Writers Block: Rip Hunter Subtle Depth? Part 4

Keith Giffin:

Giffin actually did a one issue fill in making his own writing style more apparent. And since it's been said that he mostly does plotting when he co-writes I'm going to put DeMatteis down as the one making most of the character beats during their run. That and how different issue 20 reads against their joint venture. I don't really understand Giffins' take of Rip. He has Rip act ruder than he normally does all to create the pretense that he's too busy to get Booster to go on a "secret" mission. I'm not really sure why this was needed instead of Rip just telling Booster to go to the 50s' since hiding it achieves nothing.

And while the tension between them isn't as bad as it'll get from Day of Death forward I can't quite picture Booster suddenly deciding they should bond especially with Rip acting like he is. I'd expect him to get more sarcastic, defensive or mad at being treated like he was an idiot. He's already treated like one in the regular DCU and is doing it because the guy who's pretending he's annoyed with him said to. Under Giffins' JLI run Booster didn't react well to being disrespected. Even when being briefed Rips' treating him like he's a two year old that peed in the pool. This is made worse by Rip Hunter Time Master telling him the name should sound familiar to Booster--a name that isn't the right name of the Rocket Red Booster worked with in JLI.

Although he does ask if there's anything Booster wanted to do in the 50s' he still treats the entire thing like a chore. I just get this impression that Rips' grumpy for a majority of his pages. Rip can be strict, stern and exasperated but he's also amused, caught up in his work and more sensitive towards his family. Props for Jurgens art implying that Rip gave his coat up for the Fronzie imitation.