Warning: Spoilers for Blue & Gold #8!
In DC Comics, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold have been a part of any number of different Justice League teams (for better or worse), and now with Batman secretly helping them out on the side, The Dark Knight might have some explaining to do to his super-colleagues.
Acting as a good samaritan in the final chapter of the eight-issue limited series titled Blue and Gold, by Dan Jurgens and Ryan Sook, Batman secretly giving Blue Beetle and Booster Gold a new lease on their heroic endeavors couldn’t have come at a better moment for the fan-favorite pair. Voted out of the League in the first issue of this series due to Blue Beetle refusing to join the roster without his obnoxious and fame-driven buddy, Booster Gold, at his side, this dynamic duo has been trying to make ends meet ever since in an attempt to keep their heroic streak alive.
Deciding to take on jobs that the Justice League doesn’t have time for, Blue and Gold have relied on crowdfunding and generous donations to keep the lights on at their slowly failing enterprise; a business plan that clearly isn’t as sustainable as initially thought. But just as things seemed like they couldn’t get any worse, a bright light at the end of a darkened tunnel, or rather a bat-shaped shadow at the end of a zip-line, comes in to save the day, despite the reservations some Justice Leaguers might have with the heroes he’s saving.
Handing off a thumb drive to an associate of Beetle and Booster’s, Batman tells them, “This will give you the means to continue,” barely waiting around long enough for the reveal that Bruce Wayne aka Batman has just deposited $20 million into Blue and Gold’s business account! Mentioning that Blue Beetle and Booster Gold “deserve it” for the good work they’ve been doing, Bats follows this up with the comment, “Makes up for the Justice League voting you out,” succinctly telling fans that if the League ever found out about Batman’s secret bankrolling of Blue and Gold, they’d probably lose their minds.
Famously part of the Justice League International team from the late 80s, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold have had their ups and downs with the League in the years since. Often seen as a flamboyant, self-centered, and annoying hero, Booster Gold getting anywhere close to a League roster at this point is a bit of a long shot, with his partner in crimefighting, Blue Beetle, often feeling like he doesn’t cut it compared to the world’s real super-powered heroes, ultimately leading both to being on good if not forgettable terms with the rest of the League. But despite the Justice League not wanting either on the team at the current moment, Batman seeing something more in this pairing says a lot not just about the League’s oversight in how they treat Beetle and Booster, but how the duo can easily be an effective team all their own if given the chance.
So while Batman bankrolling this secret team of heroes might ruffle a few feathers, Bats believing in them is all they need to keep a good thing going ($20 million also helps). Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Batman, and the Justice League all fight for the same common goals, but for now, Blue and Gold will need to do so without bothering the rest of the superhero community.
Blue and Gold #8 is available now from DC Comics.