First off, it's one more battle against Doomsday, a fight Booster's set to lose until new lady love Alex intervenes, seeing the monster off in pretty final style. Then the pair fly over to the United Kingdom, find Flash Barry Allen and Booster instigates his plan to erase the World of Flashpoint and return the DC Universe to the way it was. There's good reason to hope as Booster reaches his extra-dimensional home Vanishing Point, where Time Master Rip Hunter has the specialist knowledge and equipment to help.
But then ...
Well, let's just say that we're going to have to read Flashpoint #5 to see the DCU change again, and it ain't going to return to the way Booster remembers it.
This isn't a bad final issue. Booster shows his smarts and courage, he makes a wonderfully romantic decision and he's all set to be Hero of the Beach. That he doesn't pull it off isn't due to any failings on his part, simply the nature of crossover events. And the reason Booster falls at the final hurdle is set up earlier in the issue and makes perfect sense. I'm more disappointed that the end of this series means we'll likely never see Booster learn that Rip is his son. Metal pal Skeets is still in a state of disrepair. Sister Michelle and adopted daughter Rani are likely off on a long trip to Limbo. And Red Beetle and the Time Stealers' plans will remain unknown.
Unless (he writes, grabbing onto a sliver of hope), author Dan Jurgens moves the plotlines over to the new Justice League International title, which is set to star Booster. Here, Jurgens does a creditable job, infusing a nice dollop of emotion into the typically action-packed finale and providing a bittersweet coda - a long-running mystery is solved, but it's sad. Sentimental chap that Jurgens is, he returns to pencilling duties for the final three pages, inked, as ever, by the excellent Norm Rapmund. The bigger chunk of the story's 20 pages is pencilled by veteran Rick Leonardi and inked by Don Ho. It looks rushed in parts, and probably was given the apparent last-minute nature of many of these final post-Flashpoint DC books, but Leonardi's skill is evident.
So farewell Booster, it's been a great run. See you, some time.
Not to disagree, but, well, I disagree.
ReplyDeleteThe storyline had next to nothing to do with what's going on in Flashpoint. Having Doomsday be the big villain in all 4 issues? That's just Doomsday porn. And having Booster just dilly dally around until showing up (finally) on the main stage 75 pages into an 80 page story and being completely ineffectual then was a pretty lame way to end a series.
Plus, the bit with the blackboard at the end made no sense...
The bit at the end with the blackboard was saying that Alex survived and became some weird time being (the new Waverider?). She wrote on the board to help Booster when he moved timelines at the beginning of the arc, I guess. That's how i took it
ReplyDeleteYes, but some of the things she's writing on the blackboard she would have had no way of knowing!
ReplyDeletePlus, of course, that blackboard info had absolutely zero impact on Booster's behavior/experience when he entered Flashpoint timeline, as he never got anywhere near any of those stories. So what was the point of writing it (except as a teaser for fans)?
snell, I have to agree with you that I was a little disappointed with this final issue. I'll post more over on my blog in a little bit - Martin's View.
ReplyDeleteSnell, 'Doomsday porn' is an apt description. You wait years, happy that a Doomsday story doesn't come along, then two come along at once.
ReplyDeleteMatt, thanks for laying out the blackboard business. I was a tad presumptious in thinking things were clear.
Snell, fair point, but ever since the blackboard began hinting at things in DC's books I've never expected a proper, sensible explanation. I just took it as a tease thing, so to have an 'explanation' that semi-works, well, I'll take it!
Martin, I'm off to check out your review.
Expecting it, but still a disappointment. Booster just cannot be allowed to help fix Flashpoint, even if it's his job in the DCU. Booo!
ReplyDeleteAnd you point out the many subplots left unresolved here, reminding us that Booster Gold is one of this series that got really shafted by the reboot and why I find the whole thing pretty disrespectful to DC's current stable of creators.
In the hope that the Vanishing Point moment where he thinks of getting a new costume is the first page of the post-FP DCU, and that the time travel element (and all subplots attendant thereto) will be carried over into JLI...
Aha, nice one, Siskoid, the possible significance of the costume line passed me by.
ReplyDelete