BOOSTERRIFIC BLOG

 Three Things (Comic Con 2017 Wrap Up)

Monday, July 24, 2017

Another Comic Con has come and gone. So what, if anything, did we learn about Booster Gold this year? Not much.

Let us count the ways.

1. Booster Gold might be in the DC Films intro.

When DC Films debuted their new intro in front of Wonder Woman this June, there was some debate about which DC characters it contained.

At Comic-Con, DC gave attendees of the DC Films panel a better look. (You'll see that the placement of characters in the film intro above is not identical to the characters seen on the panel wall below, but the individual character models appear identical.)

I can't be sure whether Booster Gold was included in the original, but he was certainly present at Comic Con — in his pre-New 52 outfit, no less! (Thanks to jeremy r! hudson for bringing this to my attention.)

2. Booster Gold might be in SyFy's Krypton.

It was announced in 2016 that SyFy had picked up Krypton, a television show based on Superman's home planet (before it exploded, of course). The show, set to debut in 2018, took the spotlight on Saturday, where it got its own panel at Comic Con. During that panel, we learned that though it won't share continuity with shows on the CW or the big screen, it will feature some significant cameos from DC properties.

Said Geoff Johns at the panel (according to Laura Hurley of CinemaBlend.com):

Doomsday will be in the show... In the pilot, and I'm spoiling things. 'I'm from a planet called Earth. My name is Adam Strange.' We will bring in others. Booster Gold. I never say never. Hawkwoman is also there, and as the show progresses, we'll bring in more.

That's not a promise that we'll see Booster Gold, but it sounds likely, especially since the show is no longer set purely in the past but in the present as well. You can't have a show set in the DC Universe with time travel elements without at least some reference to Booster Gold, right? (*He says, glaring at Legends of Tomorrow.*)

3. Booster Gold fans owe Dan Didio.

Speaking of Geoff Johns, he had a panel all his own. Madeline Ricchiuto of Bleeding Cool reports that Johns claims industry insiders discouraged many of his planned DC Comics projects, including Booster Gold.

Despite the fact that he was constantly told "you may want to reconsider," some of his choices like writing a book about Booster Gold, but he said Didio's support always pushed him forward.

I've always been pretty vocal about my dissatisfaction with the direction of storytelling and universe building (usually more like universe decapitation, rape, or murder) in the Didio era. However, I have to admit that his reign at DC has given us some of the higher points in Booster Gold's career. He deserves some credit for that. So thanks, Dan.

Now give me my Booster Gold back!
Comments (1) | Add a Comment | Tags: 2017 bleedingcool.com cinemablend.com comic con international conventions jeremy hudson movies wonder woman

 Hoping for Good News from Comic Con

Friday, July 21, 2017

DC has released solicitations for books shipping in October. None of them give any hint that we'll be seeing DC's brightest star anytime soon.

But all hope is not lost! This weekend is Comic Con International in San Diego. DC has to be holding something back to tease their fans, right? I'm not saying that Booster Gold will be front and center, but maybe DC will demonstrate that he's not entirely forgotten, either.

Speaking of "front and center," I started the week with a plea that Superman antagonist Mr. Oz not be revealed as Booster Gold in the upcoming "The Oz Effect" story in Action Comics. Many of you had something to say about that. Let's run a quick poll and see what the group consensus is.

This week's poll question: Will Booster Gold play any role in the unveiling of Mr. Oz?

Enjoy your weekend, Booster boosters!
Comments (4) | Add a Comment | Tags: mr oz poll solicitations

 This Day in History: Booster Gold's Back

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Believe it or not, once upon a time, Booster Gold was such a big star that he could sell comics he wasn't in just by appearing on the cover! Backwards!

Take, for example, Secret Origins #32, released 29 years ago today.

art by Eric Shanower

This issue presents the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths origin of the Justice League of America (which was differentiated from the original origin by the substitution of Black Canary for Wonder Woman).

The Justice League International was super hot at the time, so although the only links between the two teams were Canary and Martian Manhunter, the JLI was still given prime cover real estate to sell the story to new readers unfamiliar with DCU history.

There's no reason this strategy couldn't be used to sell old stories to a modern audience today. I speak only for myself, but I'd be much happier buying a comic showcasing Damian Wayne (Robin V) if he appeared only on the cover.
Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: black canary blue beetle eric shanower justice league international martian manhunter secret origins

 Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

Monday, July 17, 2017

Pop culture website 13thdimension.com posted an "exclusive first look" at upcoming issues of Action Comics this weekend. Running throughout the title in September and October will be a five-part story by Dan Jurgens called "The Oz Effect," in which we will finally discover the true identity of Mr. Oz.

Reading the advance solicitations included in the article, all I could think was "please don't let Mr. Oz be Booster Gold."

The popular theory is that the mysterious Mr. Oz, introduced three years ago (!) in Superman #32, is Ozymandias from Watchmen. Personally, I think that seems a little too "on the nose" to make a very satisfying reveal after all this time. And even if the fans were right and it was supposed to be Ozymandias, I would expect DC to change Mr. Oz's secret identity mid-story to maintain the surprise. (Anyone out there still remember the last minute Captain Atom/Hawk swap in Armageddon 2001?)

Many of the things Mr. Oz has done and said over the past three years indicates a fixation on Superman. Therefore, I assume that Mr. Oz is someone aware of Superman's past in Smallville, Kansas. (I think Mr. Oz takes his name from the original manipulative "man behind the curtain," the Wizard of Oz, who also has ties to Kansas.) While those clues might point to familiar Superman foes like Conduit or Ruin, I begin to worry that it might be a time traveler with historical ties to the Man of Steel.

Which is fine, just so long as it's not Booster Gold.

I mean, if Mr. Oz is revealed to be a nearly omnipotent time traveler seeking to unify a fractured universe (post-"Crisis", "Flashpoint", "New 52", "Rebirth", "Watchmen," etc.), it would certainly explain why fan-favorite Booster Gold has been M.I.A. since Convergence. And we can't deny that Booster has beef with Superman that goes way back. And Dan Jurgens does like to recycle his favorite characters . . . .

As I said, I don't want this to be the case. I don't want Booster to be a "villain." (And I certainly don't want to have to add all 30+ appearances of Mr. Oz to the Boosterrific database after the fact.) But it could be worse. After three years of waiting to find out who Mr. Oz really is, it might turn out that he's the Black Beetle.
Comments (3) | Add a Comment | Tags: 13dimension.com dan jurgens mr oz rebirth solicitations superman

 Blockheads

Friday, July 14, 2017

No, seriously, I really need these two as actual LEGO minifigs.

This piece was created by the South African/German artists Basstudio on DeviantArt.com. Great characters know no boundaries!
Comments (1) | Add a Comment | Tags: basstudio blue beetle deviantart.com fan art lego