We continue our parade of flikr fan costumes as we continue the countdown to Comic-Con International 2010.

This Justice League Unlimited Booster looks every bit as slick as the plastic toy. Booster Gold at Anime Expo in 2006 photo by ashkie1969 as posted at flikr.com.

Something is not quite right about this pair. Hmm. Can't quite put my finger on it.... It must be Booster's read hair. Blue Beetle and Booster Gold at DragonCon 2006 photo by FotoToad as posted at flikr.com.

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Only 3 days until Comic-Con International 2010, the single largest comic book convention Hollywood advertisement on the planet! Since nothing says comic book convention like fan costumes, let's celebrate the week with some fan-made costumes worn by some real fans. We'll show those Hollywood phoneys that real heroes don't wear black leather!

With that head in the way, it's just like being in the press corps thronging the Corporate Crusader, no? Booster Gold at Comic-Con 2006 photo by prismcomics as posted at flikr.com.

It looks like both of our heroes are wearing their costumes over their civilian clothes instead of the more common other way around, but maybe that's what it takes to get Booster such a stylish collar. Blue Beetle and Booster Gold at Comic-Con 2006 photo by Reliable Comics as posted at flikr.com.

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Steady as she goes: Booster Gold sales have remained essentially level for four months as the fan baseline appears to have been established at about 20K readers. (I've included the top selling issues for each month in the graph as a sales comparison between event sales and ongoing series sales. Just because.) I trust that the recent brouhaha regarding the art in Booster Gold #34 isn't enough to upset the delicate balance of this oscillation, right?

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Yesterday, TGB posted his strong dislike for the art in Booster Gold #34 on his blog, The Greatest Blog Youve Never Heard Of. His opinion is reflective of that posted earlier on the livejournal blog of erin_starlight, erin-starlight.

All of this outcry has to raise the question: how strong a role does art style play in the success of Booster Gold? Traditionally all super hero comics have been presented in naturalistic detail, and Booster Gold is no exception. Is Giffen's use of caricature such a dramatic departure from the norm as to be offensive to his audience? Or is it just too hard to maintain suspension of disbelief for a costumed melodrama when the adventures are rendered in a cartoonish style? Art appreciation is almost entirely subjective to the viewer, and I suspect that the discord that Giffen has struck in his audience has more to do with expectations than anything else.

These harsh criticisms put me in mind of much, much worse comic book art from the DC Brazilian Explosion of the mid 1990s. (Andrew Prenger just reviewed Extreme Justice on his blogspot blog, Booster Gold Fan Club. That, ladies and gentlemen, was bad art.) But maybe it was a style that was more palatable for its genre than what is found in Booster Gold #34.

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After weeks of waiting for new Booster, Booster Gold, Volume 2, #34 and Justice League: Generation Lost #5 both hit stands today. Buy them both and make Skeets happy.

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