What Booster Gold is able to do without the suit. Dan Jurgens has stated in interviews that he hasn't revealed all the backstory for Booster for a reason. For future stories and such. (I believe from the Gold Exchange by Russ Burlingame. I'd have to go through them all to know for sure.) Still some of it has been hinted at if not mentioned in passing. I'll add to it more but if there's something you think I should add let me know.
History Student: I'm putting this here because far too many readers seem ignorant of this fact. It may be because some see Boosters' façade more than who the character actually is. Or simply that some writers make him seem kinda of dim. But the truth is it was a subject he took seriously, the reason he didn't know more about the past was because history isn't always exact. Facts are hidden or forgotten over time. It's also been canonically state that history wasn't Michelle's greatest subject.
Gymnastics/Possible martial arts training: This was more hinted at than shown in the comics and thus is mostly looked over. In Booster Gold #18 VOL.1 Booster is shown training on a pommel horse with skill that'd impress Dick Grayson. Even suggesting he'd make the Olympics, something that seemed entirely possible. Jurgens has shown Booster preforming some interesting moves in his art that hint at him knowing more extensive fighting than we assumed. When asked he confirmed that the character had more training since he was interested in such things.
Advanced Computer Skills: The first time I recall this being mentioned was in CTIF when Booster told Ted that since he was from the future that made present day tech primitive to him. Whether this was true or not wasn't sure at the time since Booster seemed to take over computer duties just to save Ted. Much later at the end of Booster Gold Vol. 2 he finds himself in an altered world and makes the same claims about the systems in present day being easy for him to hack. Only this time he actually does it and is able to get into government computers undetected. This however isn't the same type of tech savvy as Rip Hunter being able to create a Time Sphere. For one thing the time spheres were supposed to be hard to perfect and for another building things without directions has never been Boosters' thing.
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I have always loved Giffen and DeMatteis, but I didn't love the way that they made Booster into an idiot. Like Guy, he's a lot smarter than he appears to be.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't think they did it so much in the old JLI. But I loathe I can't believe it's not the Justice League and Formerly Known as the Justice League. Not just for how Booster was written but that played a big part of it.
ReplyDeleteThey actually made him smart in their run on Booster Gold but there were still a lot of problems on their run.
Near the end of his second solo series Booster does actually build (or at least gets ordered to by Rip) a Time Sphere on his own (after the old one got destroyed in Italy during WWII).
ReplyDeleteYeah but that didn't fit in canon. Jurgens, Johns and even Giffin himself have Booster admit at different points that he doesn't know how to build things. Jurgens actually said that Booster wouldn't know how to make a Time Sphere in a interview during that time.
ReplyDeleteDeMatteis and Giffin aren't what I'd call experts on the character. I believe in another Gold Exchange interview DeMatteis admitted they didn't bother to look into Boosters' series, which is why they never used Skeets or mentioned Michelle back in the JLI days.
Since several other writers stories support Jurgens view I don't count that bit from Giffin/DeMatteis.
I love these thoughtful Booster Gold posts!
ReplyDeleteAgreed that Booster is mechanically competent but not mechanically minded. He built his original costume from parts with Skeets' guidance, so there is no reason to think he couldn't assemble a Time Sphere with Rip's guidance. (After all, Rip has always been shown to tell his subordinate Time Masters how to make mechanical repairs to the ship, but certainly none have his genius for creating time travel devices on their own.)
On the other hand, I've never been too sure that Booster would be able to handle 21st century technology with unnatural ease. This would presume that technology doesn't make huge advances over the next 5 centuries. I don't know that kids today would adjust well to pre-industrial society despite their upbringing in advanced technology.
That said, Booster is clever and pop-culture savvy. I think he'd live as close to the cutting edge of technology as possible, and he may therefore have a far better understanding of technology's capabilities than an average user. Therefore, seeing him use modern-day "primitive" technology at an elite level shouldn't be too surprising.
I love writing them. ;) There needs to be more Booster Gold love.
ReplyDeleteYeah, if Booster has the proper directions he can do it. If he knew how to build these things on his own he wouldn't have had problems rebuilding his suits or Skeets. Which was actually another quibble I had with the Giffin/DeMatteis take when they had him fix his suit. by himself, with tech from the 31st century. Ted couldn't adapt present day tech with Boosters' yet Booster could do it with scraps from centuries after his time?
Hacking I could see him doing because some of this might be pretty basic to him. I do find it interesting despite hanging out with Ted these factors seem to be things Booster doesn't flaunts. Yeah Booster shows off a lot but he can be a private person too. Some cards he keeps close to the vest.