Review by Win Wiacek

Created, written and drawn by Dan Jurgens, Day of Death picks up after Reality Lost, with Booster allied with time guardian Rip Hunter, and continues reviewing catastrophic conflicts from his never-ending battle to keep history on track and mankind in existence.

The action opens with ‘Shadows of Tomorrow’ as, in his citadel beyond chronology, Booster is shocked to see his mentor Rip rematerialise in a badly beaten state, muttering the name “Magog”. A little checking reveals the name belongs to a hulking horned metahuman: a hero – of sorts – and despite the recuperating Hunter’s pleas to leave well enough alone, Booster slips into the time-stream to confront the military-trained hardliner.

Keith Giffen and Pat Olliffe then offer a two-part light-hearted homage to B-movie sci fi and the Fantastic Four as the time traveller fetches up in early 1950s Nevada on the site of a clandestine and forgotten American space shot. Before long he’s captured by covert operatives Frank Rock and Karin Hughes from an invisible agency dubbed Task Force X and embroiled in a secret mission involving traitorous Russian rocket scientists… and if he’s not extremely careful Booster could erase the timeline of a close future-friend and colleague.

Batman was apparently killed at the conclusion of Infinite Crisis. The world at large was unaware of the loss, leaving the superhero community to mourn in secret whilst a small, dedicated army of assistants, protégés and allies. The only non-Time Master to know Booster’s secret was Batman. His deductive skills were beyond par and after noticing recurring anomalies around the shooting of Barbara Gordon the Dark Detective intuited Booster had tried hundreds of times to prevent it. Batman held his tongue as well as many photographs proving Booster is not just a flashy, sensation-seeking bumbler. Now as ‘Day of Death’ begins Booster raids the Batcave to retrieve that evidence only to be jumped by the Gotham Guardian’s successor.

Jurgens opens a new chapter with the time meddling Black Beetle conferring with a cloaked superior even as Booster consults his infinitely upgraded cybernetic companion who is keyed into to the ever-changing intricacies of the time-stream. Skeets informs Booster that the landmark first battle between the Teen Titans and the Ravager now ended with the young heroes’ deaths and like an intricate line of dominoes led to the eradication of most of Earth’s adult defenders.

Guest stars abound in a fantastically absorbing and entertaining riotous romp constructed with unbridled enthusiasm and exuberance for a classy time-busting tale. However, as with much of this series, Day of Death is very dependent on knowing DC continuity, and even those who do may still struggle occasionally, but this nuanced little gem still provides a serious buzz and Jurgens continues with The Tomorrow Memory.