Geoff Johns does it again! I’m not sure what exactly Johns has to take a slumping hero and return him to glory, but Johns seems to have an unlimited ability here. First the JSA, then Hal Jordan, and now Booster Gold gets some of the Johns magic as “The Greatest Hero the world has never known” gets his own monthly title! For a look into issue #1 check out the Full Diagnosis.
The All-New Booster Gold #1
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From the very beginning you know this is going to be fun. At the bottom of the title page our writer, Geoff Johns, offers special thanks to Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid, “but definately not Keith Giffen!” Well, we know Booster Gold is in good hands.
For those of you who don’t know Booster Gold, and there are many, Johns opens with an issue to highlight the hero’s sketchy past and point him in a new direction after his involvement in last year’s 52. Booster fights the Royal Flush Gang, tries to earn a spot on the Justice League of America, and reminisces about the good times with his pal the Blue Beetle. Everything changes however as Rip Hunter shows up and offers Booster the greatest and hardest assignment of his career – to save the Multiuniverse. Of course there’s a catch, in order to be able to perform this necessary assignment Booster must play the fool to the world and let no one know what he’s up to.
It’s nice to see Booster Gold earn his own series and take a look at how the hero has grown up enough to accept an assignment which will earn him no glory and no friends. The set-up allows the character to play the jerk to the rest of the DCU while still allowing some strong adventures and character development which we the readers are alone privy to.
Once again Johns is up to the challenge and jump starts a series with a bang. Johns plays on those early Giffen days, but also rounds out the character who has grown up since then. I look forward to see where the character, and the series, goes from here.
