Dan Jurgens keeps rolling with the adventures of Booster Gold, Rip Hunter, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and Superman as they try to re-establish their quest to locate Bruce Wayne. The quest has led these heroes to cross paths with forgotten DC properties Claw the Unconquered and Starfire. The two outsider characters bring trouble with them and the quartet of heroes gets further delayed in their quest to find Batman.
There are other plots spinning through this story, and those other two stories - the "secret origins" of Rip Hunter and the quest for the Linear Men - are far more interesting and enjoyable than the primary tale. These other tales seem quite disconnected from the quest for Bruce Wayne, but are instead extensions of the plots Jurgens was working on during his stint on "Booster Gold" prior to that title shifting over Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis.
Rip's story is entertaining and continues to contribute to the legend of Rip Hunter, weaving his story into the fabric of the DC Universe more completely. This installment includes a visit with Brainiac 5 in the era of the Legion of the Super-Heroes. Rip's recollections of his developmental days allude to great things coming up in the future of Booster Gold. It doesn't, however, add anything to the quest for Bruce Wayne.
The search for the Linear Men is led by Black (although he's mostly depicted as wearing red armor) Beetle. Why Beetle, Per Degaton, Despero, and Ultra-Humanite are looking for the Linear Men, and what they plan to do once they find them is undefined as of yet, but clearly it has something to do with defeating Rip Hunter.
Jurgens' art is good throughout this issue, as it has been throughout his work on the recent adventures of Booster Gold. Jurgens, Rapmund, and Hi-Fi make this book a visual treat, with a wonderful collection of characters and locations. I would like to see Jurgens drop in a little more diversity in the features of his characters as Claw doesn't look much different than Booster Gold in a long black wig. Jurgens style is clean and crisp and his storytelling is among the best in the business today, but if he would punch in some variance, his artwork would be that much more impressive.
The end result is a series that makes a nice companion title for the "Booster Gold" series and does a fine job of allowing Jurgens to move his stories forward while also exploring Rip Hunter's origins and history. It's not mandatory reading for Batfans (yet) but it is a nice supplement for fans of "Booster Gold." I'd like to see this book become more than a supplement or a companion title, though, especially since it is running for an extra dollar per issue.