Boosterrific Note: the following was sent to me in response to my April 10 post asking for Booster Gold fans to write in and tell us a bit about themselves.

Everyone, meet Jordan.

Thank you so much for this website and for this unique gathering of fandom around our favorite time-traveling hero. I stumbled across your website maybe 5-6 years ago and have regularly visited and enjoyed the updates on Booster appearances (not to mention digging deep into the listings of past Booster appearances for my own collecting purposes). I may not be a regular commenter, but I thoroughly appreciate this website and all you do.

I encountered Booster Gold for the first time at what was, in retrospect, a rather dark moment in the character's history. I began collecting comics around 2003-04, mostly Marvel at first. My initial foray into DC Comics was to check out their big event comic at the time, Identity Crisis. As a monthly murder mystery, I was on the edge of my seat, though in retrospect, it ended up being excessively dark and kicked off an unfortunate dismantling of the Justice League International-era characters. But at the time it did a great job of hooking me with hints of old stories and minor characters and the rich history of the DC Universe.

But it was the follow-up, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, that would help pave the way for me to become a lifelong Booster booster. Being relatively unfamiliar with either him or Blue Beetle, it helped introduce me to both characters and their brilliant friendship. Though it ended in tragedy, I became instantly enamored with the emotional journey of Booster Gold from down on-his-luck minor hero, to his heroic rescue of Ted in the middle chapter and then his sidelining injury before Ted's death. I knew I wanted to know more about this time traveling hero's past adventures hinted at in this issue, as well as how he would respond to the death of his best friend and what would come next.

I began to hunt down issues of Booster Gold's original series as well as the Giffen-DeMatteis-Maguire Justice League while following Booster's trajectory through OMAC Project (his scenes each issue were the primary reason I bought that series), Infinite Crisis and 52. In 52 I was devastated by his death and thrilled by his return and that final issue is still one of my favorite Booster Gold victories. Even better though was the launch of a new Booster Gold series and a new status quo as the Great Hero You've Never Heard Of. His character arc from failure and criminal to time-traveling runaway to self-promoting braggart to comical jokester to washed-up has been and all the way back around to noble and self-sacrificing hero is one of the greatest hero's journeys ever told. I largely check-out of DC with the New 52 relaunch and see relatively little on the shelves today that interests me, but that just means I have more spending money to use tracking down back issues featuring Booster Gold.

My favorite Booster moment would have to be in Vol. 2 #1 as he is invited to join the newly reformed Justice League of America and to his horror sees his membership certificate transform into a death certificate for Hal Jordan. That moment when he pauses you can feel the weight of his decision, but it passes quickly as he pastes a smile on his face and jovially turns down membership and plays the egotist, all for the sake of protecting his friends and fellow heroes. He will never receive a thank you or the accolades he deserves, but that's okay because he knows he is doing the right thing, even if it privately frustrates him, as shown in the very next panel. He is noble and self-sacrificing and willing to do the right thing, even at great personal cost. That may be a departure from his original status quo, but even in those old issues you can see that same heroism shine through as Dan Jurgens developed in Booster as he learned and grew and matured. That to me is what makes Booster Gold one of the best.

Thank you, Jordan.

If anyone else would like to share and/or self-promote, please drop me a line through the Boosterrific.com Contact Portal or directly at walter(at)boosterrific.com.

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Boosterrific Note: the following was sent to me in response to my April 10 post asking for Booster Gold fans to write in and tell us a bit about themselves.

Everyone, say hello to Fin.

Hello!

I'm a bit of a Booster newbie, seeing as I've only been a fan for about a year and a half now. (To be fair, I've only been into comics for about... wow, has it been three years? It feels both longer and shorter than that!) I've had this website open in my tabs for about half that time, and love that this place exists for us to get the latest Booster-news, see art, and have fun and interesting commentary on his appearances (even if we don't agree sometimes; example one — sorry, but his second hairstyle was grossly militaristic and way too Sergeant Rock-looking, bring back the over-idealistic curl! XD). When you posted asking for fans to write in, I though, "nahhh, I'm not interesting enough," but then I thought about how Booster would use it as a marketing opportunity and decided "what the heck!"

I actually can't figure out what my first introduction to his character was. When I got into comics, I kind of splurged into a lot of different things at once, and then my old Lieutenant (that's a different story) gave me a huge box of his old comics around that time, too. I could've first seen him in Justice League Action; it could've been in the Death of Superman issues (I know I have the JLA one after the Doomsday fight); it could have also been in the more memorable AIDS PSAs of that time period, but I distinctly remember being somewhat appalled by his character in those (in my defense, I didn't know him!); but it was most likely through the Blackest Night event.

As was the case with Booster, I'm not sure when I found this website, and probably found it a few times before I really FOUND it. It was, in all likelihood, when I was looking up a specific picture and clicked the link, purely because the bit of text from the website that Google images offers intrigued me. I really love it; you are ridiculously dedicated to the point where it's inspiring, you offer fresh, informed, and actually interesting reviews, and above all you're a pretty nice guy! (See: the aforementioned disagreement I have with you, and how you were respectful and kind when someone else disagreed in the comments. It's very refreshing when most people will just get angry whenever you disagree.) Your catalogue of appearances is very helpful to the new fan like me, and even more than that I appreciate the fan works that you spotlight, and finding him in fansongs and the like that you have listed is always a treat.

Now, since I started this with the tease of a self-marketing campaign, let's do another horrible segue into that! I'm a kid (well, technically adult, but actually a child) trying to eventually get into a minor editorial position at DC (with the lofty goal of one day establishing that long-ago, way back in the eighties talked-about Blue and Gold series), but I need some exposure before I get that far. As such, I'm currently working for a small independent press (traditional books, not comics) called Apprentice House. We can always use more manuscripts, and we've got a new batch of books I've worked on through acquisitions, editorial, marketing, and a bit of design! Check us out; we've also got more coming out in October! Beyond that, I'm currently writing a short comic that will be up on Webtoons in the coming months. It's for a short story contest, so views and likes and such are greatly appreciated (30% of the judging criteria, too, dern!). The title is "The Tree of Life is Rotting"; the plot is the same. Check it out, hopefully you'll find it interesting and a good read!

Thanks for your time in reading this long rant; I'm ending it now for everyone's sake! I hope you're staying safe, sane, and happy during this chaotic mess of a time, and I wish you a good day. Cheers!

Thank you, Fin. I'm sure you've already realized I only posted this because you said I was a nice guy and not because you're so wrong about hairstyles.

If anyone else would like to share and/or self-promote, please drop me a line through the Boosterrific.com Contact Portal or directly at walter(at)boosterrific.com.

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Boosterrific Note: the following brief biographies were sent to me in response to my April 10 post asking for Booster Gold fans to write in and tell us a bit about themselves.

First up is Megan.

I think the concept of this blog is really great. It's a blog that would exist in DC continuity and I find that idea really hilarious. It aligns with the idea of Booster's fame seeking generating an obsessive fanclub. Booster Gold is one of my favourite DC characters. I really love how he grows and matures to become a self sacrificing person. Enjoying the character is how I found this blog and I check it out from time to time because the concept is so entertaining. Thanks for your commitment.

Secondly was this post by M.M., who originally posted this in the comments.

I love this blog. I found it while looking for Booster of course, which I fell in love with at a time in my life where I downloaded comics published before I was born, I don't know why, I just know that Booster had it all, a real personality that I could understand, a curve wonderful learning, time travel and it made me seriously wonder why I don't see more heroes dressing in gold.

Pardon my writing, I am doing this in the time not suitable for all public and helping me with the google translator because I do not trust myself. I'm going to confess that I love this blog, I already said it, but I confess that one of my recurring fears is that something happens to you and I never have the opportunity to say thanks for everything. rereading a comic after you write about why it's great for you makes me feel like it's new to me again.

Thank you both. (Rest assured that I plan to continue posting about Booster Gold for years to come, M.M.)

If anyone else would like to share and/or self-promote, please drop me a line through the Boosterrific.com Contact Portal or directly at walter(at)boosterrific.com.

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Boosterrific Note: the following was sent to me in response to my April 10 post asking for Booster Gold fans to write in and tell us a bit about themselves.

Everyone, please welcome Eskana.

Just letting you know that I really enjoy this blog! I found it by accident once when I was searching for Booster Gold... I was so excited to read that there was a Booster Gold blog. I've never seen another blog like it for any other character, and I think it's the best superhero fansite I've seen. Like someone mentioned, you're lucky to have a chance to talk about something you're passionate about... so now I'm going to gush for a second...

I've been a Booster fan for a while... I remember when I was like a tween or early teen, I really enjoyed "Justice League Unlimited" because it would show the characters I already liked and then add in little ones I'd never heard of that I just called "little heroes." The Question and Booster were my favorites (even if Booster only really had one episode.) I really enjoyed Booster's episode because I loved how it showed behind-the-scenes of a superhero battle, and how not every hero gets credit, either from the people he saves or from his colleagues. And I liked how in the end, Booster didn't even tell his colleagues what he did. Just saving people was enough.

I can't remember when I started reading Booster- possibly with Flashpoint or New 52? - but eventually I started getting a hold of issues from his series. I loved everything I read. I loved the idea of a hero who does EVERYTHING but still isn't appreciated, and in fact has to sacrifice even the respect of his peers in order to really do his job. Most heroes, even when the chips are down, still have their friends they can count on. Booster mostly doesn't, and he really can't afford to have that many confidantes if he wants to do his job right. That makes him more than a "little hero." That makes him one of the best.

Over the last couple of years, I got to go even farther back. I knew Ted Kord's fate before I even knew who he was, but it was great to go back to the old JLI and see how they got to be great friends. (I love classic JLI and personally I'd love to see a JLI movie and/or show as a way to introduce these characters.) Then I read "Infinite Crisis" and saw it happen. It left the best for last, in a way... one of the last sets I read was "Generation Lost." All this just showed something unique about Booster that sets him apart.

Unlike the "bigger heroes," Booster Gold grows, and you can see it. He's very different now than when he started. He's also luckily not held back by company mandates, like Batman or Superman. Also, as you've pointed out before, even if in the past it was partly about the fame for Booster, he was always willing to put his life on the line to help people, super-suit or no. It just took him a while to shed the fame-seeking exterior and show the real gold underneath. ;)

Part of me even loves that people IRL don't know who he is... because then you know he's out there, doing his job. Who's Booster Gold? The Greatest Hero You've Never Heard of, that's who.

Thank you, Eskana.

If anyone else would like to share and/or self-promote, please drop me a line through the Boosterrific.com Contact Portal or directly at walter(at)boosterrific.com.

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Boosterrific Note: the following was sent to me by a Booster Gold fan writing under the pen name Tinuvial beria uin Morchaint. It was among the very first responses I got to last Friday's post and was so exactly what I was hoping that I thought I'd go ahead and post it in the hopes of inspiring more of you to write in.

I saw your blog post today asking for some fan blog postings to help fill these days of stay at home orders and so on. Below is my offering for your endeavour and I hope you get several responses to help out in a tough, dry time for finding interesting Booster Gold news to write about.

Suggested Title: It's a Magical Flashpoint

No, not the comic book event, but we'll get to that. I suppose most people start at the beginning, so here goes. I first encountered Booster Gold as the voice giving tours in DC Universe Online; naturally, I became curious about the character. I probably found this site when I was first investigating, but I don't remember any more. At any rate, I was in college and the nearest comic shop had Booster's first volume in black and white, so I'm pretty sure I started with that. Then I got into the JLI comics and the rest was history.

I admit, I'm more of a sucker for Blue and Gold rather than Booster solo, although Booster and Skeets have had some pretty cool solo adventures. I think that's what attracts me most: Booster's friendships and his loyalty to his teammates. Ironically, the fact that he's imperfect and has flaws is just as attractive. A hero who's too perfect (or grim all the time) can get a little old and boring. How 'bout a hero who 'turns traitor' only to flip back to the side of good at the critical moment? As much as the Millennium event dragged out, I did enjoy that part of it. I even empathized with Booster's last few comics in Volume 1, when he feels like his friends have turned on him because he was forced into a bad situation (Dirk blackmailing him into being a Manhunter agent).

As for what keeps me coming back, well, I'd say I'm on the hunt for Booster Gold comics, though preferably not comics where he's been brainwashed into becoming a bad guy. If I had my druthers, DC would bring back the Blue and the Gold, but that may be a pipe dream at this point. That said, never say never and we'll have to see what the future might hold.

And, to wrap up, in true Booster Gold fashion...

I have an ongoing writing project that anyone can view and read for free at either Fanfiction.net or Archive Of Our Own (archiveofourown.org), under my penname of "sunstarunicorn". Archive has a few art pieces I've done for my writing, but Fanfiction.net has some older stories that I never cross-posted.

Anyway, my project is called the It's a Magical Flashpoint series and centers around a Canadian cop show called Flashpoint, but it's also mixed with Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, and BBC's Merlin. Technically, Booster isn't in the series, but his costume and Skeets have showed up in all three of my Halloween stories and may appear in the main storyline as well.

I've been writing and posting since 2016 and have over eighty stories for this series online now. We've reached Season 4 of Flashpoint and I intend to write through all 5 seasons as well as few post-series stories. Eventually, I might try for something more ambitious than 'mere' fanfiction, but if anyone's interested, do drop by. I try to post a new chapter twice a week and so far, I don't think I've missed any Tuesdays or Fridays in quite awhile.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and most of all, stay Boosterrific!

Thank you, Tinuvial. And thank you to the several others who have also already responded. I'll post all of you in time.

If anyone else would like to share and/or self-promote, you can still reach me through the Boosterrific.com Contact Portal or directly at walter(at)boosterrific.com.

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