Booster Gold

Volume 2

The second volume of Booster Gold’s solo comic launched in October 2007. After the first twelve issues, the initial co-writers, Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz, departed, leaving Dan Jurgens as the primary writer and artist, with Norm Rapmund assisting on art. Starting with issue #32, Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis—who had written the 1980s Justice League International series, which Booster had been part of—took over the writing. Chris Batista handled interior art, and former JLI artist Kevin Maguire provided covers for issues #32 through #36. Giffen, DeMatteis, and Batista left after issue #43, and Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund returned to write and draw the final story arc, a crossover with the Flashpoint event. The series concluded in August 2011 with issue #47.

Key characters in this volume include Booster Gold, whose real name is Michael Jon Carter. He was a college football star from the 25th century who became a time-traveling adventurer. His boss, Rip Hunter, is a mysterious time master who keeps his identity secret. It is later revealed that Rip is actually Booster’s future son, though Booster does not know this. Additionally, Booster’s future self secretly monitors Rip’s progress in shaping his younger counterpart into the hero he is meant to become. Skeets is an artificially intelligent robot that accompanies Booster on his journeys. Goldstar, whose real name is Michelle Carter, is Booster’s twin sister from the future. She once worked as his partner but fled into time after learning she would have died if Rip had not saved her while time traveling. Booster later found her in Coast City and brought her back to the present. Blue Beetle is Jaime Reyes, a teenager who has taken on the Blue Beetle mantle and struggles to balance his double life as a high school student and a superhero. Supernova is Daniel Carter, an unemployed ancestor of Booster, Goldstar, Rip Hunter, and Jon Carter living in the present day. He reluctantly takes on the Supernova identity.