Booster Gold #10 Discussion and Review

[Flash's Lightning]

The "greatest hero you've never heard of" continues to fight for his best friend's life in desperation, but the odds are definitely stacked against him. Everything's looking bleak in the universe, with half the JLA dead, including Lois.

It turns out it wasn't Booster's dad that was fighting him, it was Mr. Mind. I love the scene where Beetle stomps on him. Great stuff. Though now there are several hundred OTHER Mr. Minds. *sigh* Well, he is a cute villain at least.

Ted decides at the end of the issue to go back and die to preserve the universe. There's a flash of white light, and it's left vague as to what happens. Next issue is issue 1 million. Looking forward to that one!

Rating: 7.5 out of 10. Booster never fails to please.

[COMIC GEEK]

I havent been reading the series, whats your take on ted kord? coming back, dc screwing with the fans?

what do you guys and girls think?

[Flash's Lightning]

I havent been reading the series, whats your take on ted kord? coming back, dc screwing with the fans?

what do you guys and girls think?

I think Geoff Johns is the new God of Torture on Apokolips, and is enjoying every minute of it. It's obvious he's toying with us.

I think one of two things are going to happen.

A. He's trying to make us think Ted can't come back so it'll be that much more unexpected when Ted stays alive

or, much more likely...

B. Ted really does need to die, and Boost needs to get past this so it doesn't hold him up. Seeing how Ted needed, was practically destined, to die might give him a sense of closure.

Though the way Booster is so desparate makes me think this'll backfire and make him more depressed. He seems to really miss Ted. :frown:

[HouseSolo]

Ted's a goner. I can't imagine they're going to keep him back. The entire premise of this book so far has been that you can't change the past. I can't imagine they're going to bend the rule with "You can't change it unless you're bringing back a fan favorite character."

The issue was great though. The entire series has been great so far. I've enjoyed Ted while he's been around, but I don't think he's going to be around much longer.

Oh, and for someone who just began reading Blue Beetle, has the Black Beetle showed up yet, or is that entire scene just massive foreshadowing?

[Alex L]

I'm fairly certain that current-Blue Beetle fought alongside him as part of the Beetle Squad to rescue Ted, so it's likely foreshadowing.

[Stressfactor]

A couple of "things to make you go 'hmmmm'" for this issue....

1) You see the Reach scarab -- the one that powered Dan Garrett and Jamie Reyes appear at Booster's feet and Black Beetle and Ted start their fight.

2) Black Beetle is IN the Time Sphere with Ted when it takes off......

So perhaps Ted is able to prevent his own death if Black Beetle ends up taking his place?

Either way -- I think, in the end, this really will allow Booster some closure. After all, in addition to wanting his best friend back Booster also felt like he had allowed Ted to die in the first place. This time around Ted IS making the decision to meet his fate and he is telling Booster to grieve and move on and remember the good times.

THe thing I'm worried about is all these delightful plot threads that Geoff and Jeff have created and now they're LEAVING! (sob) I pray that the writer to follow them will carry on with some of this... it's too much fun to leave alone.

Speaking of who's to follow -- I hope that DC makes an announcement at least by the time of Wizard World Chicago because I'm DYING to know if I'm going to keep following this title or drop it like a hot potato.

I'm hoping it's Jurgens... his original run was far ahead of its time, really....

[TCJohnson]

I havent been reading the series, whats your take on ted kord? coming back, dc screwing with the fans?


DC screwing with the fans.

[TheCrisisKid]

Okay, I am a Booster Gold addict. I can't wait to read the next issue, and when it's over, I keep wanting more. Booster Gold is just that good.

Mister Mind will escape us again, you know. When Blue Beetle goes back and dies like he was supposed to, that future that has BB stepping on Mister Mind will have never happened. That means that there is a very good chance that Mister Mind will still be inside BG's dad's head. What I feel will happen though, is that BG will go back in time and kill Mister Mind right when Sivina (or whatever the scientist's name is) finds him and stop him from every multiplying or taking over his dad in the first place.

Booster Gold 1,000,000 looks freaky. Maybe in year 1,000,000, Booster Gold is fused with his robot companion to make a super smart time traveler superhero.

[jerrymcl89]

DC screwing with the fans.

I think DC ususally fake-resurrects characters a few times before really resurrecting them. I think Ted will eventually be back for good, but not yet.

[Largo]

Did anyone else read on Rip Hunter's Chalk Board: Jean Paul Valley lives?
Possible Batman R.I.P. spoiler?
But then again, you can read "That's not him!" as well.

[elise]

Loved the issue, love the series, but very sad if Ted really does die again. :frown:

[Teh m0nk3y]

Wild theory based on Black Beetle's words to Ted.
According to him, he is Jaime Reyes greatest enemy. If Jaime doesn't become the Blue Beetle, Black Beetle doesn't lose his "significant other" to Jaime.

Now back in the early issues of Blue Beetle, before Jaime started dating Traci Thirteen, Brenda had clearly a crush on Jaime. Later on Hector and Brenda were shown to have an attraction towards each other, which culminated in a passionate kiss during the Reach attack on the Reyes household. My wild and surely inaccurate theory is that perhaps Black Beetle is a future version of Hector... Playing on the old best friends turned mortal enemies stick.

[Sean Walsh]

It turns out it wasn't Booster's dad that was fighting him, it was Mr. Mind. I love the scene where Beetle stomps on him. Great stuff. Though now there are several hundred OTHER Mr. Minds. *sigh* Well, he is a cute villain at least.

Actually I got the impression that Booster incinerated all those Mr. Mind spawns. Of course, I'm sure one of them got away (along with Despero, Per Degaton and Ultra Humanite, I guess? They just kinda vanished, didn't they?) so we'll continue to see Mr. Mind back again someday.....

[TCJohnson]

Wild theory based on Black Beetle's words to Ted.
According to him, he is Jaime Reyes greatest enemy. If Jaime doesn't become the Blue Beetle, Black Beetle doesn't lose his "significant other" to Jaime.

Now back in the early issues of Blue Beetle, before Jaime started dating Traci Thirteen, Brenda had clearly a crush on Jaime. Later on Hector and Brenda were shown to have an attraction towards each other, which culminated in a passionate kiss during the Reach attack on the Reyes household. My wild and surely inaccurate theory is that perhaps Black Beetle is a future version of Hector... Playing on the old best friends turned mortal enemies stick.

But the Time Stealers were calling him Joshua.

[Teh m0nk3y]

But the Time Stealers were calling him Joshua.

And there went my theory out the window. :biggrin:

I knew there was something logical that I had managed to forget.

[Choppa]

Did anyone else read on Rip Hunter's Chalk Board: Jean Paul Valley lives?
Possible Batman R.I.P. spoiler?
But then again, you can read "That's not him!" as well.

I doubt it since it's an alternate universe. I'm sure it was just another 90's shout out.

Wasn't anyone else kind of dissapointed that Ted has yet to say anything about having been right about Kord even though no one believed him, and ending up dying for it!

[titanfan]

Wasn't anyone else kind of dissapointed that Ted has yet to say anything about having been right about Kord even though no one believed him, and ending up dying for it!

It's just not his style. Plus, Superman, Batman, and J'onn had been through a lot.

What this story did was lay the groundwork for Ted's eventual return years down the road. I'd guess he's out of this storyline, but Johns clearly left the door WIDE OPEN for his return...

[Choppa]

That's poppycock. If you had just discovered a huge conspiracy that you were the only one believed existed, you would be pissed that no one took you seriously. I'm not suggesting that he guilt trip anything, but he has no reaction at all to being right. He just goes along with Booster without stopping to realize that he just died right in the middle of something huge.

[titanfan]

But when he was taken, he already knew he was right. Max already revealed his plans (more or less) for world domination.

[Agent_Torpor]

Great issue.

"JEAN PAUL VALLEY LIVES!"
"THAT'S NOT HIM!"

Best part? Skeets' "defecating" all over Maximillion. Ha ha

[Flash's Lightning]

Did anyone else read on Rip Hunter's Chalk Board: Jean Paul Valley lives?
Possible Batman R.I.P. spoiler?
But then again, you can read "That's not him!" as well.


SPOILERS

The way it's written makes me think someone's wearing Jean Paul's costume. At first glance, Rip would be like "He's back!" but then after closer inspection, he'd be all like, "Oh, that's not him".

So my theory is, we have an imposter...but who? And why? I can't fathom why anyone would pretend to be Azrael.

And the biggest question of all is, why does Trinity get to be four to five times a month and we can't even get Booster twice a month?

[jv2k]

The only thing I dislike about this current arc is that it not only contradicts previous DC time traveling rules, it contradicts Johns' own time traveling resurections in JSA.

[IvCNuB4]

And what's up with that Legion flight ring that fell into the time-sphere ?

[DMike]

SPOILERS

The way it's written makes me think someone's wearing Jean Paul's costume. At first glance, Rip would be like "He's back!" but then after closer inspection, he'd be all like, "Oh, that's not him".

So my theory is, we have an imposter...but who? And why? I can't fathom why anyone would pretend to be Azrael.

I haven't gotten my latest issue of Manhunter yet, but the last arc beforehand had Mark Shaw discovering the lair of the Order of St. Dumas, the group who trained Jean Paul.

[Flash's Lightning]

I haven't gotten my latest issue of Manhunter yet, but the last arc beforehand had Mark Shaw discovering the lair of the Order of St. Dumas, the group who trained Jean Paul.

Cool. That might just be it.

[Schornforce]

In Underworld Unleashed (I think) there was also another member of the Order of St. Dumas who donned the Azbats armor, but was convinced by Batman that he wasn't worthy to wear it or something. IIRC, Richard Dragon and Shiva were in watching the whole thing-- it occurred in a martial arts tournament-ish thing.

[TheCrisisKid]

And what's up with that Legion flight ring that fell into the time-sphere ?

Maybe that is how Booster Gold got his Legion Ring in the first place?

[LtMarvel]

What Johns cleverly did was de-52 Mr. Mind. The one that got squished had lived thousands of years and did the cosmic thingy, creating all those Earths.

Next time Mr. Mind shows up, he could be a version that never experienced those events.

[IvCNuB4]

Maybe that is how Booster Gold got his Legion Ring in the first place?

I think Booster got/"borrowed" his flight ring from the museum he used to work at. Over at Newsarama, someone remembered that in BG #1, on the preview page, it showed Brainiac and Booster fighting over a ring so maybe this leads to that scene ...

[ashez2ashes]

It was explain how Booster got his ring (and why a legion ring was in the museum hundreds of years before the legion existed) in his original series.

Edit: Flipped through the Booster Gold showcase, I think it was in issue #8-9 of his original series.

[DestructionOfTheUniverse]

I'm kinda interested in this series, but I haven't read a single issue of 52. Should I do that first or can I just start off with the first issue of Booster Gold?

[HouseSolo]

You're fine without reading 52.

[LtMarvel]

But you are better off as a human being if you get the 4 tbps of 52 and read them!

[Den]

In some ways, I knew it wasn't to be, but still, so very in character for Ted. Kudos.

[Cthulhudrew]

Maybe that is how Booster Gold got his Legion Ring in the first place?

That is supposed to be the Legionnaire that he got the ring from. I recall an interview with either Johns or Katz saying we'd learn the identity of the Legionnaire in this new series.

A couple of things- as others have said, considering that the Black Beetle was also in the Time Sphere with Ted, I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of the inestimable Blue Beetle yet; had Ted been alone, I think it probably would have meant he went back and let Max off him (although I've got to wonder how Ted could have pulled it all off anyway, considering that Michael and the others already exist in that timeline when they went back to change things- would Ted have let the others rescue him, then jumped back and let Max kill him...? The mind boggles.)

Something else no one has mentioned here that struck me from page one- Rip mentions that Michael is supposed to train the greatest of all Time Masters. Isn't Rip himself the Greatest Time Master? Hmmm...

Makes me wonder even more about Rip's regretful thoughts on his personal experiences at not being able to alter time.