Another year, another Comic-Con. So what did Booster boosters learn this year about our hero's role in the upcoming DC Universe?

Attendees of the "DC All In: What's Next" panel last Thursday were told that Booster Gold will be in the Justice League: The Omega Act special!

What's that you say? We already knew that? That's the one we learned about back two weeks ago, the one with a dead Booster Gold on the cover?

Yeah, ok.

But now we have pictures of Booster on the inside of a comic, too!

via BleedingCool.com

via AIPTComics.com

To be frank, I don't know which comic these pages are from. Omega Act seems likely, but that's just an educated guess. (CONFIRMED. It's Omega Act.) All I know for sure is that Booster doesn't look very happy to be included. Maybe he's seen the recent covers.

There is one more thing I learned this weekend, but it didn't come from Comic-Con. Booster booster Richard sent me an email pointing me to penguinrandomhouse.com:

So no matter what DC does to Booster this fall, we definitely have something to look forward to next spring! Hooray!

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Two years ago, for no obvious reason, DC made available to a limited number of attendees of the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con International a foil copy of Booster Gold #1. (Ohhh. So shiny.)

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of that issue, so surely DC is planning something bigger for year's convention, right? I mean, that's why they erased our hero from continuity last year, right? So that he could have a big Homecoming party in 2025 for twice the celebration, right? Right?

According to DC's press release last Friday, their slate of events at this year's SDCC will predictably be mostly focused on the Absolute Universe and Superman (who apparently is in some sort of movie, have you heard?). Booster's creator, Dan Jurgens, will be on the Super-centric "DC Comics: Metropolis and Beyond" panel. Jurgens has a long history of helping Booster Gold steal a little of Superman's spotlight. Here's hoping he does it again.

While the press release doesn't mention Booster by name, DC hasn't entirely forgotten about the Corporate Crusader. Also per the press release:

At the DC Booth, Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC Shop will offer a range of exclusive must-have items for DC Super Hero fans and Super-Villain enthusiasts while supplies last. This includes a special “Legends Forever” hoodie designed to honor the DC Trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. There will also be a t-shirt, pin, and hat with the new Batman comic book logo (debuting on Batman #1 in September), a 24k Gold-plated over 925 sterling silver S-Shield gold necklace, Krypto the Super-Dog hoodie, and assorted pet goods based on Superman, a Supergirl t-shirt, and more.

I hear you thinking "Hmm. That doesn't say anything about Booster Gold." Well, you're correct. But it does say "and more," and that must mean this:

That looks like a Booster Gold (and Skeets!) "Omega" pin based on Daniel Sampere's art from page 21 of DC All In Special #1. It appeared in an image accompanying the press release that showcased many of the items listed in the above paragraph. I'm sure that failing to mention the pictured Booster Gold merchandise in the text was simply a clerical error. Surely, no one would ever exclude Booster Gold on purpose.

Is that what it looks like? How exclusive will it be? How many arms and/or legs will it cost us? Here's hoping more details will become available when we get closer to Comic-Con International next week.

UPDATE 7/25: Steve dropped by the comments below to tell us DC gave these away to panel attendees. Sounds like a pretty limited edition! Congratulations, Steve!

UPDATE 7/26: If you're reading the comments, you'll note that Hawkman Carter Hall tells us the pins are being sold to attendees for $15 at the official DC Booth. So maybe not *quite* so limited. Thanks, Carter!

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I had little choice but to order a copy of the San Diego Comic Con exclusive "Silver Screen Edition" reprint of Booster Gold Volume 1 #1 from eBay, making it the most I've ever paid for a single comic book.

But somehow no one told me it was polybagged.

I had to order another just to open one of them up (just like Superman #75 all those years ago). So now I've paid the most I've ever paid for two single comic books! And they're both reprints! Living in the future is expensive.

As you can see from the first-page indicia above, these shouldn't be called "Silver Screen Edition Booster Gold #1" because they are officially Booster Gold 1 (SDCC 2023 Facsimile Edition). "Facsimile Edition" is how DC has been labeling all of their recent single-issue reprints of classic comics. Could there be a non-foil Booster Gold #1 Facsimile Edition coming to comic shop near you in the near future?

To its credit, other than the foil wraparound cover, this Facsimile Edition is a very faithful reproduction of the original material, including commercial ads (for the likes of M.A.S.K. and Voltron) and house ads (for 'Mazing Man and the 1986 DC Wall Calendar), with only some small deviations.

• The book is 3 millimeters taller and 2 millimeters wider than the original, identical to modern DC Comics proportions.
• The price and bar code box have been removed from the original cover (reproduced on traditional cover stock) underneath the outer foil.
• The interior paper is much better quality than the original newsprint.
• The story pages use the remastered and recolored art used to produce 2019's The Big Fall.
• Unlike The Big Fall, which removed all ads and condensed the page count, all pages here are laid out on the left and right as originally presented except for the "continued on 2nd/3rd page following" editorial boxes, which have been removed from the bottom of story pages 4, 8, 16, and 20.
• Many, if not all, the full-page ads have been blown up to cover the entire page, minimizing and sometimes removing their original borders. (In the original printing, story pages and ads had the same border spacing on each page.)

Speaking of the ads, I'm not sure I enjoyed being reminded that we're exactly half way in between Halley's Comet visits. (And some friendly time-traveler might want to go back and warn the Red Cross about making that endorsement deal.)

Expense aside, I'm otherwise very happy to have this issue in my hands. It's gorgeous. I just wish I could touch it without getting fingerprints on the foil.

Considering that my very first, newsstand-purchased floppy Booster Gold #1 has long been what might politely be called a "reader's copy," I'd love for DC to release yet another "facsimile edition," preferably without the foil and priced at a more reasonable $5 ("reasonable" being a very relative term). If they do, I promise to buy another one. Two, if they come polybagged.

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Nothing.

Specifically, I mean, we learned nothing about upcoming Booster Gold appearances and/or projects.

DC's slate of announcements were heavily biased towards Batman and Superman. That was to be expected, especially in the vacuum created by the simultaneous writers and actors guilds strikes that derailed any potential discussion of whatever James Gunn might be planning for his announced Booster Gold television show.

Considering that DC produced that shiny Booster Gold reprint that I just won't stop talking about (currently selling for about $75 on eBay), I'm sure they haven't entirely forgotten about our hero. Dan Jurgens will definitely be working on some Superman books in the near future. (Yet *another* 30th anniversary Death of Superman retrospective? That last one must have sold great! DCs going to keep killing Superman *forever*.) Maybe Booster Gold will pop up then.

Here's looking to the future.

UPDATE: Might as well append here that Booster Gold appears in no new comics in DC's October 2023 solicitations (as seen at AIPTComics.com). So... that's not encouraging. Thanks to Rob Snow for that news.

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San Diego Comic Con officially starts tomorrow, so now is the time for me to remind everyone that I really, really want one of these:

Well, not one of those 10, exactly. Those are Dan Jurgens', and he deserves them. Heck, if you ask me, he deserves all of them. All 1000.

That's right, according to DCComics.com, that convention exclusive "Silver Screen Edition" of 1985's debut Booster Gold #1 is limited to 1,000 copies sold for $15.00 each. Those numbers seem awfully low to me, especially considering that subtracting Jurgens' 10, there can't be more than 990 available to rabid Booster Gold fans (like me!).

Since it's very, very unlikely — some might say "impossible" — that I'll find my way to San Diego with a convention admission badge, I'll stay here by my computer with an eye on eBay until one of these shows up.

Maybe, if I get lucky, Dan will decide to sell off one of his.

UPDATE 2023-07-20: Yep, as of 4PM EDT Thursday, there are 2 of them already up on eBay, each with an asking price over $100 (including shipping). That sure seems like a lot of money for a comic I already own several of in other formats. On the other hand, can you even buy a stick of gum for $100 anymore? Maybe I'll ask Santa for one for Christmas....

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