Thursday, July 14, 2011

25 Days of Supporting Characters : Jon Carter

#16 Jon Carter

He's the father that abandoned Booster, Michelle and their mother when the twins were four. Thus far he has no redeeming qualities as he shows no remorse or concern for his own family. 

Why he's important to Booster: He's the enigma Booster tried to get closer to because he wanted to know his dad. But mainly he's where a lot of Booster self-doubt comes from. Even without dad telling him that he's a screw up Jons' legacy was the reason his family kicked him out. He's the person they don't want Booster to become, a representation of greed and self-centeredness. The real reason he got caught in the gambling scandal and the person Booster futilely tried to win affection from. Likely a source of his own doubt of being a parent figure.

Suggested Reading: Booster Gold #0 Vol. 2 Although his treatment of his family is mentioned in a few places this shows how he emotionally manipulated his own son into throwing his life away. Despite his sisters' attempts at showing him the truth his desperate need for dads' love proved to be his undoing. Something that would alter Boosters' life forever.

2 comments:

  1. Yeah, there isn't very much to like about Booster's dear old Dad. As in...nothing. He is quite completely and totally a jerk.

    Still...he IS his Dad after all, and Booster is such a nice boy at heart, so I can understand him trying to win his dad's affection. Guy had the pretty much the same problem.

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  2. Yeah, I think the fact that he left helped the twins a lot in the long run. For one thing Booster likely would have bigger self-esteem issues if he stayed.

    It was interesting that Johns/Katz seemed to imply that Booster took after his mother in that regard. Sure Jon sees it as being gullible but Booster is so loving and sweet. Which really makes me want the core JLI to meet Boosters' family. Can you imagine their reaction to Boosters' dad? I could see all of them (particularly Guy) being protective.

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