Booster Gold hasn't been in a new release in weeks, so I hope you've been saving your money. Because he's in three titles today!

Logan Peterson, a longtime friend of this site, dropped me a line to say

I just finished skimming through the new comics coming out tomorrow as I was sorting through them at my store, and I made some exciting discoveries! Booster appears in not one, but two of tomorrow's releases: Superman #19 and Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #2. I won't say anything to spoil them, but I wanted to give you the heads up!

I had suspected that Booster might show up in Superman (in response to some recent, high-profile events in the life of the Man of Tomorrow), but the appearance in Hell Arisen is a total surprise. (The way Logan words that leads me to believe that it might not be an entirely welcome one. But then, the book is titled Hell Arisen.)

This is the solicitation text for Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #2:

Apex predator Lex Luthor is on the hunt for the Batman Who Laughs. To catch his prey, he must follow a trail of broken heroes... leading him to Jim Gordon, one of the victims of the Batman Who Laughs' deadly virus that turned the heroic police commissioner into the worst version of himself. The trail leads Lex to a lonely cell in the Hall of Justice - but it's not the good guys who come to stop him. It's more of the Batman Who Laughs' dangerous operatives! And if they couldn't resist the influence of the Dark Multiverse, then how can Lex?

And while we're at it, this is for Superman #19:

One day later! What happens the day after Superman reveals his secret identity to the world? And what repercussions will his decision have across the entire DC Universe? Plus, Superman: president of Earth?

Wait a second. "President of Earth"? Is that a thing? I don't remember voting for that.

Anyway, what Logan failed to mention in his note is that Booster will also be featured in the new collection Justice League International Book One: Born Again, which reprints Justice League #1-6, Justice League International #7-17, Justice League Annual #1, Justice League International Annual #2, and Suicide Squad #13. That's a whole bunch of great 1980s Booster Gold adventures reprinted on good paper for the very reasonable (modern) price of $2 per comic.

Buy one of those and make Skeets happy! (Thanks, Logan.)

UPDATE: As you can see in the comments, Booster has also been spotted in Batman/Superman #6. He's everywhere!

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I hope you enjoy Booster Gold's team-up with DC's omnipresent femme fatale, Harley Quinn, in March's previously-solicited Harley Quinn #71, because the team-up will be continuing this April.

Per the issue solicitation at Newsarama.com:

HARLEY QUINN #72
written by SAM HUMPHRIES
art by SAMI BASRI
cover by GUILLEM MARCH
Some mysteries just don't want to be solved! As Harley digs deeper into the death of her friend, it becomes clear that there are forces in Los Angeles that don't want her this close to the truth. Will Harley be broken by the City of Angels, or will she be able to avenge her friend's death? And will she be able to convince Booster Gold that he is not her crime-fighting partner and never will be?
ON SALE April 1, 2020 · $3.99 US

That soliciation text.... I'm choosing to believe that it's a joke, and that Booster doesn't really want to be the sidekick of the nutcase who tried to kill him in the pages of Heroes in Crisis.

I guess we'll find out the truth this April Fools Day.

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I interrupt this Booster Gold blog to ask a serious question: should I continue to maintain a Facebook page for Boosterrific.com?

I created the Boosterrific.com fan page on Facebook 8 years ago this month as a convenience for those fans who also spend a great deal of time on the world's largest social media site. While I don't want to lose those (or any) readers, I personally dislike using the site and would prefer if I could just ignore it entirely.

Therefore, the question becomes how valuable is it for me to maintain that relationship with a service I find increasingly unpalatable? Is having a Facebook page for Boosterrific.com necessary to maintain readership?

To answer that question, I need your help telling me how useful you, the Booster Gold fan, consider Boosterrific.com's Facebook presence to be.

This week's poll question: Do you visit Boosterrific.com on Facebook? Please visit the Boosterrific Polls page to view results for this week's poll.

Thank you for your support.

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This will come as no surprise to most Booster boosters, but Booster Gold has long had a name recognition problem. Or, as Brian Cronin puts it at CBR.com: "'Look! Up in the Sky! It's a Bird! No, It's a Plane! No, It's Buster Gold!'"

Calling Booster "Buster" has been around since the fourth page of Booster's very first appearance (Booster Gold #1). That was 1985. The most recent appearance of that long-running gag was in Bat-Mite #4 in 2015. Thirty years is a long time to keep a joke running!

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th Edition) defines the direct address "Buster" as

Fellow. Used in addressing a man or boy, especially out of annoyance.

Booster's aggressively brash and cocky personality naturally rubs some people the wrong way, making shouts of "Buster" Gold a fitting commentary from his many detractors.

While we're on the subject, the same dictionary defines "Booster" as

One that boosts, as: An enthusiastic promoter, as of a sports team or school;
or
One who steals goods on display in a store.

You've got to give creator Dan Jurgens credit for squeezing his hero's entire origin into one name.

Booster Gold insiders will note that, as Cronin points out, the "Buster" joke succeeds on an even deeper level:

The whole idea of people mixing up Booster Gold's name is funny, because the very name BOOSTER GOLD is, itself, a mistake.

He's so right. "Booster," "Buster,"... both are a far cry from "Goldstar." (See Booster Gold #9 for more details on how that came to be.)

Cronin only lists 5 "Buster Gold" examples in his CBR.com article, but you can find the whole list of Booster Busters here at Boosterrific.com

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Are you old enough to remember what it was like to have Booster Gold regularly appearing in his own comic book series? If so, you probably remember reading Booster Gold #28.

In that issue, the reader is treated to scenes that take place in

• 1990, the unfortunate events leading to the creation of Cyborg Superman;
• 1993, the year Coast City was destroyed;
• 2010, the "present" day; and
• 2083, the future of experimental time travel Project Slipshift.

Not pictured is 2020, where we are now, exactly one decade since the release of that issue.

I didn't include it on my list of great Booster Gold comics, but in many ways, this is an ideal issue for any new fans interested in Booster's adventures and who are not yet indoctrinated into his (and DC's) history.

Everything is in here: Skeets, Rip Hunter, Michelle, Superman, the Justice League, time travel shenanigans, and of course, the Royal Flush Gang.

Booster will be back in the saddle again sooner or later. He could do much worse than the likes of Booster Gold #28.

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