Roy Westerman and Phil Cho have set about redesigning the DCU in a project they're calling Earth-27. This is Cho's version of Booster Gold and Skeets:

What a rogue! I don't care for the extraneous zipper and buttons across the chest, but I still think it's better than the New 52 design.

You can see more of Cho's designs on DeviantArt.com or his website, PhilChoArt.com.

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Booster Gold hasn't always had the most reliable appearance schedule. For every Booster Gold appearance you collected, there is probably one you missed. Maybe on purpose. Our hero's inclusion in Eclipso #18 likely falls into this category.

The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide describes this early 90s series as something trying "hard to be different — Eclipso is both villain and host — but in the end it becomes another team book because Eclipso's evil is too downbeat and serious for him to carry the narrative by himself." I assure you, it wasn't that good.

The series is best known for the mass murder of several minor C-List heroes in issue 13. This event was used to justify drawing the Justice League into the series starting with issue 14, including Booster Gold, in all his extreme 1990s power armor glory:

Art by Luke McDonnell, Audwynn Jermaine Newma, Raymond Kryssing, & Tom McCraw

"It means we're all in deep doo-doo!" Ah, the 1990s. How I do not miss you.

Eclipso issue 18, released on this date in 1994, was the final issue of this series. Too bad the cancellation came five months too late to save Commander Steel and Major Victory. Rest in peace, guys.

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If you think about it, we owe the longevity of our hero to the success of 1987's Justice League reboot which launched 30 years ago yesterday.

Although Dan Jurgens created a unique and endearing character in Michael "Booster" Carter, it was the character's inclusion in J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen's reboot of DC's flagship team (and specifically his relationship with Blue Beetle) that cemented Booster Gold's place in the DCU. Without the JLI, Booster Gold probably would have faded to the same sort of neverland as other lesser known DC characters like Geo-Force or Blue Devil.

In celebration of the anniversary, the Irredeemable Shag interviewed DeMatteis for a very special edition of the Justice League International: Bwah-Ha-Ha Podcast. The writer admitted that Booster Gold held a unique place in the series.

Shag: Favorite JLI members. Give me like two or three.

DeMatteis: Well, Beetle and Booster for sure. Because in so many ways, they're the heart and soul of the book. ... I love the banter, and I love that we continued to play with them.

We love it too!

You can find the whole podcast interview, which covers the JLI from their inception, through their name changes, and into the year 3000, at fireandwaterpodcast.com.

Something tells me we'll still be celebrating the JLI when it's 60th anniversary rolls around. In every medium, great entertainment endures.

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If you watched The Flash on Tuesday, you might have recognized its similarity to Booster Gold Volume 1, #18. (Russ Burlingame covered the details for Comicbook.com). In what I'm sure was completely unrelated news, after the episode aired, writer Zack Stentz announced on Twitter that he was leaving the show.

Naturally, this announcement stirred up the show's hardcore fans. Had Stentz been fired by Flash producer Greg Berlanti? Was there trouble behind the scenes?

Stentz headed off any potential gossip in a follow-up tweet.

Flash fans might be sad to see Stentz go, but Booster Gold fans have to be bouncing with joy knowing that work continues towards the Booster Gold movie.

Godspeed, Zack!

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My regular wanders across the Internet trolling for Booster Gold references turned up this quiz by Thebiguglyalien from sporcle.com:

Yes, the quiz is probably too easy for Booster boosters, but I suspect the general public might be stumped. They can't tell Booster Gold from Green Lantern.

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