Booster booster Eskana writes in to say:

Not sure if you saw it, but in your quest to account for every appearance of the Corporate Crusader, I found one out of the ordinary... My comic shop's "Comic Shop News" had a FCBD special with what seems to be original art on the cover, showing Blue and Gold (alongside the Hulk, Black Panther, and Invisible Woman) by Fred Hembeck. Just thought I'd let you know!

Most comic shops that carry Comic Shop News pamphlets give them away for free, especially on Free Comic Book Day, which is next Saturday, May 7.

But if your Local Comic Shop doesn't have any, you may be able to find copies for sale online at ebay.com, which is where I found this image:

sold by comrus1

Thanks, Eskana! Happy hunting, completionists!

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This week, DC is killing off the Justice League, which is bad for them but good for us because Booster Gold is on the third variant ("CVR D") card stock cover by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund!

Yes, this cover is the rare self-homage, as Jurgens references his own work (inked by Brett Breeding) on the poster accompanying Superman #75 in 1993. (Superman dies once every thirty years, I guess.)

I have no reason yet to suspect that Booster Gold will actually be *in* the book, but *on* a book is good enough for me. Consider buying this comic and making Skeets happy.

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In comic books, heroes arrive in the nick of time to restore the status quo. That's generally what you want when a crime is being committed. But what if the problem is the status quo itself?

That's why the first Earth Day was organized on April 22, 1970 (as any environmentally conscious time-traveler could tell you).

Most of us have only one Earth, and all things being equal, it has treated us pretty well so far. The least we can do is try to keep it the kind of planet our heroes would be proud to call home.

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Don't worry, there are no spoilers for Blue and Gold #8 in today's post, but I can't say the same for the following link to ComicBook.com!

Now that you've been appropriately warned, here's the link to ComicBook.com where Russ Burlingame has a recap of how it took DC thirteen years (!) to finally tell us who the Black Beetle was:

The original plan to reveal the Black Beetle's true identity, was to do it in Booster Gold #25. The mystery proved so intriguing to readers, and the story for #25 was already so full, that Jurgens and DC opted to put it off until a planned double-sized story in Booster Gold #50. Unfortunately for Booster fans, Flashpoint happened, and the series ended with Booster Gold #47 in 2011 as part of the line-wide "The New 52" reboot. This is the villain's first significant appearance since.

To add a little extra salt to that wound, I will remind you that Booster Gold #47 was actually the 49th issue for the title. In addition to the 47 conventionally sequential-numbered issues, there were also 0 and 1,000,000 issues as well. So we could have had the reveal in a double-sized 50th issue number 48 if DC had let the series go on for just one more month.

And while we're on the topic of salty wounds, can we even be sure that the Black Beetle we got in Blue and Gold was the same character who put together the villainous Time Stealers in Booster Gold Volume 2 #7? As Russ points out, DC History is not what it used to be.

Honestly, I was so angry that the New 52 reboot truncated the continuity of my favorite characters that I strongly considered swearing off DC Comics entirely. (I meant it, too. As several ex-friends can tell you, I'm the sort of guy who can hold a grudge forever. It's not healthy.)

Several reboots and rebirths later, I still don't buy as many DC comics as I used to, but I have happily bought multiple copies of each issue of Blue and Gold with no regrets, no matter who they say Black Beetle is. I feel that's been money well spent, and I'd be glad to give DC more if they decide they want to do it again.

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If you are a Booster Gold fan — and considering that you're reading Boosterrific.com, you probably are — stop for a minute to consider that the character's creator, Dan Jurgens, has materially contributed to Booster's development for the past 37 years and counting! That's a spectacular run and a lot of good comics. Thanks, Dan!

Which brings us to the end of Jurgen's latest set of adventures with his creation: Blue and Gold #8, hitting the shelves of your Local Comic Shop this week!

If you're eager for a look at the first few pages, AIPT.com has a preview, but you'll have to read the whole book to find out who the Black Beetle really is!

Buy this issue and make Skeets happy!

(Sneak peek courtesy longtime Booster booster Chris Aguinaldo, who traveled forward in time to get his hands on a copy early but *still* won't tell me who Black Beetle is!)

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