Booster Gold Memorial Issue
Today we mourn the loss of Booster Gold. He went out with a bang – literally.
Week fifteen finds Booster Gold at his lowest point. His sponsors have all backed out, bills are overdue, and Supernova is taking all his glory. Instead of going the route of Ralph Dibny and putting a gun to his mouth, Booster shows he is a true superhero when a submarine accident in midtown Metropolis gives him hope of redeeming himself.
Wait…a submarine in midtown Metropolis? Ballostro, a mythic protocrustacean has attached itself to a sub and teleported to the city in search of prey. Clark Kent races to the scene to chronicle the event for the Daily Planet. He finds Booster doing one heck of a job fighting the creature, saving trapped victims, and generally trying to do all he can to help. Unfortunately, his plans do more harm than good. When he rips the third rail from the Metropolis subway line, he causes a blackout throughout the area.
As Booster continues to get his butt handed to him on a platter, Supernova appears on the scene to calm the crowds, and to take out Ballostro in a single pass. Unfortunately for Gold, bystanders have nothing good to say about his attempts to save them, and when Supernova attempts to help Booster up, he lashes out. Booster and Supernova battle it out, with the two evenly matched. There is some good action here as blow after blow have little to no impact in slowing the other down.
The fight is interrupted by Skeets, who informs Booster the damaged sub is leaking radiation like crazy. In a last attempt to prove he isn’t the loser Supernova claims him to be, Booster reprograms his suit to process the radiation as he moves the sub out of the area. But his suit isn’t able to handle the load, and when the sub is high above the city, it explodes.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Throughout the issue, Clark Kent is feeling the pain of not being able to jump into a closet and save the day as Superman. When he first sees Ballostro in the city, he claims “This looks like a job for Superman”, and later when Booster and sub explode, he tells Skeets, “We’ll catch him Skeets. We won’t let him fall.” In fact, when Booster first attempts to move the sub, Supernova asks Clark specifically what Booster is attempting to do.
Ever since Supernova appeared in 52, people have wondered, just who s/he/it is? Supernova’s costume looks surprisingly similar to one worn by Superman when he lost his powers in a two part World’s Finest issue from 1968. While this issue falls into the Elseworlds category of make believe, one has to wonder if there is a tie between the two. Even more curious is the speculation that Supernova may actually be Booster Gold. Crazy talk you say? Stranger things have happened I say… but more on that later.
Unfortunately, Supernova isn’t able to save Booster and our parting shot is the skeletal remains of Michael Jon Carter.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Meanwhile, Renee Montoya and The Question break out of the Khandaq prison and make their way into hiding.
The Good
- Booster goes out a real hero sacrificing himself for the safety of others
- Clark Kent as Clark Kent
- Supernova and Booster fighting it out
The Bad
- Why the hell is DC killing off Justice League members from the Giffen/DeMatties era?
The death of Booster Gold causes some concern, but also creates a bigger mystery. Excellent issue!
