What makes a hero super? The super powers! From awesome strength to zero-to-sixty speed, great superpowers are the most useful tricks in every famous costumed crime-fighter's tool kit. Michael Jon Carter knew this, and that's why he started his career with a telepathically-controlled flight ring.

As a student of history, Michael "Booster" Carter modeled his superhero persona on Superman. In addition to strength, invulnerability, and long-range energy beams, he'd also need to be able to fly. To that end, he stole a Legion of Super-Heroes Flight Ring, created by Brainiac 5 in the pages of Adventure Comics #329 (1965).

In its original design, the ring was a simple metal band that provided a telepathically-controlled anti-gravity effect for those Legionnaires who could not fly under their own power. They soon became standard issue equipment for all Legionnaires. Even Superboy had one, though he rarely had need of it except in those few cases where he lost his powers, such as the time he visited Earth's past and found it lit by a red sun.

(If you squint at the panel above, you can see a flight ring there on Superboy's hand in this panel from Adventure Comics #333, also in 1965. This is the first time Superboy wore a Flight Ring.)

Brainiac 5 wasn't content with having a ring that only allowed flight. He eventually gave the ring other abilities, including sending emergency distress signals. He also improved its appeal by converting it to a gold signet-style ring showing a raised letter "L" in the center (first appearance in Adventure Comics #347). That's how the ring looked when it found its way into Booster Gold's arsenal in Booster Gold #1 (1985), and that's more or less how it looked when Booster Gold joined the Justice League in Justice League #4 (1987) and escaped from a Bialyan prison in Justice League International #17 (1988).

Booster's ring was originally depicted with a letter from the Roman alphabet. However, it sometimes was seen showing Interlac, the "inter-galactic universal language of the 30th century" which first appeared in Adventure Comics #379 (1969). By Booster Gold volume 2 #1 (2007), Booster's ring had changed to the stylized "L" on a black background that had been in use since Legion of Super-Heroes #41 (1993).

How could one ring alter its appearance so much? Well, the Legion of Super-Heroes have a tendency for getting involved in reality-warping time travel shenanigans. In fact, that's how a Legion of Super-Heroes ring from the 30th century ended up in the 25th-century Space Museum in the first place.

When Booster's debut in the 20th century drew the attention of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Brainiac 5 realized he had to leave his own flight ring in 1985 for Booster to be able to steal it in 2462 (as seen in Booster Gold #6). Therefore, the ring was available for Booster Gold to steal only because he had already stolen it. (It's best not to think too hard about that.)

If it sounds like Booster Gold creator Dan Jurgens was making things up as he went along, he was. His original plan, as revealed in Booster Gold: The Big Fall, was that instead of stealing Brainiac 5's ring from the Space Museum, Booster would have stolen Superboy's rarely used original ring from the Superman Museum!

That plan was scuttled by the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which erased Superboy's adventures from history. Thus the original origin of Booster Gold's flight ring became just one more casualty of the universe-destroying Anti-Monitor. What a jerk.

If you'd like to read about the origins of other powers in Booster Gold's arsenal, check out previous spotlight posts on his Force Field Belt and Booster Shots.

Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: adventure comics brainiac 5 dan jurgens justice league international legion flight ring legion of super-heroes powers superboy superboy superman

I have to confess that I'm not a big fan of digital comics. I have several reasons for that, but they mostly boil down to "I grew up reading paper comics, and I intend to die reading paper comics." That's looking increasingly likely in the current COVID-19 era.

That said, digital comics have long had their fans, and now they have a few benefits that old-fashioned paper comics, or "floppies," don't. With so many comic shops and publishers still shuttered, digital comics allow you to remain socially distant and disease-free (assuming no one else is using your keyboard) while still supporting the companies and artists whose work you enjoy. It's a win-win in an otherwise uncertain world.

Which brings me to the DC Universe streaming service. I think it's a great boon for DC fans looking to scratch their super-hero itch. While it would be easy for them to focus on the A-listers like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League, they also manage to support the lesser known heroes, like Booster Gold.

Case in point: Alex Jaffe's article on DCUniverse.com encouraging unfamiliar fans to "BINGE THIS: BOOSTER GOLD is the Greatest Geoff Johns Series You've Never Read," which includes the following paragraph:

Why is Booster Gold the perfect agent to protect the timeline? Because he's the last person you'd ever expect to be crucially important to its survival. To keep time bandits from interfering with Booster's work, his crucial time traveling missions must be kept absolutely secret... making Booster Gold the first great Super Hero whose secret identity is an incompetent Super Hero. But with all of time at his fingertips, can Booster avoid the pitfalls of trying to "fix" the tragedies which must come to pass? And if not, will the timeline himself even let him succeed? And what exactly is the mysterious connection between Booster Gold and his Time Master mentor, Rip Hunter? All will be revealed, or at least alluded to, in esoteric continuity clues scrawled onto chalkboards. Whether you're obsessed with continuity or merely the idea of it, this series is a comic binger's dream.

He's right. It's a pretty good series, especially for DC continuity nuts like me. I think I'll go re-read the series myself. And maybe I'll do it digitally. I'd hate to risk getting virus all over my longboxes.

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Start your week with Booster Gold sketch art courtesy of Booster booster Steven Palchinski, who graciously offered to let us gaze into his sketchbook of Booster Gold and Friends.

Randy Rantz Kintz

Dustin Nguyen

Norm Rapmund

Peter Semeti

Ryan Stegman

Freddie E. Williams II

James Zintel

Thanks, Steven.

Comments (3) | Add a Comment | Tags: commissions dustin nguyen freddie williams goldstar james zintel norm rapmund peter simeti randy rantz kintz rip hunter ryan stegman steven palchinski

In ancient times, May Day was a celebration of the dawning of a new season from the old, a rebirth. In the 20th century, "mayday" became a distress call for pilots.

Both of those etymologies are reflected in CRB.com's latest Booster Gold-centric clickbait, "Every Terrible DC Timeline Booster Gold Has Prevented (or Caused)" by Brandon Zachary.

As one of DC's resident time-travelers, it makes sense that Booster Gold has left an outsized impact on the DC Universe timeline over the years. While he's done some of this to protect the timeline from the influence of others, he's also sometimes done this to try and suit his own goals.

That's a fair point. Booster Gold isn't perfect, and that's a key part of why we like him.

Before you click on over to CBR, know that the article title isn't entirely accurate (surprise!). Zachary covers some of the larger (and worst) changes that Booster has made to history, but there are plenty of other terrible timelines that Booster prevented but didn't cause (like saving the multiverse from the likes of Mister Mind in 52 and Starro in Booster Gold #13, just to name a few).

And, of course, no list of the worst timelines that Booster both caused and prevented would be complete without the time he killed a little girl's dog, as seen in Booster Gold #31.

In a multiverse with an infinite number of terrible timelines, a time cop's job is never done.

Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: brandon zachary cbr.com history lists

Boosterrific Note: the following brief biographies were sent to me in response to my April 10 post asking for Booster Gold fans to write in and tell us a bit about themselves.

First up is Megan.

I think the concept of this blog is really great. It's a blog that would exist in DC continuity and I find that idea really hilarious. It aligns with the idea of Booster's fame seeking generating an obsessive fanclub. Booster Gold is one of my favourite DC characters. I really love how he grows and matures to become a self sacrificing person. Enjoying the character is how I found this blog and I check it out from time to time because the concept is so entertaining. Thanks for your commitment.

Secondly was this post by M.M., who originally posted this in the comments.

I love this blog. I found it while looking for Booster of course, which I fell in love with at a time in my life where I downloaded comics published before I was born, I don't know why, I just know that Booster had it all, a real personality that I could understand, a curve wonderful learning, time travel and it made me seriously wonder why I don't see more heroes dressing in gold.

Pardon my writing, I am doing this in the time not suitable for all public and helping me with the google translator because I do not trust myself. I'm going to confess that I love this blog, I already said it, but I confess that one of my recurring fears is that something happens to you and I never have the opportunity to say thanks for everything. rereading a comic after you write about why it's great for you makes me feel like it's new to me again.

Thank you both. (Rest assured that I plan to continue posting about Booster Gold for years to come, M.M.)

If anyone else would like to share and/or self-promote, please drop me a line through the Boosterrific.com Contact Portal or directly at walter(at)boosterrific.com.

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