[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers!]
Writer: Tom King
Pencils: Tony S. Daniel
Summary
Gotham is in a sea of fire, Green Lantern has committed suicide, and Batman is a gun toting psychopath–all thanks to Booster Gold! As a wedding gift to Batman, Booster changes the timeline slightly so that the Wayne’s live, just for a moment so Bruce can appreciate his real life as Batman. However once Booster meets Bruce, he realizes that Bruce has no intention of donning the cape and cowl again and now he’s really screwed up the timeline!
Positives
Booster Gold is hilarious as always in this issue. Seeking to help Batman realize that his life as the Dark Knight isn’t so bad, he changes the timeline slightly as I mentioned before. But this change has serious consequences. Joker runs Gotham City through terror, Dick Grayson is Batman–but he’s darker, he’ll kill, and he carries nothing but guns. Booster attempts to find Bruce Wayne so he can fix the timeline back to normal.
Negatives
My only complaint is the beginning of the story. Immediately we’re thrown into a world where Gotham is almost lost, Green Lantern commits suicide and Booster Gold is at the center of it all. For the first few pages I was pretty confused at first, until we find out through Booster how this was supposed to be the ultimate wedding gift for Batman who Booster admires so much.
Verdict
Batman #45 is a fun read. It almost reminds me of Flashpoint with how one change in the timeline has these immense and dangerous consequences. By the end of the book, it seems that Bruce destroyed the time machine, so I don’t know how Booster will even fix everything. King leaves on a cliffhanger where Booster is trying to fix the timeline, while Bruce is celebrating his parents wedding anniversary. Although Booster had good intentions, I really think that this will sour his relationship with Batman. I guess we’ll have to see with the next issue!
