Dan Jurgens created the character of Booster Gold and has written and drawn most of Booster's adventures since 1985. However, Dan wasn't the only artist working on Booster's first appearance.

I would suggest that the most significant early artistic collaborator was Booster's original inker, Mike DeCarlo, who has drawn, inked, and/or colored hundreds of books for DC (and elsewhere) since the early 80s.

For those of us who have been with Booster since the beginning, DeCarlo's Booster certainly has a place in our heart. That's why I was so happy to see Cameron Lentz's commission of DeCarlo's distinctive take on young Booster Gold recently show up at ComicArtFans.com:

Yep, that's our Booster!

If you'd like to admire more of DeCarlo's Booster Gold inks, ComicArtFans.com also has the first appearance of the post-Crisis Superman from Booster Gold #6 story page 7, as well as Booster's origin story on pages 17, 18, 19, and 20 of that same issue.

With art like that, it's no wonder that we consider the issue to be one of the 12 Best Booster Gold Stories Ever!

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While Booster Gold has had many adventures without his robot sidekick since the pair debuted in 1985's Booster Gold #1, the reverse is not true. Skeets has rarely wandered far from Booster's side.

But this week, Skeets will be on the cover of Batman Superman: World's Finest #17 with nary a Booster Gold in sight!

The issue preview at AIPTComics.com doesn't give any indication what role (if any) Skeets (or Booster) will play in the issue's story. Given that the scenario in preceding issues focuses on a villainous artificial intelligence taking over all the other artificial lifeforms in the DC Universe... things don't look good for our favorite sidekick.

Buy this issue and make Skeets happy!

UPDATE: As Marty notes in the comments, neither Booster nor Skeets appears inside the actual issue. Oh, well. We still got a Skeets cover.

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Booster Gold #23 is the last adventure of Booster's first volume untainted by editorially-mandated connections to the mega-crossover Millennium event. In hindsight, that makes this comedic exchange between Superman and Booster Gold from page 19 even more poignant.

Pay particular attention to how the content of individual panels flows down and across the page as the scene gradually transitions from the victorious heroes on the top of the building who shrink down to a worm's eye view the giant head of villainous mastermind Lex Luthor at page bottom. The use of a Dutch angle perspective at the page bottom even leads the reader's eye back up the page to reinforce Luthor's contrast with smiling Superman! What a nice finishing touch.

Dan Jurgens' greatest artistic strength has always been laying out dynamic action scenes that enhance a story's narrative flow, and that's perfectly on display here.

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So far this series has only featured pages from books in which Booster Gold has appeared on multiple pages. But I'm about to break that rule, because Booster's actually seen on only in one page of Action Comics #594!

Hint: it's not this one:

The loose sketchiness of John Byrne's art here is well suited to the big, dramatic motion in its panels. It reads well, unencumbered by unnecessary detail.

And, of course, as a proud supporter of Team Booster, having Booster crash Superman's traditional "Look, up in the sky" introduction before destroying the Man of Steel's overblown image is an extra nice touch. Bwam!

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At last we come to Justice League International #7, which happens to be the *first* issue of Justice League International because back in the day publishers didn't restart series every other week; they just retitled existing series and kept the previous numbering. Was it confusing? Sure. But that's comic books for you.

Taking the Justice League international was a pretty big deal at the time (heck, if you ask me, it's still a big deal), but Booster Gold didn't have much of a role in the events. Aside from (kind of) saving Batman's life in space on international television, Booster spends most of the issue as just another pretty face in a crowd.

Which explains why he's not on my favorite page of the issue. Superman is.

The Man of Steel enters the United Nations Security Council politely. By walking in the door. So many writers/artists would get that detail wrong.

Speaking of artists, Kevin Maguire's art for the oversized issue has always looked a little rushed, but it's especially sketchy in higher-definition reprints. I recommend reading this on the original blurry newsprint if you have the option. Newer isn't always better.

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