I rarely discuss original comic book artwork for sale. By which I mean work created for the purpose of publication, not fan commissions.

This isn't an oversight so much as it is the byproduct of my own ignorance about the market. As a skinflint reluctant to part with $4 to buy a modern comic, I find the much higher prices of the original art market make me absolutely squeamish.

That's not to say that I think the prices are undeserved — I consider the original artwork for the cover to Booster Gold #1 to be essentially priceless. (One day I will own an original Booster Gold piece by Dan Jurgens, perhaps in time for Booster's 50th anniversary!) However, as an outsider, I really don't feel qualified to discuss the original art market. This is a shame considering how much amazing, original comic book art is available online.

Take, for example, this piece by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund on sale through pencilinkcolor.com.

Booster Gold, Volume 2, #17

Isn't that great? With the colors removed, you can really see the pen and brush techniques of the artists and get a feel for how the inks can complement the original pencils. (Pencillers get all the attention, but the influence of an inker on a finished piece cannot be understated.)

I understand why people collect this original art, especially in this modern age of electronic media. In a way, owning a piece like this is like owning a page of Leonardo da Vinci's sketchbook. It brings you closer to the medium that you love.

If you'd like to see much, much more original art, click the image above to visit ComicArtShop.com.

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Other than a one panel flashback, it's been 492 days since we last saw Booster Gold in action. The last time we encountered such a drought, it was broken by the arrival of Infinite Crisis. If you miss those days, DC has something for you.

Today, DC releases Absolute Infinite Crisis, a $99.99 hardcover edition collecting the entire 2006 mini-series (though not the tie-in series like the Booster-centric The OMAC Project). Booster plays a smallish role in the story, but it does set the stage for his star turn in 52 and his second series.

If you've got $100 burning a hole in your pocket, you could spend it on worse this holiday season.

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Start the week with Booster Gold, Motivational Speaker.

You can find many similar motivational posters created by G3n3sis Studios on Pinterest.com.

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The latest thing to be reborn at DC Comics is Direct Currents, their free in-house advertising periodical. I found issue number 1 in my Local Comic Shop this week. Booster Gold isn't inside, but his little buddy is!

"The Further Adventures of DC Co-Pub Dan DiDio", Direct Currents #1 (2017), page 16

Yup, that's definitely Skeets, among the "hidden items" like Aquaman's trident and Green Lantern's power battery in the corner of Dan DiDio's office playset. (What's that you say? They're not very hidden? Perhaps you expect too much from a free advertising periodical.)

Although it's not listed among the hidden items in the office, I have to think that's Rip Hunter's whiteboard there behind Doll DiDio. Why Rip might be doodling Batman's head is anybody's guess, but I have to assume that its because his old foe The Eraser will be appearing in the next wave of Rebirth titles. It could happen.

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From a branding standpoint, the biggest problem with Booster Gold's costume is that it's awfully hard to trademark a simple 5-pointed star polygon. While that's bad for Goldstar International, it's good for people who want to sell unlicensed Booster Gold t-shirts.

Those are shirts available on RedBubble.com, a website devoted to allowing independent artists to merchandise their work. Hmm. Some of those pieces sure do look awfully similar to work owned by DC Comics.

Be careful, artists. While Booster might own the hearts (and wallets) of his fans, DC Comics owns him. American intellectual property and copyright laws allow some leeway for commentary and craftsmen, but they're specifically designed to prevent you from making money selling someone else's idea. If you want to sell a shirt referencing Booster Gold, be clever about it.

Or just sell a t-shirt with a star on it. There's not a lot anyone can do about that.

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