Booster Gold #22 With Dan Jurgens
With Batman dead-ahem, that is, with the OTHER Batman dead, you know, the new one, the one who wasn't dead already, not that the old one is ACTUALLY dead but nobody knows that and...anyway, with Batman dead-Booster Gold was charged this month with the unenviable task of traveling back in time and facing off against Slade
"Terminator" Wilson, stepping into the pages of Teen Titans #2 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez.
With Rip, Supernova and Goldstar out of the action at this point, it's Booster and Skeets, on their own against The Black Beetle and his mysterious, time-mastering benefactor who, like (the bad) Supernova and Rex Hunter before him, hides in the literal shadows and cultivates an air of menace.
As usual, writer/artist Dan Jurgens joined us for a little creator commentary on the issue.
Comic Related: Manoman-you can't seem to keep the mysteries down to a minimum in this book, eh? We've gone from secret puppetmaster to secret puppetmaster pretty much since the Supernova mystery in 52, and we get another one here, all the while knowing that this arc will finally resolve the OTHER lingering mystery of the Black Beetle. What gives?
Dan Jurgens: They're all pieces of the puzzle, which will finish up with the answer to, "Who is the Black Beetle?" We've seen him working with others previously. It's reasonable to assume he has more than one compadre. Of course, it could also be a question as to who is really the puppet and who's the puppet master.
CR: Is the this new mystery adversary in this snow-covered mountainside someone fans of the character will be familiar with (like Booster's dad), or is it going to come a little bit more out-of-nowhere like Rex Hunter's first reveal?
DJ: I'd say it's safe to say that the answer is somewhere in between those two extremes.
CR: And that said, how long before the BIG mystery is worked out-what happened to Ted after "Blue & Gold?"
DJ: That's a bit down the road. But that doesn't mean we won't be dropping bits and pieces that will set that up.
CR: You know, it's funny-my first thought was to ask "If Dick was killed, do you really think Bruce would have recruited Jason?" Obviously that's kind of a silly question considering that when Jason was killed it didn't really slow the "young sidekick" business down much. But seriously-a guy like Batman wouldn't admit after one death that some costume tweaks, additional protection and stuff was a good idea? At least a cowl/helmet, which could protect from, I dunno, crowbars or something?
DJ:
It's a reasonable aspect of a different timeline to
consider, I suppose. In truth, however, Batman has always taken people under his
wing. The idea of Robin didn't end with Jason Todd's brutal death, after all.
Even The Outsiders could have been an extension of his work with Robin.
And I'll be totally honest: The artist in me was really struck by the visual
image of two Robin costumes in the memorial tubes. Would've made a great cover
but also would be giving too much away.
CR: Is this initial villain scene happening at Vanishing Point or somewhere else? With the snow, and the badguy in the suit, I have to wonder about Max Lord and a castle up in the mountains...but then you have those robots that look a lot like the Kryptonian fortress robots from your Superman run. Any guidance here?
DJ: It's on DC earth, the present. Definitely not Vanishing Point.
CR: All the Vanishing Point stuff has me wondering: When might we see some more from the Linear Men? I know that the last time I asked you had an idea but it wasn't fully developed yet or you didn't know where to slot it in.
DJ: We've talked about that as I have a very strong attachment to the Linear Men. But it's a story that's waiting to be told along with Waverider's. We can only deal with so many mysteries at a time!
CR: "Booster Gold, Night Watchman" may be a status kill, but isn't it really just a return to form? This seems like it could be a Tiny Titans-style "early adventures of" concept for Michael and Skeets!
DJ: Perhaps. It was meant to be a fun tip of the hat to the past while acknowledging that he's moved way beyond that, and has no thought of returning. Booster has a healthy ego, after all, and would regard such a term as an insult!
CR: Is it just me, or is Black Beetle really shortsighted? He doesn't think of SKEETS? I mean, he's been involved in EVERY story Black Beetle has!...Unless of course we find out Black Beetle is someone else, but still: how do you forget Skeets when you're "dampening" powers?
DJ:
If you go back and look at the original Titans
story, and I tried to indicate this through the dialogue of the scene, the power
dampeners belonged to Deathstroke. At that particular point of the story, he
wants
the action to move ahead to Gar's pool in order to cultivate the time change he
wanted.
DJ: I had suggested they reprint Teen Titans #2 as a backup
instead of running the Blue Beetle that month but it didn't fly, so
you'll have to go look it up!
CR: It's kind of a shame that Teen Titans #2 didn't get consideration as a backup feature, but I suppose that THIS SOON after the advent of the Blue Beetle thing, it would be a hard sell. Do you think that's something you could see DC doing in the long-term (not necessarily for Booster Gold but in general)? It seems like a no-brainer.
DJ: Anything like that would have to be practical and generally have all the stars line up just right. There is also a DC Archives book with the issue so it's accessible that way.
But I think there are some opportunities to package new material with a reprint that could really help the readers' understanding of what's happening. My job as a writer is to make it enjoyable for readers whether they know of the earlier story or not. But if you happen to be more familiar with it, you might have a bit more fun.
CR: Between Vic's father and Changeling's adoptive dad, it seems like parents are playing a big part in this story-and of course Bruce being Dick's father, his death really was the impetus for all of it. Do you think that's part of why being a Titan was so much less of a fatal condition back in the Wolfman days?
DJ: I think it's more of an indication that Marv, George and Len did a great job of building a cast of characters we cared about, complete with their families.
CR: Does this story give Raven a serious power upgrade by implication? I mean, the notion that what she created here wasn't just an illusion but a whole new universe...!
DJ: No. To be clear, Raven did not create a new universe. She created the vision-- a doorway of sorts-- that allowed that new timeline to emerge. Think of it like the smallest of holes in a dam. The Black Beetle decided to exploit that, causing the dam to burst.
CR: Now, to clarify: It's safe to assume that the bomb that blasted Rip (poor guy, always getting taken out of the action-it's like Superman in a JLA story!) was planted by our villains, not by Michelle in her anger, right?
DJ: Keeerect!
CR: I think this is the first time I can recall where both Booster and Rip have been out-of-commission by the end of an issue. Usually at least one of them is still standing. Any chance of seeing Daniel show back up anytime soon?
DJ: Wow... with Rip, Booster, Skeets and other guest stars coming up, I'm not sure where we could fit him in! My way of saying "not likely."
CR: I'm kind of confused, because I haven't ever read those old Teen Titans tales-would this be the FIRST meeting between Slade and the Titans?
DJ: Yes, indeed, which is what made this fun.
CR: Grenades and water? I just gotta say, Booster has to get better about using his force field! So what's next-their deaths screw with time and Booster's not dead because he never went back to stop it? ;)
DJ: Um...ah, such a thought will surely make my brain hurt.
Russell Burlingame is a journalist and columnist living and working in New York City. In high school, Russell interviewed Elliot S. Maggin for a review of the Kingdom Come novelization, and since then has worked consistently in and around the comics industry. He interned for Wizard magazine, and has freelanced for Wizard and Newsarama, in addition to a number of non-comics publications, Russell is currently working on a graphic novel based on Cap'n Internet, the comic strip that ran in his college newspaper; and a graphic biography of folk singer Phil Ochs with artist Marion Vitus.
Currently, in addition to his freelance work and his comics projects, Russell writes a number of columns for ComicRelated, including Conscientious Sequentials, The Gold Exchange, What's Perhappenin', Closing Statements, Reflecting 'Pool and To See or Not To See. Russell also takes point on the Hot Shot of the Week feature.
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