52 #15 promises to be a pretty big issue. The cover ominously foreshadows the death of Booster Gold. My feeling is that since this cover has been online for quite some time that DC purposely put it out there as a total red herring. I just don’t think Booster is going to be the one to die. Enough speculation, let’s hit this review.
Creative Team
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid
Penciler: Shawn Moll
Inker: Tom Nguyen
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: Week 15, Day 4: This issue starts with Booster receiving a letter for Ferris Aircraft firing him as their spokesperson. Booster then reads online news stories about how popular Supernova is and how vastly unpopular Booster is. Booster asks Skeets if anything big is supposed to happen tonight so he can go out there and get some good press. Skeets mentions a carjacking and a power outage which are not big enough for Booster. Then Skeets mentions a nuclear sub crashing into midtown Metropolis.
We then see a nuclear sub crash through the street in midtown and a giant monster coming out from under the nuclear sub.
We then cut to the Kahndaq jail where Renee_Montoya and The Question are being held captive. We see Montoya in her cell thinking about how each day, her captors beat her several times a day trying to get her to admit to killing the men in the warehouse from last issue. (We all know that Abbott is the real killer.) The jailors comment how much fire Montoya has in her and pull her out of her cell to take her to a room to “interrogate” her once more. Montoya hopes that the Question is ok; because the last time she walked past his cell he looked barely alive. When Montoya passes the Question’s cell it is empty. Montoya freaks out demanding to know what happened to her friends. Montoya can’t bear the thought of losing another partner. Suddenly, smoke pours from out of the Questions’ cell. The Question takes out one of the guards while Montoya takes out the second one. Montoya takes the keys to the Question’s cell and unlocks it. Montoya tells the Question she is happy to see him. He responds that they are in this together till the end. Then they make an escape from the jail.
We shift back to Metropolis. Clark conducts some internet research and discovers that the monster in midtown is called a Ballostro which is a mythic creature that attaches itself to sea craft in search of land prey. Kent runs off for midtown.
We then zip over to midtown Metropolis and see Booster Gold getting his butt kicked by the Ballostro. Booster Gold then decides to tear out the main power cable from the midtown rail and shock the monster. Unfortunately, the fluctuation of power by tearing out the rail’s main power line causes the entire midtown electrical grid to blow and causes a blackout. (Ooops. Poor Booster can’t catch a break.)
Supernova then appears and lights the area up so that the bystanders can get to safety. With one swoop Supernova flies through the Ballostro and the monster suddenly disappears. The crowd of bystanders cheer Supernova and jeer Booster Gold. Supernova extends his hand to help up Booster and then makes a nasty dig by telling Booster that he knows that Booster isn’t paying any attention to the people since he never has and why should he start to pay attention to them now.
Booster flies into a fit of rage and attacks Supernova. Skeets interrupts the brawl and tells Booster than the submarine’s nuclear reactor core is in danger of exploding. Booster punches out Supernova and says that he will handle the submarine. Booster reprograms his suit to process the core’s radiation. Booster stands on the submarine and absorbs the radiation and redirects it to his antigrav and his force field. The sub with Booster on it levitates high into the air. They both glow brightly.
Booster exclaims that everyone should forget Supernova. That Booster Gold is the famous name and that he is back. Suddenly, the submarine erupts into a massive explosion. Skeets panics saying that this was not in his history records. Supernova flies up and catches Booster’s body. Supernova lands and tells Clark Kent that he couldn’t save him. We see Booster’s bare skull stripped of all his flesh. End of issue.
We are “treated” to a two page origin of Steel. End of issue.
Comments
The Good: Excellent. The boys at DC cranked out another fine issue of 52. I really enjoyed 52 #15. It was certainly depressing, but very well done. With the exception of the one prison scene, this issue rightfully focused all of its attention on the total deconstruction of Booster Gold. This issue had a nice flow and moved along at just the right pace. The writers crafted some very solid dialogue and got the reader hooked into this issue from the very beginning.
The Kahndaq prison scene was first-rate. The Question and Montoya have always had great chemistry, but their relationship was kicked up yet another notch with this scene. You could feel the terror in Montoya’s mind as she panicked when seeing the Question’s empty cell. The writers did a fine job further fleshing out Montoya’s character which, for the most part, has read like a generic character from a cheap detective novel.
I have always thought that the Question and Montoya make a great team and this scene just further cemented that belief. I like the connection that these two characters have with each other. They also demonstrated excellent team work while improvising their escape. I really hope that DC keeps these two together when the Question gets his own title.
I definitely enjoyed the Booster Gold storyline. Over the past several issues Booster’s character has gotten less and less likeable and more and more repugnant and pathetic. In this issue, Booster turning aside “missions” like a car jacking as two minor and not enough glory underscores that he could care less about helping people. He simply wants a big splashy event to place his name in some headlines. Booster is the Randy Moss of the super hero world. Why save a person from a small carjacking? The satisfaction of being a hero and helping someone without the fame and glory doesn’t appeal to Booster. It was a neat little touch that it was actually Booster who caused the carjacking and the blackout.
Booster Gold has become truly despicable and he finally hits rock bottom and pays the ultimate price. He losses his life. The best part about Booster’s death scene is that he didn’t risk his life trying to be a true hero in an attempt to save innocent bystanders. No. Booster lost his life in one final truly egotistical and glory hogging maneuver. His addiction to fame and fortune brought about his death. Very well done.
Now, I know many people are going to be upset with this death. Many people feel that DC has it out for Giffen’s Justice_League_International. I really liked this story and I liked Booster’s death. Now, I thought DC was trying to throw us off by showing us the cover to 52 #15 weeks ago. It seemed odd that DC would purposely spoil a “big” death. This leads me to believe that Booster’s “death” is a red herring. I think that Supernova is actually Booster Gold. Booster’s death in this issue is the “death” of the old glory seeking opportunist Booster. We will then see Booster Gold be revealed to be Supernova who has come back to our time as a true hero. A man who has learned from his past and now wants to earn the trust and admiration of Metropolis by being a true hero. From the ashes of the old Booster will rise a new and better Booster who is a true hero. I think this is also what DC has planned for Ralph Dibny.
Shawn Moll’s artwork is respectable. Nothing great, but certainly not bad. It doesn’t get in the way of a well done story and that is all it has to really do.
The Bad: The origin of Steel back up story was pretty much a waste of two pages. I say this every week and I’ll say it again. I’d rather get two more pages of the 52 storyline than these origin back-ups.
Overall: 52 #15 was another excellent issue. DC just continues to impress me with this title. First, it hasn’t been delayed a single week. Second, the storyline is well crafted, plotted and paced. I wish all comic books were as entertaining as 52! Yes, 52 has taken a decidedly darker turn with the past several issues. But, everyone knows that the writers are simply setting up the story so we can eventually get to a positive ending.