and forwards in time travel) and the two same person's meets there should be some sort of ramifications.. of them meeting..anyway that's just me...

Also what if Buddy's hasn't actually returned to life!!?? It's one of those 'thinks his alive but really still dead' situation brought on by the yellow aliens??..I defintely got that vibe from the passing of time and bubby openig his eyes in the last few scenes...


Finally whats was with the 52..51 count ??? hmmmmmmmmm...

[Agentum]

I'm happy to hear that Booster is alive again, i hope he stays that way for a while.

[Drew Geraci]

Did you tell ANYONE outside of DC??

Believe it or not, I told no one! If you tell one person, you invite the opportunity for another person to be told, and so on, then the surprise is spoiled. Especially in the internet age!

Glad you dug it! It's very satisfying to see such a positive reaction to the story!

As a huge Animal Man fan, I was glad to see he didn't stay dead either.

Drew
www.drewgeraci.com

[Sean Walsh]

So, no, they aren't Mr. Mind glasses. There's obviously a living being inside of Skeets, hence the word balloon changes in this issue and the issue where Skeets reveals himself as the one behind the breaking of time. Someone who knows Michael is in there.

And I continue to insist that living being's name is Maxwell Lord. :)

[Damo]

Spoilers if you haven't read week 37...

Ahem.

Some of us were definitely fooled. Some of us had become cynics. Some of us even said some very rude things regarding the fates of Booster and Animal Man.

For everything I may have said or done because of the apparent fates of these 2 characters, I would like to apologize.

You got me DC. You completely got me.

Anyone else?

[Jack Zodiac]

And I could see that, honestly, but I just can't figure out how the hell that would work. Was Skeets always evil, just biding his time? Or did he turn evil for some reason? Or was he hijacked by whoever's talking inside of him? Now that we know that Booster's alive and that he's been Supernova this whole time, it seems like Skeets is the only really big mystery left.

[Jack Zodiac]

Nah, no apologies. There's still plenty of crap they could stand to make up for, like mischaracterization of former title-carrying heroes or mishandling of iconic characters leading to low sales on what should be one of their most popular books. All bringing Booster back and leaving Buddy alone achieves is the possibility of more fun stories with these characters that got a whole lot of exposure from this mini-series which is, without a doubt, and even bigger success than Infinite Crisis was.

I never doubted they'd eventually bring Booster Gold back, and the first thing I thought when I saw his corpse in his suit was "that sneaky !@#$er swapped himself out for a corpse," but with Dan's comments, well... yes, he got us all pretty well. 'Cause he didn't lie. He just screwed with words. I'm glad he and the team had the common sense to keep Booster around, especially after all the attention he got between Countdown and Infinite Crisis.

I won't apologize for crap, but I'll thank 'em. Thanks, DC, for not running this thing into the ground!

[shaxper]

Much of the time travel stuff that was used in this explanation of what happened to Booster made absolutely no sense to me. If Booster has to "die" while competing with Supernova in order to become Supernova so that he can "die" and become Supernova, then who was Supernova the first time around? Don't tell me it's a time casuality loop because it had to start somehow. It's not a naturally occuring loop that was always there. Rip Hunter had to manipulate time in order to create it, so there definitely WAS a first time around in this loop before Booster had become Supernova.

Besides, if Skeetz can track chrono footprints and tacheon particles, why wouldn't he have noticed Booster going back in time instead of dying? And why couldn't Skeetz simply go back to his previous self and tell him Booster's plans, or why couldn't he have originally visited himself in the future to make sure his plan would work? The way Booster and Skeetz are so freely traversing time opens up such a can of plot-hole worms.


This was a cheap stunt, all around. It cheapened two of 52's biggest points of interest - Booster's death and Supernova's mysterious identity. So Booster and Animal Man are back. Will they be ressurrecting Ted Kord and Barry Allen next?

[Jack Zodiac]

Blah, blah, blah. It's time travel. It never makes sense. Once you examine past the inital "holy crap" moment, it's dumb, so why bother? Unless you can't help yourself, in which case, sorry. Damnit! I wound up apologizing...

[shaxper]

Blah, blah, blah. It's time travel. It never makes sense. Once you examine past the inital "holy crap" moment, it's dumb, so why bother?

Then you're essentially agreeing with me that it was a bullsh*t solution. Instead of laying a carefully crafted mystery involving Booster and Supernova, DC threw some crap together and hoped it would stick.

[Jack Zodiac]

Wrong, and then some.

There's no easy way to make time travel, especially time travel that involves the same character acting in tandem with his past or future self, work logically because it's impossible. There's no way in hell Booster Gold could've been Supernova before he apparently died, because that was the moment in time Rip Hunter replaced him with his future corpse and sent him into the past to become (trumpets!) Supernova. So how was Supernova there in the first place? Paradox.

You can do one of two things with time travel paradoxes: ignore them or accept them, because you sure as hell can't explain them.

I don't agree with you, because time travel cannot work in situations like this, so it isn't like it's DC's fault for not figuring out some crazy way to explain something that's impossible. The point was that the revelation had to be big enough to impact the readers so they'd ignore the paradox and accept the revelation, and for almost everybody in this thread, it worked.

[Steve Brady]

And I could see that, honestly, but I just can't figure out how the hell that would work. Was Skeets always evil, just biding his time? Or did he turn evil for some reason? Or was he hijacked by whoever's talking inside of him? Now that we know that Booster's alive and that he's been Supernova this whole time, it seems like Skeets is the only really big mystery left.

But this is potentially a different Skeets than the original. We do know that that Skeets was captured by Lord and used for parts. We don't know if this new Skeets that Booster returned in 8C with is that Skeets from a different time period, or a different robot altogether, or what. Ah, time travel.

So how much of Booster's dickitude (derided by many here as bad writing, or an abandonment of recent character growth) was an act? He wasn't exactly being a saint before he broke into Rip's lab.

[Jack Zodiac]

I'd have to go back into my huge box of unorganized comics, but... didn't he pay Manthrax to attack him even before he went to Rip Hunter's Lab? If so, he was still a pretty big dick before the plan to look like a bigger dick. :p If not, then lump that into the pile of things he did to make Booster Gold publicly hated before his death.

And yeah, I'd forgotten about Lord using Skeets' parts before the Crisis. That'd be pretty odd, and a very elaborate plan on Lord's part.

[titanfan]

But what about Boosters anncestor? Daniel Carter? I always thought he was gonna turn out to be supernova

He's got to be the odds on favorite to be Rip Hunter now, or maybe even Evil Skeets himself in some sort of a weird time loop thing.

[Fatguy]

deep sigh.

I really should've picked this series up.

Sooo glad to hear Animal Man still lives, I was really bummed when i read he was killed last week.

[TCJohnson]

I'd have to go back into my huge box of unorganized comics, but... didn't he pay Manthrax to attack him even before he went to Rip Hunter's Lab? If so, he was still a pretty big dick before the plan to look like a bigger dick. :p If not, then lump that into the pile of things he did to make Booster Gold publicly hated before his death.



No, it was deffinitely after.

[shaxper]

and for almost everybody in this thread, it worked.

"almost everybody in this thread" is two people.


Time travel can be done neatly and in an understandable way. Perhaps you haven't read/seen enough good science fiction. There are different approaches to how one views time travel, and depending upon the view you take, there are certain rules that work and certain rules that don't.

And if you think all time travel is a crapshot that makes no sense anyway, then you can't respect a story that uses it as its deus et machina in order to bring a character back to life. Honestly, it seems like you're just disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing.

[Ian J.N.]

Much of the time travel stuff that was used in this explanation of what happened to Booster made absolutely no sense to me. If Booster has to "die" while competing with Supernova in order to become Supernova so that he can "die" and become Supernova, then who was Supernova the first time around? Don't tell me it's a time casuality loop because it had to start somehow. It's not a naturally occuring loop that was always there. Rip Hunter had to manipulate time in order to create it, so there definitely WAS a first time around in this loop before Booster had become Supernova.
I don't see what the issue is. Causality loops have long been a staple of time travel stories. A leads to B leads to A. It's just something you accept.

However, if there needs to be a "first time around," re-read what Skeets says in that issue. Booster was supposed to a) hijack a car, b) cause a power outage, c) not die. The first time around, then, played out almost exactly the same, but without Supernova. Rip chose the submarine explosion as being the perfect spot for Booster's "death."

Besides, if Skeetz can track chrono footprints and tacheon particles, why wouldn't he have noticed Booster going back in time instead of dying?
That was beyond his capabilities at that point.

From 5.2 OR SO ABOUT 52 #24 WITH MICHAEL SIGLAIN (http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/WAcker/Week24/52_24.html): "When Skeets was created, he didn't have any combat capabilities, but he was created with independent thought, meaning that he could've upgraded himself...and obviously did. And for those paying close attention to the timeline, the upgrades happened after Booster's death."

Presumably, Skeets upgraded his sensory capabilities as well. He was on the hunt for a time traveller, afterall.

And why couldn't Skeetz simply go back to his previous self and tell him Booster's plans, or why couldn't he have originally visited himself in the future to make sure his plan would work? The way Booster and Skeetz are so freely traversing time opens up such a can of plot-hole worms.
Skeets hasn't had (and may not get) the opportunity to go back and warn himself. Right now, he's on the hunt for Rip and Booster.

This was a cheap stunt, all around. It cheapened two of 52's biggest points of interest - Booster's death and Supernova's mysterious identity. So Booster and Animal Man are back. Will they be ressurrecting Ted Kord and Barry Allen next?
I dunno, I like it. I like that Booster has redeemed himself--not by having a change of heart, but by directing his gift for fraudulence in a more noble direction.

[Jack Zodiac]

Time travel can be done neatly and in an understandable way. Perhaps you haven't read/seen enough good science fiction. There are different approaches to how one views time travel, and depending upon the view you take, there are certain rules that work and certain rules that don't.

And if you think all time travel is a crapshot that makes no sense anyway, then you can't respect a story that uses it as its deus et machina in order to bring a character back to life. Honestly, it seems like you're just disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing.

Hey, whatever keeps me from having to argue with you. Let's pretend I'm just disagreeing with you 'cause I'm a dick.

[Joe Acro]

Much of the time travel stuff that was used in this explanation of what happened to Booster made absolutely no sense to me. If Booster has to "die" while competing with Supernova in order to become Supernova so that he can "die" and become Supernova, then who was Supernova the first time around? Don't tell me it's a time casuality loop because it had to start somehow. It's not a naturally occuring loop that was always there. Rip Hunter had to manipulate time in order to create it, so there definitely WAS a first time around in this loop before Booster had become Supernova.
It makes perfect sense, at least to me. And it's the only kind of time travel I enjoy. True, the overlapping of events might make things a bit more complicated than how these things normally work. There was no "first time around". No loops are "naturally occurring". Quite simply, Rip pulled Booster out of time and swapped him for his future dead self. Shortly thereafter, Booster was sent back in time as Supernova. He has always been Supernova. There is and has been only one Supernova. That was the start of the cycle. The events themselves stem back to when Booster learned the truth about Skeets.

[Don]

In that one moment of time, there were 3 Michael Carters: Booster, Supernova, future dead self.

People hate time travel because it makes our heads hurt.

[Matchstick]

"almost everybody in this thread" is two people.


Time travel can be done neatly and in an understandable way. Perhaps you haven't read/seen enough good science fiction. There are different approaches to how one views time travel, and depending upon the view you take, there are certain rules that work and certain rules that don't.

And if you think all time travel is a crapshot that makes no sense anyway, then you can't respect a story that uses it as its deus et machina in order to bring a character back to life. Honestly, it seems like you're just disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing.

Make it at least 3 people (not that I've been in this thread before now.)
I had no problem with Supernova being Booster; and mark my words, evil Skeets is infected by Mister Mind, remember the empty cocoon form early in th series?
Anyway, I'm just glad that Buddy Baker still lives. 52 is the book that has gotten me back into my LCS on a weekly basis after basically a 15 year layoff.

[OzBat!]

There's no easy way to make time travel, especially time travel that involves the same character acting in tandem with his past or future self, work logically because it's impossible. There's no way in hell Booster Gold could've been Supernova before he apparently died, because that was the moment in time Rip Hunter replaced him with his future corpse and sent him into the past to become (trumpets!) Supernova. So how was Supernova there in the first place? Paradox.The problem with this is that you are assuming that the future corpse came from the explosion of the sub. That corpse could have come from 20 years in the future. Rip and Booster had preplanned that Booster would appear to die, after spending several months butting heads with his own self, Supernova.

As soon as Booster and his Corpse swap places, Booster is free to go back in time in the Supernova costume, and spend months being the virtuous unknown hero. He's also free to go hunting stuff for Rip, because Skeets is with Booster.

The timestream in the DCU appears to be a lot more accepting of punishment than the Marvel Universe.

[Ian J.N.]

As soon as Booster and his Corpse swap places, Booster is free to go back in time in the Supernova costume, and spend months being the virtuous unknown hero. He's also free to go hunting stuff for Rip, because Skeets is with Booster.
It's worth noting that there was a non-time travel rationale for every aspect of Booster's plan. He didn't go back in time because he was meant to, or adopt teleportation powers because that's what his future self did. I think the writers did a good job of keeping the headache-inducing paradoxes to a minimum.

[the4thpip]

Man, what an improvement on last week. Things are getting interesting now..

Finally, some light in all the darkness. Even have hope for Charlie left, what with the Surgeon saying he can cure cancer and all.

[DoctorDoom]

Loved it. I kinda hoped the Supernova persona/suit would stick around though. It's awesome.

[the4thpip]

Loved it. I kinda hoped the Supernova persona/suit would stick around though. It's awesome.

Maybe Ted Kord can adopt it when he comes back from the dead. :D

[Kara Zor El]

Believe it or not, I told no one! If you tell one person, you invite the opportunity for another person to be told, and so on, then the surprise is spoiled. Especially in the internet age!

Glad you dug it! It's very satisfying to see such a positive reaction to the story!

As a huge Animal Man fan, I was glad to see he didn't stay dead either.

Drew
www.drewgeraci.com

You did a great job.:)

[Jack]

I'm going to say that Skeets is.... Darkseid. Who else could snack on the Phantom Zone? And we've known for ages that someone is secretly a New God, and it certainly wasn't Supernova.

[Jack Zodiac]

The problem with this is that you are assuming that the future corpse came from the explosion of the sub.

I was? Damn. I don't remember assuming that, but if you insist. I could've swore my paradox involved Supernova existing before Michael went back in time to become him.

Unless they are two Supernovas and the first one isn't associated with Booster at all.

Maybe Ted Kord can adopt it when he comes back from the dead. :D

Wouldn't that be a great gimmick? Supernova's just a guise a bunch of dead people use when they want to be heroes again.

[Jack]

Maybe Ted Kord can adopt it when he comes back from the dead.
Wouldn't that be a great gimmick? Supernova's just a guise a bunch of dead people use when they want to be heroes again.Hey, maybe Booster's reward for everything he's done will be to go back and switch Ted's body like he did his own. Then the two of them could go off into the sunset together, or something.

[EZMOHR]

Just a quick dumb question, but in last weeks issue, when Adam Strange told Animal Man to use his power....did it have something to do with fighting the toxin he got from the dart...or did Adam Strange know he was dead no matter what, and due to being in close proximity of Lobo, he knew he would reginerate at some point, cause Lobo is an animal? I think that is how Animal Man's power works. I've only really been interested in Animal Man since IC, and I think his powers kind of work like that...or maybe not.

[SKETCHSANCHEZ]

He's got to be the odds on favorite to be Rip Hunter now, or maybe even Evil Skeets himself in some sort of a weird time loop thing.

Huh, Rip does look like Booster a bit....you could be on to something.

[UniqueFrequency]

i'm just glad Booster isn't dead =)

but i didn't guess that he was Supernova though

[Jack]

Just a quick dumb question, but in last weeks issue, when Adam Strange told Animal Man to use his power....did it have something to do with fighting the toxin he got from the dart...or did Adam Strange know he was dead no matter what, and due to being in close proximity of Lobo, he knew he would reginerate at some point, cause Lobo is an animal? I think that is how Animal Man's power works. I've only really been interested in Animal Man since IC, and I think his powers kind of work like that...or maybe not.
Buddy has saved himself from death more than once by copying the right animal power at the right time. He probably couldn't copy Lobo's powers, because the only people whose powers he can definitely copy are those with animal powers.

But there would have been creatures nearby that he could have copied if he'd been thinking straight - microbes, for example.

[jester1436]

I was? Damn. I don't remember assuming that, but if you insist. I could've swore my paradox involved Supernova existing before Michael went back in time to become him.



I have to say, your reading of the situation is more confusing for me than the actual story. Supernova existed before Booster died because Booster went back before the death scenario to begin his Supernova career and set up the situation that would allow him to do so. How was there a previous Supernova?

[PatchMadripoor]

Jester, we haven't seen the HOW Booster became Supernova just yet, but we know it happens.

[Capt USA]

when dc started this series, they said that this series will bring booster gold back into the dc universe as a hero. Even after his death it was pretty obvious he was coming back. I was afraid that both the question and animal will die in this series, now I'm less concerned with that.

I am pretty upset if the rumor of the multiverse returning is true. It makes it too easy to bring back favorite dead characters if there is a public outcry. I mean personally my favorite DC hero was Blue Beetle (not this punk new god wannabee with no defined powers--mind you it's a good book, but I prefer my heroes to have some set of defined limits) but ted kords death was one of those jaw droppers, and I've seen so few of those in comics (animal man issue where his wife is killed, Nomad getting killed, max lords death--although I could see him being skeets) that when they resurrect those characters it cheapens their death. (Barry Allens death wasn't too jaw dropping because at the time, you were so used to people coming back that you assumed he would be back, and even though it was a great cover, I never felt anything for supergirls death)


Ted Kord unfortunately is never coming back, and I'm guessing the same could be said of Wally West(which sucks)

[Jack Zodiac]

I have to say, your reading of the situation is more confusing for me than the actual story. Supernova existed before Booster died because Booster went back before the death scenario to begin his Supernova career and set up the situation that would allow him to do so. How was there a previous Supernova?

No, no, no. It is that simple, I know, but you might not quite understand what exactly a paradox is.

Say you were hit by a car one day. You break your legs, your future career as a linebacker is ruined, and you hate your life, until one day some crazy backwards-talkin' nut says you can go back in time and prevent it from happening. You take him up on it, he send you back in time to weeks before you were hit by a car, and then on that fateful day, you drive to the scene of your prior misfortune and accidentally hit your past self.

That's a paradox. You were yourself responsible for an event that couldn't have happened until after it had happened. It's the same for Booster's downward spiral. Throught his last weeks, he developed a huge grudge against Supernova, culminating in his apparent death before Rip Hunter swaps him for his own future corpse and then has him prance around as Supernova for weeks. It's a paradox because Michael was masquerading as Supernova before the event that would have guided him into the role took place.

However, who gives a rat's ass? Paradoxes are part of time travel stories, and they're better off accepted when the story's worth it, and this story is worth it.

[LtMarvel]

when dc started this series, they said that this series will bring booster gold back into the dc universe as a hero. Even after his death it was pretty obvious he was coming back. I was afraid that both the question and animal will die in this series, now I'm less concerned with that.

I am pretty upset if the rumor of the multiverse returning is true. It makes it too easy to bring back favorite dead characters if there is a public outcry. I mean personally my favorite DC hero was Blue Beetle (not this punk new god wannabee with no defined powers--mind you it's a good book, but I prefer my heroes to have some set of defined limits) but ted kords death was one of those jaw droppers, and I've seen so few of those in comics (animal man issue where his wife is killed, Nomad getting killed, max lords death--although I could see him being skeets) that when they resurrect those characters it cheapens their death. (Barry Allens death wasn't too jaw dropping because at the time, you were so used to people coming back that you assumed he would be back, and even though it was a great cover, I never felt anything for supergirls death)


Ted Kord unfortunately is never coming back, and I'm guessing the same could be said of Wally West(which sucks)
Btw, Crisis on Infinite Earths writer Marv Wolfman had an out for Barry's death. It wasn't used. Barry would have escaped in between laps of destroying the Anti-Moniter's device. The Flash would be running around, knowing what his fate would soon be.

Similar to what happened to Hourman I.

[Jack Zodiac]

Actually, the "out" for his death is still there, whenever some writer wants to use it. Waid made the whole thing a lot cleaner with the Speed Force, though.

[K'Nort]

But I'd still like a definitive answer: As far as anyone else in the world knew, including Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman, Booster was dead. How did Ralph figure out it was Booster? Are we supposed to believe that since Ralph is so opposed to death being final, that he was the only one who could figure it out?

Apparently there's an interview on Newsarama where a writer (Waid?) specifically explains how Ralph figured it out and what the 'two keys' ref means but I haven't seen it actually quoted yet.

[Jack Zodiac]

ZAM! (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?p=3050021&highlight=%22Ralph%22+%22Booster%22#post3050021)

MW: All the non-Booster powers we've seen in Supernova so far can be chalked up to applied Phantom Zone tech. The teleportation of civilians during the Rain, for example, was pure Phantom Zone action--shunting a crowd into the Zone, then re-opening the rift a few miles away, safely out of town. A dangerous gambit on Supernova's part, but necessary.

And since folks are asking, here are some of the more significant clues that led Ralph to link Booster and Supernova. None of them, individually, are exactly courtroom-worthy, but together, assembled by the mind of one of the world's greatest detectives and someone who knows Booster personally, they added up logically in Ralph's keen mind--and while he wasn't certain, Booster confirmed his theory during their brief meeting in week 31.

First off, both Booster and Supernova wear star insignias. A small touch, but a tiny corroborative hint, a link between the two men that's so subliminal that I'm not sure even Booster realizes it.

Second, once Ralph realized that Supernova's powers could conceivably be Phantom Zone related, he realized that (a) with Superman absent, the Fortress of Solitude would be extra-susceptible to burglary, and (b) Booster's entire m.o. is to create superhero identities by stealing other people's stuff. (When Ralph said, "Superman being out of the picture was the key. One of two keys, if you want to get cute about it," he was referring to the Fortress Key, visible on page 8.) Of all the heroes in the DCU, Booster's closest origin ties have always been to Superman, so it's not a stretch that Ralph's pondering the Phantom Zone projector in the hands of a super-heroic thief would, at the very least, put Booster's name on Ralph's list of suspects.

Third, when he's calm, Ralph's not stupid. He's known Booster a long time, and as Ralph went into his less crazified Act Two and reflected on how Booster had been acting in earlier weeks, he saw with a new perspective that things didn't add up. All you readers who were screaming early on that Booster was acting out of character, give yourselves a gold star--you were exactly right. A lot of Booster's actions were intended to elevate Supernova in the public consciousness by making Booster look like a jerk. But Ralph, when he's thinking straight, knows that even Booster isn't stupid enough to actually bounce a check to a super-villain. Plus, as Ralph saw when he started assembling the clues...gee, how convenient IS it that the new kid in town shows up out of nowhere just in time to nail shut the coffin of Booster's reputation? Ralph's nose was twitching just on that point.

Fourth, and really kind of a throwaway clue falling into the category of "things that seem obvious once you make your hypothesis," Booster went out like an exploding star ( a.k.a....class? Anyone?). Really, in retrospect, it was a moment staged with characteristic Booster subtlety.

Dude's always got to have an audience, even in suicide.

We got gold stars for whining! Sweet!

[Ian J.N.]

We got gold stars for whining! Sweet!
Technically, though, most of Booster's egregious behavior happened before his trip to Rip's lab. This includes the staged fight with Manthrax.

[skally19]

people seem to be misunderstanding that the multiverse was never gone. we all just assumed it was

[The Xenos]

Oh snap, crackle, and pop! I just realized who Evil Skeets is! He is stuck in a time loop! He's Superman's pocket watch from the movie Somewhere in Time!

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/4641/somewhere9gm.jpg

[longshot7]

The problem with this is that you are assuming that the future corpse came from the explosion of the sub. That corpse could have come from 20 years in the future. Rip and Booster had preplanned that Booster would appear to die, after spending several months butting heads with his own self, Supernova.

As soon as Booster and his Corpse swap places, Booster is free to go back in time in the Supernova costume, and spend months being the virtuous unknown hero. He's also free to go hunting stuff for Rip, because Skeets is with Booster.

The timestream in the DCU appears to be a lot more accepting of punishment than the Marvel Universe.

The only thing that isn't explained, which someone (maybe Siglain) said was, is the rationale for why Booster was still so different at the beginning of 52 (pre-Supernova) than he was in IC. A collison between Supernova & Booster was inevitable because they were polar opposites, but before Supernova appeared, Booster was still in his money-grubbing corporate shill persona. He could've acted unlike himself (writing a check to a bad guy for example) on purpose to create the tension between himself and Supernova, but the first time around there wasn't a Supernova to play off of. Or is it as simple as that scene in Bill & Ted's Excelent Adventure where they look for Ted's dad keys and find them right away, deciding that somewhere in the future to go back into the past, steal them, and leave them where they'll need them in the present. Boy, this is confusing.

[mattx110]

one thing you should take as the simplest way to solve any time travel problem is, until they show you that the timeline was altered or rewritten, characters coming from the future, into the past are creating history, not changing it.
booster being the impetus behind supernova might seem like a reccursive loop, but the idea is that nothig was changed, nothing was ever going to happen differently, and booster did what was necessary for time to occur properly.
plus, the multiverse opens up a million options for timetravel.

[Cthulhudrew]

Longshot7- I've been trying to wrap my head around it myself. I know that at a certain point (week 6, was it?), Booster was tipped off to the whole shindig. At that point, his blustery persona would have gone into overdrive for sure because he and Rip had set their plan into motion, to make the confrontation between Booster and "Supernova" all the more volatile and believable. As you say, though, it doesn't really cover the arrogance from issues 1-5 when he didn't know the plan, and that attitude was at odds with the IC attitude.

[Erebus]

Oh crap, I just thought of something. Could Rip Hunter be a future version of Booster Gold?
Or better yet, when Skeets locked Danial Carter into the time portal, could Daniel somehow escaped and turned into Rip Hunter?

[Jack Zodiac]

A lot of people here were thinking Booster might have eventually, one day, become Rip Hunter, which would've been funny. It's always been a strong possibility. They're pretty identical. But his ancestor's as good a bet.

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

Well I finally got to read this issue, and I am so excited that ANIMAL MAN IS ALIVE ESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[the4thpip]

I also have a suspicion that that's not gin in Ralph Digby's flask - but gingold.

[Jack]

A lot of people here were thinking Booster might have eventually, one day, become Rip Hunter, which would've been funny. It's always been a strong possibility. They're pretty identical. But his ancestor's as good a bet.
I get the feeling that it's Daniel and that the reason he doesn't think linearly is because of what Skeets did to him.

[hangmanjury]

Good read though I didn't like the "It was OBVIOUSLY Phantom Zone Tech! A-DUUURRRRR" stuff.

Actuall, it WAS incredibly obvious if you think about it. It and the Mother Box are the only two things that work. That's why I was personally a little pissed off that I didn't get it.

[hangmanjury]

It makes perfect sense, at least to me. And it's the only kind of time travel I enjoy. True, the overlapping of events might make things a bit more complicated than how these things normally work. There was no "first time around". No loops are "naturally occurring". Quite simply, Rip pulled Booster out of time and swapped him for his future dead self. Shortly thereafter, Booster was sent back in time as Supernova. He has always been Supernova. There is and has been only one Supernova. That was the start of the cycle. The events themselves stem back to when Booster learned the truth about Skeets.
That's how I saw it. He lived as Booster, then he "died", was sent back in time as Supernova, and just carried on from there.

[Jack Zodiac]

I also have a suspicion that that's not gin in Ralph Digby's flask - but gingold.

Back on the sauce! I hope so. As much fun as it's been seeing Ralph play magic detective, I miss the good ol' days of the twitchy nose.

I get the feeling that it's Daniel and that the reason he doesn't think linearly is because of what Skeets did to him.

You think it's Daniel and that Rip Hunter's always been Daniel? I could see that. I mean, it makes more sense for the Daniel character instead of him just being thrown away.

[The Xenos]

Man, I gotta stop coming to the boards. There are so many people catching onto so many more things than I have. Between who the fouth horseman could be to what Ralph's drinking, to the cans and thermometers Magnus has been stocking. Wow. I feel so.. dense.

This does remind me of Lost and how much more I get out of it when I talk to friends who watch it. Though with 52 pretty much the only other people I know into it are on these forums. Oh and one friend currently livinging in Japan who I see sometimes online. (I don't ask him where he gets his issues.)

[Killer Bee]

Good issue...it's just really lame with the column section letting you know Infinite Crisis was pointless.

[Kara Zor El]

Good issue...it's just really lame with the column section letting you know Infinite Crisis was pointless.

How was Infinite Crisis pointless because of the Column?

The idea of Infinite Crisis wasn't to prevent the Multivrese from returning but from Alexander Luthor getting rid of the universe and replacing it with his own version of what he perceived to be a perfect one. This failed and now as a result it looks as though the Multiverse got a kick start back into existence.

[Killer Bee]

Well...It's late. I meant to say was Crisis on Infinite Earths.