Can you believe it's been six full years since the last time I mentioned the Blue and Gold Podcast? Oops.

Thankfully, the podcast's creator has returned after a long hiatus to correct my oversight. Here he is to re-introduce himself.

My Name is Danny Nielsen and I produce the Blue and Gold: A Superman and Booster Gold Podcast! I'm very excited about this podcast honoring two of the best heroes (DC) comics has to offer. This podcast is a combination show with half of each episode dedicated to the Man of Steel, covering anything and everything Superman, while the other half is dedicated to Booster Gold. It's going to be a very fun time! You can email the show at bluegoldpodcast@gmail.com and you can follow on twitter @bluegoldpodcast.

You can read the podcast blog at blueandgoldpodcast.blogspot.com and find the rss feed for the podcast at feeds.feedburner.com/blueandgold.

Thanks, Danny. We'll be listening.

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Barely a month and a half into the new year, and Booster booster Cort has already gathered a new line-up of Booster Gold commissions.

Freddie Williams III

Stephen Sadowski

Cary Nord

John Delaney

Cort notes that both Sadowski and Nord think this was the first time in their careers they've been asked to draw Booster Gold. Hopefully it won't be their last.

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In the comments of my blog post about the single greatest Booster Gold comic ever written (Justice League #4), there was some discussion about when exactly Booster's comic book portrayals turned from fun-loving but competent crime fighter (as portrayed in his own original series) to bumbling moron (as portrayed in 52 and just about everywhere since).

The timing of that change can be narrowed to shortly after the dawn of the 21st-century. No so coincidentally, that's about the same time that Blue Beetle's character also got an overhaul before coming to a very gory end.

Blue Beetle, who during the JLI years always played the fool in the original Blue and Gold dynamic, lost his sense of humor for his inclusion in the 1999 L.A.W. (Living Assault Weapons) mini-series reuniting the former Charlton Comics characters. For a few years following, he appeared much more prominently in DC Comics than his best friend, notably in issues of Birds of Prey, where he was diagnosed with a weak heart and semi-retired from heroics. This allowed his more serious demeanor a chance to take root with readers and editors alike.

I'd always assumed that was why, when Beetle and Booster were reunited in 2003's Formerly Known as the Justice League, the comedy roles of the two super buddies were swapped. However, when I put that question to JLI writer J.M. DeMatteis on Twitter last week, he revealed a different reason.

Whatever you think of the change, you have to admit that "just because" is as good a reason as Beetle and Booster ever had for any of their hijinx.

And now you know the rest of the story. (Thanks to Ariel for inspiring this topic.)

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DC solicitations for May were released on Friday, and the biggest news for Booster Gold fans won't be making it into stores until August!

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC
written by KEITH GIFFEN, J.M. DEMATTEIS, and others
art by KEITH GIFFEN, CHRIS SPROUSE, MIKE McKONE, MARSHALL ROGERS, DARICK ROBERTSON, and others
new cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
Maxwell Lord's domination of the Justice League continues in this second omnibus of never-before-collected issues! As the League franchises out to Antarctica, Lord Havok and the Extremists arrive on Earth to continue their galactic conquest, and Blue Beetle and Booster Gold come up with another of their countless schemes. Collects Justice League America #31-50, Justice League Europe #7-25, Justice League America Annual #4, Justice League Europe Annual #1,< /em>Justice League Quarterly #1, and Justice League International Special #1.
ON SALE 08.26.20 · $125.00

That's a whole lot of Booster Gold (including the Quarterly issue that was just reprinted this week in Justice League: Corporate Maneuvers).

Elsewhere, it looks like Booster will also be making return appearances of varying degrees (most of them very, very small) in the upcoming Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen trade (June 3) , Dial H for Hero Volume 2: New Heroes of Metropolis trade (June 3), Justice League of America by Brad Meltzer: The Deluxe Edition hardcover (June 10), and Justice League Volume 5: Justice/Doom War trade (June 17).

The solicitations don't indicate that Booster will be in Harley Quinn #73, which appears to continue the story begun in issue #70. I guess we'll find out whether that's a must-buy for Booster boosters when we get to May 6.

You can read the complete list of solicitations on Newsarama.com.

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The life of any comic book hero would be a lonely one if not for the many characters who have made up their supporting cast. Just as Superman has Lois Lane and Batman has Alfred, Booster Gold has also shared his adventures with quite a few people over the years. Today we look at one of those, Monica Lake.

It's a common practice for anyone seeking to become a celebrity to attach themselves to other celebrities. When Booster Gold was new on the scene, he was no different.

In order to maximize his client's marketing potential, Booster's manager, Dirk Davis, scheduled a very public dinner date for our hero at The Imperial, "one of the finest restaurants in Metropolis," in Booster Gold #3 (1986). The lucky (or opportunistic, depending on your point of view) starlet is Monica Lake, star of The Love Cruise.

Due in equal parts to Booster's vanity and Monica's disinterest, the date did not go well.

Despite the inauspicious start to their relationship, both Booster and Monica recognized the practical public relations value of continuing their association. By the next issue, Booster Gold #4, Monica was already in touch with Davis about staging another encounter. In Booster Gold #9, she revealed explicitly what she hopped to gain by the relationship.

For a time, the plan seemed to work. The media couldn't get enough of the couple. Rumors of an impending marriage between the couple started immediately ("his first, her fifth"!), and continued for months.

Gradually, this made-for-tabloids romance began to strain Booster's personal relationships, most notably with his secretary, Trixie Collins, who felt that Booster was demeaning himself (as seen in Booster Gold #10). Booster eventually agreed. After a near death experience and a trip to the future, he re-evaluated his life and decided that there was no room in it for Monica Lake, resulting in a blow-up between the two in the pages of Booster Gold #16.

It was not the last Booster would see of Lake, however. She may not have gotten what she wanted from their year-long partnership, but Booster sure did. He had successfully elevated himself into the celebrity social echelon, and the former couple would cross paths again at celebrity parties, such as the art gallery opening of painter Paul Morris' latest show (Booster Gold #19).

Neither Booster nor Monica come off looking very good in hindsight, but that's sadly true of all too many relationships. In all fairness, they were both immature. Booster was barely 20 years old at the time, and Lake couldn't have been too much older despite having already been married four times. Keep that in mind this Valentine's Day: if you want to maintain the magic in your partnership, don't be a childish jerk.

To answer the question of whether creator Dan Jurgens based Monica Lake on any real celebrities, click here to read my post from May 8, 2015.

Interested in meeting other "People in his Neighborhood"? Get to know Trixie Collins, Daniel Carter, Jack Soo, Rani, Dirk Davis, Skeets, Mackenzie Garrison, Rip Hunter, Michelle Carter, and Nurse Devlin.

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