Three weeks ago, Booster Gold clearly appeared in Dark Nights: Death Metal #3, the fourth (of 24) chapters in the seemingly eternal "Death Metal" saga (which began in the summer of 2017).

He *may* have appeared in the follow-up (chapter 5 of 24), Dark Nights: Death Metal Guidebook, though the art is unclear and Booster Gold fans were split on whether it was supposed to represent Booster or not.

But I can say without a doubt that Booster Gold definitely does *not* appear in this week's chapter six (of 24), Dark Nights: Death Metal Trinity Crisis. Despite revisiting the same scene as the past two issues, Booster Gold is cropped out of the panels. Neither does he appear in the issue's flashbacks to Infinite Crisis or Final Crisis.

But that's cool. Booster didn't need to be in this issue anyway. Someone had to go to make room for 11 different Batmen, and Booster has always been a team player.

While we're on the subject of books released this week that Booster Gold doesn't appear in, I probably also should mention that he's not in Wonder Woman #762, that despite the fact that it includes a Maxwell Max Lord who is for the first time openly aware of pre-Flashpoint continuity. We get flashbacks to the early days of the Justice League International and Max's death and ensuing defeats following Infinite Crisis and Brightest Day/Generation Lost. But as I said, no sign of Booster Gold. Max Lord is now a Wonder Woman villain, after all.

On the bright side of all these missed opportunities for Booster Gold appearances, not having to buy an issue because Booster doesn't make a cameo saves me money I can spend on a pizza instead. (That Dark Nights: Death Metal Trinity Crisis [part 6 of 24!!] is $6 before taxes!) So thanks for dinner, DC!

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DC has been doing their part in COVID-19 pandemic messaging by including "social distancing" PSAs in their comics and shipping posters to comic shops. It's an admirable incentive to get important information to superhero fans, but I think their choice of spokespersons could use some improvement.

One poster features Superman and Wonder Woman playing tug o' war. As much as I admire their wisdom, they aren't the pair I would pick to pose for an anti-virus PSA. He's invulnerable and she's immortal. Their unique talents are better used preventing authoritarian armies from trampling peaceful protesters than preaching to the public about the dangers of airborne pestilence particles.

Another poster tries again with Batman and Robin. Two of the things that Batman is most famous for are 1) not being much of a hugger, and 2) never wearing a mask over his mouth. He might the world's greatest detective, but a reclusive man who dresses like a mouth-breathing flying rat is probably not the guy we need leading the charge of a public education campaign.

While I applaud all those heroes' good intentions, I think if you want to sell people on the importance of maintaining a six-foot halo to impair the spread of communicable disease, the spokespersons you need should be both vulnerable and relatable. And a healthy sense of humor would certainly help their delivery.

Hmm. Do we know any heroes who fit that bill? You bet we do!

Art by Kevin Maguire via Antonio Perianes at comicartfans.com, template by DC Comics

Fixed it for you, DC.

Do what Booster and Beetle say. They've only got your best interest at heart.

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The solicitation for Heroes in Crisis #9 is out. It looks like Booster Gold will finally be on one of the Ryan Sook variant covers. Sook has created a cover for each issue of the series, each showcasing a key "traumatic" moment of a hero's (or villain's) career.

As a reminder, here are the 8 Sook covers that have been revealed so far. (His cover for issue 7 remains a secret.)

Is the suggestion that it was Harley who took all these photos for the Sanctuary files? Maybe we'll find out in Heroes in Crisis #9. Here's the full solicitation text with an appropriate spoiler warning:

HEROES IN CRISIS #9
written by TOM KING
art and cover by CLAY MANN
variant cover by RYAN SOOK
The most-talked-about miniseries of the year reaches its stunning finale! The mystery behind the murders at Sanctuary is solved, but the mind behind it is one the heroes never expected. With their deepest secrets exposed, the Trinity has to consider how to carry on. Should the tragedy cause them to redouble their efforts to help their hurting comrades, or will they need to close up shop? The answers will be found in the ashes of this final showdown, and the fates of Booster Gold, Harley Quinn and the rest hang in the balance. Click here to reveal potential spoilers
ON SALE May 22 · $3.99 US

You can find the complete list of April DC Comics solicitations on Newsarama.com.

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DC Comics' January 2019 solicitations are online at Newsarama.com, and it will be a busy month for Booster Gold, appearing in two issues!

HEROES IN CRISIS #4
written by TOM KING
art by CLAY MANN
cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE
variant cover by RYAN SOOK
Wonder Woman versus...Booster Gold?! Diana finds out the hard way that Booster can be a formidable opponent when his back's against the wall. Of course, being the prime suspect in a superhero massacre and exposing a secret trauma hospital for metahumans will do just that. Meanwhile, Batman and the Flash combine their detective skills to investigate what went awry at Sanctuary and uncover a serious glitch in the system—not to mention an explosive, spoiler-ific secret!
ON SALE January 2 · $3.99

HEROES IN CRISIS #5
written by TOM KING
art by CLAY MANN
cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE
variant cover by RYAN SOOK
The secrets of the DC Universe are hacked! Sanctuary wasn't supposed to keep records, but now that the A.I. is compromised, superhero secrets are leaking all over the 'Net. Booster and Harley set aside their differences to focus on who they believe is the real killer (assuming one of them isn't lying, that is). Meanwhile, Batman and the Flash continue to investigate the mysterious murderer. The answer can be found in Sanctuary...but is it safe to go digging in the crime scene?
ON SALE January 30 · $3.99

Booster Gold is going to throw down against Wonder Woman? That's not going to go well.

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DCComics.com released some alternate covers for upcoming issues of Heroes in Crisis via , including this J.G. Jones alternate featuring Booster Gold and Harley Quinn.

It looks like that will be a 1-in-50 "chase" variant, meaning that comic shops will get one for every fifty of the regular covers they order. (For obvious reasons, these are also called "incentive" variants, as they incentivize shops to order more comics than they otherwise would.) Comic shops price these rarer variants according to the purchase threshold, so expect to pay a pretty penny to acquire this cover, probably three or more times the $4 cover price.

There will also be 1-in-100 and 1-in-200 variants, the second of which is by Francesco Mattina and depicts a very bloody Harley wearing Booster's broken visor. Good luck finding that one for less than $50.

In addition to those rare variants, DC also released the Ryan Sook standard alternate covers for the first three Heroes in Crisis issues. Each depicts an "incident report" based on more traumatic moments in the lives of DC heroes. These are purportedly from the files of Sanctuary, "a facility designed to allow superheroes to process the trauma of those not-so-heroic moments." These traumatic moments include the death of Superman, Batman's broken back, Aquaman's lost arm, and Jason Todd's death. Oddly, they also include Wonder Woman's assassination of Maxwell Lord.

That seems to imply that Lord has died at Wonder Woman's hand. Where does this fit in continuity?

When last we saw him in the pages of Justice League vs Suicide Squad (2016), Lord was still alive and continuing his villainous ways. Since the original Justice League International never existed and Ted Kord is still alive in the DCnU, the events kicking off Infinite Crisis that led directly to Lord's death and eventual rebirth must have played out somewhat differently than originally seen in Wonder Woman #219 (2005) and Brightest Day (2010). Does this cover reference that old continuity destroyed by Flashpoint? Or are we being given a glimpse of a as yet unrevealed relationship between Lord and Wonder Woman in the DCnU? (Could Lord be behind the deaths at Sanctuary?)

Maybe we'll find out more when Heroes in Crisis finally sees print.

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