Booster Gold #35 and Justice League: Generation Lost: It's a Good Time to Be a Booster Gold Fan!

About Six months ago, if you had asked me whether or not I'd be sticking on the Booster Gold book for the next year, I'd have told you that I was actually planning to drop the title very soon. Well today, I'm actually reading two different comics where Booster Gold plays a major role and both of those comics happen to be some of the best stuff I'm reading from DC at the moment. Yes, Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Judd Winnick are helping to make me remember why I love Booster so damn much with Booster Gold and Justice League: Generation Lost.

Booster Gold itself is a blast to read lately. It's got just the right balance of joke-y-ness and heart that it brings Booster back to his glory days of the JLI, yet it doesn't just forget the last four years of major developing that the character has gone through. This issue is no different as we get a good old fashioned Blue and Gold adventure thanks to the magic of Booster's time traveling abilities. Oh, and Big Barda and Mr. Miracle are there, too. Seriously, time travel is the best plot device ever.

Still, I really want to see some more of Booster interacting with Rani, the Daxamite girl our hero saved from Darkseid's forces at the start of this run; not only am I intrigued with the idea of Booster as a dad, but Rani's just a fun character in general. Last issue's best moments came thanks to her and "Boppy" Rip Hunter and this issue we get to see some tidbits of her bonding with Booster's sister Michelle. I'm dying to see her and Booster interact more because she and Booster had some of the best moments of the first issue in this run and I feel that there's more to be had here.

Meanwhile, our other book with Booster Gold is Justice League: Generation Lost. This is more a JLI book than a Booster Gold book, but this issue in particular focuses in on our golden boy quite a bit. It's this issue that seems to solidify him as the leader of this group, which is a development that I think fits right in with what Booster's been building up to in the last few years.

Of course we also get some great moments with the rest of the team; seeing Jaime written this well has me excited to be reading the character again, since the only other option outside of back issues is Teen Titans, which is like calling a dip in a septic tank an alternative to bathing. Then there's the new Rocket Red who's just a fun character to read; an admitted Russian hypocrite who want to be with the Justice League despite his anti-western beliefs and Fire plays the perfect straight man for him. Then there's Ice and Captain Atom, who both have a great moment together towards the end of the book.

Finally there's Max, who makes a damn good villain in this book. He's the bad guy who truly believes he's doing the right thing, and he's a real jerk about it, too. I hate him so damn much and it's for all the right reasons. I could explain what makes him so great, but the cover above this paragraph does it so much better. That smug, classy bastard!

Both books have nice art that fit their respective tones perfectly, thanks to Giffen and Chris Batista on Booster Gold, and Aaron Lopresti on Generation Lost. The beginning and end of Booster are a bit wonky looking, but not so much that I hate it. In fact it's that quirky kind of good that I love. It's different and unconventional enough that people are probably going to hate it, but just offbeat enough for me.

Overall, as the title says, it's a good time to be a Booster Gold fan. His own solo title is everything I love about the character and Justice League: Generation Lost is hands down the best Justice League book AND the best Brightest Day book out there. If you aren't reading either of these books, hop on now!