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Booster Gold (2007)
Booster Gold: Blue and Gold
This time, the time-traveling hero from the future is determined to change history and save his best friend, the Blue Beetle, from murder. But, as Booster is about to learn, twisting time can have some unpredictable, deadly consequences. This volume also tells the secret origin of Booster Gold, and guest stars the heroes of Justice League International as well as Green Lantern Hal Jordan, in his evil guise as Parallax.
160 pages, Paperback
First published November 11, 2008
19 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Geoff Johns
2,718 books2,410 followersGeoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
March 24, 2024
This is may not be for the casual comic reader or maybe even the casual DC reader.
In fact, I'd go so far as to say this is probably only going to resonate with Booster Gold fans.
And we are LEGION! <--100% kidding.
It's me and 2 other guys.
And the other guys have girlfriends now, so it's pretty much just me.
BUT. If you somehow are interested in this character, then Blue and Gold will give you the warm fuzzies. As the title suggests, Booster is back with his best friend, Ted Kord aka the Blue Beetle. It's one of those bittersweet stories because Michael went back in time and snatched Ted from the jaws of death (in the form of Maxwell Lord). <--you can read about his demise in the excellent OMAC Project storyline.
Again, this isn't going to be a page-turner for most of you. However, if you have a soft spot for Booster, you'll enjoy reading this one. There are some really nice moments in this beyond the stuff with Ted. Finding out Rip's identity, and seeing what he eventually does for Booster's sister was great. But my personal favorite was at the end with Batman:
I'm not crying! You're crying!
Anyway.
Recommended for Booster fanatics.
Original Review: 2011
Not as stupid as I thought it would be.
It's nothing I would recommend to anyone (unless I run into a rabid Booster Gold fan), but it was way better than I expected.
In fact, I'd go so far as to say this is probably only going to resonate with Booster Gold fans.
And we are LEGION! <--100% kidding.
It's me and 2 other guys.
And the other guys have girlfriends now, so it's pretty much just me.
BUT. If you somehow are interested in this character, then Blue and Gold will give you the warm fuzzies. As the title suggests, Booster is back with his best friend, Ted Kord aka the Blue Beetle. It's one of those bittersweet stories because Michael went back in time and snatched Ted from the jaws of death (in the form of Maxwell Lord). <--you can read about his demise in the excellent OMAC Project storyline.
Again, this isn't going to be a page-turner for most of you. However, if you have a soft spot for Booster, you'll enjoy reading this one. There are some really nice moments in this beyond the stuff with Ted. Finding out Rip's identity, and seeing what he eventually does for Booster's sister was great. But my personal favorite was at the end with Batman:
I'm not crying! You're crying!
Anyway.
Recommended for Booster fanatics.
Original Review: 2011
Not as stupid as I thought it would be.
It's nothing I would recommend to anyone (unless I run into a rabid Booster Gold fan), but it was way better than I expected.
June 30, 2023
As the title suggests, Booster Gold is back and so is Blue Beetle. Booster has saved him from death, thanks to the Beetles from different eras teleporting to Booster at the end of volume 1 (issue 6).
But ever since Blue Beetle has been saved from being murdered and altering time, one thing after the other keeps coming up and it will not stop unless Blue and Gold do something about it.
The team of Beetles not only helped save Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, but now they are altering history numerous times, causing even more trouble to occur. That causes time-traveler Rip Hunter, a "wannabe reporter" gal (who turns out to be one of Booster's ancestors) and Booster Gold's Great Great Great (etc.) Grandfather to follow their trail, to try and put an end to all the time-altering stuff.
There's a lot of genuinely funny stuff in here, much like the first volume and some great emotional moments for Booster (including a memorable run-in with Batman). The art continues to be pretty solid too. I'd expect nothing less from Dan Jurgens.
I won't be ignoring this series, with this being Geoff John's last volume for Booster, but I will be holding off on the other volumes for a while, so I can focus on some other titles I've been meaning to read.
EPILOGUE
*With another volume of Booster Gold finished, the world around me turns blue and I leap into another Quantum Leap novel, by the title "Independence" by John Peel.*
Oh boy.
But ever since Blue Beetle has been saved from being murdered and altering time, one thing after the other keeps coming up and it will not stop unless Blue and Gold do something about it.
The team of Beetles not only helped save Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, but now they are altering history numerous times, causing even more trouble to occur. That causes time-traveler Rip Hunter, a "wannabe reporter" gal (who turns out to be one of Booster's ancestors) and Booster Gold's Great Great Great (etc.) Grandfather to follow their trail, to try and put an end to all the time-altering stuff.
There's a lot of genuinely funny stuff in here, much like the first volume and some great emotional moments for Booster (including a memorable run-in with Batman). The art continues to be pretty solid too. I'd expect nothing less from Dan Jurgens.
I won't be ignoring this series, with this being Geoff John's last volume for Booster, but I will be holding off on the other volumes for a while, so I can focus on some other titles I've been meaning to read.
EPILOGUE
*With another volume of Booster Gold finished, the world around me turns blue and I leap into another Quantum Leap novel, by the title "Independence" by John Peel.*
Oh boy.
March 1, 2019
I just don't really like Booster. He seems too stupid for me but this was well written enough and art solid enough I can't give it lower than 3. I started to phase out on most of the reading. It's really convoluted at times, as is most time traveling, and I had no interest in seeing them try to save the world and bring back the gang again. I will admit though the last few pages were great. Overall, good, but not really for me as I hate the main character most of the time haha.
January 24, 2010
While it was nice seeing Blue and Gold back together again the end of this tale is the correct one for the time traveling Booster. Plus, we get another hint as to who Rip Hunter might really be. If you like Booster Gold then pick up the trade. I would say this is not for the casual reader of DC Comics, but for someone who like the character of Booster Gold.
December 7, 2016
Ow. I never thought I would want to cry over Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, but you know what I'm doing? Exactly that! All Booster wants is to save his best friend and instead the world is thrown into chaos because of it. Why can't these two be happy! And Alive!
Also fuck you New 52! Booster and Ted have never interacted at all yet, and probably don't even know about each other's existence!
Also fuck you New 52! Booster and Ted have never interacted at all yet, and probably don't even know about each other's existence!
May 3, 2023
[3.25/5]
Batman issue was fire, everything else was meh.
Batman issue was fire, everything else was meh.
October 1, 2020
No sé si fue por la nostalgia de Identity Crisis, que es un evento que me gustó mucho, o los viajes en el tiempo, o la Justuce League International, o Blue Beetle y Booster Gold que eran dos de mis personajes favoritos de esa serie, pero este comic me encantó.
No es un comic para cualquiera, porque creo que si no conocés al menos algo de la historia de BB y BG, y de algunos eventos de DC; hay un montón de cosas que no se van a entender o no van a ser tan efectivas, pero está bien escrito, es muy entretenido y básicamente no tiene muchos puntos flojos. Bueno, quizá un poco si que la forma en que se tratan los viajes en el tiempo medio que no tiene sentido. Pero vamos, ninguna historia de viajes en el tiempo tiene mucho sentido.
No es un comic para cualquiera, porque creo que si no conocés al menos algo de la historia de BB y BG, y de algunos eventos de DC; hay un montón de cosas que no se van a entender o no van a ser tan efectivas, pero está bien escrito, es muy entretenido y básicamente no tiene muchos puntos flojos. Bueno, quizá un poco si que la forma en que se tratan los viajes en el tiempo medio que no tiene sentido. Pero vamos, ninguna historia de viajes en el tiempo tiene mucho sentido.
August 31, 2020
This is specifically a review for the first major storyline of the 2007 Booster Gold run! That means issues 1-6, 0, 7-10, and 1,000,000. Why they decided to number it so weirdly (that's the order they're intended to be read in) I don't know but that's what I read so that's what I'm talking about!
So who's Booster Gold? Well the beginning of the first issue lays that all out rather nicely. A disgraced football player from the far future who kind of sort of stole some very high tech equipment, traveled to the past (or modern times) and decided to make a name for himself as a superhero using both the knowledge of the future and his stolen technology. Naturally his stories tend to deal with a lot of time travel manipulation and this first storyline is no different!
After a brief bit of setting the stage Booster wants to join the Justice League, but before he officially can something comes up and he's sort of recruited into being a time cop to save the timestream which has been made unstable because of recent events. Unfortunately, as part of that job he can't exactly people already know who he is, so if everyone finds out what important work he's doing one of the many villains who's been known to move through time to do stuff can simply go back and smother him in the crib or kill his parents or something else to ensure he's no longer a problem they have to deal with. So Booster Gold has to become the greatest superhero throughout time... while retaining his status as a world-class buffoon
And that's just a great set-up.
It starts with a few time-jumping adventures to save vulnerable points throughout time that are being actively manipulated but Booster has a plan all along. He wants to save his recently-passed best friend in the world from death. But time travel doesn't work that way, and certain events are set in stone because they are so pivotal.
That's about all I can go into without getting into real heavy spoilers but I've gotta say I had a lot of fun with this storyline. Twelve issues long despite the awkwardness but you get a very detailed dive into the ripple effects from one major moment, and quite a bit of showing the genuine friendship that Booster had with his lost friend, Ted Kord aka the Blue Beetle. They get to meet up again and for someone who's never read anything with Booster Gold before their chemistry together is set up right from the get-go and never feels forced. Like Booster just had a piece of him that was missing the whole time that he now gets back.
But, time doesn't work that way. While the way this plot works may be a little predictable, that doesn't mean it's not executed very well. Booster's a very genuine guy with a lot of real emotions but there are certain things that just can't be done even with the seemingly-invincible power of time travel on your side.
It has a warm, happy ending though. He may not get what he set out to, but he does get something else in the end. And that's definitely worth something from a man who was terrified of having nothing. The job of a time cop is hard. You can't get to know anyone ever, as your identity getting out is basically asking another time traveler to erase you from existence. It's doubly hard for Booster whose identity is well-known, and he's forced to let everyone think that he's a moron for the rest of time.
It's not a perfect story. Naturally all time-travel based plots have problems and this one operates in a very fridge way. Like, the past is set in stone but the future is malleable. What does that mean? What is considered the past? What is considered the future when time is always moving? It's not super clear and while it's not enough to ruin the story it is enough to kind of make you stop and try to piece things together.
Definitely one I enjoyed reading and the ending gave me the warm and fuzzies. There's more issues than this obviously and I'll get to them eventually but for this first story if you want to experience it you'll need to check it out in the order I put at the top of this. Gimmicky numberings are fun and all but easy to make mistakes with!
So who's Booster Gold? Well the beginning of the first issue lays that all out rather nicely. A disgraced football player from the far future who kind of sort of stole some very high tech equipment, traveled to the past (or modern times) and decided to make a name for himself as a superhero using both the knowledge of the future and his stolen technology. Naturally his stories tend to deal with a lot of time travel manipulation and this first storyline is no different!
After a brief bit of setting the stage Booster wants to join the Justice League, but before he officially can something comes up and he's sort of recruited into being a time cop to save the timestream which has been made unstable because of recent events. Unfortunately, as part of that job he can't exactly people already know who he is, so if everyone finds out what important work he's doing one of the many villains who's been known to move through time to do stuff can simply go back and smother him in the crib or kill his parents or something else to ensure he's no longer a problem they have to deal with. So Booster Gold has to become the greatest superhero throughout time... while retaining his status as a world-class buffoon
And that's just a great set-up.
It starts with a few time-jumping adventures to save vulnerable points throughout time that are being actively manipulated but Booster has a plan all along. He wants to save his recently-passed best friend in the world from death. But time travel doesn't work that way, and certain events are set in stone because they are so pivotal.
That's about all I can go into without getting into real heavy spoilers but I've gotta say I had a lot of fun with this storyline. Twelve issues long despite the awkwardness but you get a very detailed dive into the ripple effects from one major moment, and quite a bit of showing the genuine friendship that Booster had with his lost friend, Ted Kord aka the Blue Beetle. They get to meet up again and for someone who's never read anything with Booster Gold before their chemistry together is set up right from the get-go and never feels forced. Like Booster just had a piece of him that was missing the whole time that he now gets back.
But, time doesn't work that way. While the way this plot works may be a little predictable, that doesn't mean it's not executed very well. Booster's a very genuine guy with a lot of real emotions but there are certain things that just can't be done even with the seemingly-invincible power of time travel on your side.
It has a warm, happy ending though. He may not get what he set out to, but he does get something else in the end. And that's definitely worth something from a man who was terrified of having nothing. The job of a time cop is hard. You can't get to know anyone ever, as your identity getting out is basically asking another time traveler to erase you from existence. It's doubly hard for Booster whose identity is well-known, and he's forced to let everyone think that he's a moron for the rest of time.
It's not a perfect story. Naturally all time-travel based plots have problems and this one operates in a very fridge way. Like, the past is set in stone but the future is malleable. What does that mean? What is considered the past? What is considered the future when time is always moving? It's not super clear and while it's not enough to ruin the story it is enough to kind of make you stop and try to piece things together.
Definitely one I enjoyed reading and the ending gave me the warm and fuzzies. There's more issues than this obviously and I'll get to them eventually but for this first story if you want to experience it you'll need to check it out in the order I put at the top of this. Gimmicky numberings are fun and all but easy to make mistakes with!
January 14, 2018
That last panel was all the feels.
World: The art is great, it's Dan Jurgens and he draws great Superheroes. The world building is fantastic this arc with the DCU messed up and called from all over history it'd a great DC fanboy geek out series. The entire lore of Booster is tied wonderfully in the world and it's character moments. Fantastic.
Story: Wonderfully paced and so very fun to read. This series is just well constructed and having Blue and Gold back together is all the feels, the tying her JLI and then current DC events. Fantastic. It's well wortj your time if you are a DC fan. Oh man u can't gush enough about how this run ends. The stuff in the last 10 pages is perfect.
Characters: Wonderfully realized characters. Booster and Ted are great and have wonderful chemistry. The banter and the interactions is great. Then there's the greater story of Booster and Johns has made him one of the greatest heroes in DC comics history, brilliant. The cast of characters is fun and they serve their purpose. Full points.
Such a wonderful funny and heart felt series. Sooo good.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is great, it's Dan Jurgens and he draws great Superheroes. The world building is fantastic this arc with the DCU messed up and called from all over history it'd a great DC fanboy geek out series. The entire lore of Booster is tied wonderfully in the world and it's character moments. Fantastic.
Story: Wonderfully paced and so very fun to read. This series is just well constructed and having Blue and Gold back together is all the feels, the tying her JLI and then current DC events. Fantastic. It's well wortj your time if you are a DC fan. Oh man u can't gush enough about how this run ends. The stuff in the last 10 pages is perfect.
Characters: Wonderfully realized characters. Booster and Ted are great and have wonderful chemistry. The banter and the interactions is great. Then there's the greater story of Booster and Johns has made him one of the greatest heroes in DC comics history, brilliant. The cast of characters is fun and they serve their purpose. Full points.
Such a wonderful funny and heart felt series. Sooo good.
Onward to the next book!
Read
April 8, 2021At the end of the first volume, Booster went back in time to save Blue Beetle from being killed by Maxwell Lord. I didn’t like what that implied and was worried it would devalue the impact of his death. But color me impressed, this was actually pretty good. Sure, it’s predictable - you know how it’s going to end - but Johns and Katz bring enough surprises to keep you on your toes. Ted’s not-death leads to OMACs killing more heroes than in the correct timeline and generally wreaking more havoc. Timey-wimey stuff happens, other characters show up (there’s a JLI reunion), and it all leads to an emotional conclusion. There’s a big surprise in the last issue that I probably should have guessed in hindsight. Also, the scene with Batman towards the end was a nice bit of writing. Most people will probably appreciate the friendship between Booster and Ted here, but I don’t have a big attachment to these characters so my reaction wasn’t as visceral as that of superfans. They’re still kind of charming though.
In the end, this was better than it had any right to be, especially because I’ve always seen Booster as a joke character (as do others in the DC universe).
In the end, this was better than it had any right to be, especially because I’ve always seen Booster as a joke character (as do others in the DC universe).
March 26, 2018
If you want a good, fun read you could do a lot worse than this. I’ve been a Booster Gold fan since the 80’s, and a DC Comics fan in general since the late 70’s as a nipper, and this book combines the best of both. Cleverly, as Booster was a little aimless after leaving the Justice League, Johns and Katz have given Booster a new goal, that of policing the time stream, which also doubles up as a fun way to revisit classic moments in DC history.
Obviously things are a little more complicated than that, with previously unknown relationships revealed, people who we thought were one thing actually being another, and a Blue and Gold spin on the ‘you can’t go home again’ rule. It was great to see Ted Kord back though, and the temporary reformation of the Justice League International roster.
I read this book with a smile, and I’m betting you will too. Recommended.
Obviously things are a little more complicated than that, with previously unknown relationships revealed, people who we thought were one thing actually being another, and a Blue and Gold spin on the ‘you can’t go home again’ rule. It was great to see Ted Kord back though, and the temporary reformation of the Justice League International roster.
I read this book with a smile, and I’m betting you will too. Recommended.
June 23, 2023
Through Geoff Johns' writing and Dan Jurgens' exceptional art style, the tragedy of Booster Gold is magnificently conveyed. A phenomenal man whose heroics are done without anybody knowing the truth, destined to be looked down upon and considered a joke by his peers. He has the best of intentions, as seen in this volume when he just wants to save his best friend from his fated murder by Maxwell Lord, only to make things worse courtesy of the butterfly effect. The most touching moment comes near the end when Batman's humanity is perfectly conveyed, as he offers Booster the validation he finally deserves. Another magnificent volume for this phenomenal character.
January 20, 2019
Geoff Johns' love for DC characters always shines through. Booster and Beetle are so much fun together. Booster's driving desire to save his best friend from death rings true and is heartbreaking. The story had a lot of time travel headaches but it was still fun. Dan Jurgens draws classic comic book superheroes and it was perfect for this. The 1,000,000 issue should have been just the next numbered issue, but I understand why they did it. Overall, a super fun series and this book is an example of it!
November 8, 2021
Geoff Johns really took Booster Gold’s premise of a selfish, exploitative and juvenile con artist, and turned him into a compassionate, tragic and selfless friend, and one of the most important (and unknown) heroes of all time (literally). He’s written charismatically and the plot fits perfectly for him, as a time traveler himself. There were a few turns I wasn’t expecting, and none of them felt cheap. This was written with heart and I really enjoyed Jurgens’ art.
Highly recommend the series.
Highly recommend the series.
July 21, 2024
4.5
Amazing book, my only complaint is that I think the should’ve wrapped up the max and Ted arc a little bit sooner, since it dragged just the tiniest bit, but other than that I loved this book, seeing the JLI reunite was cool to see, and I liked the conversation Booster had with Batman at the end. Also the reveal of Mister Mind made me gasp (in a good way)
Amazing book, my only complaint is that I think the should’ve wrapped up the max and Ted arc a little bit sooner, since it dragged just the tiniest bit, but other than that I loved this book, seeing the JLI reunite was cool to see, and I liked the conversation Booster had with Batman at the end. Also the reveal of Mister Mind made me gasp (in a good way)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2018
Got this one from a friend. If it weren't for my aversion to Max Lord as a supervillain mastermind, I'd probably have enjoyed this one, honestly. It's fairly straight-forward time-travel-gone-wrong romp, solid character work (except for Max, of course!) and a predictable-100-pages-away ending.
January 7, 2020
Another golden story.
Five stars for this second volume of Booster Gold stories following on from 52 Pick -Up.
It is a roller coaster of a book. Fast paced action packed, stunning art, great colours, good plot, & our hero in a cool costume. Like that blue & gold combination.
Five stars for this second volume of Booster Gold stories following on from 52 Pick -Up.
It is a roller coaster of a book. Fast paced action packed, stunning art, great colours, good plot, & our hero in a cool costume. Like that blue & gold combination.
August 14, 2025
I heard this was to become an animated DC series, and this was a fantastic taster for someone new to the character, with plenty of familiar and no so familiar DC characters featured was an easy read in this 5 chapter series of comics
February 25, 2019
Imprescindible para los fans de la liga de Giffen y De Matteis
June 16, 2019
Good art, good story. The time travel rules seem shaky at best, though.
May 10, 2021
Volumen 67 de la CNG de DC, impreso en España pero para distribución en Argentina y países vecinos.
June 20, 2021
Correcta lectura para visitar luego de 52. Es algo obvia en su concepción de viajes temporales, pero no está mal como lectura pasajera.
Guion: 6,5
Dibujo: 7
Guion: 6,5
Dibujo: 7
February 20, 2023
no YOU teared up at this silly time travel comic
4 time masters out of 5
4 time masters out of 5
April 14, 2023
Fun enough but you need to be deeply invested in the DC universe to get much out of it.
Read
April 27, 2023Hm a good intro to booster gold. v curious to see how james gunn incorporates this into the new DCEU
February 14, 2024
If you enjoy DC time travel books …..uhhhhh
October 29, 2024
for the booster girlies ofc
February 1, 2025
Boostle angst in my silly comedic relief superhero comic 💔
May 21, 2022
Read as individual issues via DC Infinite.
April 13, 2009
Books like this one are the reason I've been apprehensive about jumping into the DC Universe. I've been reading Marvel books for years, so I know a lot of the weird, obscure plot points and odd continuity of that world; not so much when it comes to DC books. So, now that Booster Gold has become a Time Master -- keeping nefarious ones from screwing up the established DC continuity -- I can tell there's a lot I'm missing out on.
I really don't know anything about Maxwell Lord or Ted Kord or Supernova or the Flash's origins or any of that shit. So, when someone decides to screw with it, I don't really care, because I don't have much invested in the characters.
Oh well...I'm madly in Love with Booster Gold, and with Dan Jurgen's wonderful 'superhero' style. So, I'll probably keep reading this one.
I really don't know anything about Maxwell Lord or Ted Kord or Supernova or the Flash's origins or any of that shit. So, when someone decides to screw with it, I don't really care, because I don't have much invested in the characters.
Oh well...I'm madly in Love with Booster Gold, and with Dan Jurgen's wonderful 'superhero' style. So, I'll probably keep reading this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews