Booster Gold fans everywhere were really excited to see our hero tangling with Superman in this week's Action Comics #993, the first installment of a multi-part story. At long last, perhaps we'll find what Booster has been up to since Convergence or why he abandoned his New 52 costume.

Booster booster (and, as Comicosity calls him, "THE biggest Booster Gold fan in creation") Keith Callbeck put these questions and more to Dan Jurgens in an interview published at Comicosity.com.

Keith Callbeck: It has been a while since we've seen Booster Gold. He was trying to sort out the Convergence last time out, what has he been up to since then?

Dan Jurgens: We don't address that specifically but we do convey the general idea that he's been having fun jumping through time. I think there are some things readers can draw conclusions from as well, such as where, exactly, he came from.

KC: And we have Booster back in his pre-Flashpoint costume. Can we nickname this story Booster Gold: Rebirth?

DJ: I certainly approached this with the idea that it's a bit of a Booster Gold Rebirth story. He's been off the table for quite awhile now and things have certainly changed in the DCU since we last saw him, most notably with Superman.

I really didn't want to get caught up in the continuity weeds on this one though I did want to make it seem a bit fresh and familiar all at the same time. If you remember Booster, you'll enjoy it. If you've never seen him before, I think you'll be intrigued by the notion of who this guy is. He's quite a bit different from most of the heroes in the DCU.

Over at Comicbook.com, Russ Burlingame (who may not be Booster's number one fan but must rank somewhere in the top 10) also confronted Jurgens with similar questions:

Russ Burlingame: Of course, Booster has not been seen since the start of Rebirth, and here he shows up wearing his pre-Flashpoint costume and serving in his capacity as Time Master...seemingly right back where he was when his Jurgens-written series ended in 2011.

DJ: If you go back to Flashpoint, the two characters from the DCU that made it into the Flashpoint Universe was Booster and Flash ... So, I think there is the potential for a continuous thread here. Not sure how far I want to pull that, because again, I want the story to be more about now and not yesterday... but, yeah. I think there are certain conclusions one can arrive at.

Oooh. That Jurgens is cagey! If this is the same Booster Gold as seen in the pre-Flashpoint DCU, what are we to make of the origin story we saw in Booster Gold: Futures End? Or any part of Convergence, for that matter? Maybe it's best to leave the conclusions to the professionals.

In any event, both articles contain some pretty good Q&As, so check them out. And if you haven't already, don't forget to pick up Action Comics #993 at your Local Comic Shop.

Thanks for good work, Keith, Russ, and Dan!

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DC's August solicitations, released Monday, don't show any signs that Booster Gold will reappear in the DCrU anytime soon (other than the reprint of Booster Gold/The Flintstones Special to be included in the DC Meets Hanna-Barbera trade due September 20).

However, in an interview with Terrence Sage, Dan Jurgens gives us a reason to hope:

Sage: For the last question, people are wondering and trying to figure out when will we see Booster Gold under your pen again?

Jurgens: I keep looking for a good spot to sneak Booster in here and there and I have a couple of thoughts about where and when it'll work best. Obviously, I have a lot of love for the character, but when he shows back up I want it to be in a meaningful spot.

Later is better than never, I guess.

You can read the whole interview at Comicosity.com.

Comments (3) | Add a Comment | Tags: comicosity.com dan jurgens interviews solicitations terrence sage

Over the weekend, I listened to Dan Jurgens' interview with Keith Callbeck on Comicosity.com. (You did too, right?) A lot of great things were discussed, but it is incumbant on me, as the unofficial chronicler of all things Booster Gold to correct one error in the interview.

When asked who was his favorite Booster Gold artist (other than himself), Dan Jurgens said Kevin Maguire. That's not the error. Everyone loves Kevin Maguire's expressive work. But Jurgens also said he believed that Maguire was the first person (after himself) to draw Booster Gold. That's the error.

Booster Gold #1 debuted in November 1985. For the better part of a year, every appearance of the new character, including advertisements, was drawn by a young up-and-coming artist named Dan Jurgens. It wouldn't be until August of the following year that Booster would appear under someone else's pencil. That person wasn't Kevin Maguire, but legendary artist Carmine Infantino!

As you can see, Infantino included Booster (and Skeets!) in his entry for the Space Museum in Who's Who #21 released August 14, 1986. Even if you want to pick nits and say that Infantino was drawing Micheal Carter and not Booster Gold, Maguire still wasn't second. Several other amazing DC artists also got there before him.

George Perez included a panel of Booster in costume History of the DC Universe #2, November 27, 1986.

Eduardo Barreto drew Booster in his rarely seen cape for his first true DCU crossover action in New Teen Titans #29 and #30, beginning December 18, 1986.

Jim Aparo showed Booster Gold working crowd control in The Outsiders #17, January 2, 1987.

It wasn't until March 5, 1987, that Kevin Maguire would finally get his hands on Booster for Justice League #2. (The famous Action Comics #594, in which John Byrne drew Booster Gold beating Superman, wasn't released until August 25 of that year.)

So while Maguire wasn't second to the drafting table, he was in great company. And Maguire has since overcome his late start to become the artist who has draw Booster Gold in more comics than any other artist (except for Dan Jurgens). He clearly has an affinity for the character. Check out his Twitter header:

Jurgens may have had the timing wrong, but he had the artist right. That Kevin Maguire is pretty good.

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If you're looking for something to do this weekend between the hot dogs and fireworks, check out Keith Callbeck's "We Talk Comics" podcast interview with Dan Jurgens at Comicosity.com. Callbeck is a huge Booster Gold fan, so you know there's some good stuff in there!

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Look what Morgenstern spotted in DC's September solicitations:

BAT-MITE #4
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art and cover by CORIN HOWELL
On sale SEPTEMBER 2 • $2.99 US

There's a new bad guy in town: Gridlock, the villain who's stuck in the past! And now, he's out to stop the future from coming! Booster Gold, the hero from the future, obviously can't allow that, but when he seeks Bat-Mite's help in finding this purloiner of progress, it doesn't take much of a prognosticator to predict that he's going to regret it.

Booster's first headlining role in the post-Convergence DCU comes courtesy of who else but Booster's proud papa, Dan Jurgens. And look: New Skeets!

You can see all the announced books (including the many, many Convergence collections, some of which contain reprints of Convergence Booster Gold) online at Newsarama.com.

UPDATE 2015-06-19: This is the second time in recent weeks I have accidentally let a post go early. I promise to try and be more careful from here on. So if you saw this post yesterday, please forgive this repost.

JLA Classified #6

To make amends, I offer this bonus link to a Dan Jurgens and Corin Howell interview at Comicosity.com about Bat-Mite. The interview is light on Booster Gold references, but not everything can be solid gold, right?

Comments (4) | Add a Comment | Tags: bat-mite comicosity.com convergence corin howell covers dan jurgens morgenstern newsarama.com solicitations