If you're a die-hard DC Comics fan, you've probably noticed that the costume worn by the Teen Titans ally Red Star bore more than a passing resemblance to Booster Gold's original costume.

Red Star's first appearance was in 1968. Back then, he was named Starfire (though he eventually lost that name to a certain alien princess). He returned to action in the early and mid-80s wearing the same costume: goggles, exposed face, high collar, star on his chest.

Is it possible that this minor Teen Titans acquaintance could have influenced Dan Jurgens when he created Booster Gold's costume a few years later? I put that question to Jurgens himself.

I really don't think so, though I was familiar with it.

More than anything, I always liked the cut-off mask like Kid Flash and Marvel's [Captain] Marvell had. The exposed hair added a dramatic flair. In addition, having goggles instead of a full face mask fit because he wasn't going to have a secret identity anyway.

So there you have it. Not Red Star, but Kid Flash!

Do you have any questions about Booster Gold's origins after 30 years? Speak up, and we'll investigate!

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Wow! When Vaneta Rogers interviewed Dan Jurgens for Newsarama.com on Monday, she covered the bases!

Newsarama: Dan, who is the star of the Convergence: Booster Gold issues? Is it New 52 Booster Gold, or the older Booster?

Dan Jurgens: The only thing better than one Booster is two Boosters! You'll see both of them here.

Nrama: So does this pick up where we left off in the Futures End: Booster Gold issue from September? Or how does it relate to what we saw in that issue?

Jurgens: Yeah, it picks up not long after the Futures End: Booster Gold issue. They're directly plugged into what's happening here, so it was a natural story progression.

Those are just the first two questions. Rogers goes on to cover what other characters will be appearing in the mini-series, how it ends, and where we might see Booster Gold next. It's far more informative than a typical DC solicitation.

Read the whole interview at Newsarama.com!

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The solicitation for month two of the Convergence tie-in titles was released last week.

CONVERGENCE: BOOSTER GOLD #2
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art by ALVARO MARTINEZ and RAUL FERNANDEZ
Cover by DAN JURGENS and DANNY MIKI
Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD
On sale MAY 27 • $3.99 US

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Booster Golds...Time Masters...is it possible that the combined might of these heroes can put an end to the Convergence battles?

Note that the cover to this issue includes the pre-Crisis Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. As all DC fans know, the original incarnation of Superboy was erased from the DC Universe during Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Why is that significant? Two reasons: one, according to DC editor Mark Waid in Secret Origins #35, Dan Jurgens' originally intended origin for Booster Gold had our hero in possession of the Legion Flight Ring of the pre-Crisis Superboy, the very same ring you can see on Superboy's right hand on this cover!

And two, this issue gives Booster the opportunity to interact with a character completely off-limits for his entire 30-year career. That sounds like exactly the sort of pairing that fans should want in a two-month event celebrating Crisis on Infinite Earths.

You can see a larger image accompanying the solicitation for this issue at ToplessRobot.com.

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Friday the 13th. It's an unlucky day for some, largely owing to the superstition around the number 13. Some high-rise buildings don't have a 13th floor, some cities skip 13th Streets, and few athletes wear the number 13. In comics, there is one notable exception:

That's right. While playing quarterback for Gotham University, Michael "Booster" Carter wore the number 13.

There aren't a lot of quarterbacks in history who have worn 13, and fewer still who could be considered "America's Best." However, back in 1985 when Dan Jurgens was creating Booster Gold, there was one 13 already in the process of shattering most major football passing records. That young quarterback was Dan Marino. Could Marino, who was also dogged by rumors of inappropriate behavior in college (in his case it was recreational drugs, not cheating) have influenced Jurgens' choice of uniform number for "Booster" Carter?

I put the question to Jurgens himself. He said no.

Jurgens: Booster's #13 had nothing to do with Dan Marino. It was totally symbolic of the "unlucky number" aspect. It just felt appropriate.

So there you have it: Michael "Booster" Carter's 13 was Jurgens' way of foreshadowing of Booster's bad luck. (It's probably no coincidence that we first learn that Booster Gold wore number 13 on the 13th page of Booster Gold, Volume 1, #6.) Poor kid.

This has been the first installment in our year-long series:

Do you have any questions about Booster Gold's origins after 30 years? Speak up, and we'll investigate!

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I'm sure by now you've all noticed that DC announced it's post-Convergence line-up of titles on Friday. You may also have noticed that none of those titles appear to include Booster Gold. That's just an oversight, right?

It's hard to imagine that DC's first post-Crisis on Infinite Earths character isn't going to be around somewhere, especially with Dan Jurgens set to write two new series (Batman Beyond and Bat-Mite — which is a series I will definitely be investigating). Will some version of Booster still be in Justice League 3001? Fingers crossed.

If you want to see everything DC will be publishing after Convergence, Newsarama.com has the list.

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