Next month, I intend to review the soon to be completed "Heroes in Crisis" miniseries in what will surely be the DC equivalent to my Civil War II review. But before that, I wanted to talk about a precursor to that story that involves the book's writer, Tom King, and one of the main characters, Booster Gold.
Michael Jon Carter was a disgraced football player in the 25th century until taking a security job at a superhero museum allowed him to steal certain items, including one of the museum security robots named Skeets, to travel back in time to make a name for himself as a superhero. He became Booster Gold, and he did not hide the fact that he was in it for fame and money. As time went on though and having to go through personal tragedies, Booster would begin to act more like a real hero. However, his old reputation still makes other heroes look down on and reluctant to work with him. This is also a sentiment some writers tend to have as well.
Tom King entered the comic industry in 2013 and after a number of works at both Marvel and DC, he eventually became the writer for Batman as part of the Rebirth initiative, which he continues to write. King's Batman run has had its ups and downs for me. His first few arcs were just okay, but starting with "The Button", a crossover story with the Flash, his run really started to hit its stride for me. This was partly because he was bringing something new to the character: his engagement to Selina Kyle/Catwoman. It really seemed like the wedding was going to happen, but Selina would end up leaving Bruce at the altar; but due to this happening because of Bane's machinations, I don't think their story is over just yet, especially since King's plan is a 100 issue run, and we're almost three-fourths of the way done. After the non-wedding though, the book's back to hit and miss for me, with the worst part of his run so far being a seven issue arc called "Knightmares" that did nothing to move his story forward at all.
That brings us to today's story, "The Gift", a three-parter in the Batman book that was one of several stories meant to lead up to the wedding, and one that I had mixed feelings about when it first came out. As we look at this story, I plan to prove one thing: Tom King doesn't get Booster Gold.
Part one begins in Gotham City, which looks even shittier than usual with constant fires going through this arc. Green Lantern Hal Jordan is talking crazy to Booster Gold stating he can do anything with enough will power, like blasting himself in the head with his ring and survive. Hal does this and does not actually survive. And it just occured to me that between this and Deadpool 2, 2018 was a popular year for Ryan Reynolds characters killing themselves. Booster's reaction is as follows: "That was...intense. Seriously intense. But y'know...also admittedly, a little bit, or kind of...awesome!" I think this gives you an idea of the kind of Booster that Tom King is giving us.
Booster tells Skeets that they should go find Batman as Skeets tells Booster this is the worst thing he's ever done. Booster indeed finds Batman, but it's a gun-toting one that attempts to kill Booster, and Skeets' scans reveal that this Batman is actually Dick Grayson. After the two are able to escape Bat-Dick, Booster says they need to go find Bruce Wayne, locating him dancing with his mother at his parents' anniversary party.
During all this, we get an idea of the state of Gotham and see where other Bat-related characters are. Tim Drake works at a cubicle at Wayne Enterprises, Jason Todd sells tires that shock people who try to steal them (because irony), Duke Thomas has been lobotomized, Oswald Cobblepot is the President, Ra's al Ghul rules over a combined Europe and Asia, and some kind of disease runs rampant in Gotham that turns people as crazy and violent as the Joker, only effecting the lower classes of the city.
So how did it get so bad? Because of Booster of course. He tells Bruce he wanted to get a wedding gift for him and Catwoman and thought about the time Superman was in a dream world where Krypton never exploded, but it wasn't perfect, which made Superman appreciate the life he does have. So he thought he could do the same thing for Bruce by using Skeets to go back in time and save his parents' lives, so Bruce could see how bad things would be and that he'd have more appreciation for the life he has once he sets things back. Bruce admits he's had dreams of his life as Batman and thanks Booster for doing what he did...and proceeds to destroy Skeets with a fireplace poker, having Alfred escort Booster out of Wayne Manor as Bruce returns to the party.
While the ending of part one does subvert expectations with Bruce allowing the world to go to hell as long as he has his parents, the premise of this story alone has major problems.
1. The story Booster is referring to that served as his inspiration was "For the Man Who Has Everything." In that story, Superman had been tricked into having an alien plant latch onto him by the villain Mongul. The plant is the Black Mercy, which places its victim in a coma where their mind lives out their heart's desire while the plant feeds off the victim's body. I think when Booster heard this story, he wasn't paying close attention. Mongul gave Superman the Black Mercy to kill him, not make him appreciate his life. And Superman was trapped in a dream world which he slowly woke up from; his real life wasn't changed. It's also worth noting that this story was written by Alan Moore, and this is something we'll get into more with "Heroes in Crisis", but Tom King has a tendency to try and emulate Moore.
2. "The Gift" comes only two months off "Booster Shot", a story that shows Booster as a competent hero. Superman had just discovered that his father Jor-El had been transported away from Krypton just before its destruction by an unknown force (though believed to be Dr. Manhattan from "Watchmen") and forced to witness all of the travesties humans have committed on Earth. Believing he made a mistake sending his son to a world with no hope, he became the villain Mr. Oz. Shaken and still unwilling to believe this revelation, Superman uses Flash's Cosmic Treadmill to travel back in time to just before Krypton exploded to see for himself. After failing to arrive in time to stop him, Booster and Skeets chase after Superman because his interference could break time itself, either with Superman trying to save Krypton or dying with the rest of his people. Making sure the timestream is kept in tact and that certain events happen as intended is another role Booster has taken on in the character's history. I am really wondering what happened to Booster between these stories to pull a 180 like this. In "Booster Shot", while he was aware of Superman's well intentions, Booster still knew there was temptation for Superman to try and help. Even if Booster was planning to fix things, where was this concern that Bruce would try and keep the life he has with his parents alive? Hell, things aren't just bad in Gotham, but part two reveals that without Bruce's presence and his strategic knowledge, the Justice League died in battle.
3. This is more of a nitpick, but why is Dick Grayson Batman? I have no doubt that Dick would become a vigilante after his parents' murders and that he would be more bloodthirsty without Bruce to guide him, but why would he specifically become Batman? Did this Dick have some kind of traumatic experience involving bats too?
Part two picks up one year later, with Booster breaking Catwoman out of Arkham Asylum. This version though is a serial killer who can only make cat noises. Booster's plan is to have Bruce meet Selina, realize he loves her, and that will make Bruce want Booster to make the world right again. Again, this is an altered timeline, not a dream. This Bruce and Selina have never met and are extremely different from their mainstream counterparts. This is obviously not a good plan, though Booster thinks all she needs is a leather catsuit. Booster sews the costume (seen on the cover at the top of the page) and it quite resembles the one worn by Michelle Pfeiffer in "Batman Returns"; it's a good homage and fits well given the psychotic nature of these versions of the character.
Later at Wayne Manor, Bruce is with his father who has just recovered from a heart attack. Booster and Catwoman arrive and that's when things go south. After slashing Alfred's neck with her claws, Selina begins scratching away at Thomas only to be stopped by Bat-Dick, who shoots her in the back. Bat-Dick then throws flashbomb/smokebomb at Booster which knocks him out. Bat-Dick then moves to put down Selina once and for all, but he's close enough for her to slice off the tips of his fingers, causing him to drop his gun. The two battle as Martha arrives trying to reach Thomas. Bat-Dick uses another of his guns to shoot Selina again, this bullet going through and also hitting Martha. Bruce picks up the dropped gun from before and fires it right between Bat-Dick's eyes. Bruce screams "NO!" in anguish, surrounded by the bodies of his butler, parents, Bat-Dick and Catwoman. The only other living party is Booster, who has no idea of the bloodbath he caused. "Did I do it? I bet I did it. I'm a hero. I always do it. I have to do it. I saved the world." Booster, with heroes like you, who needs villains?
Part three picks up another year later as Bruce has had his company rebuild Skeets, intending to go back in time one year and save his parents. Unfortunately, Skeets can only be operated by voice command, and that being Booster's. Bruce reluctantly has to use Booster, who he has kept chained beneath the caverns of Wayne Manor in what would have been the Batcave. Booster's also worse for ware, with his hair and beard long and shaggy and body wasting away.
After having Booster cleaned up and reunited with Skeets, Bruce tells Booster to have Skeets take them back in time so he can kill Batman and Catwoman before they kill his parents, return them to the present, and then he'll kill Booster. Booster then tells Skeets to take them back to the night Bruce's parents were killed with a not so subtle wink. Bruce notices and after some rambling dialogue between the two as Skeets powers up, they're all transported back to that night in Crime Alley, but Skeets is shot by Bruce, jumping in the way to save Booster.
The past Booster and Skeets who prevented the Waynes' deaths arrive knowing its time to undo that, with past Booster not analyzing the situation well as past Skeets starts to put the pieces together. Present Booster tries to get Bruce's gun away, but it ends up shooting and killing past Booster (which means all of this story should have been prevented, but when it comes to time travel, it's basically dealer's choice in how the writer wants to handle it). This distracts Bruce long enough for events to play out as they should, with Joe Chill killing Thomas and Martha in front of young Bruce. Unable to handle the trauma, the older Bruce shoots himself in the head, with his blood splattering on Booster.
The story ends with the surviving Booster and Skeets returning to the proper present, telling Batman (Bruce) and Catwoman what he had done, hoping it would make him feel better and that despite his visor being clean, he still sees the other Bruce's blood on it.
If all you know of Booster Gold is his reputation as the moronic showboat, this story may not be so bad for you, but those who have seen his more competent side may find it frustrating. Booster may not be the smartest guy, but he is not as idiotic as Tom King writes him to be in this story. Even taking Booster's characterization out of the equation, it's kind of a mean-spirited and exploitive story as we see familiar characters act so differently. At the same time though, it's almost like watching a multi-car pile-up, where it's fascinating to see just how much worse things can get, this case being Booster's actions. So upon re-reading it, I still have mixed feelings, but it's definitely not better the second time around. If I had to give this story any positive points, it's that Tony Daniel's art is on point as usual.
The events of this story lead Booster to get some therapy at Sanctuary, the secret superhero rehab facility, which is the focus of "Heroes in Crisis". Come back next month as I give my thoughts on that story, where I won't be as lenient as I was with this one.
Part one begins in Gotham City, which looks even shittier than usual with constant fires going through this arc. Green Lantern Hal Jordan is talking crazy to Booster Gold stating he can do anything with enough will power, like blasting himself in the head with his ring and survive. Hal does this and does not actually survive. And it just occured to me that between this and Deadpool 2, 2018 was a popular year for Ryan Reynolds characters killing themselves. Booster's reaction is as follows: "That was...intense. Seriously intense. But y'know...also admittedly, a little bit, or kind of...awesome!" I think this gives you an idea of the kind of Booster that Tom King is giving us.
Booster tells Skeets that they should go find Batman as Skeets tells Booster this is the worst thing he's ever done. Booster indeed finds Batman, but it's a gun-toting one that attempts to kill Booster, and Skeets' scans reveal that this Batman is actually Dick Grayson. After the two are able to escape Bat-Dick, Booster says they need to go find Bruce Wayne, locating him dancing with his mother at his parents' anniversary party.
During all this, we get an idea of the state of Gotham and see where other Bat-related characters are. Tim Drake works at a cubicle at Wayne Enterprises, Jason Todd sells tires that shock people who try to steal them (because irony), Duke Thomas has been lobotomized, Oswald Cobblepot is the President, Ra's al Ghul rules over a combined Europe and Asia, and some kind of disease runs rampant in Gotham that turns people as crazy and violent as the Joker, only effecting the lower classes of the city.
So how did it get so bad? Because of Booster of course. He tells Bruce he wanted to get a wedding gift for him and Catwoman and thought about the time Superman was in a dream world where Krypton never exploded, but it wasn't perfect, which made Superman appreciate the life he does have. So he thought he could do the same thing for Bruce by using Skeets to go back in time and save his parents' lives, so Bruce could see how bad things would be and that he'd have more appreciation for the life he has once he sets things back. Bruce admits he's had dreams of his life as Batman and thanks Booster for doing what he did...and proceeds to destroy Skeets with a fireplace poker, having Alfred escort Booster out of Wayne Manor as Bruce returns to the party.
While the ending of part one does subvert expectations with Bruce allowing the world to go to hell as long as he has his parents, the premise of this story alone has major problems.
1. The story Booster is referring to that served as his inspiration was "For the Man Who Has Everything." In that story, Superman had been tricked into having an alien plant latch onto him by the villain Mongul. The plant is the Black Mercy, which places its victim in a coma where their mind lives out their heart's desire while the plant feeds off the victim's body. I think when Booster heard this story, he wasn't paying close attention. Mongul gave Superman the Black Mercy to kill him, not make him appreciate his life. And Superman was trapped in a dream world which he slowly woke up from; his real life wasn't changed. It's also worth noting that this story was written by Alan Moore, and this is something we'll get into more with "Heroes in Crisis", but Tom King has a tendency to try and emulate Moore.
2. "The Gift" comes only two months off "Booster Shot", a story that shows Booster as a competent hero. Superman had just discovered that his father Jor-El had been transported away from Krypton just before its destruction by an unknown force (though believed to be Dr. Manhattan from "Watchmen") and forced to witness all of the travesties humans have committed on Earth. Believing he made a mistake sending his son to a world with no hope, he became the villain Mr. Oz. Shaken and still unwilling to believe this revelation, Superman uses Flash's Cosmic Treadmill to travel back in time to just before Krypton exploded to see for himself. After failing to arrive in time to stop him, Booster and Skeets chase after Superman because his interference could break time itself, either with Superman trying to save Krypton or dying with the rest of his people. Making sure the timestream is kept in tact and that certain events happen as intended is another role Booster has taken on in the character's history. I am really wondering what happened to Booster between these stories to pull a 180 like this. In "Booster Shot", while he was aware of Superman's well intentions, Booster still knew there was temptation for Superman to try and help. Even if Booster was planning to fix things, where was this concern that Bruce would try and keep the life he has with his parents alive? Hell, things aren't just bad in Gotham, but part two reveals that without Bruce's presence and his strategic knowledge, the Justice League died in battle.
3. This is more of a nitpick, but why is Dick Grayson Batman? I have no doubt that Dick would become a vigilante after his parents' murders and that he would be more bloodthirsty without Bruce to guide him, but why would he specifically become Batman? Did this Dick have some kind of traumatic experience involving bats too?
Part two picks up one year later, with Booster breaking Catwoman out of Arkham Asylum. This version though is a serial killer who can only make cat noises. Booster's plan is to have Bruce meet Selina, realize he loves her, and that will make Bruce want Booster to make the world right again. Again, this is an altered timeline, not a dream. This Bruce and Selina have never met and are extremely different from their mainstream counterparts. This is obviously not a good plan, though Booster thinks all she needs is a leather catsuit. Booster sews the costume (seen on the cover at the top of the page) and it quite resembles the one worn by Michelle Pfeiffer in "Batman Returns"; it's a good homage and fits well given the psychotic nature of these versions of the character.
Later at Wayne Manor, Bruce is with his father who has just recovered from a heart attack. Booster and Catwoman arrive and that's when things go south. After slashing Alfred's neck with her claws, Selina begins scratching away at Thomas only to be stopped by Bat-Dick, who shoots her in the back. Bat-Dick then throws flashbomb/smokebomb at Booster which knocks him out. Bat-Dick then moves to put down Selina once and for all, but he's close enough for her to slice off the tips of his fingers, causing him to drop his gun. The two battle as Martha arrives trying to reach Thomas. Bat-Dick uses another of his guns to shoot Selina again, this bullet going through and also hitting Martha. Bruce picks up the dropped gun from before and fires it right between Bat-Dick's eyes. Bruce screams "NO!" in anguish, surrounded by the bodies of his butler, parents, Bat-Dick and Catwoman. The only other living party is Booster, who has no idea of the bloodbath he caused. "Did I do it? I bet I did it. I'm a hero. I always do it. I have to do it. I saved the world." Booster, with heroes like you, who needs villains?
Part three picks up another year later as Bruce has had his company rebuild Skeets, intending to go back in time one year and save his parents. Unfortunately, Skeets can only be operated by voice command, and that being Booster's. Bruce reluctantly has to use Booster, who he has kept chained beneath the caverns of Wayne Manor in what would have been the Batcave. Booster's also worse for ware, with his hair and beard long and shaggy and body wasting away.
After having Booster cleaned up and reunited with Skeets, Bruce tells Booster to have Skeets take them back in time so he can kill Batman and Catwoman before they kill his parents, return them to the present, and then he'll kill Booster. Booster then tells Skeets to take them back to the night Bruce's parents were killed with a not so subtle wink. Bruce notices and after some rambling dialogue between the two as Skeets powers up, they're all transported back to that night in Crime Alley, but Skeets is shot by Bruce, jumping in the way to save Booster.
The past Booster and Skeets who prevented the Waynes' deaths arrive knowing its time to undo that, with past Booster not analyzing the situation well as past Skeets starts to put the pieces together. Present Booster tries to get Bruce's gun away, but it ends up shooting and killing past Booster (which means all of this story should have been prevented, but when it comes to time travel, it's basically dealer's choice in how the writer wants to handle it). This distracts Bruce long enough for events to play out as they should, with Joe Chill killing Thomas and Martha in front of young Bruce. Unable to handle the trauma, the older Bruce shoots himself in the head, with his blood splattering on Booster.
The story ends with the surviving Booster and Skeets returning to the proper present, telling Batman (Bruce) and Catwoman what he had done, hoping it would make him feel better and that despite his visor being clean, he still sees the other Bruce's blood on it.
If all you know of Booster Gold is his reputation as the moronic showboat, this story may not be so bad for you, but those who have seen his more competent side may find it frustrating. Booster may not be the smartest guy, but he is not as idiotic as Tom King writes him to be in this story. Even taking Booster's characterization out of the equation, it's kind of a mean-spirited and exploitive story as we see familiar characters act so differently. At the same time though, it's almost like watching a multi-car pile-up, where it's fascinating to see just how much worse things can get, this case being Booster's actions. So upon re-reading it, I still have mixed feelings, but it's definitely not better the second time around. If I had to give this story any positive points, it's that Tony Daniel's art is on point as usual.
The events of this story lead Booster to get some therapy at Sanctuary, the secret superhero rehab facility, which is the focus of "Heroes in Crisis". Come back next month as I give my thoughts on that story, where I won't be as lenient as I was with this one.
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