Booster Gold makes an appearance in "The Brave and the Bold" this month in a story that feels very much like an issue of "Booster Gold". The main reason for that, of course, is that this month's "B&B" is crafted by the regular creative team from "Booster Gold" -- Dan Jurgens on words and pictures, ably assisted by Norm Rapmund.

This issue is an anomaly to me. Conceptually this works to pair Booster Gold up against and/or with Magog, as both are time displaced heroes. The concept goes a little awry, however, as conflict is forced between the two characters over procedural issues. Booster nitpicks the procedure followed -- or, rather, not followed -- by an over-the-top Magog. "Hello, Kettle? This is Pot. You're black." The issue goes to some pretty extreme lengths to set up a rivalry between Booster and Magog, with Magog picking a fight the whole time.

Jurgens art is a little more scratchy in some areas, and he slips on a couple incongruities (like the height difference between Booster and Magog shifting once or twice), but he is still Dan Jurgens. His storytelling is as readable and direct without dialog as it is with it. His characters are all distinguishable and human.

This issue doesn't do much to aid readers unfamiliar with either character as is likely to happen with regular readers of "The Brave and the Bold". They may know one of these two characters, but would be at a loss if they never read "Kingdom Come," "Justice Society of America," or "Booster Gold". Then again, with the internet being the marvelous resource it is, it wouldn't take much for a reader to catch up on the vagaries of these characters enough as to appreciate the decisions made in this issue.

For a story labeled as "The Beginning" under the title of "Shadows of Tomorrow," this issue is largely forgettable. It might have carried a little more weight over in "Booster Gold" seeing as it attempts to establish a rivalry between Booster and Magog. Here, however, it just feels like it is marking time until the adventures set for next month's issue of "The Brave and the Bold".