Bizarro Booster Gold made his first appearance on this day in 2010 in the pages of Supergirl #57:

And, one page later, also his last:

Oh, Bizarro Booster Gold. We hardly knew ye.

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To quote from his Wikipedia entry: "William Whiston (9 December 1667 – 22 August 1752) was an English theologian, historian, natural philosopher, and mathematician, a leading figure in the popularization of the ideas of Isaac Newton." Whiston also had a few irregular religious beliefs that would cause him trouble throughout his career.

For example, in 1696, Whiston published A New Theory of the Earth which argued that the Biblical flood of Genesis was caused by Earth passing through the tail of a very wet comet. He predicted that the Earth would some day end in a conflagration of fire brought the same way.

In 1736, when a comet was spotted in the skies above London, Whiston calculated that the time had come. He declared that the world would end on October 16 of that year. This predictably caused a bit of a stir in London, including a run on the banks. The Archbishop of Canterbury was forced to deny the prediction in order to calm the public.

As we now know, the world did not end on October 16, 1736. Whiston's reputation never recovered, and he remains one of history's controversial figures, alternately ridiculed for his heresy or respected for his courage to speak out.

But what if Whiston was really right about that comet? What if Earth was only saved because something or someone, say a time traveler with a time and space machine shaped like a bubble, was able to intercept and bump the comet, deflecting it ever so slightly to avoid the Earth and prevent an apocalypse?

That person would most certainly be the Greatest Hero The World Has Never Known.

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Other than the previously discussed action figure rumor, I didn't notice any Booster Gold comic book news coming out of NYCC this past weekend, and that's okay. I suspect Booster could use a break from the nonstop series of DCU "event" stories. I know I sure could.

Perusing DC's NYCC announcements about upcoming stories for Batman and Superman that feel recycled piecemeal from stories of yesteryear, it's actually nice to be reminded that Booster Gold isn't a priority tentpole character for the company. Batman and Superman can never change, at least not for long. But because Booster Gold's lower popularity makes him less valuable to a multibillion-dollar media company, Booster can grow.

I don't mean to attack publishers here. Prior to the Bronze Age of comics, publishers knew readers aged out of reading the funny pages, so recycling stories about familiar characters using "super" powers was the best way to maximize profit. That's not so different from modern times where DC makes money by leveraging their intellectual property for mass consumer consumption, their most identifiable tentpole characters being too valuable to risk change. Stable, profitable companies are inherently risk averse.

Booster Gold came along at the perfect time. The late 70s/early 80s were a turbulent time when a combination of market instability and artists and readers who grew up on comics drove an explosion in creativity and possibilities. It was into this environment that Booster Gold was "born" as a charming but flawed hero with a silly name trying to steal his way to fame and fortune. His early unpopularity kept him largely outside the eye of the mainstream audience, providing room and time for a much deeper characterization than the constant resets required for more marketable heroes. Booster has also benefitted from his modern dual identity; his highly-visible (and fun) day job as silly social media influencer allows real character growth behind the scenes as a truly selfless time warrior. Longtime Booster Gold fans have been treated to some great long-form storytelling.

So take heart, Booster boosters. No news is sometimes great news.

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