For the second week in a row, I went to my Local Comic Shop to buy books that DC says via their website should be available now only to discover after arriving that they were not actually released. Obviously, I'm making a mistake expecting DCComics.com to give me an accurate assessment of what they are making available each week.

So I'll consider this a lesson learned. From now on, I'll only trust release information reported by the website of DC's sole distributor, lunardistribution.com, (which only reports books shipping a few days in advance) and even then probably only after I have a book in my hand.

What that means for you, loyal Boosterrific.com visitor, is that release dates I have listed for upcoming new releases may not be accurate, even when I have taken that data from DC Comics itself. These sorts of scheduling problems shouldn't be a big surprise to any of you who have been buying comics for any length of time, but it's still worth a reminder.

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I went to my Local Comic Shop specifically to buy Blue and Gold #2, and they told me they didn't receive any copies. This despite the fact that I had checked DCComics.com before I left the house, and the website said the book was "Available Now."

I figured it was just a case of the distributor short shipping the title. That happens. Frequently. (Yeah, it still bothers me, but what am I going to do, stop collecting comics?)

So I come home, go online to pick up a digital copy of the book, and I see this:

"Available on September 7 2021"?!? The book has been delayed three weeks, and DC hasn't bothered to tell anyone — not even their own web developers?

What could have possibly happened for such a late scrub? Are the shippers on strike? Were editors late getting art to the publishing house? Did it fail to pass inspection by the Comics Code Authority? Are the printing presses in Afghanistan? Or Haiti? Or Florida?

Que sera, sera, I guess. Probably just about everyone in the world — including me — has bigger problems than whether or not I get my hands on any particular comic book. If I have to wait until September 7, so be it.

But how about a little warning next time, DC?

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In promotion of Blue and Gold #1, DC Comics has posted a primer on the history of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold on their blog at DCComics.com.

Most of what they have to say won't come as news to Boosterrific.com readers, but that's not necessarily true of what Dan Jurgens tells Liam McGuire in the interview now available at ScreenRant.com:

Screen Rant: Booster Gold and Blue Beetle have a very different relationship with the big players on DC's Justice League. Does that difference get explored in this book?

Dan Jurgens: Very much so. Booster is a rather insecure person. He craves acceptance from the other heroes. He's desperate to be regarded as an "A-Lister".

Ted would like that as well, but it's not an obsession for him. Booster, on the other hand, is desperate for it.

It's always great to have insight on how Booster's creator views his creation. "Insecure" may be an unusual word to apply to a DC superhero, but it accurately describes Booster's personality and what has motivated him into so many of his misadventures.

But hold on, here's another interesting bit:

Screen Rant: What can you tell us about working with Ryan Sook on this project?

Dan Jurgens: Ryan and I have worked together on FUTURES END, ACTION COMICS and BATMAN BEYOND. Every time I work with him, I am amazed by the quality of work and depth of thought that shows up on each and every page.

He's very much into the spirit of this project and exploring the nature of these two characters. It's a delight to see his work come in as we're working Marvel style, and it's really giving him the opportunity to add his magic touch.

If you aren't familiar with the "Marvel style," it's a "plot-first" process pioneered by Stan Lee and his artists in the 1960s where bare-bones plots where provided to pencillers so they have the most flexibility to work engaging layouts. In this method, scripting dialogue is done last.

(Stan Lee once wrote a book called How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way that focused entirely on what panels should look like in a Marvel comic, not how the artist and writer might work together. Ironically, the process is better explained by Denny O'Neil in The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics.)

Over the past four decades, Jurgens has pencilled most of his own Booster Gold scripts, so it's interesting to see how he writes Booster for other artists. Is this how he worked with Aaron Lopresti on Justice League International or Corin Howell for Bat-Mite?

I hope Jurgens doesn't tire of talking Booster Gold anytime soon. There's always more to learn.

Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: blue and gold dan jurgens dccomics.com denny o'neill interviews liam mcguire screenrant.com stan lee

"BREAKING NEWS" is not something that a Booster Gold blog has much opportunity to say, but I think this counts.

DCComics.com has just posted... well, here it is in its entirety:

DC Comics Proudly Presents 'Blue & Gold' by Dan Jurgens and Ryan Sook!
DC's two favorite underdogs (Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, not Dan and Ryan) launch their own eight-issue miniseries!

Michael Carter, aka Booster Gold. A scoundrel from the future armed with stolen technology, a time machine and a robot pal named Skeets, is intent on making a name for himself in the past!

Ted Kord, aka Blue Beetle. The inheritor of a proud legacy of crimefighting who had no powers to speak of, but who carried on the Blue Beetle legacy with just his wits and his fists...is armed with a whole lot of gadgets and a sharp sense of humor!

Together, they're going to make headlines in DC Comics' Blue & Gold, a limited eight-issue miniseries by Dan Jurgens and Ryan Sook launching this July!

Desperate to regain the spotlight, Booster Gold looks to attract the public's (and Justice League's) attention the same way any washed-up, second-rate hero would—social media. The not-so-tech-savvy hero from the 25th century enlists the help of his best friend, Blue Beetle, who possesses both the money and the brains to help his old pal navigate the scary world of internet influencers.

Watch out, evildoers, our heroes are live and online!

Don't miss Dan Jurgens's triumphant return to Booster Gold, teaming with all-star artist Ryan Sook (Legion of Super-Heroes), telling a tale filled with heart...and maybe even redemption for DC's two favorite underdogs!

Blue & Gold #1 (of 8) by Dan Jurgens and Ryan Sook arrives on July 20 with a cover by Sook ($3.99) and a card stock variant cover by Dave Johnson ($4.99).

For more information on Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Skeets, Time Travel, the DC Multiverse and the World's Greatest Super Heroes, visit http://www.dccomics.com, and follow DC on social media at @DCComics and @thedcnation.

(I apologize for reposting the entire solicitation in full, but it feels like a special occasion, like the announcement of an armistice treaty. The original text is posted at https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2021/04/21/dc-comics-proudly-presents-blue-gold-by-dan-jurgens-and-ryan-sook)

If that doesn't make your 2021, Booster boosters, nothing will! (Thanks to all who made sure I saw the news.)

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DC will be releasing Harley Quinn #72 tomorrow whether your Local Comic Shop is open or not (and whether your shop is accepting non-Diamond shipments or not).

Some of you young 'uns with your newfangled digital devices may want to forego buying a floppy and instead opt for the digital edition somewhere like Comixology.com.

In any event, know that the issue will soon exist in the wild for you to hunt down at your convenience. And I know that you'll want to, because Booster Gold is definitely in it, as the preview at DCComics.com proves.

Golly, does everything have to be about death these days? I mean, COVID-19 trigger warning, people.

Hey, wait a second, are they holding hands? Gasp! They're not social distancing!

No, seriously, Booster. I'm doing you a favor, man. Stay away from her. She's bad news. She literally tried to kill you. Multiple times. And not with a disease, with a mallet. That's a relationship red flag, buddy.

Buy this issue (sooner or later — but safely!) and make Skeets jealous.

Thanks to Michael Stalans for the preview link.

UPDATE 2020-05-11: Eskana put this link in the comments below, but I'm going to repost it here so everyone can see it. From CBR.com: "Harley Quinn's Sam Humphries Explains Her Budding Romance With Booster Gold". Just say no, Booster!

Comments (7) | Add a Comment | Tags: cbr.com dccomics.com eskana harley quinn michael stalans new releases previews sam humphries