SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Action Comics #995, by Dan Jurgens, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse and Rob Leigh, on sale now.
It was nearly one year ago that writer Dan Jurgens first teased the post-Rebirth debut of the time-traveling, corporate-sponsored superhero Booster Gold.
Created by Jurgens in the mid-80s, the cult favorite character hadn’t been seen in DC Comics continuity since the launch of The New 52. Perhaps best known for his exploits with Ted Kord/Blue Beetle, Booster’s return in the pages of Action Comics has swiftly reestablished his familiar “time cop” status quo, much to the chagrin of Superman, who’s still coping with the fallout of “The Oz Effect.” However, in Action Comics #995, the Man of Steel’s daddy issues are put on the back burner, as the return of a prominent figure in Booster’s life reveals that perhaps the two heroes have more in common than they think.
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As the issue kicks off, Booster and Superman find themselves in Gotham City in the year 2462. This, of course, is significant in its own right because it’s the first time we’ve seen Booster return to his home timeline since stealing the time sphere and traveling back to the 20th century.
Unfortunately, Booster isn’t able to enjoy this unexpected homecoming. Not only are he and Superman still dealing with their Eradicator problem from the last issue, but he’s also a wanted man in this era. Thus, it doesn’t take long for his presence to attract some unwanted attention.
While Superman and Skeets flee to protect the time sphere, Booster, who was knocked unconscious in the battle with the Eradicator, is taken into custody by the local authorities. As he starts to come to, we see a blurry, yet somewhat familiar face, along with a word balloon that reads, “Wake up, son.” It doesn’t take long for us – or Booster – to realize that the cellmate is none other than Booster’s father, Jonar Carter.
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Created by Dan Jurgens, Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz, Jonar Carter made his DC Comics debut in October 2007, in the pages of Booster Gold #1. A compulsive gambler, Jonar abandoned his family when Booster and his twin sister Michelle were just four years old, disappearing for more than a decade before his increasing gambling debts forced him to turn to his son, now a successful college football player, for financial aid.
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Jonar tried to convince Booster to “fix” his games so he could bet on them and score some quick cash, but unbeknownst to Jonar, Booster had already resorted to this dubious tactic in order to pay for his mother’s expensive medical care. Eventually, though, Booster’s illicit activities were exposed and he was subsequently expelled, while his father managed to wind up in prison due to his own illegal behavior. (This is presumably where the current issue takes place.)
Not long after that, Jonar earned a parole-of-sorts when Rex Hunter of the Time Stealers recruited him as a field agent. However, the villainous Venutian worm known as Mister Mind was able to possess Jonar’s body by hiding in his ear, forcing him to steal the Supernova suit from Daniel Carter – the 21st-century ancestor of Booster and Jonar.
As the new Supernova, Jonar traveled through time and attempted to stop key moments in superhero history from ever happening, including the birth of Jonathan Kent’s great-grandfather Silas. Every time one of his plans was about to come to fruition, though, Booster – usually accompanied by Skeets and/or Rip Hunter – was there to stop him.
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Eventually, while trying to save both Ted Kord and the timeline, Booster learned that it was, in fact, Mister Mind who was the true puppet master, and to stop him, Booster fired off a shot at Supernova’s ear. Unfortunately, that’s all he hit – his father’s ear, which prompted him to call his son a failure before he passed out from the pain.
As Skeets fills the Man of Steel in on Booster’s estranged father, it becomes increasingly clear that – despite their drastically different moral codes – Superman and Booster Gold aren’t as different as the former would care to admit. As Skeets says, “Michael’s journey through time to become Booster Gold is not unlike [Superman’s] trek from Krypton to Earth. It’s precisely what was supposed to happen, according to the dictates of time.”
These words obviously strike a chord with the Big Blue Boy Scout.
“I may not condone your actions, but I understand them,” Superman says as he breaks Booster out of jail, leaving Jonar behind (probably with a few new scars). And judging by the circumstances, that’s probably as good a compliment as any. Whether or not it helps pave the way for a new Blue and Gold, though? That remains to be seen.
Action Comics #995, by Dan Jurgens, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse and Rob Leigh, is on sale now. Action Comics #996 hits stands Jan. 24.