Booster Gold #10 (Volume 1)

The 1000 are still causing trouble for Booster and things are about to get worse.

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD



Title: "Death Grip of the 1000"

The 1000 remind Dirk to do what they want and deliver proof that Sarah is still alive. Ballard is furious that he underestimated Booster. He explains (out loud to himself) that the fact that Booster is so public will be his downfall as they can strike out at the people he cares about. One of the many twists that made this series different was how it dealt with superhero clichés. He didn't have a secret ID per se and that would obviously cause him trouble. I don't think this was ever explored after this series but when this was published I don't think many heroes had this problem. It was more about keeping their IDs a secret that caused drama. One of the many reasons Booster Gold is a breath of fresh air.

Anyway with the heat being unbearable and Trixie working late again Booster offers her a ride home saying it's something a boss should do. Both are hungry and decide to catch a bite to eat when Trixie tells him that she's not in the mood for dealing with his fame. While he's talked into dressing like a normal guy he has trouble discussing anything besides work. What else can they talk about? Trixie suggests he start with the basics. She's noticed the mistakes he's made in the past and suspects there's more to him than he's admitting. It's one of my favorite scenes in the series with Trixie being the one person that really cares to find out who he is. Booster struggles to put the act away and admits that he's been using the persona so long that he doesn't remember how to be himself. With everyone else he makes up some lie or changes the subject. He doesn't with Trixie even though Skeets told him that he can't reveal the truth about himself.

I have a couple theories centered around why he decides to be open with her. I think that he knows her enough to realize she's sincere, something that Booster doesn't get with most people he deals with. But he only gets as far as asking her if she ever thought about the future before he has to go back into hero mode. Trixie's no fool though and piece together what he said wondering if her deduction is correct. It is.

Elsewhere the bodies of Benny and Marty are found. Their capture and deaths were a shock since they were mostly shows as comic relief. It shows how serious things are getting and raises the stakes. Goodbye comic book guys, although your presence was brief you were both enjoyed.

Booster saves innocents from a fire when the 1000 attack to test his abilities. They have no intent to harm him (yet) but they find out that he's losing power each day. It's another example of Booster not thinking before he's leaping that gets him in trouble. The robots are dealt with but the damage has already been done. The 1000 know more about his power levels than Booster does. Dirk meets up with Booster as the reporters flock in to ask about his relationship with Monica Lake. Trixie gets ticked off as Booster goes back to his hero persona leading to her asking Dirk for a ride home. Dirk in turn asks her what's going on between the two of them. Seeing that she's taking this personally he admits that nothing is actually going on between Monica and Booster, it's all a show. She's tried of it, tried of Booster being a shallow idiot and angrily confirms that there's nothing between them.

One of the most heartbreaking things in this series is Trixies' feelings towards Booster and how he doesn't seem to notice her. A lot of stories do this for potential love interests with mix results. This one makes you ache for Trixie because it feels real. He's basically a movie star, and every time she gets a little closer he reverts back into the fake persona. Out of all the people Booster knows she's the one that sees more in him from the start. Jurgens does some amazing character work on not just his lead but the supporting characters. It's one of the strengths of the series that I thoroughly enjoy.

Trixie is taken by the 1000 and they tell Dirk to give them the codes to Boosters' computer when they contact him tomorrow. This puts a huge weight on his shoulders and the hero has no idea how dire things are. Great issue, one that never loses my interest. Things are about to get more exciting Booster buddies.



Did You Notice?: The Boostermobile looks different as the red car is now blue with yellow stars.

This is when Trixie starts referring to him as Michael. She's one of the only people that call him that.