In addition to being the final issue of Justice League International volume 1 (next issue the team will be downsized to just Justice League America), Justice League International #25 is also the first book-length team-up between Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. Historic!

My favorite page comes early, which is probably not a surprise to those of you who know that Ty Templeton is one of my favorite artists. He only drew the intro and outro pages of this issue (over Keith Giffen's layouts), with the rest handled by Mike McKone (also over Giffen).

But it's not just the art I love; almost every panel on page 3 has its own punchline!

Despite the early (and often) jokes, the main plot of this team-up issue is a vampire hunt that turns into an overt criticism of Western consumer culture which, in Twilight Zone style, questions who the real monsters are on plane Earth. As Booster and Beetle (and the reader) will eventually realize, it just might be our heroes.

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I'd say "Spoiler Warning," but somehow I can show you the entire final page of this week's Blue Beetle #6 without giving away any significant details of the issue's story. (Did they do that on purpose?)

words by Josh Trujillo; art by Adrian Gutierrez, Wil Quintana, Lucas Gattoni

As you can see, there is some sort of "tachyon interference" and then a "blop!" and then... "The Hunt for Ted Kord!"

Before you can ask "do those mean that Booster Gold will be in the next issue," I can already answer "yes," because the March solicitations released in December already told us so. The Adrian Gutierrez cover of Blue Beetle #7 will look like this:

So consider this your three-week warning that Booster boosters should definitely plan on picking up Blue Beetle #7 when it arrives in Local Comic Shops everywhere on March 5.

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Some days you just need a hug.

And a handshake from Batman seals the deal: Page 22 is definitely my favorite in Martian Manhunter #4.

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DC Comics has released January 2024 solicitations, and as has become the recent trend, Booster Gold is not mentioned anywhere. And for that matter, neither is Blue Beetle or Fire or Ice. It looks like they're taking the month off to make more room for Beast World tie-ins, much as Lazarus Planet pushed books off shelves last year.

The good news in the solicitations is the advanced announcement of Justice League International Omnibus Volume 3, which will wrap up the Giffen/DeMatteis era. It'll even include the Blue and Gold (mis)adventures seen in JLA 80-Page Giant #1, Formerly Known as the Justice League, and the 2011 DC Retroactive: JLA - The '90s. Not a bad haul for Booster boosters of a certain era.

Even better, the book will have all new cover art by Kevin Maguire. Maguire worked Booster Gold into the new art for both Omnibus 1 and Omnibus 2, so here's hoping the third (and final) time is also charming.

(It might be worth mentioning that as I type this, the first Omnibus is currently 34% off at Amazon.com. Just in case you're still looking for that perfect Christmas gift for someone who needs more "Bwah-Ha-Ha" in their life.)

You can read the exact details about this third Omnibus, currently scheduled for a February 20 release, in the official solicitations at AIPTComics.com

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In addition to the issue's cover, Booster Gold appears on only one page in 1988's Martian Manhunter #2, which, by no coincidence, is my favorite page in the issue.

As unusual as it is, Mark Badger's art is a actually a pretty good match for J.M. DeMatteis' story about a rogue telepathic Martian god torturing the Justice League International. I'm not saying it's to my personal tastes, mind you, just that it is fitting.

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