Fans reading solicitations will know that Booster Gold #29 involves Hank Henshaw, the astronaut who would later become the Cyborg Superman. That solicitation probably doesn’t bode well for some of our supporting characters who are, at present, apparently taking a little vacation in Coast City during the time that Superman’s presumed dead and healing at his Fortress…but it might give us a little flexibility on the long-established “solidified time” concept, since Rip Hunter’s board this month seems to call for Henshaw’s “elimination.”
That’s just one of the story beats set up by this issue—the other of which will be the subject of all kinds of speculation and conversation for months to come. All the while, they manage to put together an entertaining “Blackest Night” story that features more depth of character than most of the other superhero zombie stories circulating.
In another oversized Booster story, with art chores shared again by Dan Jurgens and Mike Norton, one of the central conflicts of the series—Booster’s inability to save Ted Kord from his death at the hands of Max Lord—is dealt with in a surprising and promising way.
Gold Exchange: So after going to Ted’s funeral to get away, Booster decides to head “home” to Pittsburgh for a while. Is this an indication that even before he and Rip had a disagreement during the battle, he was already looking for some time away from the guy?
Dan Jurgens: In part, yes. I think it’s pretty clear that Booster is beginning to resent Rip’s habit of ordering him around a bit more. Booster has a relatively healthy, maybe even large, ego. He likes to do things his way!
Rip always seems to have the answers and it’s usually backed up with little more than “trust me, I’m right”.
GX: Between Black Lantern Ted’s laundry list of JLI pranks and the montage at the end, this is an issue that the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League fans are destined to love. I know we’ve talked about “Gladys” off-the-record before, and I think you had a brilliant, one-line resolution to that story. Are we going to see that in print anytime soon?
DJ: I sure hope so. We’re going to have a story or two where it would be very easy to address.
At the same time, it’s easier in some respects to simply leave it on the floor where it belongs. The fact that he hasn’t addressed it sort of says it all, doesn’t it?
GX: I feel like this issue is a real showcase for how perfectly Norton’s style fits Jaime’s adventures. Is the second feature back net issue, so that both camps of fans can get back to their regularly-scheduled programming in terms of the art?
DJ: As far as I know, Jaime is back next issue!
GX: That said, did you decide as the writer what pages you would take versus what Norton would take on?
DJ: First of all, a bit of a background explanation will be required.
Just around the time we were wrapping up the previous issue and starting this one, I was called to jury duty. Considering the fact that I was in the midst of two 30 page issues, it was a problem. Mike was finished with his pages from the previous issue before I was so we simply determined it was going to be best to simply divide #27 in half and get him the front part of the book so he could get started.
I then jumped into the end, caught up and that was that!
GX: Regarding the chalkboard – “The Henshaw Directive = Elimination” is an ominous thing to have there, considering how this issue ends. Obviously, the last time anyone saw the Cyborg Superman, he was fantasizing about death. Is Booster going to have to find a way to grant him his wish?
DJ: Maybe. There will be more to come with Cyborg Superman for sure.
GX: This was a DENSE script. I noticed that Norton took on a few extra pages this month (half the book as opposed to just the ten pages that would have been a backup feature), but your first pair are nine, tiny panels each. It looks like a scene out of “Watchmen”. Is that why you used a few extra pages of help?
DJ: No. I wrote the story before I even knew exactly where I’d be jumping in. Multiple panels slow down the pacing and build tension, which is what we wanted there.
GX: Was Booster’s ultimate weapon something that came up in the original pitch for the story, or was it something you added later?
DJ: It wasn’t part of the first discussion but was certainly part of the first notes I put together. So it was there from a very early point in the creative process.
GX: I almost feel like the acquisition of the light gun, and therefore the revelation that Booster comes to in the lab, has been planned since the end of “Blue and the Gold.” Is that true?
DJ: In some respects, yes. Though not quite as specific as you might think.
GX: That asked, can you clarify the comments you made to Gold Exchange way back when you confirmed for me that it was Jason we saw “bwa-ha-hah”-ing in Ted’s lab? I asked you a while back if the shadowy figure from Reality Lost was the same shadowy figure from the lab, and you said yes. Was that a misunderstanding, a change of heart or just your playing with me?
DJ: I may have misunderstood the question. Can you remind me of what two shadowy figures you’re comparing? Obviously, one is from the end of Booster Gold #1,000,000, Geoff and Jeff’s last issue.
GX: Do you think dangling the carrot of Ted’s return will help some of the “Blackest Night” readers, who have made the book a sellout the last couple of months at every store I can find, stick with the title after this issue?
DJ: I always say that readers will stick with a book when they’re entertained. My hope is that a combination of factors, Booster, Beetle, Rip Hunter, story, art and more, will enough to keep people around. There’s some big stuff coming up.
GX: Here’s a question: Even in a world where Ted was the one who entered the cave, does that necessarily mean he’s still alive? I mean, he had a Time Sphere. He could have made a pit stop before heading off to die!
DJ: I think Ted died. I also think in a book with time travel at its core that numerous possibilities exist.
GX: That asked, whatever happened to that Time Sphere? I don’t remember if Rip recovered it on-panel.
DJ: The time sphere was left at Vanishing Point. By using his time platform, it’s easy for Rip or even Booster to go back and get it.
GX: Are the Black Lanterns really stupid? It seems like, from a strategic standpoint, carrying around a proxy version of the very weapon that could be your own undoing, and therefore reminding everyone that it exists, is kind of a silly thing for Dead-Ted to do!
DJ: I don’t know if they’re stupid. They certainly think of themselves as undefeatable.
GX: The coloring on the page where Black Lantern Ted gets blasted with the light gun is pretty awesome. You ever wish you could hop in a Time Sphere and have these guys recolor things like the sequence in “Superman” #82, where the Kryptonite blast filters through The Eradicator?
DJ: First, a tip of the hat to Brian Miller and his crew (Hi-Fi Color!) who work really hard on this book for us. In fact, we were bouncing comments about that very scene back and forth even as they colored it. They did a magnificent job.
And, yes, I often look back and wish we had the coloring and printing available to us back then that we have now.
GX: Thematically, it’s nice to have the story start and finish with Ted’s funerals. Is this going to be presented in a Booster trade, or as part of a Blackest Night book, do you know?
DJ: I would think it would be part of a Booster Gold trade, for sure.
GX: For the immediate future, there’s a question from a reader on the DC Comics Message Boards. “Bathulk” wants to know if there are any more plans coming up for Supernova.
DJ: There are some plans down the road for Supernova. In the more immediate sense, it’s time to turn our attention to Michelle.
GX: This might sound paranoid, but what’s the chance that Mac the Mechanic is actually Chronos, trying to take a shot at Michelle? The hair, the moustache, the hat covering the eyes completely…it all kinda looks like the Central City cop who turned out to be Chronos in disguise, way back at the museum.
DJ: Even thought I don’t like to give things away I’ll answer that one. No chance at all!
December 11th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
“GX: That asked, can you clarify the comments you made to Gold Exchange way back when you confirmed for me that it was Jason we saw “bwa-ha-hah”-ing in Ted’s lab? I asked you a while back if the shadowy figure from Reality Lost was the same shadowy figure from the lab, and you said yes. Was that a misunderstanding, a change of heart or just your playing with me?”
I can.
It was in the question and answer about issue #15. You asked him about the shadowy figure, trying to get Jurgens to hint that it might be Ted Kord.
The misunderstanding is that you were talking about the Shadowy Figure at the end of Blue and Gold. Jurgens was talking about the shadowy figure in #15…the one that was in the museum and watching Booster Gold and Ralph Dibny.
December 11th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
“DJ: I think Ted died.”
I am taking from that that Ted Kord won’t be making any permanent returns.
Kinda kills my enthusiasm for the book, hate to say it.
December 11th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I think there’s a LOT of leeway for Ted to return in some form. Besides the nod to 1,000,000 we got in this issue we have: 1. Ted buried at a hot spot place outside of time. 2. Booster still has the time dagger from Reality Lost, the one that was said to be able to return the dead to life.
Regardless I’m interested in seeing what happens to Booster next. I hope at some point we get more of a Rip story just to get an idea what he’s like when Booster isn’t around.
December 12th, 2009 at 10:22 am
@TCJ: Yeah, I did some Googling myself and found exactly the outcome that you described. I’d been misreading my OWN interviews because I had forgotten about the fact that #12 wasn’t the twelfth issue of the comic. The interaction went:
Blog@: Is the shadowy intruder with the knife the SAME shadowy intruder from earlier in the series? Having no identifying marks except for the general outline, it begs the question if he’s the one who cleaned Daniel’s clock and stole the Supernova costume.
Jurgens: No. That was Booster’s father. This, however, is the same shadowy intruder we saw in the museum at the end of BG #12, page 21.
@Erin – That’s a great point about the dagger; I might have to bring that up to Dan next time around.
December 13th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Quit messing with the character. Bring back Ted Kord. The story lines that tease he may come back need to pay off.
Get rid of Jaime or call him the indigo scarab or something.
December 14th, 2009 at 9:59 am
@Jake – I think the big issue is that teasing his return, SELLS. The reality is, Ted Kord has always been a more valuable commodity to DC dead than alive, and once he’s resurrected, there would need to be a stellar book written by an all-star team to make him profitable. Without that, he’s just another of DC’s hundreds of B-list heroes who can’t support a monthly book and can’t get any respect. As the guy who died heroically during Countdown to IC, he’s an inspiration to the DCU and a reminder of what they can be and what happens when they’re caught with their pants down. Bringing Ted back will happen once they’ve figured out a way to make it work for them instead of against them.
December 14th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Spot on Russ about Ted Kord. I love the old Blue Beetle as much as the next guy but he really isn’t going to get anywhere if they resurect him. DC (and other publishers) shouldn’t resurect characters just for a few fanboys.
December 14th, 2009 at 11:23 am
So…you don’t see him coming back for a long, long time?
December 14th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Kudos to Jurgens for making the most interesting BN Crossover. This, REBELS & Doom Patrol are just about the only BN books outside of the main title & GL Books worth picking up.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
The whole, “Ted is a second rater who can’t support a book” becomes moot in light of Booster’s success. Think of how many people went into 52 claiming “Booster Gold? he’s a second rater who can’t support a book!”
We all know how THAT turned out.
There are so many possibilities for a Ted kord ongoing, that it’s crazy. heck, even using him as a Booster Gold supporting cast member until they can transition him into his own book, would work and bring in the $$ for DC.
I think it’s well PAST time for Ted’s return.
December 14th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Can you define “long, long time”? I mean, given enough time, ANYTHING will change. Who would’ve thought three years ago that Barry Allen would come back and actually unseat Wally? I certainly didn’t, at least not as permanent as they’ve made it out to be.
December 14th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
DC (and other publishers) also shouldn’t kill off viable, fan favorite characters just for the sake of a few sales.
December 14th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I was fully expecting to see Henshaw show up in Blackest Night in some way, but him showing up here suggests that’s not happening. Just as well, there’s more than enough going on in BN.
While I don’t think the teasing and waffling about bringing back Ted will end, this seems to have at least given Booster a bit of closure about his death. That’s good, because it gives Dan et al the chance to move on to other stories without being accused of just dropping the thread without addressing it. I’ve been saying all along (and I believe Dan D has as well) that for any character, if they don’t have a solid plan for them after the spectacular return, it’s rather a cheat. Having said that, I don’t think Ted NEEDS a title of his own were he to come back, mere;y a solid place in the DCU that serves a purpose. I’ve made a few modest proposals as to what that role could be in the past, I’ll not repeat them. All I know is that Ted’s gotten more use, and more play after he died, and while that’s a damn lousy way to get press, at least the character’s being used.
It seems to me the destruction of Coast City is going to be another one of those Fixed Points in time that would be hard to change. Of course, if a handful of people end up not being in the millions of pounds of ash left behind, that’d likely not be too big a deal.
Once the next storyline ends (as teased in the solicits) I still think Booster meeting The Web could be a very interesting adventure. I seem to recall Russ (speaking for Dan) that we’d see more present-day adventures after that, and I’d like that.
And because self-promotion is good for the soul, did I ever show y’all the Booster Bunny I made for Dan?
http://www.internationalnorbertconspiracy.com/BAHP/slides/jurgens.html
December 14th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
All I can say is that if the story is intersting enough to me, then maybe I Can see Ted Kord coming back to life.
December 14th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
if ever. Man, that’s really depressing.
December 14th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I like Booster Gold but this shows what is wrong with DC. You got jamie who is such a lame character that is pretty much pissing on Ted’s grave he is so bad and DC keeps him around. Why do I have to waste extra dollar for this crappy character? I don’t even read that part every month. They keep around crappy characters and kill off the good ones again!
December 14th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
@TCJ – No, I don’t think that it’ll be a long, long time before he’s back. I’m just saying that they’ll drag it out as long as they can, to maximize the interest that people have in seeing how it all comes out.
@Sebastian – Never say never, you’re right–but the fact of the matter is bringing him back as a Booster Gold supporter won’t make them much money. I don’t think that they’ll “never” bring him back, only that they’re going to wait until they have a way to make money by doing it.
@Vinnie – I was behind you in the signing line at the (I think) NYCC when you gave Dan the rabbit. It was pretty awesome.
@Supermutant – I disagree about the quality of Jaime as a character, but I do agree that I’d rather not add an extra buck to a book I love to have him around, and I also don’t always read it either…but that’s more a reflection on the effectiveness of the backup feature than the character himself.
December 14th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
@GeneralZod33 At this point, a long, long time is probably never. Barry Allen was a different character than Ted Kord. He was featured in a lot of media outside of the comic book while Ted Kord has the Electric Company. Barry Allen had his own series when he died, and a FLASH series continued for a long time afterewards (Yeah, there was a Blue Beetle series but followed Wally West with a similiar costume and powers. Yeah, there is Jaime Reyez but he has zero to do with Ted Kord.) Even with all of that it took over 20 years.
At this point, I don’t see any “all-star creative team” wanting to work on Ted Kord. Dan Didio would have them busy working on some other project. I don’t see Dan Didio giving those kinda resources to bringing Ted Kord back and by the time Didio is gone whomever takes over will probably have no interest or barely remember Ted Kord.
So it looks like Ted Kord is gone for good. I just wish they would stop teasing us with his return. At this point he is the Kenny of the DCU. They will keep bringing him back just to kill him off again.
@Vinnie Love the Booster Bunny. Thanks for the smile, needed it today.
December 14th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
@Russ – It’s not a “fact of the matter” that bringing back Ted as a Booster Gold supporter won’t make DC much money. It’s just your opinion. It might even be DC’s as well, but it’s hardly a cut-and-dried absolute.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
This book is a BOOSTER GOLD book, not Ted Kord book. So if you are reading it just cause you’re waiting for his return then you obviously don’t understand what this book is about.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
“while Ted Kord has the Electric Company”
Jim Boyd’s characters from Electric Company had nothing at all to do with Ted, Dan or any iteration of the Blue Beetle. Ironically, he looked somewhat like The Cockroach from Cerebus; similar mask and antenna design.
I’ve never bothered to verify (perhaps we can put Brian Cronin on the case) but I don’t think CTW ever bothered to get permission to use the name “Blue Beetle” from Charlton (who still owned it at the time), nor do I believe Charlton ever chased them over it. They never brought the character into other media like the magazine, so perhaps some phone calls were made.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Dan Didio had said several times that the only characters he doesn’t think they will ever be able to bring back is Ted Kord and the Dibny’s.
December 14th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
By the way I glad pay extra 3.99 for a alive Ted in backup.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
I’m a big fan of the current Blue Beetle, and am glad to have him as a backup feature in Booster Gold.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
@Vinnie “Jim Boyd’s characters from Electric Company had nothing at all to do with Ted, Dan or any iteration of the Blue Beetle.” Oh, yeah, I know. I threw that in for more sarcasm. But proves my point ie bringing The Flash back and bringing Ted Kord back…Barry Allen had a lot more going for him. And it sounds like after Darkest Night is over it is going to be a lot harder to bring characters back from the dead.
Ted Kord ain’t coming back. There was a small window of opportunity to do it and be successful and I think it has passed.
December 14th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Jaime as the Blue Beetle: I’m okay with the character though I’ve never cared too much for his solo adventures before Black Beetle showed up. I do like his relationship with Booster though I’m curious if the scarab made him remember Rips’ lab since Black Beetle said he was going to erase those memories. And if I remember correctly the scarab is able to read DNA which could bring up all sorts of problems if it read Rips’.
Spike: Much as I love Ted I get this book because I love Booster. Because the two characters have been together so long I worry that they won’t be allowed to grow separate. So I enjoy seeing Booster evolve on his own.
As for Ted never coming back–I seriously doubt its’ that cut and dry. We had Jason Todd, Bucky and Barry Allan return when all of them were previously the “never coming back” deaths in comics. Like stated above the main concern would be where to put him. In Booster Gold I could see him clashing with Rip for tech guy. Maybe with Jaime to be his mentor? Helping Oracle? Whatever the role it would need to be decided before they do anything otherwise Teds’ alive but not doing anything.
December 14th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Hahahahaa! This is COMICS. The only people who seem to stay dead are Uncle Ben and Bruce Wayne’s parents. And that’s only because their deaths are essential to the origins of Spider-Man and Batman.
December 15th, 2009 at 1:24 am
Do you guys seriously believe Ted Kord won’t be brought back at some point? You are getting upset for no reason. He will be brought back.
There are really no parallels between the deaths of Barry Allen and Ted Kord outside of it coincided with a maxi-series supposed to usher in a new era or something.
But Barry Allen was killed to usher in an age of realism where characters died and stayed dead. It was the edict of Jeanette Kahn and she stuck to her guns pretty much totally. Barry Allen’s death was much more of a big deal, he was a big name character, and they didn’t kill mainstream superheroes in that fashion before they did it with Barry Allen. I remember seeing Barry Allen eulogized on bathroom walls. Seriously.
More to the point, the reason Barry Allen truly stayed dead is because Wally West turned out to be the more successful Flash. Wally actually pulled off replacing the icon and became more iconic. And Wally sold better relative to other comics than Barry Allen did. He was the 1 in a hundred that pulls that off. If Wally West had flopped as badly as the Bart Allen Flash had…Barry would have been brought back a lot sooner.
With Blue Beetle, Ted Kord was never as big of a character as Barry Allen, his death wasn’t as big, and Ted’s replacement has not been more successful. He’s not going to stay dead.
And if they’d brouht him back immediately it’s not like he would have revolutionized the industry and replaced the X-Men and Batman as the big characters in comics…he’d have had like a 60k debut issue and been on the verge of cancellation in a year or so. They can get just as much out of teasing him as they can by actually bringing him back at this point. They’ll bring him back, probably later than they should but it’s not like a Ted Kord series was going to set new standard in the industry no matter when they brought him back. Nor is he going to stay dead out of some sort of importance to Booster…Booster is not revolutionizing the industry either.
Ted will be back, it won’t be as big of a deal as you think…after 2 or 3 issues you’ll be over his death and critiquing the writing. It will not a be a life changing experience.
December 15th, 2009 at 11:02 am
I think there’s more going on than just the story about Ted. Boosters been fighting the “Black” Beetle who has been after the “Blue” Beetle Scarab, recently found a “Red” Scarab, and is still looking for more.
We’ve also seen how the new Blue Beetles Scarap went balistic when a Green Lantern was arround.
What’s the link between the scarabs and the lanterns?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Ron
Rons Comic World
Armory Plaza – 1690 Rt 38
Mount Holly, NJ
December 15th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
@Ted – Well-said.
@Ron C. – That’s one of the issues that Dan and I will be talking about when the “Day of Death” TPB hits and we look back at the arc that just ended.
December 16th, 2009 at 12:34 am
@ Ron C
I’ve actually been thinking the same thing. A Beetle Corps, while sounding a little lame, would still be kind of interesting to see.
Normally I am all for killing off old characters and bringing in the next generation. Ted & Booster are two of my all time favorite characters and some of the first monthly titles I followed regularly. I would love to see Ted back, thought I admit his death story is not only one of the best Blue Beetle stories, but one of my favorite DC books in many years. Despite Ted being one of my favorites, I would be ok with replacing him if not for the the way the Beetle legacy was handled after his death.
I don’t like how the scarab goes from being a mystical item to a piece of alien technology/battle suit with ridiculous levels of power. Why is it that Ted and Dan didn’t figure this out or have access to the power? Ok Ted never could access it, but why didn’t Dan? It just doesn’t feel like the Blue Beetle to me. Jaime should be The Scarab or some other beetle themed character, whatever he is, it’s not the Blue Beetle.
I think they should discover that the scarab Jaime has is not the same one that Ted and Dan possessed. Then Dani, Dan’s grand-daughter, should team up with Booster to find the real scarab. Maybe Booster could see it as a way to bring Ted back or something. Dani already has access to all of Ted’s stuff, like the Bug, so she makes and puts on a modified version of Ted’s costume. There would have to be some story element that requires her to wear the costume of course. The story could lead to Dani becoming the new Blue Beetle in honor of Dan and Ted.
That would make sense to me and she would be an actual legacy character. Unlike Jaime who not only has no resemblance to any version of the Blue Beetle, but no ties to the history.
Most, notice I said most not all, of the legacy characters keep it in the “family”, if not by blood then by some type of close relationship. Barry was Wally’s uncle and Bart’s grandpa. Bruce adopted Dick, Jason and Tim. Clark is Kara’s cousin and by sharing DNA he is kind of a brother to Connor. There are more, but I think I made my point.
Why can’t Blue Beetle be an actual legacy character? I mean Jaime came out of left field. I understand the whole appealing to youths and it’s PC to have characters of diverse ethnic backgrounds, but they can keep Jaime around under another name and still bring a legacy BB into the DCU.
Sorry about ranting but like I said Ted and Booster are two of my all time favorite characters and like most fanboys I get aggravated when I see a fav get screwed around.
At least DJ is back on Booster and the characters has gotten some of the respect he deserves. I only wish characters like Booster got more media exposure and a bigger push from corporate.
No offense to Aquaman, John Stewart or Martian Manhunter fans, but honestly I personally don’t know anyone that likes these characters. Yet because DC/WB decided they should be part of the “Big Guns”, star in the cartoons, and get tons of toys and other merchandise, they are now widely recognized by fans and some non-fans alike.
Honestly most non-fans think J.S. is THE Green Lantern and have no idea who Hal even is. Yet Hal is the more popular of the two with fans of the comics. So there is no reason why Booster, Blue Beetle(Ted) or any number of other “minor” characters can’t be put up there with the Big Guns of the DCU and get treated with more respect.