Admittedly, I am not a long-time Booster fan.  In fact, this is the first “Booster Gold” issue I have ever read.  That said, I would consider myself a fan of the character based on his appearances in other comic titles I’ve read.

I picked up this issue because a “Bwa-ha-ha” comic with Booster sounded really damn appealing.  I really don’t know the creative team, but I had heard good things.  And, it seemed from the solicit that this story arc would tie into the Generation Lost storyline from Brightest Day, which I have to admit has me intrigued because of the unfinished business between Booster and Maxwell Lord.

This comic is a text-heavy slog for the first 3/4 of the book.  While the action is engaging, the main antagonist is rather ridiculous, which makes it difficult to take her seriously.  Even Booster, who is struggling for his life, has trouble taking her seriously.  We eventually learn that villain is deadly, but by that point, she has disappeared leaving no chance for any rising action or conflict between her and the hero.

Unfortunately, the book is also not overly funny.  In the first part of this book, the humor seems forced and perhaps too “wacky” given that the characters are fighting for their lives.  In the latter pages of the book, once the immediate threat is over, the style of humor seemed less out of place.  It could also have been the re-appearance of Skeets, and his sarcastic dead-pan style, that quickly brought the comedic balance back into alignment. 

Either way, the last 1/4 of the book is the real reason we’ve come here.  In its few remaining pages, this book begins to lay the foundation for the Generation Lost storyline, and we get a sense of what Booster is up against, which undoubtedly is a lot. With the last page reveal, even though it is nothing new, the tension gets ratcheted up quickly and we are left anticipating the monumental story to come. 

It appears that this book will run in parallel with the Generation Lost title, and given the size and scope of what I expect will be a very important story in the life of Booster Gold, having the extra pages should be a good thing.  My only reservation going forward is the unevenness of the book.  I hope the end more accurately reflects what we can expect
from this creative team on this title in the future.  If I was breaking the review in two parts, the first half would get a 2 and the last half would get a 4.  Therefore, I give the story an overall grade of 3.