We're less than a week away from Heroes in Crisis #6 of 9, which means we're pretty close to learning the truth behind who killed everyone at Sanctuary. It seems like a good time to talk about Booster Gold's mental health.

Clearly, Booster has been mentally struggling with fallout from his incredibly stupid actions in Batman #45. I had complained at the time that Booster's reaction to Green Lantern's graphic on-panel suicide was inappropriate — and it was — but I'm willing to concede that Tom King was trying to make a point in his own way about how the human brain reacts unpredictably to such trauma.

And how is Booster Gold reacting to that trauma? His symptoms as exhibited in Heroes in Crisis look like an aggravated case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is exactly what press reports advertised King wanted to address in this series. PTSD is triggered by extreme trauma with common symptom including avoidance of repeat stimuli, willful memory loss, and hallucinations. Booster has spent most of the series hiding from just about everyone, so check one. And he claimed he couldn't remember exactly what happened, so check two. But hallucinations? Maybe those too.

As Frankie Hagan pointed out in blog comments last month, so far in Heroes in Crisis, no one seems to have noticed Blue Beetle other than Booster Gold, which certainly suggests that the Blue and Gold reunion may be all in Booster's head. I don't know what that says about Booster Gold, but if it turns out to be true, it may be even more disappointing for Booster Gold fans than if our hero turns out to be a mass murderer.

Speaking of murder, that's the real question, isn't it? Is Booster's mental illness severe enough to drive him to kill? Statistical evidence indicates that there are indeed links between PTSD and increased rates of outbursts of anger and violence. However, the odds that PTSD would unbalance a hero enough to engage in a spree killing remain remote.

Experts say that the biggest indicator of how an individual may respond to PTSD is that person's pre-trauma personality. It's true that Booster Gold has always had his own set of foibles, yet he has never killed anyone, even when given the opportunity. At heart, he's no murderer, no matter what Tom King wants to imply.

We'll find out more about Booster Gold's health when Heroes in Crisis #6 is released February 27.

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The solicitation for Heroes in Crisis #9 is out. It looks like Booster Gold will finally be on one of the Ryan Sook variant covers. Sook has created a cover for each issue of the series, each showcasing a key "traumatic" moment of a hero's (or villain's) career.

As a reminder, here are the 8 Sook covers that have been revealed so far. (His cover for issue 7 remains a secret.)

Is the suggestion that it was Harley who took all these photos for the Sanctuary files? Maybe we'll find out in Heroes in Crisis #9. Here's the full solicitation text with an appropriate spoiler warning:

HEROES IN CRISIS #9
written by TOM KING
art and cover by CLAY MANN
variant cover by RYAN SOOK
The most-talked-about miniseries of the year reaches its stunning finale! The mystery behind the murders at Sanctuary is solved, but the mind behind it is one the heroes never expected. With their deepest secrets exposed, the Trinity has to consider how to carry on. Should the tragedy cause them to redouble their efforts to help their hurting comrades, or will they need to close up shop? The answers will be found in the ashes of this final showdown, and the fates of Booster Gold, Harley Quinn and the rest hang in the balance. Click here to reveal potential spoilers
ON SALE May 22 · $3.99 US

You can find the complete list of April DC Comics solicitations on Newsarama.com.

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Superman #66 was released on February 18, 1992. It's a big issue featuring the conclusion of the battle between Earth's heroes and Brainiac's Warworld. The whole story was called "Panic in the Sky!" and has been reprinted in a collection by the same name twice.

The "Panic in the Sky" event is notable for several reasons, the biggest being that it filled a bit of a gap in Justice League history. At the time, the league was on something of a hiatus following the "Breakdowns" storyline. It would be rebooted the following month with an infusion of more members from the classic roster in Justice League Spectacular #1 (also written by Dan Jurgens), but in the meantime, it was up to Superman to gather the heroes when Brainiac threatened the earth.

(It also happens to share a title with a classic 1953 episode of television's Adventures of Superman. The theme of that episode, in which a heavenly body is hurling towards Earth, and our planet's imminent destruction can only be stopped by Superman, is echoed here.)

Booster plays a small role in the ensemble cast. In this issue he has not a single line of dialogue. He doesn't even make it onto Dan Jurgens' paired covers for this and the previous issue.

But that's not to say that Booster plays no role. Teamwork and trust are at the heart of this event, and Booster Gold has always made an effective team player thanks to his impenetrable force field and desire to earn the respect of his peers. This event introduces him to Maxima, his future Extreme Justice teammate, and Infinity Man, a criminally underused member of Jack Kirby's Fourth World. Count on Booster Gold to use Earth's impending destruction to build his social network.

"Panic in the Sky!" isn't groundbreaking. In many ways, it is the very definition of a mainstream American super hero comic. That's not always a bad thing.

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Over at Forbes.com, Mark Hughes sings the praises of Warner Bros DCEU movies, especially the positive influence of the unqualified success of Aquaman. He lists Warner's upcoming DC movie release schedule through at least 2022, highlighted by a bunch of deserving super friends.

However, he also points out a reality that will no doubt be a bit of a downer for Booster Gold fans everywhere.

There were also projects in the works involving Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, Nightwing, Deadshot, Justice League Dark, Cyborg, Lobo, and a few others, but most of those seem to be either on hold, cancelled, or in some stage of development Hell for the moment. I think we might eventually see a couple of them revive and join the list of future DC films, but for now I'm not counting on it (even though I'd love to see all of those projects). Which is fine, since right now there are plenty of DC projects in the works for coming years, more than enough to satisfy fans and audiences. Perhaps instead some of these projects will wind up evolving into serialized series on the new WarnerMedia streaming service.

It's not exactly news that WB isn't actively working on a Booster Gold movie, but it is always a disappointment to be reminded of that fact.

Visit Forbes.com for the whole article.

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Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, the holiday for spending time with the one you love. Obviously, that means Booster Gold.

To help you out, I present my Essential Booster Gold Reading List:

The Classics
Booster Gold Volume 1 (1986) #1-15
These issues by character creator Dan Jurgens establish everything you need to know about Michael Jon "Booster" Carter: athlete, gambler, thief, hero. All future Booster Gold stories were built on these building blocks.

Blue and Gold
Justice League (1987) #4
Justice League International Volume 1 (1987) #7-9, 25, 32-34
Justice League International Annual (1988) #2
Formerly Known as the Justice League (2003) #1-6
Blue Beetle and Booster Gold are the greatest bromance in DC Comics. Relive their glory days in the "Bwah-ha-ha" era created by Kieth Giffen and J.M DeMatteis.

Time Master
52 (2006) #1-52
Booster Gold Volume 2 (2007) #1-6, 0, 7-10, 1,000,000
Booster Gold's rebirth really began with his lowest moment in 52 #7, but to really appreciate the story, read all of 52, then wash it down with key issues of Booster Gold volume 2 led by Geoff Johns' take on the new Time Masters.

New 52 and Rebirth
Justice League International Volume 3 (2011), #1-12
Action Comics (2018) #993-998
Dan Jurgens returns to refine Booster Gold for the modern, post-Flashpoint DC Universe.

That's not to say that there aren't plenty of other great Booster Gold comics. Once you get through those, consider taking a look at the entire run of Justice League: Generation Lost (2010) #1-24. I also recommend Justice League Quarterly (1990) #1 and Justice League Unlimited (2005) issues #2, 30, and 43, just to name a few.

So this holiday, pour a glass of wine, turn the lights down low, and snuggle up with your favorite comics, Booster Gold comics.

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