Blue and Gold #6 – Dan Jurgens, Writer; Ryan Sook/Wade Von Grawbadger, Artists; Steve Buccellato, Chris Sotomayor, Colorists
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Dan Jurgens has obviously been writing these characters for a long time, and he perfectly understands the unique dynamic that makes them work. Last issue introduced a long-missing player to the story—Rip Hunter, the time master who unbeknownst to just about everyone is actually Booster Gold’s son from the future. And he’s just in time—because he has to save his dad and de facto uncle from their latest nonsense. That nonsense would be the two of them being taken hostage on Omnizon’s home planet and ordered by her father to fight to the death—the absolute worst possible fate for a pair of bros like Booster and Beetle. While they initially refuse to turn on each other, the aliens waste no time brainwashing Booster and making him think Beetle killed his family. It becomes an increasingly brutal fight as Beetle desperately tries to snap his friend out of it—and fails, having to return violence for violence.
It sounds pretty grim, and it is—being played surprisingly straight throughout. Fortunately, Rip Hunter’s storyline is much more funny, as he, Terry, and Skeets investigate Omnizon’s bizarre claim to own Earth—and discover that it’s actually a lot more credible than we thought. This turns into the strangest real estate con in history as he attempts to hide the evidence and find a way to stop the duel in its tracks. It’s exactly the kind of chaotic time travel action that Jurgens excels at, and he’s at the top of his game here. Surprisingly, the main story of this comic seems to end with several issues still to go, but the end of the issue brings a major new player into the fray and potentially a new threat. This series has been a bit of a hodgepodge so far, combining wacky JLI-style comedy with some surprisingly dark beats, but it shows the skill of a writer who has been working on these characters for decades.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
