Good, But Far From Necessary Reading
DC doesn't exactly have a great track record at crafting tie-ins to Grant Morrison projects, but Time Masters doesn't start off badly in that regard. That is because this reads less like a part of the Return of Bruce Wayne story and more like the continuation of Dan Jurgens' Booster Gold run. Just like you see in the cover, the story of Bruce Wayne being lost in time is really only a backdrop to another Booster Gold story Jurgens wants to tell, and this isn't really a bad thing.
The main difference from Jurgens' Booster Gold series here is that Rip Hunter seems to be the one taking center stage as our lead character. It's a small change that pays off in a strong way. Like with Booster Gold's character, Jurgens does Rip Hunter well, and people with no prior experience with Rip will more than likely come away from this issue understanding that he is basically the Nick Fury of the timestream.
Unfortunately, Jurgens really isn't being subtle about where he is going with this series. He hammers in the knowledge that Rip Hunter is secretly Booster Gold's son so hard that it really just telegraphs that this is probably going to be the story where that truth gets exposed. Add in how heavily this issue implies that Daniel Carter may not be the one flying around in the Supernova suit, and you can almost see how this story is going to turn out already.
What really drags this story down is the cast. One word came to mind back when this series was first solicited showing who would make up our crop of Time Masters. Boring. Reading the actual issue, I have to upgrade that to really boring. This is nothing against Superman or Hal Jordan individually, but together, they are dead weight on the story. Why? Because they are the same character as far as this issue is concerned. What one says, the other simply reiterates. It is two characters occupying one role. They are both the straight-laced hero uncomfortable with the compromises that must be made when time travel is involved. Plus, Jurgens fails to give a good explanation for why both are even there. The argument that Rip Hunter recruited close friends of Bruce Wayne who would come searching for him anyway does carry some weight with Superman, but it doesn't fly with Hal Jordan. It also doesn't fly with the absences of obvious characters who do fit that qualification. Tim Drake should top that list and would have provided more variety of personality than Hal. This is also not even getting into the nitpicky continuity issues like how Superman should be far too busy strolling down main street.
Anyone who enjoyed Dan Jurgens' Booster Gold run should read this series. It may be bogged down by a couple guest stars and a little predictable in where it is heading, but it does read very much like another enjoyable story arc of Booster Gold. But anyone who doesn't fit into that category may as well skip this. This is not going to be crucial reading for the Return of Bruce Wayne, and it is not going to be much of a standalone story for people who weren't already following Rip Hunter and Booster Gold.
