Luckily for Booster boosters everywhere, Cort Carpenter hasn't let a rough patch of "health issues" keep him from adding new pages to his collection of Booster Gold sketch commissions.

Daniel Irizarri

Michael Fiffe

Ramona Fradon

I usually like to put these in alphabetical order, but this time I saved Ramona Fradon for last... because she's Ramona Fradon! A ninety-six-year-old DC legend and still drawing. Wow!

I hope all of your troubles are behind you, Cort. As always, thanks for sharing.

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Somehow, Booster Gold doesn't appear anywhere in Millennium #2, but Millennium #3 makes up for that by dedicating several pages to our hero.

Of those, my favorite is this one, page 11, written by Steve Englehart and drawn by Joe Staton:

Somehow, Steve Englehart's characterizations of the JLI here feel much more "correct" than Len Wein's JLA we saw last week in Blue Beetle #20. Both writers had worked on Justice League comics before, in the early (Wein) and late (Englehart) 70s. It's probably worth noting that according to Englehart's own website, steveenglehart.com, he was brought on to the book in 1977 to "give the characters personalities." That tradition clearly continued into Giffen/DeMatteis's International era, where personalities were often more important than plots.

And while I'm talking Englehart, I should probably also add that although he didn't introduce the "Manhunter" characters — that credit technically belongs to Joe Simon and Jack Kirby — Englehart did introduce the concept of the Manhunters as Oan robot constructs in Justice League of America #140. So there's a direct line from Englehart's 1970s JLA to Millennium a decade later.

That concludes your comics history lesson for this week, kids. Your assignment: read more comics!

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I've been really, really busy lately, so I haven't even made it to my Local Comic Shop in a week. Therefore, I wouldn't have known about this week's Gold Beetle appearance if not for Booster booster Marty. Thanks, Marty!

As you can see above, Gold Beetle and Wally West have their first meeting (from her perspective) in this week's Flash #798.

Of course, their first meeting from his perspective was in Flash #767, during which he was displaced in time and inhabiting Impulse's body in the 30th century. So their objectively chronological "present day" first encounter would be Flash #795. Confused yet?

One of these days I really need to devote more time to Gold Beetle, and that time might be soon. It sure looks like she'll be back for Flash #799, and no self-respecting heir to the legacy of Booster Gold would dare miss a milestone issue like #800....

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Last week, DC released its retailer solicitations for July 2023, and about the only thing I can say about it is that Booster boosters are going to be able to save a bunch of money on comic books this summer.

The only sign of our hero is the DC Vs. Vampires: All Out- War Part 2 collection, and I'd never recommend anyone should even read that, let alone buy it.

But rather than focus on our summer without Gold — there will be plenty of time for that later — let's stay positive and keep an eye on what we're getting this week: the re-release of Booster Gold: 52 Pick-Up.

DC is calling this the 2023 edition. So far as I'm aware, the only thing different from the 2008 printing is the price, but I can't begrudge that. Everything is more expensive now than it was 15 years ago.

In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, what cost you $14.99 in 2008 should cost you $20.89 today. Turns out that Booster Gold: 52 Pick-Up 2023 Edition is a bargain! Buy a copy for everyone in your family.

UPDATE: I got an email from Marty pointing out that Skeets is on the solicited Dan Mora cover for Batman/Superman: World's Finest #17 due on July 18. That's definitely something to look forward to!

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The previews at AIPTComics.com don't give the impression that Booster Gold will be in any of this week's new releases. That doesn't mean I didn't see Booster Gold while looking.

The plot of Multiversity: Harley Screws Up the DCU involves a time travel mishap that unintentionally allows Starro the Star Conqueror to take over the Earth. If that sounds like a familiar scenario, it's because it was also the premise of 2008's Booster Gold Vol. 2 #13.

And though modern audiences raised on Justice League Unlimited episodes and Tom King comics might be surprised to learn otherwise, it wasn't Booster's fault.

It was his 20th-century ancestor's.

Daniel's mistake allowed Starro to possess the original Time Master, Rip Hunter, himself. Two issues of hi-jinks ensued as Starro re-wrote the past and future to his own liking.

Booster ultimately solved his problem with the timely assistance of Chronos and Lady Chronos. Hopefully, Harley can find time-travelling love-interest/frenemies of her own to help. Seems to me she should give Booster Gold a call; he's not doing anything else.

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