While Booster Gold and Rip Hunter both walked away from last issue’s explosions pretty much unscathed, all the classic Teen Titans except Raven—a powerful empathy and the daughter of the villain Trigon—were killed, creating a time derailment that, among other things, caused Dick Grayson never to become Batman following Bruce Wayne’s apparent death. As the two join forces in the past with Raven (late to the party for her teammates’ battle with Jericho, Deathstroke and the Black Beetle), Hunter determines that the only way to keep it all from happening is to go into the future, and see what it is that the Black Beetle wants.
When they get there, of course, it’s the future of a world in which the Teen Titans’ deaths paved the way for Raven’s father Trigon to take over the world, killing the Justice League and leaving them without successors to protect the next generation. While Kyle Rayner and Zatanna appear to be leading a fledgling resistance movement against the cosmic dictator, it doesn’t appear to be much more effective than the revolt Green Arrow and Hakwman were leading against Max Lord in the “Blue and Gold” storyline. It’s an issue full of a lot of talking and stage-setting, which promises to deliver with a LOT of punching and explosions in next month’s conclusion to the “Day of Death” story. Still, Booster’s upcoming Blackest Night tie-ins don’t start until #26, so what’s in store for the landmark 25th issue of the book? We talked to Dan Jurgens for some commentary on this month’s issue and some clues as to what’s next for the world’s most commercially-viable superhero.
Blog@Newsarama: So why Trigon? Is he a part of the villains’ ultimate plan or just the beneficiary of what they’re trying to do?
Dan Jurgens: I think it’s safe to say he is benefitting from Black Beetle’s overall master plan. That will all become more clear over the next two issues.
Blog@: Are “our” villains even TRYING to take over something for themselves or is killing the good guys reward enough?
DJ: Assuming you’re speaking of Black Beetle and our mystery man, it’s possible they even have different agendas.
The Black Beetle has a definite goal he wants out of this new future. Again, you’ll see more on that over 24 and 25!
Blog@: Solicitations originally had Black Beetle getting revealed for the end of this arc…is that still the plan?
DJ: To partially quote a certain president who knew how to have a good time, “That depends on what your definition of ‘revealed’ is.”
Yes. More regarding Black Beetle will be there. Time travel, however, is a tricky matter that leaves all sorts of roads and questions open.
Blog@: Will we see who it is he’s working with? You know–the guy in the lab coat and the snazzy visi-helmet?
DJ: Yes. That much will absolutely be revealed.
Blog@: I can’t remember–did we discuss last issue where Raven was when all the action was happening?
DJ: Raven was not present in the original Teen Titans story, from which these moments are taken. At the time it was presumed she was off dealing with Trigon. I wouldn’t say anything changed in that regard!
Blog@: While I realize that each step back just pushes the timeline back a little and back a little, why didn’t Booster attempt at least once to just take Raven and Rip back twenty minutes and use a couple extra sets of hands to keep things under control?
DJ: That becomes somewhat the eternal question of time travel. If it doesn’t work once, why not try, try again?
When we did the Barbara Gordon story during our first year, we dealt with that topic and the nature of solidified time. What happened, happened, and can’t normally be changed.
This will also be covered in Booster Gold #24 and #25. One explanation is that it’s all variable, that the minute you insert yourself in the past you become a huge variable, meaning not everything will play out as assumed.
Again… stay tuned! It’s coming in the next two issues!
Blog@: Is there something keeping Black Beetle’s partner in his little time lab or whatever it is? The dialogue seems to suggest he’s…fragile or something.
DJ: Fragile? Or simply without powers?
Blog@: I think Rip needs to get himself some heavier-duty clothes. Between trigger-happy butlers and supervillain bombs, this poor dude has ended up on his time-traveling ass a lot lately. Can’t he go get some of that microcircuitry fiber like Booster has, or maybe a Mother Box or something, so that he’s not always replacing those white t-shirts?
DJ: Hey… he went with a black one now!
He also has his time travel uniform that he uses for travel through the time stream itself. However, I like the historical look of Rip in a t-shirt and jeans.
Blog@: I like the cover story–will Raven be the kind of character whose particular abilities make her harder to dazzle with the temporal-mindwipe-gizmo?
DJ: Yeah, I would think so.
Blog@: What, besides the baddie being Trigon, made you want to use Raven as the “Last Titan?”
DJ: First of all, it fits with Marv and George’s original story. We know that all the Teen Titans except Raven died. Furthermore, she has some specific talents that will fit this well.
Blog@: Who are the characters being blasted by that giant energy beam on the page where our mystery villain is saying “One in which the Justice League will finally meet their deaths?” I see Superman, Hawkman, Green Lantern…and then some fourth person with a helmet or something? Maybe a cape? Is that a hint for a plot point or am I just reading too much into it?
DJ: That’s Dr. Fate. The general idea here is that Trigon gets EVERYONE.
Blog@: With a villain like Trigon, who’s powerful on a cosmic level, is there ever any fear that Booster’s battles with him even in an alternate timeline might be something he becomes vaguely aware of, endangering the whole Time Cop mission?
DJ: I think that could be a threat with some villains with power on that level though probably not Trigon. I think you need, to steal a phrase, cosmic awareness to go along with cosmic level power.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
We’ll be getting a fight with/against an old buddy in the upcoming Blackest night tie-in, which will either buoy or dash the hopes of Ted-fen like me. I look forward to that.
As for the main narrative, I think I’m ready to see a change, or at least a variation in the direction of the book. There’s more that can be done in time travel stories than “event X has gone loopy and it’s our job to fix it”.
Look at the story in WWII – Booster was just trying to keep his head down, ended up helping someone anyway, someone who he might have thought twice about helping had he known his last name.
I grasp that the time travel idea is the central one for the book, but the basic plot mentioned above has been the same more often that I’d like.
I’m enjoying the book, I will be with the book until the stars wink out and Death turns out the lights and shuts the door, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to see some more things.
“I think you need, to steal a phrase, cosmic awareness to go along with cosmic level power.”
Oh, my god, Booster’s gonna fight Duffy Moon!
August 14th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
I just wanted to say that they should get on with this Black Beetle mystery already. I was a huge fan of this series for about the first half of the series. But then my interested started waining because nothing was getting resolved, and with my budget lately, I don’t have the income to wait 3 years for a story to unfold when there are plenty of good comics on the market that do move-on to new stories.
I might check out the comic again when the next story finally comes around, it was well written for what it was. I was starting to feel the same way about the “In The Name of Gog” story in JSA, but luckily I held on until the next creative team.
-Nate-
August 14th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Vinnie, I just wanted to say hang on for a little diversity. Clearly the Blackest Night tie-in will be a respite from the same old song and dance in that it’ll be happening in the present day in the normal continuity. After that we’ve got some more time-travel craziness coming up, but not in the same way as we have recently. Booster will be taking a more proactive role, first of all, and will also be returning to some plot threads and themes from the original series. I wish I could say more about some of the conversations Dan and I have had, but first of all he’s pretty tight-lipped…and secondly, he knows where and when I was born and could snuff me out in my crib if I gave something away that I shouldn’t!
August 15th, 2009 at 12:31 am
I do recall him mentioning in a different interview (can’t recall which maybe a few different ones) that there will be plots taking place in the present. He alluded to Booster playing up his loser status, Daniel courting Rose and a JLI reunion dealing with the *shudders* Gladys fallout. And even if Booster doesn’t play into the return of Bruce Wayne (which I hope he does because it makes perfect sense) there seems to be a set up here.
With the Blackest Night Tie in AND the Black Beetle storyline that BG and Blue Beetle share I’m wondering if that will be played up. If a bond of sorts will form between Jaime and Booster. The legacy of the BB has been a big part in the book already.
Booster being more proactive? That IS intriguing.
August 15th, 2009 at 8:22 am
Don’t forget, too, that at some point soon we’ll be seeing Booster Gold and the Legion of Super-Heroes having words. Not only did Rip cold-cock Brainy back during “Blue and Gold,” but Booster can’t be that hard for the Legion to track down if he’s wearing a Legion flight ring on the cover of Sugar-Packed Boosteros. That one will likely involve time-travel, but won’t be part of the same “changing the past” formula.
August 15th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Loving Booster Gold so far, though I have one complaint: I am the biggest fan of Booster Gold! I have t-shirts (yes, plural), action figures…I plunked down alot of money to get my own Legion Flight ring, and I never read Legion of Super-Heroes! Heck, I am in the design stage of my own stuffed Skeets.
But, if I can’t claim Number One fan, I at least call secretary of the Booster Gold Fan Club (as Erin would be treasurer and Russ is Vice President)
August 15th, 2009 at 9:05 am
You should lay out your plan for a BGFC corporate structure and I’ll give it to Alex Segura, the PR guy at DC who hooked up Blair Butler originally.
Monday morning, new Gold Exchange goes live at CR, by the way, folks! That means more content, more questions, and a reincorporation of the Blair Butler/cover discussion. I’ll just tease the following:
“Chalkboards aplenty!”
August 17th, 2009 at 8:46 am
I’m also looking forward to a few new plots and bad guys. I have every issue of the new series and I am looking forward to seeing Booster tangle with someone else besides the Black Beetle.
Have to say, I was a little bummed to see the Starro issues cut out of “Reality Lost.” I was curious to see what Chronos had in mind and what future Lady Chronos and Booster have.