Random Happenstance

I had to look this up on Comichron: this was the #7 best-selling book for April 2018, although it was down about 30,000 copies from the previous issue the same month. It's probably the best-selling book with Booster Gold in a starring role in years. I pretty much hate it. From 2018, Batman #45, "The Gift, part 1" Written by Tom King, art by Tony S. Daniel, inking assist by John Livesay.

And we open with a three-page sequence of Green Lantern Hal Jordan using his power ring to kill himself, in front of Booster Gold, just to prove he had the will to do it. Booster seems more impressed than disturbed by this. As Skeets complains this is probably the worst thing he's ever done, they go looking for Batman, over a Gotham City that looks war-torn and largely on fire. Which, hell, I'm only assuming is worse than usual for Gotham. We then get the first check-in with Bat-supporting cast members in an obviously altered timeline, with Tim Drake as a workaday cubicle drone for Wayne Engineering, Jason Todd selling the lethal "Todd-Taze-Tire," and Duke Thomas seemingly partially lobotomized by his family to keep him from going all Joker like a good chunk of the rest of the city. There is no Damien, since while R'as has taken over a chunk of the world, Talia doesn't think there are any worthy men, and she will be the last of the line. It's not very encouraging, and gets worse when Booster and Skeets light a makeshift Bat-Signal--and get shot at, by Batman!

As he hangs Booster, Batman explains he can't risk super-heroes becoming "Jokered." Rescuing Booster for about the billionth time, Skeets also notices this Batman is Dick Grayson. Booster decides, they should just go see Bruce Wayne then. He complains about Skeets being "mean," which might be the one joke that landed for me.

Bruce Wayne is celebrating his birthday, with a dance with his dear old mum; as Booster comes flying through a window. It's a bit of an inversion of the classic "Batman busts-in" panels; as instead of a dark creature of the night, we get a shiny showboat. Is Booster high? That also would help explain him trying to explain to Bruce what's happened. Based on "For the Man Who Has Everything," because DC just can't help it with Alan Moore anymore; Booster wanted to try and show Batman that his life was "worthwhile," by showing him what would happen if Bruce Wayne's parents hadn't been shot. Yes, without Batman, Gotham City and the world are horrible; but how Booster thinks Batman would remember anything of him changing the timeline back and forth is beyond me. Bruce is actually shaken by this news, since he had nightmares, and a sinking feeling something was wrong with the world and that he would be asked to "fall." As Booster thinks mission accomplished, Bruce smashes Skeets with a fireplace poker! "(Alfred) will show you the way out."

Man, I think Skeets is tougher than that, but I don't like seeing the little robot get 'hurt.' Honestly, Skeets was the only likable character in this thing: King writes Booster as a dolt. I might've liked this better if it had been one issue, but this was a three-parter, so I don't think Booster was done screwing up yet; and honestly it feels like a bit of a stall to prepare for the Bat-wedding, which didn't happen anyway. On the other hand, it does undercut the belief that Batman 'created' his villains, since the Joker, R'as, and President Cobblepot were there without him.