It might be hard for modern audiences to imagine, but in the late 1980s, "Iron" Mike Tyson was considered invincible. He had never lost a fight. His bouts averaged barely more than 3 rounds. He usually had his opponent knocked out before the end of the first round. Then came Buster Douglas.

Douglas was a heavy underdog when the two heavyweight boxers met on February 11, 1990. Casino oddsmakers had Tyson a 42/1 favorite, meaning a $42 bet earned only $1. However, if Douglas was to pull off the upset, a $1,000 bet on Douglas would pay out $37,000. Too bad that could never happen.

Except it did.

It's been said that the unexpected and improbable Douglas victory was the biggest payout for a boxing match in history, making it a perfectly safe bet for a time-traveling sports fan looking to make a quick buck. Someone like Booster Gold.

Hmm. A sports gambler using time-travel to his own advantage? Someone should make a movie about that.

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Few comics publishers have much new to offer today, the first New Comic Day after Christmas and the final New Comic Day of the year. DC in particular is offering only reprints. That wasn't always the case.

DC's Elseworlds weird western tale Justice Riders was released 22 years ago today. I reread it yesterday, and I have to say that it stands up rather well.

As with most westerns, the premise is rather simple: Sheriff Diana Prince gathers a posse of men with unusual talents to hunt down the man who destroyed her town, a robber baron by the name of Maxwell Lord. Booster Gold earns his way onto the team thanks to his unusually potent firepower created by a familiar, gifted inventor.

Justice Riders (1996) story by Chuck Dixon; art by J.H. Williams III, Mick Gray, Lee Loughridge; letters by Bill Oakley

Everyone who has ever seen a John Wayne western can probably imagine how this plays out. The fun isn't so much the destination but how the story gets there and, for comics geeks, how it ties to post-Zero Hour DCU continuity. That and the amazing art by J.H. Williams III.

If you can't find anything else to buy at your Local Comic Shop today, consider treating yourself to Justice Riders for $1.99 at Comixology.com.

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Booster Gold was still the new kid on the block when he made a guest appearance in the inaugural issue of the Time Masters limited series 29 years ago today.

Booster Gold, Volume 1, #13 had reintroduced Rip Hunter to the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths DC Universe, and Time Masters fleshed out Hunter's obsession with time (hint: it started with his family).

The familial relationship between Booster Gold and Rip Hunter wouldn't be established for another 18 years (and several continuity reboots), so anything in this issue that connects the two as father/son is purely coincidental. Still, given that this story is obsessed with conspiracy theories, it's fun to re-read with an eye for what the future actually holds.

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On this date in 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most famous speeches in American history.

Despite its fame, many elements of what transpired that day at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery — including the exact text of the speech itself — remain unclear to even the most dedicated historical researcher. To know the truth, you would have had to have been there.

Be sure to dress for the occasion.

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Some of you reading this today are too young to remember that Booster Gold was once DC's resident continuity cop with a detailed working knowledge of how things were supposed to be. He had his own series dedicated to adventuring between and behind the panels of previously documented events from the lives of other DC characters.

It's true. Long before Booster was a mass murder suspect in Heroes in Crisis, he was making mistakes of a different sort as documented in Booster Gold: Blue and Gold, a collection of the second half of Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz's run on Booster Gold, volume 2.

You might be startled to realize that Booster Gold: Blue and Gold was released 10 years ago today. Ten. Whole. Years. Gee whiz, time flies when you're growing old.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some good old comics to go re-read.

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