Things have been changing in America lately, and not necessarily for the better. Not so many years ago, many DC Comics super hero bloggers and I participated in semi-regular crossover events. Now very few of us are still posting.

Both FirestormFan.com and AquamanShrine.net have stopped blogging to focus their efforts on podcasting (fireandwaterpodcast.com). The Martian Manhunter blog, The Idol-Head of Diabolu, has likewise gone silent as its creator also seems to be concentrating on podcasts for his other blogs (DC Bloodlines and Wonder Woman: Diana Prince). So too, Splitting Atoms is now more podcast than blog. Others that have fallen completely silent (like Tower of Fate and Being Carter Hall). Some stalwarts soldier on, including SpeedForce.org and Kord Industres. We seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

Once again, this has made me return to a question I've asked myself from time to time since Booster Gold disappeared from the pages of DC Comics: Has the time for websites dedicated to super hero blogging passed us by? Would comics fans rather listen to a podcast than read a website? Is the problem the characters or the bloggers or just shifting demographics?

Like so many of those now-defunct sites, Boosterrific.com is first and foremost a hobby. I started working on it nine years ago, and I keep it running because I want to. Personally, I have no interest in phone apps, wikis, or podcasting. If that's the future of Booster Gold fandom, I'll leave it to someone else. (The Silver and Gold podcast — now a whole network — seems to be doing just fine without me.)

Don't worry, this post isn't a lead up to the retirement of Boosterrific.com. I'm only committing my rambling grumpy old man thoughts to electronic paper. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. It's just that I'm starting to feel kind of lonely out here all by myself. I sure would like some new Booster Gold comics to keep me company.

Comments (7) | Add a Comment | Tags: aquamanshrine.com beingcarterhall.blogspot.com dcbloodlines.blogspot.com firestormfan.com idol-head.blogspot.com kord industries new-wonder-woman.blogspot.com podcasts silver and gold sngpod.wordpress.com speedforce.org website update

Rob Kelly of Aquaman Shrine and The Irredeemable Shag of Firestorm Fan turned the latest The Fire and Water Podcast into an hour-long interview with Dan Jurgens, who takes over as writer and artist for Fury of Firestorm starting with issue #13 next week.

Of course, there can be no discussion with Dan Jurgens that doesn't touch on his greatest creation, Booster Gold. For an interview ostensibly about Firestorm, Rob, Shag, and Dan mention Booster Gold surprisingly frequently. (We all know that Firestorm just isn't as interesting as Booster Gold.)

Jurgens discusses how he came to work on Booster Gold in the first place, his interaction with Booster Gold cosplayers, and how he had to adapt Booster Gold for the New 52.

Jurgens: "I don't think that Booster Gold had to change, because he was still fairly true.... Booster was still very consistent, on model with his basic beginnings."

If you're a fan of Firestorm, Dan Jurgens, or comic book artists in general, consider dropping over to fireandwaterpodcast.tumblr.com and give a listen.

Comments (1) | Add a Comment | Tags: aquamanshrine.com dan jurgens fireandwaterpodcast.com firestormfan.com rob shag

Since we celebrate Thanksgiving this coming Thursday, let's start early by thanking Shag of Firestorm Fan and Rob of The Aquaman Shrine for mentioning Boosterrific.com in their most recent Fire and Water Podcast.

Boosterrific -- mentioned at almost exactly the one-hour mark -- was one of the many, many DC character-centric sites that the pair listed in the second half of the 2-hour recording. (The first half of the recording is dedicated to a lively discussion of the 1982 Justice League of America/All-Star Squadron "Crisis on Earth-Prime" story.)

So if you like Aquaman or Firestorm or any other DC character, you can probably find directions to the site of your dreams in this podcast. And that just might give you reason to say "thanks," too!

Comments (2) | Add a Comment | Tags: aquamanshrine.com fireandwaterpodcast.com firestormfan.com rob kelly shag thanksgiving

There appears to have been some debate last week over at The Aquaman Shrine about some mystery character appearing in a 1993 trading card. Turns out that the character was none other than Booster Gold. One would have thought that by now Booster Gold would have reached market saturation among DC Comic fans, though admittedly Booster has spent very little time with the King of the Sea. They've only shared 28 comic books in the past two decades, and I can't presently think of any instances where the two characters actually communicated. Hmm. Maybe it's about time these two had a dedicated crossover.

Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: aquamanshrine.com skybox trading card