I would like to thank all the Booster boosters who pointed me to Monday's Nerdist.com interview with the writer of the upcoming Blue and Gold mini-series by some guy named Dan Jurgens.

It is a pretty interesting read, and not just because it has an exclusive 5-page preview of the first issue. For example,

[I]n the wake of Dark Nights: Death Metal, the heroes of the DC Universe remember all previous continuities. So will remembering all this trauma play into Blue and Gold?

Turns out, not so much. According to Jurgens, "Booster is aware of it, of course, while Ted doesn't want to address it. He knows of it but also buries it."

Jurgens elaborated further, saying, "From a creative standpoint, I don't want to dwell on it. We did it in the 2007 Booster Gold series and I'm hesitant to dive into something that is now 15 plus years old. I think we're far better off simply driving right into current stories. That's what seems most fair to readers, as anything else ends up with multiple pages of explanation."

It's been 15 years since volume 2? Thanks for making me feel old, Dan.

All kidding aside, one of Jurgens' greatest strengths as a writer has always been an ability to blend the old and new so that new readers don't feel excluded while still winking at longtime fans. While that can occasionally be frustrating — no, seriously, *who* is the Black Beetle? — we have to recognize that's how comics worked throughout their heyday, and if a publisher isn't attracting new readers, they might as well go ahead and close up shop.

On a personal note, I should mention that Jurgens' "big tent" approach to comic book universe continuity has also made building this site so much fun. It's easy to imagine that all of Booster Gold's adventures have happened to a single character in a dynamic universe when the artist shepherding that character's growth has been so careful not to infringe upon the creations of the many other artists contributing to the ever-expanding multiversal tapestry. Jurgens knows that the first principle of good collaborative storytelling is learning to say "Yes, and...."

I strongly recommend that if you haven't already, you drop by Nerdist.com to read Eric Diaz's article. As I said above, it's got pictures. You *definitely* want to see the pictures of Ryan Sook's art.

And I suppose it probably goes without saying that you also *definitely* want to buy Blue and Gold when it comes out in three weeks.

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Last time we saw Booster Gold, he was hungover and being laughed at by Jonah Hex. It's a pretty sure bet that things are going to get worse for our hero in today's All-Star Western #20.

You can find a preview of the (very gory) issue online at nerdist.com.

Buy this issue and make Skeets happy, pardner.

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