There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we’re catching up with old favorites as the blue and the gold reunite in… “Blue and Gold.”
Who is this by?
“Blue and Gold” is written by Dan Jurgens, the creator of Booster Gold and the man responsible for the top tier comic bromance that is Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. His notable woks include “The Death of Superman” and several noteworthy runs on big name comics like “Action Comics,” “Batman,” “Green Lanterns,” “Captain America,” and “The Sensational Spider-Man.”
Suffice to say, he’s an experienced writer whose name is plastered proudly on some highly-renowned comics.
It’s illustrated by Ryan Sook, whose detailed and clean designs bring life to the comic pages. His work covers a wide range of comics, including contributions to “Batman: Gotham Knights,” “Seven Soldiers: Zatanna,” “X-Factor,” and “Action Comics.” That’s in addition to his work on covers, where he’s done everything from “Star Wars: Rebellion” to “Justice League Dark.” He’s even illustrated several “Dungeons & Dragons” books for 3.5 edition, focused on the Eberron setting.
Ryan also provides the colors, adding a nice level of vibrancy to the series. The colors pop just right, emphasizing the brilliant gold of Booster’s suit, the bright hues of blue on Beetle’s, and of course, the explosions that follow in their wake.
Rounding out the team, we have Rob Leigh providing the lettering, conveying the characters’ tones and voices through font alone. The lettering particularly shines when we have humans, chat text, Skeets’ robotic tone, and an alien technological voice joining in various conversations, each with unique lettering.
What’s it all about?
Booster Gold and Blue Beetle are back in business. After Booster returned to his fame-seeking ways, live-streaming his heroics to the online world, he needs help from Ted Kord to save the Justice League.
And that’s how it starts. From there, the two are reunited, and embark on a quest to start their own heroic enterprise. So yes, the band is very much brought back together.
Oh, and there’s a looming alien threat that they’ll have to deal with before this mini-series is up. This could be Booster and Beetle’s big chance to prove themselves as the heroes we all know they are, or it could backfire horribly. Either way, it’s a fun ride.
So we have the Blue and the Gold reunited, more hijinks to prove that they’re the greatest heroes ever (which they are), and a looming threat that could even put the Justice League in danger.
What’s not to love?
What makes it so great?
“Yeah, hold on,” I can hear you saying. “How can you say it’s so great when it’s barely started?”
Well, hypothetical reader, that’s the thing: this mini-series is barely in its infancy, but it’s still the continuation of one of the greatest teams in comic book history.
Dan Jurgens is back in full-form with “Blue and Gold.” These are characters who he’s helped make into the amazing, lovable duo that they are, and having him write this series is a return to glory. We’re getting the same wonderful dynamics and humor that made them so memorable before, now updated for modern times.
Booster was an attention-seeker before, but now he’s making it work in the modern age with streaming to a live audience. Of course, “Blue and Gold” doesn’t ignore continuity, with characters remarking on how he seemed to be past that kind of behavior, and picking things up with Blue Beetle from his current point in comics. (Of course, as fans of Booster Gold know, he has to play the ineffectual fame-seeker to the public in order to properly carry out his time-traveling heroics.) So we can expect that there’s still some twists and surprises to come.
And of course, it’s all just so entertaining. Seeing the two leads bounce off each other again is a welcome return, but there’s so many more elements in there that made this comic fun. For instance, Dan Jurgens was clearly having fun coming up with commentary that the worst of the internet’s denizens would have while watching Booster’s stream, and it shows.
Continued belowBeyond the writing, Ryan Sook’s artwork is perfectly suited for the story. The linework is very solid, with clean designs and a great balance of detail that brings the characters to life without going overboard and maintaining an art style that matches the more comedic mood.
Ryan also does a great job with the action scenes, bringing out the speed, intensity, and power of everything. High-speed combat, massive explosions, and feats of acrobatics all get illustrated with a great flow to them and impressive detail. The use of shading adds nice depth to the imagery, accompanied by nicely emotive expressions on every character.
In short, we have Dan Jurgens continuing the tale of Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, along with artwork perfectly matched for it. That absolutely makes it great.
(Full disclosure: Booster Gold has been my favorite DC character ever since I saw the Justice League Unlimited episode “The Greatest Story Never Told,” so I am biased towards anything he appears in. But seriously, it’s good.)
How can you read it?
With your eyes, usually.
Oh, right, I suppose finding the comic first is an important first step. “Blue and Gold” is published monthly by DC Comics. Issue #2 is out today, so you can find that and issue #1 at your local comic shop, on Comixology, and the DC Comics website.
