#22 Claire Montgomery
I had to debate if Claire earned a spot, she's up here for representing an important time in Boosters' life. The second ex-wife to Maxwell Lord and the woman in charge of the second superhero team Booster joined the Conglomerate. She saw something special in Booster and placed him on her team later claiming it was because she knew he was a good man.
Why she's important to Booster: The two had romantic undertones, both expressing an interest in pursuing a relationship beyond the one they had in the work place. Sadly this was not developed more. I think it could have been interesting to see how/if he'd handle dating his boss and the ex of a friend as well as Maxs' reactions. (I can't recall Max ever expressing knowledge of such a relationship.) She'd be a great character to explore, I'm a little surprised they haven't given all the attention Booster and Maxs' friendship/rivalry was given.
As for the main reason she's on here, Claire found Booster at a time he was sick of being considered a joke in the Justice League. I said in the Dirk entry that Boosters' business ventures haven't really been taken seriously since the first BG series but this is probably the closest he's gotten afterward. The reason I don't count it is that the Conglomerate was never fully fleshed out into serious players and even had to get bailed out by the league. Still the time on the team marks the first time Booster made his intentions to be taken seriously clear. Claire obviously saw the same potential Max did and even more incredible she noted his leadership abilities giving him the chance to lead a superhero group. Did he earn it? Was he ready? Questionable with his and Teds' petty bickering but that's another story. The point is that she noticed that the potential was there, something that's finally getting attention
Suggested Reading: Justice League Quarterly #1 Vol. 1 Claire shows that she's not just a smart business woman but an insightful one too. She's able to see that not only does he put on a facade for the rest of the world but why he does it. The whole issue is a good look at Booster but I've always felt this part in particular gets to the heart of who he is.
Good choice. I rather miss Claire. Is she still around, or has she been killed off in a pointless cross-over? It's a little hard to keep track nowadays.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what SHE thinks of Max going evil.
I always liked her. I don't think she was used for awhile, I never heard about her being killed.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I want to know. I'd love to see her involved in the new JLI and have her talking with Booster over the matter.