OK, so now that it's official that BOOSTER GOLD, VOLUME 2 is over and there is no VOLUME 3 on the immediate horizon, I wanted to tell you fine folks what I've been thinking since I began to suspect that was the case.

I want, in September or early October, to hook up with David Banks (who does custom binding of comics, among other things) and create as gifts for Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund two copies of The Dan Jurgens/Norm Rapmund BOOSTER GOLD Omnibus hardcover. It will include every issue that the pair worked on (including the Chuck Dixon fill-ins where they were the art team), as well as THE BRAVE & THE BOLD #23 and TIME MASTERS: VANISHING POINT. In between each issue/chapter will be that month's Gold Exchange interview. At the beginning of the book, I'm planning on getting somebody to write an introduction. I'm not certain who yet, although I'm reaching out to a few people today to make it somebody more "exciting" than yours truly. Also included in the collection will be a DVD featuring Dan Jurgens's appearances on my PANEL DISCUSSIONS podcast and a video interview I did with him for Comic Related at NYCC 2 years ago (where he officially announced the BRAVE & THE BOLD issue).

For inclusion on that DVD, I'm going to attempt a call-in show where Dan, Norm and I will Skype with fans in September. More information on that as it develops. Since this whole project is a surprise for the guys, they will be unaware that the podcast is anything more than a farewell to the book. The DVD will also contain a PDF copy of a sleeker, more feature-rich collection of THE GOLD EXCHANGE WITH DAN JURGENS. I'm working on that now, and a version of that collection which will include the DeMatteis, Dixon and Remender interviews will be available online sometime around November for a nominal price.

In order to get this out to them ASAP and to have visual continuity throughout the book my idea was to use single issues as opposed to the collected editions. The collected editions would have been ad-free but to use those would be more costly, AND would likely result in a 3-6 month wait after the final issue hits before the last trade is even available. Also, it would render the BRAVE AND THE BOLD issue quite jarring when, in the middle of the book, there was suddenly a chapter taken from the floppies. This is why I asked you folks about low-cost extra single issues.

It's also why I asked you about your favorite images. I thank everyone for their input and the images I've chosen are:

A) negotiatble, and
B) chosen mostly because they seemed like they'd be good for use as a book cover.

Here is a mock-up of the cover. I have almost zero Photoshop skills so ultimately I'll be providing the necessary art to the bindery and he'll be helping with that, but this gives you an idea of what we're looking at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22354040@N ... otostream/

At Kevin's recommendation (I talked to him about this early in the going), I was thinking of including a few pages in the back for fans to write their own messages to Dan & Norm. Because of the costs associated with creating this book (it will be about $65 per book to bind them, plus the cost of obtaining the comics to bind), I'm asking for a donation of $2 to the project for anyone who'd like to contribute a message of reasonable length or $3 for anyone who'd like to submit a piece of fan art to be printed in the book. Because of the logistics of the printing, I'd ask that anyone with fan art draw it on standard 11x17 bristol board or something comparable and e-mail it to me electronically (russell@comicrelated.com) so that it doesn't get tortured when we're trying to size it for inclusion. If enough people contribute that I run an overage (very, very unlikely), I'll stop charging immediately and figure out how to proceed from there.

Anyone who provides me with comics I need for the collection will be eligible to bypass the donation and include a message for Jurgens & Rapmund with the books they ship to me.

The DVD with audio, video and a PDF edition of The Gold Exchange will be available the first week in October for $6, media mail shipping included. If you contact me to preorder that, I will also waive a "donation" and include your message in the book.

I'm really, REALLY not trying to scalp anyone who wants to thank the creators. Merely trying to minimize the out-of-pocket expense of this project while still giving Dan and Norm something very tangible and somewhat impressive as our thanks to them for four years of fun and fantastic storytelling. And from my end, to thank them for The Gold Exchange. Dan has always provided answers quickly, been a consummate professional and a good friend...and all of this in service of promoting a book that's owned by DC (and he doesn't get much extra out of if an extra few copies sell), and providing answers to Booster fans.

To answer the question a lot of you have probably been asking, I was not privvy to the series' impending end. Even in our private conversations, neither Dan nor Norm had ever said the words "BOOSTER GOLD won't get a new #1." However, sales this year haven't been strong and when it became clear that many DC titles would end as a result of the relaunch I started thinking about how best to approach this--something that I always knew would be a great sendoff for Dan and Norm if and when their run on BOOSTER GOLD came to an end.

Anybody with any questions, or who wants to help make this book a reality, feel free to contact me. Though my e-mail is above, I'll include contact information below as well.

Russ Burlingame
On Twitter: @RussBurlingame
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/paneldiscussions
E-mail: russell@comicrelated.com
Google Voice: (315) 464-0046

My resentment runs deep. I don't specifically blame Jurgens or Rapmund or you for this entire fubar that DC is engaged in, but it's hard for me right now not to take my anger out on the only creative team I've followed for the past few years.

That said, I'm in for that DVD. I'll contact you via email to iron out how you want the money.

A few notes from a graphic design guy:

1. Please be more specific in regards to your submission requirements for fan art. What dpi resolution/format do you want for the electronic submission? 11x17 is a little large to easily scan, so more information about the digital requirements would be appreciated. (Does it matter if it is a color or B&W image?)

2. I think the text on your omnibus spine should run the opposite direction (so that it is legible when the book is face up on its back, not the other way around).

3. Do you have a deadline for submissions/preorders?

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Thanks for the recommendations. I'm sure that the graphic design guy I'll end up having do all the hard work for me would have said the same, but I'll be sure to do it before sending to him so that it makes all of our lives easier.

As for the art, how's 300 dpi? I really just wanted to make sure that the aspect ratio on the art was something that could easily be converted to the same page size as a comic so that we didn't end up with a lot of small graphics and black space. Since I have Photoshop any file format that can be opened and edited in there is just fine. Since all I have to do is print two copies of any given page, it can be color or black & white. Anticipating color copies was the primary reason (aside from the fact that images will be a whole page instead of a few lines) that I asked the extra buck for that space in the book.

Try to bear in mind when being frustrated that these decisions were made way, way above the pay grade of the creators. Dan has been very hamstrung in what he can discuss with me about the relaunch but I've gotten some impressions that suggest he was not one of the people "in the room" when these calls were made. It's a strange and frustrating time, but also an exciting one and I'm trying to maintain a positive outlook.

And we always have back issues.

You are right about one thing: all that has nothing to do with thanking Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund for their work on BOOSTER GOLD. If this is the end, it's a great time to look back and be thankful for what I did enjoy for so long.

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Russ, I'll be e-mailing you shortly about making a donation to the project. Sadly, my art skills are abysmal (as seen in the uploaded picture I drew back when Blackest Night was going on), so I won't be terrifying Dan with my snail-looking Booster Gold (or so I've been told that's what he looks like ).

Man, speaking of Blackest Night, it's funny how much better everything seemed such a short time ago when that was happening. Booster Gold was going good, and got a big jump in sales the two months he had a tie-in with the event. I wasn't even thinking about my favorite superhero getting the ax. Instead, I remember thinking if he keeps this up, he'll break the numbered 50th issue. I was buying comics left and right; every single Blackest Night tie-in, and having weekly discussions with my dad over the phone about all of them.

Now, fast forward to present, and each weekly discussion with my dad is about how I think DC is ruining everything, while the fact that Booster will not hit his numbered 50th issue permeates my every comic thought.

Yeah, things have gotten really insane really fast, but I have to wonder how much of this was always in the cards. The more I think of it the more likely it seems that they wanted this relaunch after IC and were rebuffed by someone higher up. The OYL logo really looked like a potential logo for NEW #1!

I strongly suspect that it's the other way around.

INFINITE CRISIS was a big hit, and it's follow up, 52, was a big hit. One Year Later was created to make room in the DCU for 52 and the announcement of the new 52-verse. It was a bit risky and it proved very successful. That was 2006, before the digital comic distribution model was available. (Marvel led the way, going digital in summer 2007. DC joined comixology in 2009.)

Now that DC is making a innovative and unprecedented (read: dangerous and scary) step into day-and-date digital publishing, they are looking back at their recent history for what has worked and are duplicating it in the hope of another sales bonanza. What creates buzz? Creative redesigns. What sells best? Event stories. What excuse can we use to shoehorn these changes into our universe? Well, Marvel has had a lot of success with alternate histories lately....

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I've gotten a few donations and reduced the price of the Bind through the printer. I've decided to open up our "letters page" to whomever wants to write to us on a first-come, first-served Basis. Drop me a line at Russell.Burlingame@gmail.com and I'll try and fit your messages to Dan and Norm in!