If anyone ever asks you what superhero comics were like in the 1990s, just show them this panel:

Shoulder pads, pouches, and armored cowls, oh my!

It probably won't surprise you to learn that panel is from Bloodbath #1, released on this date in 1993.

"Bloodlines" was the DC's annual crossover event series for 1993, and as you can see, Booster was trapped in his ungainly (and unsightly) post-Doomsday football armor at the time, which partially explains why he played such a small role in the proceedings.

Don't worry, Booster. There will be better (and better looking) days ahead.

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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.

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Last week, we reviewed Booster Gold's sole appearance as the villain Bloodbath in a bit of pseudo-history. This week, let's take a look at some real history, Booster Gold's appearance in the first issue of Bloodbath.

If you're unaware, the summer 1993 DC annuals featured the Bloodlines storyline of an other-dimensional alien race who came to Earth to harvest humans spinal fluid. (Don't bother asking why a race of aliens would develop the need for human spinal fluid for their reproduction process. Comic books don't have time for your silly science.)

DC used the event to create new characters from the survivors of these alien attacks. These new super heroes -- all very '90s, if you know what I mean -- were called the "New Blood" and received the majority of the focus in these stories. That left precious little room for established characters like Booster Gold.

At the time, Booster was still adjusting to his new, post-Doomsday armor, and was arguably more hindrance than help to the Justice League. As a result, Booster confronts and is defeated by three separate aliens in this issue alone. Even if the story doesn't give our hero much of a break, it's still great to see Booster's commitment to heroics.

Yes, the premise is a bit ridiculous and smacks of market-driven storytelling, and yes, Booster Gold comes off looking washed-up. However, there will always be something satisfying about DC heroes banding together to save Earth from yet another alien invasion. If nothing else, the series deserves credit for inspiring the DC Bloodlines website, and that's got to count for something.

(P.S. The Boosterrific Forum is back online. Hopefully we'll get some good Booster Gold news to talk about from New York ComicCon this weekend!)

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