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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Monday, Kieran Shiach of ComicsAlliance.com recapped Booster Gold's first appearance. His article is very good and mostly accurate. His only mistake is saying that Booster Gold #1 was first released on November 2, 1986. It wasn't.

For the record, Booster Gold #1 was released to comics specialty shops (the emerging "direct market") on October 29, 1985. We know it's true because Dan Jurgens says so.

But that one little nitpick aside, it's great to see Comics Alliance celebrating our hero. Just one more things to give thanks for this week.

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If you thought Monday's post was old school, take a look at this blast from the past!

That's a promotional header card distributed to comics retailers in 1992. Both halves, left and right, were the covers to Justice League Spectacular (by Dan Jurgens and Ron Randall).

DC heavily promoted the comic at the time, putting the image on posters and buttons in addition to house ads and header cards. And you can Buy It Now for $25 at eBay.com!

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I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but Wednesday's on-panel appearance of Booster Gold appears to be an aberration. Monday saw the release of DC Comics' January solicitations, and as we've been conditioned to expect over the past year, Booster Gold was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't even hinted at.

DC has been on top of the comics world lately. Sales estimates at ComicChron.com indicate that Rebirth has been a huge success, with the company publishing 39 of the 50 top selling comics in September. Obviously, the company is doing great without Booster Gold.

The question for Booster boosters is whether that is good news — there can be no Booster Gold comics if there is no DC — or bad news — if DC sells more comics without Booster Gold, why bother including him in future publications?

One of the big stories for January at DC is the return of Kamandi, a largely forgotten character created in 1972. Kamandi is getting the big push as DC tries to cash in on the legacy of Jack "King" Kirby's 100th birthday (with a remake of 1985's DC Challenge).

Is that what it's going to take to get Booster back in a series? Dan Jurgens won't turn 100 until 2059. That's a long wait.

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Spotted on Twitter: everything you ever wanted to know about Booster Gold but were afraid to ask.

Thanks to Booster booster CDN for asking the question, and thanks to Jurgens for revealing that so far as he is concerned, our hero is a carnivore and, presumably, no fan of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

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