I have an apology to make: Boosterrific.com has had some data about Booster Gold wrong for years. Specifically, I have failed to identify Booster's mother's first name as "Ellen."

Mrs. Carter has never been named in any story, so I had always acted as though she had never been given a name. But somehow I totally overlooked the "Known Relatives" section of the loose-leaf format Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, which clearly says "Ellen."

I cannot explain why I've overlooked that all these years. I've certainly had this volume since, well, probably since it came out in 1990. (I didn't buy all every loose-leaf Who's Who at the time; some I picked up some later. Maybe this was one of the latter.) Its text is attributed to the character's creator Dan Jurgens, who I would certainly trust to give her a name.

I can only guess that once upon a time I decided that Who's Who entries weren't canon. That seems an antiquated notion in this modern era of "everything is in continuity somewhere." In any event, it's well past time I recognized it throughout Boosterrific.com.

Big thanks to Pigeon for drawing my attention to this mistake so that I could correct it.

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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, his mother.

Today is Labor Day in America, a holiday to celebrate those who helped ensure that we don't have to work on holidays. Do you know who still has to work holidays? Mothers.

Mothers never get days off. It's a tough job, made all the tougher when you're poor, single, and have twin mouths to feed. That's true today, and will still be true for the mother of Michael Jon "Booster" Carter and his sister Michelle in AD 2462 Gotham City.

Secret Origins #35

The birth name of Mrs. Carter remains a mystery to the public record. Her last name was borrowed from a man who turned his back on his own family, and her first name, "Ellen," has been used only in Booster Gold's biographical entry in Who's Who in the DC Universe #2. Importantly, her children always call her "Ma." But what's really important is that she loved and supported her children, even the conceited one who played college football.

Justice League Quarterly #10

When Ma got sick, can anyone blame Booster for turning to a life of crime to ensure that she got the treatment she needed? Isn't that what any good son would do?

And when Ma found out her son had cheated to pay for her treatment, can anyone blame her for being disappointed in him? Wouldn't every good mother hope that she had raised her children better than that?

Sometimes, when we're angry, we say things we don't really mean and can't take back. Booster Carter wouldn't even get the opportunity to try. To distance himself from his mistakes, he made the fateful decision to steal a time machine and runaway into the past. By the time he found a way back, it was too late.

Booster Gold #13

There could be no reconciliation. Tragically, Ma Carter would never learn of her son's heroic self-redemption.

Or wouldn't she? Nothing is as straightforward as it seems in the life of a time traveler.

While Booster would live his life believing that he had missed his opportunity to set things right, fate had other plans. Years later (from Booster's perspective), an attempt to keep Superman from doing unintentional harm to history resulted in an accidental trip back to the Gotham City of 2642. Thus Booster Gold was given a rare a second chance to clear the air.

Action Comics #995

If you get a chance this holiday, maybe you should call your mother.

Are you interested in meeting other "People in his Neighborhood"? Follow these links to get to know Daniel Carter, Michelle Carter, Trixie Collins, Nurse Devlin, Dirk Davis, Rani, Skeets, Jack Soo, Mackenzie Garrison, Rip Hunter, Monica Lake, Doctor Shocker, and Blackguard.

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