Good news, Booster boosters! Booster Gold makes a cameo appearance in a new release today.

If you run out to your Local Comic Shop and pick up Superman: The Man of Steel Volume 7, you'll find our hero in some reprinted vintage action!

What, you didn't spot him? Here, let me help.

That's our Booster, hiding right there behind Firestorm and Jade. This panel originally appeared in Action Comics #596. How many of you bought that when it was on the newsstands in 1987?

Ok, so it's not much Booster, but you have to admit that DC did publish a book with Booster Gold in it today.

Comments (2) | Add a Comment | Tags: new releases reprints

Remember Justice League International Volume 3? It seems like forever since it was cancelled and then resurrected in that wretched annual just so that Dan Didio could dance on its ashes. DC has finally gotten around to collecting the last of it into a trade.

Justice League International Volume 2: Breakdown is to be released today. (How long has it been since I've run a "New Releases" item?) The trade collects Justice League International Vol. 3, #7-12, The Fury of Firestorm, The Nuclear Men #9, and Justice League International Annual #1.

Although the volume will sell for a very reasonable $16.99, I don't think you'll find many who will recommend this volume. I suspect that reading Dan Jurgens' glacially-paced story crawl to its inevitable heat-death conclusion only to find that story largely ignored and contradicted in the included Annual will probably be even more dissatisfying than reading the episodic issues with a forced, monthly cooling-off period between each issue.

What I'm trying to say, ladies and gentlemen, is that I have read Extreme Justice. Extreme Justice was a friend of mine. And the stories in this trade are no Extreme Justice.

Read at your own risk.

Comments (3) | Add a Comment | Tags: justice league international new releases

First of all, today's feature isn't exactly a new release; it was published 3 weeks ago. But given that Booster Gold doesn't seem to exist in the DCnU right now, we'll have to take what we can get. Lucky for us, what we can get is a delightful easy reader for second graders that is at least as entertaining as anything DC Comics has published in the DCnU to date.

The Man of Gold by Paul Weissburg and accomplished Batman: Gotham Adventures artist Tim Levins is not a comic, but a 5-inch by 7-inch book with illustrations. There's a lot to like in the book's simple, direct prose narrative of how Booster Gold's drive for fame and glory soon threatens both Superman and the safety of the Metropolis itself. While Booster's origin herein may not be exactly what Dan Jurgens wrote, this Booster's personality isn't too far afield from what we saw in his earliest comic book appearances. This Booster is a jerk with a heart of gold.

Booster's primary antagonist in this adventure is the Jack Kirby-created Stompa, a member of Granny Goodness' Female Furies of Apokolips. Despite both characters having decades-long careers in comic books, this is the first encounter between the pair. Their refreshing face-off results in a battle which sees Booster's force field creatively used as an offensive weapon.

Because this book was designed to encourage children to read via the Advanced Reader system in the classroom, it ends with Discussion Questions. Question 3 encourages readers to explain which of the book's 10 illustrations is their favorite. Tim Levin's JLU-inspired art deserves the attention. Detail-oriented readers may spot that Booster wears the collar-less version of his classic power suit in the published book, but Tim Levins' original art online at his Deviant Art page has the more familiar collared powersuit that Booster has worn in all of Justice League Unlimited appearances. The book doesn't have any Discussion Questions encouraging thoughts about the motivation for this change.

This book is just one in a series of similar books published under the DC Super Heroes license by Capstone Publications (who also re-publish DC Comics with "durable hardcover" bindings for grade school libraries). While your Local Comic Shop may not carry "real" books, you can find a copy of this book at Amazon.com. I'd like to see DC publish 81 pages of story for $5.95! Thanks to Eyz for bringing this book to my attention.

Comments (4) | Add a Comment | Tags: amazon.com books deviantart.com eyz new releases paul weissburg reviews tim levins

Justice League International Annual #1, the first and last Justice League International Volume 3 annual, hits shelves today. According to the advance solicitations, this issue "ties in to the shocking events of JUSTICE LEAGUE #12!" A preview of the issue was released earlier this week at USAToday.com (thanks to MetalWoman for the link).

Since Justice League #12 also comes out today, you may want to keep your eyes open when you visit your Local Comic Shop this week. False alarm. I bought it. It's terrible and in no way has anything to do with Booster Gold. Never mind.

What's next for the JLI? Even Skeets wants to know what happens in this annual. Skeets covers its visual receptacles and hides.

Comments (4) | Add a Comment | Tags: justice league international metalwoman new releases previews

DC released solicitations for the month of November earlier this week, and there was no sign of Booster Gold or the Justice League International. How long can this insanity go on?

Meanwhile, DC is still publishing Blue Beetle. Issue #12 hits the stands today. With Beetle promised to appear in the Justice League International Annual, it may be worthwhile to keep track of his adventures in the meantime. Buy it or not; either way Skeets doesn't care.

Comments (4) | Add a Comment | Tags: blue beetle new releases