BOOSTER GOLD #26 REVIEW

[Walt Kneeland]

Review by: Walt Kneeland (walt.kneeland@gmail.com )
Quick Rating: Very Good
Story Title: Dead Ted (Part I of II)

Booster revisits Blue Beetle Ted Kord's funeral, while current Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes and Supernova encounter Black Lantern Ted Kord.

Writer/Artist: Dan Jurgens
Additional Art: Mike Norton
Finished Inks: Norm Rapmund
Coloring: Hi-Fi
Lettering: Sal Cipriano
Asst.Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Michael Siglain
Cover: Jurgens & Rapmund
Published by: DC Comics

I was thoroughly disappointed with last week's Doom Patrol issue...somehow expecting to just outright enjoy it for the simple fact that I've enjoyed the rest of the Blackest Night comics thus far. So it was with a bit of trepidation that I approached this issue of Booster Gold. I needn't've worried, as this proved to be one of my favorite issues of the entire series so far.

One of the first things that jumped out at me (other than the "zombified" face of Ted Kord on the cover) was the word "Guest-Starring" in place of what--til now--has read "Second Feature" for Blue Beetle. Rather than be "shorted" pages in the "main" story, Jaime Reyes' story converges with Booster's in this issue, and for the $3.99 cover price, the reader is granted a 30-page story that involves both the "main" character and the "backup."

The story opens with a re-telling of the basic "origin" of Booster Gold and the Ted Kord Blue Beetle...and the ultimate fate of Ted Kord. As the cover clearly shows, Ted Kord's body--dead this past half-decade--is risen as a Black Lantern. Rip laments losing track of Booster's sister and now Booster himself. Having received Flash's message about the rise of these Black Lanterns (in much the way I recall Superman's message going out and being received by characters in the various tie-ins during 1994's Zero Hour crossover), Rip sends Skeets to check in with Jaime Reyes--the current Blue Beetle.

Meanwhile, we see Booster at Ted's funeral in the past, in possibly one of the most moving scenes I've read of the character. This scene alone reminds me beyond any doubt that Jurgens is just as--if not moreso--capable at handling this character than series launcher Geoff Johns. Jaime and Skeets find Daniel Carter about the same time Black Lantern Ted does, and when Booster finally arrives on the scene, he gets one heckuva shock.

Jurgens' art--and the work of the rest of the visual team--is fantastic stuff. I'm sure I sound like the broken record month after month saying so...but it's that good. The story itself is good, made better by the art...but even the art alone is a high step above the art in most of the other comics I'm following these days...while I've looked forward to this story since it was solicited months ago, the final product has proven even better than expected.

The heartstrings are tugged throughout this issue as we get some strong insight into Booster and the guilt he carries over the loss of his best friend just before Infinite Crisis. The origins of Booster Gold and Ted Kord/Blue Beetle, Rip's recounting of the loss of Booster's sister, and even the involvement of Jaime Reyes and his interactions here make this just about the most accessible issue I can recall of this series. New readers are brought up to speed on the basics; current/long-time readers are reminded of key details (I myself learned more of Ted's origin in one page here than I have in the past 20 years of reading DC comics). This issue also really brings home the strength of Booster's character in relation to the Blue Beetle--Jaime at present and Ted in the past.

Other key elements of this series are maintained, down to the now-infamous chalkboards in Rip's lab offering clues and teases as "Easter eggs" for the discerning reader.

At the end, this is the best issue of this series in over a year--and I've been mostly enjoying it even since Johns' departure. While perhaps reminiscent of the Blue & Gold arc a couple years back, this is a whole different angle available by the premise of Blackest Night...and really, just about the best use of a crossover to tell a great story in a "main title" that I've seen.

Highly recommended!


Ratings:

Story:
Art:
Overall:


Buy BOOSTER GOLD comics online from X-World and save!

[mike trobaugh]

great review! i totally agree

this is one of the best issues of this series and THE BEST darkest night issue put out yet.

Jurgens just hits all the right note in the funeral scenes, and it makes the end all the more effective.

if your not reading this title, you should drop a title your not really feelin and get this instead