I mentioned on Monday that I had been looking for something else on Twitter when I found that enamel pin. That something was some art of Booster Gold in an anime/Freakazoid!-sort of style. I did finally find what I was looking for:

Turns out that's not an official DC release but a very polished piece of fan art by self-taught artist @Jokeb0i. If you're interested, those panels culminated in a gif punchline you can see at ask-jokeboi.tumblr.com/.

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Earlier this month, I laid out what I consider to be the twelve best Booster Gold comics in the character's 35-year history. I start with my personal favorite. If you only read one comic book featuring Booster Gold in your entire life, make it Justice League #4 (1987).

The story, aptly titled "Winning Hand," begins with Batman considering the merits of allowing businessman Maxwell Lord IV to foister new members on the newly-formed league. It's a great twist on established canon. Membership in the Justice League to this point had been limited to those nominated by card-holding members. Just being nominated usually meant a big boost in popularity. Naturally, a glory hound like Booster Gold was itching to be involved, even if it meant being backed by someone so obviously unethical as Mr. Lord.

However, Booster isn't entirely without scruples (or pride). Following the example set by Dr. Light, he walks away from the complicated situation rather than let himself be used. What Booster doesn't realize is that Lord has planned for that, too. While Booster is giving his inevitable post-meeting press interview, lives are threatened. Despite the fact that he has just been emotionally crushed by Lord's con job, Booster selflessly jumps into action to save threatened innocents.

Inside the Justice Cave, Batman takes advantage of the chaotic situation. He orders his colleagues to observe Booster in action so that they judge what the newest hero on the scene is really made of. Thus, Booster Gold finds himself in solo conflict with longtime league foes the Royal Flush Gang.

Booster Gold is more than up to the challenge. Using a full array of his impressive technology-based powers and more than a little of his innate intelligence and verve, Booster defeats the four human members of the gang in as many pages.

The victory earns Booster a round of applause from observing leaguers. He even gets a smile from an approving Batman. Many people would have been irritated by Batman's refusal to aid them, but not Booster. The former quarterback is actually pleased to have an audience. He does love the limelight.

The afterparty is short-lived. The fifth and final member of the gang, the Amazo-like android Ace, crashes the scene to make quick work of the league's most powerful members. This leaves Booster Gold to save the day. Well, Booster Gold and his soon-to-be best friend, Blue Beetle. Having known one another for only a few minutes, the pair teams up to destroy the rampaging robot once and for all.

What began as a job interview leads results in Booster's dream coming true (and a dawning new friendship). Batman offers Booster full membership in the league in a show of appreciation and respect, giving the young hero the credibility he so desired (and earned).

How can you not love that?

The issue's script by Keith Giffen is as perfectly paced as the best action movies, and the dialogue by J.M. DeMatteis positively crackles with authenticity, wit, and enthusiasm. Booster Gold comes off as the hero the league needs, and the league itself is clearly a family in the making. Add in Kevin Maguire's unparalleled ability to express both action and emotion (not to mention his brilliantly "cheeky" cover), and you have a guaranteed recipe for success.

Did I say this is my favorite Booster Gold comic? Make it my favorite comic, period.

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In my ongoing efforts to make Boosterrific.com the best blog it can be, I find it useful to look back at which posts over the previous year made the biggest splashes with readers. Here, in descending order, are the 5 most read blog posts of 2019:

5. Friday, May 3: No Laughing Matter
In which we wonder if Booster Gold might play a role in the "Batman Who Laughs" story in coming issues of Batman/Superman. We now know the answer: he doesn't.

4. Monday, August 19: New Heroes of the Millennium
In which we get a good look at Bryan Hitch and Alex Sinclair's combined covers for Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium. Booster Gold, front and center!

3. Monday, April 29: Statler and Waldorf in Blue and Gold
In which I shared fan art by Neil R. King of the two best Muppets cosplaying as Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. That's not something you see every day. (Thank goodness!)

2. Monday, December 16: Why Don't They Just Get Married Already
In which we learn that Booster Gold will be returning to the pages of Harley Quinn in March 2020. People just love that Harley Quinn.

1. Monday, March 25: Was DC Looking to Boostle?
In which we learn that Check Please! creator Ngozi Ukazu came surprisingly close to working on a Blue+Gold Boostle comic for DC. We got Heroes in Crisis instead.

See you in 2020.

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I don't read Batman, so I missed it when Batman #72 came out back in June and finally answered a question we had about Batman #50.

You remember Batman #50, right? That's the one that was supposed to end with a wedding, but instead ended with Bane standing around with his pals. And Skeets.

art by Mikel Janin, June Chung, Clayton Cowles

What was Skeets doing in a room full of villains? According to Batman #72, he was just another discarded tool.

art by David Finch, Jordie Bellaire, Clayton Cowles

The "you" in the above text is Bane. So it's really Bane's fault that Booster Gold was a total idiot in Batman #45. I guess.

So Bane is so smart he knew how Booster's meddling with history would ruin the world in exactly the way that he needed it to? And he knew that Booster would go out of his way to tell Batman what he experienced in the pocket universe that his idiocy created?

And while we're on the topic, if Skeets' only purpose was to depress Bruce Wayne, why did Bane bother to recover Skeets after Batman #47?

Guh. Whatever, Tom King. Whatever.

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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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