If you're like me, you've eaten enough food in the past month to survive into 2023 without taking another bite. So it's good to have motivation to get a little exercise tomorrow... by walking to my car and driving to my Local Comic Shop to pick up the newest issue of Human Target, specifically because it has this delicious cover:

Hmm. That image reminds me of something. What could it be? Ah, yes.

For the record, Dan Jurgens' splash page from Booster Gold Volume 1 #10 was metaphorical. The evil Director was not really a giant holding the employees of Goldstar, Inc.

I assume that Human Target #3 will be something similar. However, even if Human Target #3 is all about Booster Gold eating bagels, I'll still buy it. Maybe I'll buy two. Bagels are good eating.

To see more of what Smallwood's actual interior art will be, check out the 3-page issue preview at AIPTcomics.com. Once you've done that, buy this issue and make Skeets (and your mouth) happy.

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For the second issue in a row, Booster Gold makes a flashback cameo appearance in Human Target #2.

If there's a negative to Greg Smallwood's art, it's that the book has the feel of a 1960s style despite taking place in the modern era. It's a small negative. Smallwood's work here is inspired, especially the title pages.

And speaking of retro styling, the best thing about Booster Gold making an appearance inside the first two issues is that it means that I didn't buy both issues for the variant covers alone.

If its is a game for 8 players, shouldn't there be 8 Justice Leaguers on the cover? Is Mister Miracle trapped inside the box?

Buy this issue's alternate cover and make Skeets happy.

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DC Comics February solicitations are out, and Blue and Gold #7 (of 8) is on the way!

BLUE AND GOLD #7
written by DAN JURGENS
art and cover by RYAN SOOK
ON SALE February 15 · $3.99 US

Blue & Gold Restoration is up and running, with Booster Gold and Blue Beetle taking on any number of strange cases, from paranormal extremes to lost civilizations, ancient aliens, gateways to other dimensions, and even super-villains looking for help in going straight! But what happens when one of the threats turns out to be an old friend? Guest-starring Jaime Reyes as the Blue Beetle!

It's about time for the two Beetles and Booster to go adventuring together. (I love that Jurgens is really digging into the toybox for this series.)

And while we're on the subject of solicitations, I should mention that Human Target #5 is solicited to feature Martian Manhunter. There's no sign whether we'll also see a Booster Gold appearance, so we probably won't know until that issue is released February 22.

You can find all of DC's February solicitations at gamesradar.com.

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To help Christopher Chance find who tried to murder Lex Luthor in the pages of Human Target #1, Andrew Firestone has compiled a list of suspect "ranked in order of suspicion" for ScreenRant.com. Guess who he has at number 1?

Most superheroes do what they do because they feel they have a moral obligation to their fellow man to help other people. Not Booster Gold. Notable future time-traveler Booster, also known as Michael Jon Carter, claims he went back in time to the present day to become a famous, wealthy hero with the aid of futuristic technology. While Booster is rarely afforded the opportunity to actually become famous and wealthy in the comics, instead mostly serving as an honest and reasonably dependable hero, the fact remains that a hero with knowledge of the future could easily stop such an attempt on Luthor's life, but chooses not to. This immediately casts suspicion upon him chief among the league. The most likely reason is obvious: that Booster Gold actually went back in time to stop a world-ending catastrophe by killing the man who caused it: Lex Luthor. After all, if Booster Gold were really here from the future to get rich, why aren't there more like him?

I think he's wrong, of course, but maybe only because I've read every Booster Gold comic published in the past 36 years. Since Tom King's Human Target is reimagining the Booster Gold of 1988, who knows what the past holds now?

Justice League America #90 (1994)

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Up front, let me say that I bought two copies of the first issue of Human Target, one by Greg Smallwood — showing Booster Gold's fist! — and one by Hairsine, Miki and Beredo — showing Booster Gold's leg! (I like to think of them as parts of a "Build-A-Figure" cover.) Having read the issue, I do not regret that decision.

However, that should not mean that I'm ready to endorse the story based on the first issue alone. I am on record as no fan of Tom King's storytelling, especially in reference to the way he handles Booster Gold. It is very clear that King and I have very different interpretations of the character (and most of the other inhabitants of the DC Universe).

Earlier this week, King was interviewed by Jenna Anderson for comicbook.com, and he explained why he chose the Justice League International for his story:

"What Giffen and DeMatteis put into these characters, they all feel very fleshed out," King added. "They all feel very real. When you picture them in your head, you just see that Kevin Maguire face looking up at you. They're very easy and very fun to write. The thing I most love to do in comics is to take silly ideas seriously and find the depths in them, and that concept was all over this — the idea that these little silly flaws that are implanted in these characters actually show real heart and real depth. Like I wrote this thing for Booster, why Booster's good. And the idea is, Human Target expressed my opinion on Booster as 'Booster is a joke. He makes mistakes all the time, but he doesn't hide them. He shows himself. He is himself. Booster is Booster. Yeah, he's a joke, but everyone is. At least Booster's funny.' That kind of stuff is incredibly fun to do. These characters have such potential — each one of them could launch their own series."

Ahem. Almost all of them have launched a series. Or two. Or more.

I have to admit, I can kind of see where King is coming from calling Booster "a joke." Yes, he has some terrible ideas, and yes, he takes advantage of his friends, and he even occasionally misjudges his own abilities. But those traits could just as easily describe Batman.

Maybe it's my incredible dissatisfaction with the way King depicted Booster Gold during his run on Batman or my anger at the horrible handling of the promotion and resolution of Heroes in Crisis that make me suspicious that Booster will be treated badly by Human Target. But at least I can rest assured that this will be the last time King will use Booster in a story, right?

King continued. "Booster Gold [is] my favorite character to write in all of fiction — who is always trying to do good, and always slipping on the banana peel."

Grr. You can't always get what you want. Sometimes, you can't even get what you need.

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