Believe it or not, there are several comics websites I enjoy that have nothing to do with Booster Gold. (Hard to believe, I know, but they do exist.) When those sites veer into Booster territory, no matter how tangentially, I'd be remiss not to promote them here. Today's link falls into that category.

Bully the Little Stuffed Bull spends a great deal of time entertaining the web on his website, Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun. One of his regular weekly features is "Ten of a Kind," in which he posts 10 comic book covers sharing a common theme. This week, the theme is anger, and -- guess who? -- Booster Gold is included from the cover of Extreme Justice #6.

This issue, you'll recall, is the one in which Booster reclaims what was left of the fortune stolen from him by the Manhunters in Millennium. This comic is also the last recorded appearance of Dirk Davis, Booster's former manager and among the first character casualties of DC's emerging, line-wide annual crossovers strategy. DC editorial mandated turning established supporting characters into sleeper-agent villains for Millennium, resulting in some very confusing continuity and permanently truncated story lines. Good to see that DC has learned their lesson on that front (he says, sarcastically).

So go, enjoy Bully's gentle, loving mockery of comic books. I know I do.

Comments (3) | Add a Comment | Tags: anger bully the little stuffed bull bullyscomics.blogspot.com covers dirk davis extreme justice millennium

Booster Gold's role in the DC Universe is unique, but not because of his powers or abilities. After all, other heroes are invulnerable and have energy rays. Booster's contribution to the tapestry of the DCU is his unusual personality: part well-intentioned hero, part greedy cad. It is these characteristics more than anything else, that mark his value in a role-playing environment. And the game developers at Mayfair Games recognized this.

Well before Booster Gold was included as a character card in the second edition of the game, developers recognized the potential of this newcomer to the DC scene. Booster was made the star of his own game module in 1987, scant months after his comic book debut. The module, titled All That Glitters after the common misquoting of Shakespeare, featured Booster Gold struggling "with the dilemma of battling villains at the cost of losing valuable merchandising contracts." The module designer, Greg Gorden -- also one of the chief architects of the Mayfair Exponential Gaming System, went so far as to create rules, board, and pieces for the fictional Mayfly Games' Booster Gold Board Game featured in the game module. It's a clever bit of verisimilitude that further draws RPG gamers into the DC Universe. (The Booster Gold Board Game has been adapted into a single-player Flash-based game here at Boosterrific.com. You can find it here.)

The 1987 game module When a Stranger Calls by Ray Winninger also features Booster prominently. The module's scripted subplot is a crossover with All That Glitters and hinges on Booster's decision whether or not to temporarily abandon the Justice League International to continue on the promotional junket for the Booster Gold Board Game as detailed in All That Glitters. Whether the always-capricious Booster stays or goes is up to the player. Neither choice is out of character, and therein lies the role-playing enjoyment that Booster Gold represents.

BONUS BOOSTER GOLD!: Booster Gold is scheduled to make an appearance on tonight's episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, "Darkseid Descending!", on Cartoon Network at 7:00 PM EST. The episode features Booster and the rest of the Justice League International.

Comments (5) | Add a Comment | Tags: all that glitters batman brave and the bold cartoon network dc heroes rpg mayfair games mayfairstivus rpg when a stranger calls