The regression of Booster Gold

[Space Lieutenant Josh]

I'm not sure why, exactly, but the writers of 52 seem to be completely ignoring 20 years of Booster's character development. Heck, even just a year ago he was mourning the loss of his best friend, and now he's merchandising again like it never happened. This gives me a really cool idea.

20 years ago I was less than a year old and was probably acting infantile, even compared to now.

What were you guys all acting like 20 years ago? Do you think people would notice if you started acting that way now?

Why does DC think its readers won't notice?

---Josh

[DrSpengler]

I suppose it's "status quo".

People recognize Booster Gold as a glory-hungry ego-maniac, and writers portraying him in any other way would be "wrong". :roll:

The idea that booster knows what's going to happen because he came from the future was one of the best ideas ever adapted to the character, and made him really interesting in Countdown, Omac and Crisis.

Now he's just using that knowledge to exploit tragedies for the sake of the spotlight.

Still, it looks like this "knowledge" is going to backfire on him pretty hard (it's already starting to).

Apparantly, according to the writers, Infinite Crisis has retconned out his ex-wife Gladys. Hopefully it didn't retcon out any more of the Super Buddies stuff. C'mon, let Giffen have ONE outlet left!

[Anarky]

In 52 we haven't even seen one character scene involving Booster. Ever thought about him only pretending to be the sellout you claim he is. I am sure, there is more underneith the surface. I mean, Ted is dead, okay. That struck him hard. But that was a year ago. And now he has new stuff to do, has to smile for the camera... it's his job. Anyways, I feel we get to see a lot more Booster in the future.

[Space Lieutenant Josh]

In 52 we haven't even seen one character scene involving Booster. Ever thought about him only pretending to be the sellout you claim he is. I am sure, there is more underneith the surface. I mean, Ted is dead, okay. That struck him hard. But that was a year ago. And now he has new stuff to do, has to smile for the camera... it's his job. Anyways, I feel we get to see a lot more Booster in the future.

It struck me, yes, but he's been acting too drastically different for too long. Never said I wouldn't give them a chance, but their track record with my favorite characters has been less than respectful. I'm worried, is all.

Did nobody wanna play my "where were you 20 years ago" game?

---Josh

[Anarky]

Sure, but all his last appearances were private moments. He wasn't out in the spotlight and making money advertising products. That's what's different about Booster. He's got a job to do while wearing the costume. He can't just be depressed in public, no matter what happened. He can't afford it. So you can't say "He's back to his old self. Grah Bluh!" from just that.

Booster has two hero-identities in addition to civilian- and heroidentity. He's Advertising-Booster and Hero-Booster.

But I think it's a great idea to whine and moan about something that has barely started. Really.

[Space Lieutenant Josh]

"Barely started" is a pretty relative term. Sure, "52" has barely started, but as far as the entire "event" is concerned, it has been going on for a very long time. It's after all been a year since Booster Gold and Blue Beetle starred in their first issue of a comic in years, a year since Booster started being built up as a major plot point, and about 2 months since that plot point falling back, with Booster relegated to watching the ship. This is what I'm whining about, and this has been going on for a year. 52 just started, and I like it very much. It's a good read, and I'm a fan of several of the writers (and absolutely Keith Giffen.

As far as private moments away from the media, that's what most of them have been since Booster landed on the moon in IC #2. And in every one he's seemed very goal-driven, but not for the right reasons. He hasn't mentioned Ted at all, save for one very distant reference of "a friend of mine." Ted and Booster had the type of friendship that you couldn't get over losing in a year, and it's ridiculous he recovered so fast (even if he was in the future for an extended period of time). He just feels so different from the Booster I read about that I really liked and identified with. That's what I miss-- seeing a character that I saw grow and change over time go back to something he was so long before. Maybe I'm just really bothered by the idea of lost progress.

Surely you can see this from my point of view, though, right? I know it's silly to get attached to fictional characters or especially to find inspiration in them, but the terrible person-to-superhero with friends who care about him arc was all ready done once, and done well (passably in some parts), and I would've liked to see where it went.

I just don't get the feeling they're gonna change him back. We'll see, though.

[Dr. Doom]

I'm just glad Skeets is ok. ^_^

[Space Lieutenant Josh]

I'm just glad Skeets is ok. ^_^

Yeah, that is really nice. They never did anything with him after Extreme Justice had him integrated into Booster's suit.

He seems to have a lot more personality now, too.

[Anarky]

I can see your point of view. So it's started a year ago, that means what? That it's about halftime? Surely all the stories are over now... are they?

And yes, he probably isn't over the death of Ted just yet, but his job, advertising stuff, doesn't allow him to do anything but smile and say how cool something is. His world might have changed, but his contracts haven't. He still has those and he must carry them out or he's being sued. Seeing that, I think Booster has an enormous strength. I mean, it might've gotten a bit easier since the Countdown, but it's not over. I suggest, before you get upset and go "Boo, DC!", that you wait until the whole Crisis-thing is over. There's tons of comics related to the Crisis yet to come and Booster can do a lot of stuff in all those comic books. Besides, there were like ten pages of Booster. Ten. All of which took place in the public environment. How can you say that the private Booster has changed? You haven't even seen anything of him.

[Space Lieutenant Josh]

I wouldn't say he's never shown up in a private moment, or that there's never been a revelation of true character even once. In this latest one, he definitely had a conversation with Skeets away from the reporters.

I'd like to know what he wants, and I'll give them a chance to say it. And if I ever said "Boo, DC," it was when they killed off Dmitri and Ted for no reason other than to get readers to care. I'm actually a lot more happy with them now, as 52 so far is a very good read, and it's every week. But I still have to voice my opinion on the Booster situation.

It's a bittersweet thing right now. On one hand, I am so incredibly happy to see Booster regularly in a comic again, every week at that-- which is what I had really wanted out of IC. Skeets is a definite bonus as well. On the other hand, something about him seems really different. Of course, all this could be attributed to the same reason all characters passed between writers seem different from one to another-- that being that they're different writers. He was sort of different between Jurgens and DeMatteis, and between DeMatteis and Jurgens again, and between Jurgens and I guess Vado or Waid or whoever the hell got him after that. I read the comics in such a compressed period of time that this whole waiting period is really weird for me.

I'm riding the wave, but come on, now-- you gotta let me complain! I'm about as good at that as Booster is at selling out.

[Space Lieutenant Josh]

Well, I just got the new one, and we got our character moment! I mean, sure, there could still be two Boosters or whatever, but it looks to me like he's regressed himself to protect himself from further pain and loss.

Anarchy, I hate to say "you told me so," but, well... you did!

Although, technically private Booster has changed to an extent.

Any thoughts?

[BartAllen]

I don't think the character is regressing.. In a way hes sort of staying true to his character as far as not being able to cope with death, He is trying to supress the death of his friend by throwing himself back into the superhero gig. I mean think back to countdown, he was more or less retired at that point.

[Space Lieutenant Josh]

Yeah, I knew deep down I could trust Mark Waid. I just get a little worried with some of the other names on the book at times.

Ah, Mark Waid. Anyone ever see Justice League International Quarterly #10? With Booster on the cover, and the story about him wanting to kill the ancestor of the guy who started him gambling? And "When Titans Date" was probably about the greatest story ever.

I had a couple concerns that they'd replaced him with an alternate Booster-- also there was the previously stated fact that he'd never use his knowledge to change the future-- which I wouldn't understand him doing if they'd rebooted him. But I can see him doing it since everyone's dead-- it's like, he's tried everything else, so why not this?

Still, I hope they're not on their way to making him into "a real hero." There's a reason people enjoy the character. And sure, some people hate him, but some people hate Batman and Superman, too. To get rid of Booster's identifiability would really hurt the DCU as a whole. I mean, it's enough that the only way they can think to give every group representation is to make Batwoman a lipstick lesbian.

The thing about the JLI is it did give every group representation just by being a group of friends that hung out together (which most people have at some point in their lives). By killing all of them, there's not so much fun in the DCU anymore. Someone'll figure the mistake out someday, I'm sure.

[Anarky]

I think Booster's overdoing it in 52 these days. Hiring people to pose as supervilains? Is Booster overcompensating or trying to make up for something? Or is he just trying to prove that he's JLA-material?

... and what Ralph did was awesome. I'd have done the same.

[Space Lieutenant Josh]

I think Booster's overdoing it in 52 these days. Hiring people to pose as supervilains? Is Booster overcompensating or trying to make up for something? Or is he just trying to prove that he's JLA-material?

... and what Ralph did was awesome. I'd have done the same.

It's possible there's a motive behind hiring the Manthrax guy aside from the obvious publicity boost. He seemed really adamant that Ralph didn't know what he was doing in exposing him.

I think Ralph was a little harsh, too, accusing Booster of letting Ted die. Taking the brunt of an exploding computer for the guy and attempting to escape his hospital bed despite 3rd-degree burns to follow him to Checkmate headquarters when no one else in the entire DCU gave him a second thought isn't exactly what I'd call caring only about himself.

I think Booster definitely has some issues to work out with the deaths of his friends. He seems to be distancing himself in order to escape more pain-- preoccupying himself with merchandising to avoid taking responsibility or something.