Review: Booster Gold #14

In which time travel becomes even more confusing

If I had the ability to travel through time, there are many things I’d try and go back and fix in order to make the future better.  One thing I know I don’t want to do is travel to a future where a giant starfish has taken over the planet and I’m being cast into a pit of spores.

If we’ve learned anything in all our years of reading comics and watching Saturday morning serials is the hero, even in the worst of situations, will come out on top.  So while a bit of concern may have arisen when Booster Gold was tossed into the pool of Starro spores, you knew he was going to be out of peril before page three of the new issue.  What makes Booster’s escape so interesting is seeing the spores attempt to latch onto Booster’s face from an extreme point of view.  I don’t believe we’ve seen how these things attach to the face before, and after I’ve seen it, you can bet I don’t want to hang around starfish the next time I’m at the beach.

In order to try and stop the giant monster, Booster attempts to find the last known freeze gun on the planet, hidden away in the Hall of Justice.  If you really want to see what a dead Batman looks like, then you’re going to want to check out the decaying bodies of Bruce and Powergirl as they lay sprawled on the floor where they fell.  It’s a pretty creepy image, and is one that is now burned into my brain thanks to Pat Olliffe.

On the flip side of gruesome is awesome humor as Booster teams up with Lady Chronos as they escape their captors and travel back in time to snag a freeze gun from Mr. Freeze in one of the best comedic moments I’ve seen in a “serious” title.  Ah Magic Hand, will you ever cease to astound us with the tricks you can do?

If time travel hurt your head before, things get really weird as the duo bounce back to the future, free Rip Hunter, travel back to the past, stop the Then Rip from unleashing the spores, then back to the present(?) where Chronos is waiting to escape with Jia to the future.  While the heroes have saved the day, more anomalies appear thanks to all the time jumping, which means father and son must continue their adventures.

For the time being, Booster Gold is safe from cancellation, but I like how Rick Remender ended the issue with a The End? tag.  This is how titles should work from now on in DC.  Each arc should be treated like the end of the series – there is a definite conclusion to the story, but it is open ended should the series continue in the future.  This is the same idea the writers of the Justice League Unlimited series used for each of its seasons – if the show was cancelled, there was never a cliffhanger that would go unanswered.

There was so much time travel going on, I think it caused the story to be a bit jumpy, forcing readers to readjust themselves to what is going on, and pulling them out of the issue a couple of times.  The art is great, and I love seeing a future where starfish have taken over everything.  I also like seeing Mr. Freeze go from confusion to jubilation when the Magic Hand makes its return appearance.  Overall, a good arc, something that could serve as a series conclusion if need be, and continues to present Booster as the greatest hero the world has never known.  I’m giving Booster Gold #14 4 Stars out of 5.

37/37