For the first time since Rebirth restored Ted Kord as Blue Beetle, he and Booster Gold are front and center in action again!

Art by Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse

Okay, maybe they're not "in" action, but they're close enough. Ted isn't much of a hero these days, not since the heart attack that sidelined him into mentoring Jaime Reyes. But he can still don his old costume for special occasions, such as when the real Flash — Wally West! — races S.T.A.R. Labs founder* Speed Buggy for charity as seen in this week's Flash/Speed Buggy Special.

*No, really. Things developed pretty quickly in that comic. There's also a Reverse Speed Buggy now.

Thanks to Logan for pointing out our favorite heroes in the crowd. (Say, does anyone recognize the kid in the yellow shirt between Igoo and Chunk? Or the character below Grape Ape with the purple stripe down his front? Or the kid in the white jacket behind Robin? They're all probably either Flash or Hanna-Barbera characters. Any guesses?)

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If you were buying DC Comics in the mid-90s, you might remember the company's trend of having a single story conceit linking all their summer annuals. In 1996, the theme was "Legends of the Dead Earth," a series of Elseworlds-style imaginary stories considering how DC's heroes might live on in the far future.

Most of these stories featured legacy heroes, but Justice League America Annual #10 took a different tack. While its story, "The Alliance" by Christopher Priest, did take place in the far future, its central hero and villains were all active Justice League members of the time. Max Lord, Captain Atom, and, yes, Booster Gold all play central roles, as illustrated in original art from the issue that is now being sold on eBay.com for a very reasonable price.

Pencils by Sergio Cariello, Inks by Nick J. Napolitano

Given that the big bad is Maxwell Lord and the Justice League of the future were "volunteers" with altered DNA, this annual might have been more than a little influential in stories that would come along years later in Countdown to Infinite Crisis and Justice League 3000.

It is also the first time Booster wore a costume with an asymmetrically placed star!

For either of those reasons, it might not be a bad issue to own some original art from.

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Once upon a time, comic book publishers used the corner box at the top corner of their front covers to showcase characters appearing on the pages inside. The illustrated corner box is most strongly associated with Marvel Comics, which introduced it in the early 60s and used it to great effect for decades. DC's corner boxes have traditionally been a less flashy affair, though they did adopt the practice for a few years in the 90s. As a result, Booster Gold has never had an illustrated Corner Box on any issue of either of his solo series.

When I redesigned Boosterrific.com, I made sure to correct that. Those of you who visit the new Boosterrific.com on a desktop have probably noticed that I use a rotating assortment of art for the corner box to the top left of the masthead. (Those of you who visit via mobile devices probably only see the standard "menu" icon linking to the site menu.)

Today I present you all with this link to every one of the images you might find above.Can you recognize where they all came from?

Most of them are cover images, though some were taken from interior pages and others were created as commissions. (Personally, I still feel that Extreme Justice is underrepresented, though I'm liking that most showcase that groovy high collar.) If you don't see your favorite, give a holler. I'll see what I can do.

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Booster booster Jackson Williams was reading The Flash #46 and caught this sequence of panels.

The Flash #46, words by Johsua Williamson; art by Scott Kolins, Luis Guerrero

This issue of The Flash was released the week before Batman #47, but the former sure looks like it refers to the latter's meeting between Batman, Catwoman, and Booster Gold. (Which was, by the way, the first time that Booster Gold and Catwoman have ever met on panel.)

Thanks for the update, Jackson.

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You won't find Booster Gold in your Local Comic Shop today, but that doesn't mean he's gone for good. In DC's August solicitations, we learned that Booster will be playing a bigger part in future Injustice 2 issues.

INJUSTICE 2 #31
written by TOM TAYLOR
art and cover by DANIEL SAMPERE
The Red Lanterns, backed by the power of Starro, wage an all-out assault on Oa and the source of the Green Lanterns' power. But help is on the way in the form of the Titans, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold and...Lobo? Get ready for a rumble like you've never seen before!
ON SALE August 01 · $2.99 US · DIGITAL FIRST

INJUSTICE 2 #32
written by TOM TAYLOR
art and cover by BRUNO REDONDO
Then, the fate of the world hangs in the balance as Starro and the Red Lanterns head toward Earth bent on destruction. Beetle, Booster and the Titans are in hot pursuit. Following close behind is Lobo, armed with a weapon that may ultimately do more harm than good.
ON SALE August 15 · $2.99 US · DIGITAL FIRST

As mentioned earlier this week, Booster Gold is sporting a new jacket starting in Injustice 2 #30 coming July 18. Will he keep wearing the jacket in issues #31 and #32? I know I can't wait to find out!

While we're on the subject, I should mention that Booster will also be seen in the Deluxe Edition reprint of Action Comics #1000. You can find more info about that hardcover and the whole slate of DC Comics' August solicitations at Newsarama.com.

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