You may recall that when first announced, Heroes in Crisis was originally intended to be a seven issue series with a couple of stand-alone tie-in books. Plans changed, and those stand-alone issues were folded into the series.

The first was issue #3, which focused in part on Booster Gold's actions just before the story started. The second, issue #6, comes out today. Judging the book by its cover, I think we can expect it to show what Harley Quinn was doing when the Sanctuary killings began.

Note that Mitch Gerads is the credited artist for the issue, replacing Clay Mann. Mann's art has been the strength of the series so far, but Gerads shouldn't be considered a step down. Gerads worked with series writer Tom King to create their acclaimed Mister Miracle mini-series.

Also note that neither the issue's solicitation text nor the preview, available on SuperheroHype.com, guarantee Booster Gold will actually appear in the issue. I'll be buying it anyway.

[UPDATE: Booster appears on exactly one page. I think. (It's getting increasingly hard to tell what "reality" is in this series).]

Buy this issue and make Skeets happy!

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We're less than a week away from Heroes in Crisis #6 of 9, which means we're pretty close to learning the truth behind who killed everyone at Sanctuary. It seems like a good time to talk about Booster Gold's mental health.

Clearly, Booster has been mentally struggling with fallout from his incredibly stupid actions in Batman #45. I had complained at the time that Booster's reaction to Green Lantern's graphic on-panel suicide was inappropriate — and it was — but I'm willing to concede that Tom King was trying to make a point in his own way about how the human brain reacts unpredictably to such trauma.

And how is Booster Gold reacting to that trauma? His symptoms as exhibited in Heroes in Crisis look like an aggravated case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is exactly what press reports advertised King wanted to address in this series. PTSD is triggered by extreme trauma with common symptom including avoidance of repeat stimuli, willful memory loss, and hallucinations. Booster has spent most of the series hiding from just about everyone, so check one. And he claimed he couldn't remember exactly what happened, so check two. But hallucinations? Maybe those too.

As Frankie Hagan pointed out in blog comments last month, so far in Heroes in Crisis, no one seems to have noticed Blue Beetle other than Booster Gold, which certainly suggests that the Blue and Gold reunion may be all in Booster's head. I don't know what that says about Booster Gold, but if it turns out to be true, it may be even more disappointing for Booster Gold fans than if our hero turns out to be a mass murderer.

Speaking of murder, that's the real question, isn't it? Is Booster's mental illness severe enough to drive him to kill? Statistical evidence indicates that there are indeed links between PTSD and increased rates of outbursts of anger and violence. However, the odds that PTSD would unbalance a hero enough to engage in a spree killing remain remote.

Experts say that the biggest indicator of how an individual may respond to PTSD is that person's pre-trauma personality. It's true that Booster Gold has always had his own set of foibles, yet he has never killed anyone, even when given the opportunity. At heart, he's no murderer, no matter what Tom King wants to imply.

We'll find out more about Booster Gold's health when Heroes in Crisis #6 is released February 27.

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The solicitation for Heroes in Crisis #9 is out. It looks like Booster Gold will finally be on one of the Ryan Sook variant covers. Sook has created a cover for each issue of the series, each showcasing a key "traumatic" moment of a hero's (or villain's) career.

As a reminder, here are the 8 Sook covers that have been revealed so far. (His cover for issue 7 remains a secret.)

Is the suggestion that it was Harley who took all these photos for the Sanctuary files? Maybe we'll find out in Heroes in Crisis #9. Here's the full solicitation text with an appropriate spoiler warning:

HEROES IN CRISIS #9
written by TOM KING
art and cover by CLAY MANN
variant cover by RYAN SOOK
The most-talked-about miniseries of the year reaches its stunning finale! The mystery behind the murders at Sanctuary is solved, but the mind behind it is one the heroes never expected. With their deepest secrets exposed, the Trinity has to consider how to carry on. Should the tragedy cause them to redouble their efforts to help their hurting comrades, or will they need to close up shop? The answers will be found in the ashes of this final showdown, and the fates of Booster Gold, Harley Quinn and the rest hang in the balance. Click here to reveal potential spoilers
ON SALE May 22 · $3.99 US

You can find the complete list of April DC Comics solicitations on Newsarama.com.

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Look! Up in the sky! It's Heroes in Crisis #5!

I've already shown you the issue's awesome Clay Mann splash page featuring everyone's favorite color-coordinated buddy comedy duo, but today I can do better. Check out the issue preview at Newsarama.com to read Booster's genius plan to get access to the evidence that has so far stumped both Batman and the Flash. The Sanctuary Killer doesn't stand a chance against the combined mental might of Blue and Gold!

Buy this issue and make Skeets happy!

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No new Booster Gold comics are coming to the shelves of your Local Comic Shop today which means that we have plenty of time to read the DC Comics solicitations for April 2019 released earlier this week. Booster Gold isn't mentioned by name, but I suspect we'll find him in at least one book:

HEROES IN CRISIS #8
written by TOM KING
art by CLAY MANN and MITCH GERADS
cover by MITCH GERADS
You've seen all the clues. You've heard the testimony and eavesdropped on the secret confessions of the World's Greatest Super Heroes. Now, with the killer revealed, it's time to find out why. What could have driven a hero to the brink, to turn a savior into a murderer? Rifts will form between old allies, and the trinity of Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman will have their leadership challenged and will question their own judgment. Sanctuary has become something they never imagined...and it's still potentially carrying on without them!
ON SALE April 24 · $3.99 US

Though this solicitation text makes Heroes in Crisis #8 sound like the final issue, there will be a ninth issues in this mini-series. Could May bring us a surprise twist ending? Will Booster Gold see dead people? We'll find out when we get there.

In the meantime, you can find all of DC's April solicitations at Newsarama.com.

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