The life of any comic book hero would be a lonely one if not for the many characters who have made up their supporting cast. Just as Superman has Lois Lane and Batman has Alfred, Booster Gold has also shared his adventures with quite a few people over the years. Today we look at one of those, his mother.

Today is Labor Day in America, a holiday to celebrate those who helped ensure that we don't have to work on holidays. Do you know who still has to work holidays? Mothers.

Mothers never get days off. It's a tough job, made all the tougher when you're poor, single, and have twin mouths to feed. That's true today, and will still be true for the mother of Michael Jon "Booster" Carter and his sister Michelle in AD 2462 Gotham City.

Secret Origins #35

The birth name of Mrs. Carter remains a mystery to the public record. Her last name was borrowed from a man who turned his back on his own family, and her children always call her "Ma." But what's really important is that she loved and supported her children, even the conceited one who played college football.

Justice League Quarterly #10

When Ma got sick, can anyone blame Booster for turning to a life of crime to ensure that she got the treatment she needed? Isn't that what any good son would do?

And when Ma found out her son had cheated to pay for her treatment, can anyone blame her for being disappointed in him? Wouldn't every good mother hope that she had raised her children better than that?

Sometimes, when we're angry, we say things we don't really mean and can't take back. Booster Carter wouldn't even get the opportunity to try. To distance himself from his mistakes, he made the fateful decision to steal a time machine and runaway into the past. By the time he found a way back, it was too late.

Booster Gold #13

There could be no reconciliation. Tragically, Ma Carter would never learn of her son's heroic self-redemption.

Or wouldn't she? Nothing is as straightforward as it seems in the life of a time traveler.

While Booster would live his life believing that he had missed his opportunity to set things right, fate had other plans. Years later (from Booster's perspective), an attempt to keep Superman from doing unintentional harm to history resulted in an accidental trip back to the Gotham City of 2642. Thus Booster Gold was given a rare a second chance to clear the air.

Action Comics #995

If you get a chance this holiday, maybe you should call your mother.

Are you interested in meeting other "People in his Neighborhood"? Follow these links to get to know Daniel Carter, Michelle Carter, Trixie Collins, Nurse Devlin, Dirk Davis, Rani, Skeets, Jack Soo, Mackenzie Garrison, Rip Hunter, Monica Lake, Doctor Shocker, and Blackguard.

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I don't think I'd warned you this was coming, but today you can get your hands on Superman: The Man of Steel Volume 3, a reprint collection of twelve Superman comics from the 1980s. It just so happens that Booster appears in three of those:

Action Comics #594

Booster Gold #23

Action Comics #596

Booster Gold sure was all over the place back in late 1987, early 1988. Ah, the good old days.

That last panel is just a cameo, but there's actually quite a good bit of Booster in this collection. Buy this reprint and make Skeets happy.

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First things first: 26 Down in today's LA Times crossword puzzle (by Winston Emmons, edited by Rich Norris) is "Robot companion of superhero Booster Gold."

Hundreds of thousands of people work daily crosswords puzzles, so this is great exposure for Booster Gold. If you are one of them, and you are dropping by Boosterrific.com for the first time today, hello. The answer is "Skeets."

Elsewhere, those of us who read Booster Gold comic books will find slim pickings on the ol' periodical rack this week. To the best of my current knowledge, the only place you'll find our hero in the latest releases from DC Comics is in the pages of Superman Volume 4: Mythology, reprinting Superman #20-28, including this panel from Superman #23:

I like that panel — artist Kevin Maguire's take on Blue and Gold *and* the Wonder Twins? Yes, please! — but I'm not sure it's worth $20 for an entire reprint collection.

Instead I'd encourage you to go out and pick up the single back issue from your Local Comic Shop where it's probably selling for... *looks it up on eBay* ... $25?!? Because it's the "1st appearance of Xanadoth"? Xanadoth? You've got to be kidding me. Xanadoth has been in exactly *two* comic books. Fat chance of seeing him as an answer in a crossword puzzle.

Ahem. As I was saying, $20 is a pretty good deal. Buy this issue and make Skeets (and cruciverbalists everywhere) happy.

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Great news, Booster boosters! Booster Gold is in this week's Superman: Red and Blue #3.

You can read a preview of the first few pages at aiptcomics.com, but we've already seen what we needed to see via Twitter.com:

And while you're in your Local Comic Shop, know that Booster reprises his cover-only appearance from Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Last 52: War of the Multiverses on the reprint collection Dark Nights: Death Metal: War of the Multiverses, where he once again appears only on the cover. If nothing else, you've got to give him credit for consistency.

Buy these comics and make Skeets happy!

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With tornadoes and fools now in the rear-view mirror, let's get back to what's really important around here: the awesome awesomeness of Booster Gold.

Last week while I was taking a forced sabbatical from the Internet, artist Michel Fiffe teased his upcoming story in the Superman: Red & Blue anthology with a step-by-step construction of this panel:

I love the fact that our golden hero will be appearing in glorious black and white — with flight ring *and* high collar! — in Superman's comic. Stealing Booster's color is probably a ploy by the Man of Steel to prevent Booster from outshining him. (Again.) The Rainbow Raider would be proud.

You can see the complete breakdown of Fiffe's panel art on Twitter.com. And you can buy a copy of Superman: Red & Blue #3 at your Local Comic Shop on May 18.

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