Booster Gold #30

Dang. I really, really want to like this comic more than I do. It's not that it is bad, it just isn't that great. And I would have figured that a book starring Booster Gold and his sister would be more... fun than it is. I think Dan Jurgens (and the other writers) have spent too much time showing sad events that Booster can't change. I realize that there is constant pressure to bring folks back from the dead, so the writers need to give a reason why that isn't possible, but the constant struggle against "hardened time" or whatever just makes the book feel kind of meaningless. And Rip Hunter has gone from a time adventurer to a sort of grumpy coach. Booster spends this whole issue fighting to save Coast City from the destructive hands of the Cyborg Superman and Mongul, then he just fails and gets zapped back to his HQ. So really, wasn't the whole endeavor kind of pointless? I'm not even sure that Booster learned or advanced as a character either. I really think the format could lead to some fun stuff, but it needs to be more team-ups and tie ins to old events. That is a unique concept with a lot of fun mileage.

The art by Dan Jurgens and Jerry Ordway is fantastic. Without a doubt, my favorite thing about this book is the seamless way the artists have re-created the comic book DCU of the early 90s, then plopped Booster right into it. That shot of the Cyborg blowing Eradicator apart made me smile as I remembered how much I loved that scene the first time I read it. If the book is about time travel, then I say make it a full on nostalgia book.

Average