In the year 2001, mankind's freedoms were sacrificed for the sake of security by a tyrannical government that seized power after a well-planned attack on American soil. Thankfully, this kind of scenario could only happen in comic books.

On this day in 1991, DC Comics launched their summer crossover series Armageddon 2001. The book was created by an all-star cast: written by Archie Goodwin and illustrated by Dan Jurgens and Dick Giordano. However, it is far more famous for the illogical resolution to its story, which DC changed at the last minute due to the conclusion being leaked to the public. In the non-stop media-hype of the 21st century, that action seems rather quaint in hindsight.

The setup for the story revolved around the mystery of which DC hero betrayed the rest to become a world-dominating tyrant. A time-traveler from the future makes it his mission to investigate the heroes of the 20th-century in an attempt to forestall his own horrible fate. Naturally everyone was a suspect, including Booster Gold.

Honestly, Booster plays only a small part in this story and probably then only because Jurgens was the artist. Perhaps it was too far-fetched an idea that foolish Michael Jon Carter would one day wield the power to control the world. More likely, it may have been impossible for readers to believe that an egomaniac like Booster Gold would rule hiding behind a mask.

Despite Booster's tangential involvement, the story is actually quite entertaining. Betrayal and the temptation of power are themes regularly investigated in super hero comics. This story simply takes those themes to a logical extreme and with the addition of time travel, provides a frame story that allows the creative teams of the era to incorporate the crossover event into their series in organic and entertaining ways.

If you can get past the tragically unsatisfying ending, this 2001, like the year itself, is worth a second look.

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Would this make Batman Oscar the Grouch?

Much of the work of Candadian artist Marco D'Alfonso is comprised of clever pop culture smash-ups. From Blue Beetle and Booster Gold as Bert and Ernie (seen above) to Ghost Rider on Shotaro Kaneda's motorcycle (from Akirm), his work is fun and clever. You can find more of his work under the pseudonym m7781 on Deviant Art.

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The adult drinks finish in distant second to the soda! We're all just a bunch of big kids here at Boosterrific.

Last week's poll question: Which Booster Gold endorsed beverage would you reach for to quench your thirst? (39 votes)

Okay. I got the message that you want to keep the blog around. Now tell me what you would like to read about. (This space has to be filled with something!)

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After reading the preview for this issue in Monday's post, you've no doubt been waiting on pins and needles to find out how the world responds to a bombing at the United Nations building that destroyed the Justice League International in issue 6. Well, run, don't walk, to your Local Comic Shop to pick up Justice League International #7 and find out why and how "Booster Gold Stands Alone!"

Sharp-eyed Shawn Baston has also pointed out that Booster can be seen in The Art of George Perez, a 256-page coffee table book that Comic Book Resources says should ship tomorrow. However, the book but does not appear on the Diamond Comics shipping list for the week. (DC has changed their upcoming comics website to make it completely useless to see what is shipping when, so that's no help in solving this mystery.) Therefore, Booster may or may not be showing up in this book this week.

Buying either of these books will make Skeets happy.

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Pretty cool, huh? This sprite may make fans of older 2D fighting games a bit nostalgic. Some of you may remember DC's Sega Genesis/Super Nintendo fighting game, Justice League Task Force, pitting the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman against one another and the forces of Darkseid. That game was released in 1995 and did not include Booster Gold. (At the time, Booster was a member of Extreme Justice.) Of course, if Booster had been in the game, it would have been too short. No one can stand up against Booster Gold.

Therefore, this is a custom sprite that must have been created since 2006, the year Booster took off his collar. (Just a guess, but it may have been created for use in M.U.G.E.N., a customizable fighting engine.) Whether you like 2D fighting games or just looking at DC heroes in action, you can find other custom-made DC sprites in afrikabambaataassf's public Photobucket profile here.

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