Comic Related - The Gold Exchange

The Gold Exchange: One Million

Booster Gold #1,000,000 hit stands last week and wrapped the fan-favorite Blue & the Gold story arc, leaving quite a few questions still lingering from that story. Featuring the introduction of Peter Platinum, a questionably-heroic superhero from the year 1,000,000 who draws inspiration from Booster’s early adventures, the issue dealt heavily with the Carter family’s heroic legacy, beginning with Daniel and Rose Carter in the Twenty-First Century and extending to, and beyond, Booster Gold…and his son?! We sat down to talk to Booster Gold’s creator and series artist Dan Jurgens about the issue.

Series co-writer Jeff Katz, who along with superstar writer Geoff Johns will leave the title after this issue, will be responding to questions later this week.

ComicRelated: Okay, let's clear something up if we can here: Year One Million? Didn't DC One Million happen in the 853rd Century, ostensibly at the time that Action Comics would have hit issue 1,000,000 or something to that effect?

Dan Jurgens: Let me check with Rip Hunter on that. These time anomalies can pop up anywhere!

CR: Isn't it tempting to just have Booster take the 10% offer from Peter Platinum and use it as a Wayne/Stark/Queen fortune to justify any needs Booster might have?

DJ: Booster knows a set-up when he sees it! There was a time when he probably would have done so. Now I think he has a better understanding of where the line is.

CR: It's interesting--the joke about The Royal Flush Gang and needing a new enemy? Peter Platinum seems pretty shady, and a good candidate for the Bizarro/Sinestro/Zoom mold. Playing off Booster's earlier comments about how whatever they did for the quick buck, he and Ted were never bad guys.

DJ: Yeah, though Booster and the Royal Flush Gang are long connected, going all the way back to Booster's first Justice League adventure.

CR: Will we ever get to see what happened to Rose and Daniel, to get them to the point of walking out?

DJ: I thnk it's safe to say you'll see more of Rose and Daniel. Whether we get that specific, I don't know.

CR: You're getting very good at the "Carter face." Daniel in his full scowl (just before Booster quits) takes on a lot of the same features as Booster's dad. Was that intentional?

DJ: Yes. Chalk it up to family resemblance.

CR: Between here, and Waid's first Brave and the Bold arc, Hal is in Vegas a lot these days. Before Geoff retconned Emerald Dawn, though, Hal was an alcoholic; is someone with an addictive personality smart to be around all that gambling?

DJ: That's a question for Geoff, though I never liked that aspect of Hal. I never found the alcoholic Hal in line with a guy who was awarded a Green Lantern ring, though he was much younger then.

CR: Dan - This face on Bats in the bubble? It's pretty similar to one you drew in the first issue--a great, iconic look, very reminiscent of some of the classic Bob Kane covers. Was that intentional?

DJ: Probably safer to say that it was intentional in that its more a part of my style and how I visualize Batman, which is different than making a conscious choice to draw something in a particular way.

CR: At this point, Booster has every hero riding his ass, except Batman and Superman, who are apparently extolling his virtues? That's not a bad backup if you ever need one.

DJ: True. The fact that Batman has an inkling as to what Booster is up to is terribly cool. A tip of that hat to the all-Jeff/Geoff squad!

CR: Bruce opening up like this is a little like when Dr. Cox on Scrubs is nice to the young doctors--it feels odd, but adds to his overall character. Will we see more of Bats coming up in the title?

DJ: I have no idea, though I think we should. I like a more human Batman and always have.

CR: Between "Is Dibny the key?" (on the new blackboard) and then the image of Ralph and Booster together, I'm guessing we'll get to see a little of everyone's favorite elastic detective this year. And "the key?" For some reason it reminds me of Ralph's "two keys, if you want to be clever about it" line from when he figured out the Supernova riddle in 52.

DJ: Stay tuned.

CR: I thought we'd see Michelle again--but I figured that Michael would have to jump through some hoops for it. What went into the decision to make that just kind of happen?

DJ: I'll let the scribes take a shot at that one!

CR: Michelle's bubbly, almost naive demeanor reminds me a little of Ice, who was the only JLIer really happy to see Booster, ironically enough, in The Blue and the Gold. Will she stay a beam of sunshine a la Misfit or Cyclone, or will she come crashing down a bit?

DJ: Michelle is bubbly, though not nearly as naive as Ice. She has much more of a real world view.

CR: Did anyone tell Michelle about their dad?

DJ: Not yet. Nor should they.

CR: Speaking of him--the afterward reads that Booster is the only Carter ever to have been a failure and a fraud--how does that account for the old man?

DJ: Maybe they are willing to point at Mr. Mind on much of that.

CR: The moment everyone on the Internet was discussing, of course--Rip Hunter calling Booster "DAD"? How long has that been planned?

DJ: Passing the mic to the writers who had it planned since day one, I believe....

CR: So is it safe to assume this shadowy figure is the same shadowy figure who punched out Daniel? Or with no "eyes" should we assume this is a new guy? Obviously, the "bwah-ha-ha" is a lot less ominous if it's Ted, having skirted destiny, than if it's red-eyes or Black Beetle.

DJ: I would make no assumptions at this point. You might be wrong….Or right. Or kinda, part way sorta right.

CR: So is that first clip on the "this year in..." page from the Dixon arc, or are we just going to be seeing a lot of Gotham in the future?

DJ: The first panel refers to Chuck's two-parter.

CR: Henshaw here looks like he did in the The Reign of the Supermen. Is that just Dan's pencils or are we going to see a return to the most famous arc you ever worked on?

DJ: BOTH!