Here's something I missed in the run up to Comic-Con: a teaser poster for DC's Year of the Villain event!

You probably can't see him, but Booster Gold is in there, right between Flash and Wonder Woman!

This ad was released online in July and appeared in all DC imprint comics published this week. (Does anyone recognize the artist? Drawn by Nick Bradshaw, inked by Cully Hamner, and colored by Hi-Fi Designs.) It specifically teases the first storyline in the upcoming Batman/Superman #1.

Booster's inclusion here shouldn't come as a surprise, as he had already been linked to the issue in May's DC's Year of the Villain Special. I guess we'll have to buy Batman/Superman #1 — in stores August 28 — to find out if Booster is truly among the "Secret Six" victims of the Batman Who Laughs.

In very related news, Jonathan Reichman pointed out that this week DC announced six new series to tie directly into the Batman/Superman series and four (and counting) Tales from the Dark Multiverse one-shots. One of those stories hints bad things for our hero.

Per the press release from DCComics.com:

TALES FROM THE DARK MULTIVERSE: INFINITE CRISIS #1
Writer James Tynion IV (Justice League, Justice League Dark) and artists Aaron Lopresti (Wonder Woman) and Matt Ryan (Damage) team up with cover artist Lee Weeks for this dark turn on DC's mega-event Infinite Crisis. The destruction of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, the rise of Alexander Luthor and Superboy-Prime, and the rebirth of the Multiverse all began with Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle. Kord saw it all coming and died with secrets that could have saved the world. But in the Dark Multiverse, Blue Beetle survives, and with the death of Maxwell Lord by his hand, Ted sets off events that irreversibly alter the lives of not only the Justice League, but also his best friend, Booster Gold. In trying to prevent a crisis, Blue Beetle becomes the crisis, and the Dark Multiverse will never be the same.

Thanks for warning us that was coming, Jonathan. Let's see if we learn more when DC releases November solicitations (probably next week).

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Heroes in Crisis #7 arrives in your Local Comic Shop today, but it's already had a bit of controversy. The originally solicited, "unfinished," cover by Clay Mann was pulled back in December at the request of Tom King. It was replaced by this, the final cover by Mitch Gerads:

I have to say that I like this new cover much better, not the least because this one shows Booster Gold! (Sure, he's getting thrown around by Superman, but Superman throws everyone around. Jerk.)

You can find an issue preview online at DenOfGeek.com in which Blue Beetle and Batgirl have a conversation! (Brace yourself: Batgirl continues to be written like no incarnation of the character I've ever read before. Maybe she's the killer?)

Buy this issue and make Skeets happy!

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You may recall that when first announced, Heroes in Crisis was originally intended to be a seven issue series with a couple of stand-alone tie-in books. Plans changed, and those stand-alone issues were folded into the series.

The first was issue #3, which focused in part on Booster Gold's actions just before the story started. The second, issue #6, comes out today. Judging the book by its cover, I think we can expect it to show what Harley Quinn was doing when the Sanctuary killings began.

Note that Mitch Gerads is the credited artist for the issue, replacing Clay Mann. Mann's art has been the strength of the series so far, but Gerads shouldn't be considered a step down. Gerads worked with series writer Tom King to create their acclaimed Mister Miracle mini-series.

Also note that neither the issue's solicitation text nor the preview, available on SuperheroHype.com, guarantee Booster Gold will actually appear in the issue. I'll be buying it anyway.

[UPDATE: Booster appears on exactly one page. I think. (It's getting increasingly hard to tell what "reality" is in this series).]

Buy this issue and make Skeets happy!

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Thanks to his long association with the Justice League, Booster Gold has crossed paths with many of the League's oldest returning villains, including Starro, Weapons Master, Amazo, Despero, and Doctor Destiny, just to name a few.

However, other villains have proven more elusive. Despite the number of times that Kanjar Ro has returned to challenge the League, Booster has never faced the threat of Ro's Gamma Gong. Nor has Booster had the opportunity to thwart the plans of Felix Faust or The Key.

True Booster boosters will know that the JLA villains Booster Gold has encountered the most are the Royal Flush Gang. Booster and the RFG first crossed paths in the superb Justice League #4, cover dated August 1987, and have renewed their association several times since, most recently in Power Girl #19 in 2011.

These days, the Gang is a group of thugs for hire, but they debuted as affiliates of one of the JLA's earliest foes, Amos Fortune. Despite Booster's long history with the RFG, our hero has never actually had the pleasure of meeting their original benefactor, even though Fortune has reappeared at least once a decade for fifty years now.

The closest that Booster Gold has ever come to tangling with Amos Fortune was in Justice League Europe #42, released on this date in 1992. While Fortune played the League's antagonist in that issue (and the one following), Booster appears in the issue only as part of an in-house subscription advertisement!

Close but no cigar, Booster! Keep at it, and maybe you'll find your Fortune some day.

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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!

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