Booster Gold and the Blue Beetle make their first apperances on Smallville in tonight’s episode “Booster”.
Geoff Johns returns to Smallville and has once again produced gold (pun intended), this time bringing Booster Gold to life in all of his scene stealing glory. Played by Eric Martsolf, Booster appears in a NASCAR-esque costume, complete with marketing patches. We also get references to Booster’s time-traveling robot companion, Skeets (who appears in a slightly different, but logical form in this episode). Booster’s presence in Smallville helps to push Clark into realizing how important his visibility will be once he steps into the light, and how the citizens of Metropolis might react to seeing their hero in the flesh.
In addition to the appearance of Booster Gold, we are treated to the origin of the Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes version). Fans of the comics will know that Booster and the Beetle were close friends, and having the two characters appear in the same episode is a great treat. While the Blue Beetle introduced in the show is actually the third incarnation of the character, Johns has made sure to include tributes to the prior Beetles, incorporating both Ted Kord and Dan Garret into Smallville lore. The Smallville version of Jaime (played by Jaden Brandt Bartlett) is a bit different from the comicbook version, and is pretty much a klutz. Lois is actually inspired by Jaime’s lack of coordination and encourages Clark to return to his more bumbling nature (as seen earlier in the series when the show was actually set in Smallville).
If anything, “Booster” proves that we NEED a Smallville spin-off. I vote for Blue and Gold, which would feature Booster and Blue Beetle teaming up with various Justice Leaguers. It is also important to note that the version of the Blue Beetle armor that is used in the show is meant to be bulkier, demonstrating Jaime’s lack of control over the scrab. We know for a fact that DC has been working on the development of a live action version of the Blue Beetle, which looks much closer to the current comic costume (click here to see the Blue Beetle official test footage). It would be EXTREMELY LOGICAL for the Blue Beetle to have a supporting cast which includes all of the characters introduced in this episode, including Booster Gold, who is trying to find redemption. Maybe even have Geoff Johns write it? He obviously has a respect and understanding of the characters and knows how to craft amazingly well written stories…So come on CW, can we PLEASE make this happen?
After watching this episode, it is hard to imagine what life will be like after Smallville has ended. Every single moment in “Booster” was so carefully crafted,and instrumental in furthering Clark’s development and the overall story for this show. Season Ten of Smallville has really pulled out all the stops and given us stories which are rich in history and prove how great these stories and characters can be when given a chance to thrive. If you haven’t been watching, this will be an episode that you get you hooked and is a perfect setup for the remaining episodes.
ComicsOnline gives Smallville – “Booster” 5 out of 5 episodes that perfectly adapt classic comic book characters.
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