This will come as no surprise to most Booster boosters, but Booster Gold has long had a name recognition problem. Or, as Brian Cronin puts it at CBR.com: "'Look! Up in the Sky! It's a Bird! No, It's a Plane! No, It's Buster Gold!'"

Calling Booster "Buster" has been around since the fourth page of Booster's very first appearance (Booster Gold #1). That was 1985. The most recent appearance of that long-running gag was in Bat-Mite #4 in 2015. Thirty years is a long time to keep a joke running!

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th Edition) defines the direct address "Buster" as

Fellow. Used in addressing a man or boy, especially out of annoyance.

Booster's aggressively brash and cocky personality naturally rubs some people the wrong way, making shouts of "Buster" Gold a fitting commentary from his many detractors.

While we're on the subject, the same dictionary defines "Booster" as

One that boosts, as: An enthusiastic promoter, as of a sports team or school;
or
One who steals goods on display in a store.

You've got to give creator Dan Jurgens credit for squeezing his hero's entire origin into one name.

Booster Gold insiders will note that, as Cronin points out, the "Buster" joke succeeds on an even deeper level:

The whole idea of people mixing up Booster Gold's name is funny, because the very name BOOSTER GOLD is, itself, a mistake.

He's so right. "Booster," "Buster,"... both are a far cry from "Goldstar." (See Booster Gold #9 for more details on how that came to be.)

Cronin only lists 5 "Buster Gold" examples in his CBR.com article, but you can find the whole list of Booster Busters here at Boosterrific.com

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CBR.com (yes, them again) alerts us that

"A new report suggests that a series based on Blue Beetle may be in development at HBO Max."

That has caused a lot of Internet DC and comics fan sites (you know the type) to speculate that Booster Gold must be appearing in this. Two things:

1) We don't even know if this rumor is true, and

2) No it doesn't.

While it would be nice to think that Blue and Gold will one day own the airwaves just as they own our hearts, there's no great reason to assume that Booster will have anything to do with a Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle project (which this undoubtedly is, assuming it really is in the works).

Therefore... we are still where we were the last time we heard a rumor that Booster Gold might be coming to a streaming service near us: that is, Booster Gold might be coming to a streaming service near us.

*shrug*

When DC wants us to know otherwise, they'll tell us.

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I noted some weeks ago that it seemed that Booster Gold was appearing in a lot of lists at the website that used to be ComicBookResources.com. I was trying to keep that list of lists up to date. But the latest CBR clickbait, "10 DC Heroes Who Are Unfairly Underestimated" by Richard Keller, deserves a new post.

The Greatest Hero The World Has Never Known is number two on the countdown. Writes Keller:

Even when introduced after Crisis on Infinite Earths, Booster Gold was considered somewhat of a joke by DC's other superheroes. It didn't matter if he saved the timeline or defeated the Royal Flush Gang by himself. They chalked it up to the stolen gadgets he used.

However, think about it. He put a costume together from stolen material and knew what all the parts did. Furthermore, being a time traveler, Booster knows a thing or two about physics and math along with the consequences of changing history. He may seem like a doofus, but, when in situations like those of Heroes in Crisis, he knows what needs to be done, even when everyone else looks at him like he's crazy.

That's not the worst argument in favor of our hero. (If you're dissatisfied that Booster is only number two, know that his BFF is the hero taking up space at number one.)

Despite any personal lingering resentment I feel at the newfangled CBR's listicle content strategy, I do have to appreciate that they at least keep the torch burning for Booster Gold fans in the face of DC's ongoing disinterest in returning the original Corporate Crusader to the limelight where he belongs. Thanks, Richard. (Although, seriously, anyone who underestimates Captain Marvel — no matter what he's being called these days — has it coming.)

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On Monday, I mentioned that Booster Gold: The Big Fall is released today. But that's not the only place you'll spot Booster Gold in your Local Comic Shop this week. Take along an extra $6 for the Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis #1

This one-shot issue is essentially an Elseworlds tale, re-imagining the unfortunate events of Countdown to Infinite Crisis (2005) and its aftermath which took place in Scott Snyder's Dark Multiverse. The advance solicitation text (available at CBR.com) promises a prominent role for Booster Gold:

DC's mega-event "Infinite Crisis" saw the destruction of the Trinity, the rise of Alexander Luthor and Superboy-Prime, and the rebirth of the Multiverse...but it all started with Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, who saw it all coming and died with secrets that could've saved the world. But...things happened differently in the Dark Multiverse! Not only does Blue Beetle survive- he thrives! And after killing Maxwell Lord himself, Ted sets off a chain of events that irreversibly alters the lives of the Justice League and 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.

There are no happy endings in the aptly named "dark" universe, so don't expect this What If...?-style story to be a positive for Booster or his buddy. (Think "Blue & Gold" from Booster Gold #0 to #1 Million but grimmer and grittier.)

If you have the stomach for it, buy this issue and make Dark Skeets happy.

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Booster Gold makes good clickbait. At least, that's what I deduce based on his inclusion in several recent lists at CBR.com.

First, Scoot Allan has compiled his "10 Of The Most 90s Costumes In Comic Book History." Booster gets a brief shout out in this list under item 5: Power Armor.

Armor was also really big in the 90s, with all kinds of heroes modifying their outfits into bulkier robotic Iron Man knock-offs. ... DC's Booster Gold also received a bulky version of his old superhero suit when he joined the equally 90s Justice League spin-off, Extreme Justice. The reasons for his bulkier suit made a bit more sense, as the materials needed to properly fix his futuristic suit didn't exist yet.

This isn't exactly wrong, though it does makes it sound as if two years didn't pass between Superman #74 and Extreme Justice #0. But I won't quibble with anyone showing Extreme Justice-era Booster some love.

Our hero comes in at 6 on J. Richland Anderson's list of "DC: 10 Characters Fans Hated At First (& Grew to Love)."

For a while, it seemed as though DC didn't know which direction to take Booster Gold in. While some were fans of his unique approach to crime fighting, some weren't too keen on his personality. It wasn't until Booster's backstory was developed in his second solo series where his character really began to take off.

After his motivations and relationship with his father were established, Booster suddenly became a much more interesting character. Though he still had some loyal fans from the time of his debut, more people began to warm up to him after he was more fleshed out. Today, Booster is a welcome experience in many books. Though he still makes his fair share of irresponsible mistakes, Booster's fun, lovable personality help brighten any book.

"Booster suddenly became a much more interesting character"? As one of Booster's "loyal fans," let me say only that I found Booster's "fun, lovable personality" clearly evident even in his early series. (That doesn't count as a quibble, does it?)

And finally, Booster appears in Brian Cronin's list of "2019 Top DC Characters", where he placed 31 out of 100 in a fan vote. In addition to pointing out that Booster was created to be different than other DC characters of his era, Cronin also explicitly reminds that the Bwah-Ha-Ha Era of the Justice League International was incredibly successful.

He eventually joined Justice League International, where he became good friends with Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle. The two men had a number of money-making schemes, including their infamous casino plot. ... "Blue and Gold" was very popular with the fans and at one point, they were one of the most in-demand pairings at DC Comics.

That's a lot of lists! No matter which you prefer, know that the one thing you can always count on is that there are some great Booster Gold comic books from every era out there for you to enjoy.

UPDATE November 2: CBR keeps on rolling. Paul DiSalvo adds Booster Gold at number 7 on his list of "The 10 Best Comedy Relief Superheroes in Comics". Indeed.

UPDATE November 5: And now Shawn S. Lealos uses Booster Gold as his example of ENFP in "DC: MBTI Of The Justice League." What do those acronyms mean? Shawn doesn't explain them, so let's just assume they're good things.

UPDATE November 12: Booster is number 10 in J. Richland Anderson's "10 DC Characters Who Are Way Smarter Than They Let On." Shazam is weirdly #2. I never thought Captain Marvel played stupid — he's a bit naive, not dumb — but then I didn't make the list, either.

UPDATE December 9: Why am I still tracking these? Booster is in Karlton Jahmal's list of "5 DC Heroes Wolverine Would Team Up With (& 5 He Would Hate)." Frankly, Booster has far more to worry about than whether or not Wolverine would like him. Doesn't everyone?

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