I was planning on asking my readers if the lack of an SSL certificate here at Boosterrific.com was hindering their enjoyment of the site (because Google really, really wants me to have one), but connection problems are getting in the way. Completely unrelated to the SSL question, Boosterrific.com won't resolve on my local network.

I have spoken to the hosting company representatives, and they assure me that the site is running just fine. They probably haven't blacklisted my IP, though there's still some wiggle room on that. More likely, the problem stems from my ISP. I have spoken to their representatives, too, and they admitted that there are some weird things going on with my account configuration. They seem to have lost track of my router, which they gave me just weeks ago. It's sitting right over there, but they can't see it in their system. And because it's not visible in their system, no one can tell what it's doing.

Since we can't talk to the router, even though it otherwise seems to be doing everything else just fine, there's an open question whether it might be what's keeping me from reaching Boosterrific.com. Or maybe it's something else. At this point, who knows? Isn't living in the future great?

Meanwhile, until a new router arrives and is properly configured — which I am assured will happen sooner than later — I'm locked out of Boosterrific on my home network, reduced to uploading this from my phone via a slow cellular network hotspot like a caveman!

Anyway, don't worry too much if you don't see anything else from me this week. I'll be back when I can. Whenever that is.

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Ok, so over the weekend, while trying to fix one malingering back-end code problem here at Boosterrific.com (stupid, stupid spam filters), I discovered that another of my recent-ish changes had resulted in a bunch of bad internal links. Specifically, following links on a character's list of shared Booster Gold appearances could take you to the bio of an entirely different character. Oops.

Now, I think I've got both problems are fixed. Going forward, if you do click an internal link here on Boosterrific.com and it doesn't take you where you think it was supposed to take you — for example, if a link promising Harley Quinn takes you instead to *ahem* the Sea Devils — please do me a favor and drop me a note, either in a blog post comment or via the Boosterrific Contact form so that I can fix it. Thank you for your help in making Boosterrific better.

And just so you don't leave this post thinking that Boosterrific.com has nothing to offer today other than malfunctioning code and hijacked links, here's a seasonally appropriate piece of delightful Blue and Gold fan art by Melonnabar (from Tumblr via Reddit):

It tickles me that they wear bathing suits that give away their secret identities. Very subtle, boys.

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Just about any way you slice it, the back half of Booster Gold Volume 1 is a downer for our hero. And them comes Millennium to take what's left of our hero's fortune, family, and reputation. What a bummer.

The big reveal of Booster Gold #24 is that the Manhunter who betrays Booster is the same "friend" who betrayed Booster before. If this seems unsatisfying to the reader, rest assured that it was also unsatisfying to the issue's creator (as I detailed in my 2015 post "The True Story of Booster Gold: 30 Years of Character Development").

But just because the story is ultimately unsatisfying doesn't mean that the comic doesn't have its moments. Lots of them, in fact. Big, dumb deathtraps are always fun, and Ty Templeton's inks make everything better.

Crushing walls are a pretty old-school trap. I'm glad Booster got a chance to play the classics on his way out.

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AIPTcomics.com has all of DC's solicitations for September, and oh, boy, they look great.

I've had my eye out for Blue Beetle #1 ever since DC.com revealed back in April that Ted Kord (and the Bug!) would be on the Adrian Gutierrez cover.

I've also been anticipating Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #1 for months, and although I don't like incentive variants, I just might be convinced to pony up for this 1:25 Kevin Maguire variant cover.

I hadn't been planning on buying any of the four monthly books written by Tom King, but Julian Totino Tedesco makes riding a kanga look like so much fun on the variant cover for Wonder Woman #1, I just might change my mind. (It wouldn't be the first time I'd've bought a comic just because of a Tedesco cover.)

Ooh! And how about the Chris Samnee variant for Shazam #3? Or the two part Mikel Janin acetate cover for Superman #6? And don't even get me started on the Old Man Red Bee (and Old Man Blackhawk!) appearing on the 1:25 Rahazzah variant for Peacemaker Tries Hard! #5.

Now, if you've read down this far, you might have noticed that I haven't mentioned Booster Gold yet. Well, that's because the solicitation doesn't either. I was trying to soften the blow with all those great covers.

Did it work?

If it helps, DC also announced that the first six issues of The Human Target will be collected (for the second time) in October. Booster will be in that. Come to think if it, it's also got some great covers.

Booster may be hard to find these days, but at least it isn't hurting my eyes to keep looking.

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It wasn't until the weekend that I realized that I failed to make note of last week's release of the $100 Absolute Dark Nights Death Metal, the most recent collection of 2021's Dark Nights: Death Metal mini-series.

Although this is called the "Absolute" edition, it only covers the main seven issues (which were previously released in a $30 edition back in 2021) plus some art extras. To get the additional 10 one-shot tie-ins and the five Justice League tie-in issues, you'll have to wait until next year's Omnibus edition.

As for any Booster Gold appearances to be expected in this week's books... well, you've already got a lot to read, right?

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