I know nothing about Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, absolutely nothing. There is not only thing I could tell you about Booster Gold outside of whatever I learned from Justice League Unlimited, and no lies I just skip his episode on Netflix whenever I watch the series. My only exposure to Blue Beetle would be The Brave and the Bold animated series, so that’ll tell you how little I care about these characters.
Last time in Justice League 3000, we were treated to a fantastic epilogue to the series’ first arc, which showed how the League and the remaining members of The Five dealt with the aftermath of the battle on Camelot Nine. It was one of the best comics I had read all year, and certainly set a high bar for what was to come. Now, please don’t take the considerably average score as a slight on the issue or an indication that it was a bad comic. It was a fine comic, but my aforementioned lack of foreknowledge of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold definitely prevented me from immersing myself in the experience.
Booster Gold and Blue Beetle talk a lot. Then they walk around Takron-Galtos while they talk. Then they head to one of Blue Beetle’s former haunts and they talk, and talk, and talk. The whole “Odd Couple” shtick gets old really fast for me, with Beetle playing the whiny and neurotic man while Booster is the more wise-talking, emotional partner. I’m sure it appeals to the fans of these heroes, just not me.
Also, there’s a guy dressed up as Blue Beetle on Takron-Galtos, who apparently found Blue Beetle’s stuff and added to it? That was beyond the weakest point of the story. So this guy’s dad just so happened to find Beetle’s stuff around the same time as Beetle was revived. And he just walks around in Beetle’s gear? It was just completely random and thrown in there. Other than that guy, who seems to be a very minor villain in the next issue or so, it was just those two talking.
We get two brief respites from the Blue Beetle and Booster Gold introduction as we cut away to Teri and The Convert talk about the pair. Teri is too busy training and working with the Injustice League – which I would have enjoyed seeing – and basically makes cliché bad guy threats. The other break comes from the JL3K, who have settled in to their new headquarters on Camelot Nine. They are completely unaware of the reemergence of their former allies and instead focus on Etrigan’s Demon Army, which might be a main focus of the next arc. There’s a very cool double-splash page, where Wonder Woman is shown going insane on a host of demons. It’s up close and visceral and violent, and completely awesome.
The artwork of Howard Porter and Hi-Fi is still consistently excellent, and Porter is rising up the ranks of the artists who I look forward to seeing most.
Favorite Quote: “Don’t forget – I was a wealthy man – once.” – Blue Beetle (King of the Hyphens)
Recommended If…
- You REALLY like Blue Beetle and Booster Gold.
- You didn’t hear me, but it’s ONLY Blue Beetle and Booster Gold.
- You…like Blue Beetle and Booster Gold?
Overall: Taking nothing away from the quality of the story or the artwork, both of which were standard for this series, but I just wasn’t into this issue. Maybe it’s because I have so little exposure to Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, but I’m at least interested in where they’re going.
SCORE: 6/10
