For the first time since Rebirth restored Ted Kord as Blue Beetle, he and Booster Gold are front and center in action again!

Art by Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse

Okay, maybe they're not "in" action, but they're close enough. Ted isn't much of a hero these days, not since the heart attack that sidelined him into mentoring Jaime Reyes. But he can still don his old costume for special occasions, such as when the real Flash — Wally West! — races S.T.A.R. Labs founder* Speed Buggy for charity as seen in this week's Flash/Speed Buggy Special.

*No, really. Things developed pretty quickly in that comic. There's also a Reverse Speed Buggy now.

Thanks to Logan for pointing out our favorite heroes in the crowd. (Say, does anyone recognize the kid in the yellow shirt between Igoo and Chunk? Or the character below Grape Ape with the purple stripe down his front? Or the kid in the white jacket behind Robin? They're all probably either Flash or Hanna-Barbera characters. Any guesses?)

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Last month, Logan Peterson recommended that I include Guy Gardner's 1990s armor in the Boosterrific database. I've decided that Logan was right, but I haven't yet gotten around to validating and adding those issues yet. And now it looks like that will have to wait a little longer . . .

[CORRECTION 2018-04-27: Because I have to pause here and correct myself. It was José Fridman who suggested the armor. (In the same post, I noted that Logan found a Booster Gold appearance in Superman/Batman Secret Files 2003, and I somehow confused the two of them.) José has clarify his suggestion (you can read his comment below), which is even simpler than I first thought. You got it, José. I apologize for misattributing your suggestion, and I've already updated the costumes with your credit to make sure I don't forget again.]

. . . What Logan Peterson did do was find yet another Booster Gold appearance. Per his latest email:

I've been doing a fair bit of back issue hunting recently, and I've struck some Gold. Look what I found in JLA: Classified #35. I didn't see it in the database, so I wanted to bring it to your attention.

JLA Classified #35, Late April 2007

That's Gold all right, Logan. How did I miss that? (Maybe it was the miscolored boots/pants!) Database updated!

And I can do one better. While checking Logan's information, I found Booster also makes a cameo in the previous issue, JLA Classified #34, alongside best friend Blue Beetle!

JLA Classified #34, Early April 2007

Not coincidentally, both issues were co-scripted and co-pencilled by Booster's creator, Dan Jurgens. Also in both cases, the Booster we see is just one of billions in the alternate realities created by the villainous Red King, so neither is an in-continuity appearance. Still, it's always great to find our hero in action.

Thanks, Logan. Keep up the good work. (I promise to get to Gardner's armor eventually.)

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I received two emails over the weekend pointing out potential holes in the Boosterrific.com database. Thank you both so much for trying to make this website better.

Logan's email pointed me to Superman/Batman Secret Files 2003. I checked my back issues, and sure enough, there was Booster. Now the Boosterrific database is more complete than ever!

The other issue isn't quite so clear. Here's the original email from José:

Hi, I would like to ask if costumes count as appearances, like number 12 of JL 3001, where there is no appearance of Booster, but the costume does. Now, if they do, I would like to add Guy Gardner #18-21, appearing a prototype of the Booster costume.

José is talking about the power armor that Guy Gardner wore for the brief time in 1994 between the loss of his Qwardian power ring and the development of his Vuldarian shape-changing powers. That armor was designed by Ted Kord with the intention of using it to replace the power suit that Booster Gold lost to Doomsday.

Guy Gardner: Warrior #18 by Chuck Dixon, Mitch Byrd, Dan Davis, Stuart Chaifetz, Albert DeGuzman

While I certainly can see where José is coming from, I'm not sure I should be tracking these. As a rule, I always track Booster Gold appearances when he is seen on panel in a comic. Those include comics that clearly show Booster's costumes whether he is wearing them or not. (The only on-panel Booster Gold "appearances" I intentionally don't track are when he is mentioned in dialog between other characters when he doesn't actually appear in the book.) Therefore, the question here is whether Guy Gardner's armor really ever belonged to or can be identified as belonging to Booster Gold.

Evidence to support José's case can be found in Justice League America #80 when Beetle says Booster's bulky Mark II armor is based on the Rocket Red armor. Beetle says the same thing about Gardner's armor, but that doesn't make them the same armor. In Guy Gardner: Warrior #18 Beetle himself calls this suit a glitchy prototype, and there is no visual evidence in any comic book that Booster Gold ever wore it.

So is José right? Should I be tracking this costume? What do you think?

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I'd like to end the week with an extra special thank you to Logan Peterson and Shawn Baston, without whom the Boosterrific.com database wouldn't be nearly complete enough.

These two eagle-eyed Booster boosters notified me about our hero's cameos in Secret Origins #10 and Grayson #6.

No Booster Gold collector needs to feel bad if their collection never includes either of these minor appearances, but we're all better off as a community because we have people like these two watching out for the rest of us. Thank you!

[UPDATE 2015-03-26: Kenneth Baillargeon tried to tell me about the Secret Origins appearance on Facebook the week it came out, but I didn't spot that until just now. I'm sorry for not crediting you earlier, Kenneth. I'm not good with the Facebook. (Because, yes, I'm a grumpy old man.) So if anyone needs to reach me, you can find me at webmaster at boosterrific dot com.]

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