I'm "jumping ahead" here to post a quick response...  then I'll go back to page 4 and continue the reading.

I'm truly aghast at how Golden has treated his fans.  And I was looking forward to seeing him this year at the Chicago Con, too.  Not any more.  NOW I plan on telling him what a jerk I think he is.....

By the way, for one "feel good" story:  I commissioned a sketch from Gene Colan a couple years back when he was at Chicago.  He was booked solid for the weekend, so he asked if I minded if he sent it to me via fed ex.  I gave him $60 ($10 for the shipping) and patiently waited.

2 months later I received a GPRGEOUS Batman head shot.  This is what I received:

I thought it was great.  I still do!

One month later, I receive a SECOND package from Mr. Colan.  Another drawing.  I thought he made a mistake at first, but there was a note sent along with it that said:  Kevin, The first one Gene sent was way awful!  This one is a make-up!  Gene & Adrienne.

I never complained nor requested a second drawing!  To say I was totally blown away would be an understatement!  I was already a huge Colan fan, but even more so now!

And this is what I got:

Gene Colan, much like JB, is a CLASS ACT!  Period!

Oh, and that first drawing I donated to an auction run to help creators who were ripped off by an unscrupulous publisher.   The money went to them.  (If you're curious, go here:  http://www.unscrewedcomic.com/)

edited for spelling

ive just received a very pleasant and surprising email from that all round good fellow Michael Finn. id like to take the time out to thank everyone who has shown me support and encouragement and the out of the blue, stunningly generous offers theyve made.For no other reason than to do someone a good turn.It really cheers the cockles . . .  .

"Gerry,

I know you idolized Michael Golden and I know you are disapointed in the current state of affairs.  Michael Golden did a Dr. Strange for me about a year ago at a show that is really very nice.  Quite good.  Its yours.  You can find it here:  http://cafurl.com?i=5257. 

I will mail it when I'm back home. 

Michael Finn"

That's a long justification on Mr. Golden's part; let me summarize.

"I took the customer's money, made him wait, used my "artist's prerogative" to flip him off, and nyah nyah nyah."

If I read the response correctly, Golden is.

(a) taking sole responsibility for blame laid on Ms. Witterstaetter, which is fair at least;

(b) explaining his "patience is a virtue" statement: he wasn't actually told not to editorialize;

(c) emphazing (note his use of "obliged to generate") that he doesn't actually do this to make a living: supposedly, this is to please the fans;

(d) point out that a comic cover page quality job goes for 2K;

(e) explain that he didn't actually get any specific directives from Gerry as to content, etc, etc, etc.

Now, I applaud his taking the blame and leaving his agent out of it, but it seems to me that real pro would have gone a little further to obtain directives from the customer. The road of ambiguity is full of danger and apparently 30 years as a professional hasn't taught him much. Would he have accepted a comic book job without directions?

His tone would indicate that he's doing a favor to the fans by accepting the commissions. They'll get done whenever, after the more professional stuff gets done. That would be fine if he didn't ask for money up front. That one job is more worthy of timely delivery than another because it pays more is a contemptible principle.

He takes the stance that this (HIS) is THE final word on it. Right.

I dunno. In his shoes I would have been a bit more conciliatory. As it happens, he has recycled the "patience is a virtue" message to more than one customer, which takes at the very least, originality away from the work.

From this response, unlike JB, Golden doesn't seem to express much enjoyment in doing commissions. Perhaps he should quit doing them.

Kudos to those who have offered good deeds.  It does seem rare and/or unusual these days for someone to just do the right thing or a good thing.  Just for the sake of it.

I want to reitterate that Gerry himself, at risk of ridicule and criticism as much as praise and sympathy, is offering a good deed to those who might be considering a commission from Golden in particular or from someone else in general. 

I think that's where a lot of the disappointment in this case comes from.  I'm sure Gerry is familiar enough with Golden's work, published and/or commissioned, to have a realistic expectation of what he might receive even though it was based on good faith.  That Golden would honestly proclaim that this sketch is representative of his ability blows me away.  My only conclusions are that he's either lying or deluded.

The icing on the proverbial cake is when you compare what JB delivers to what Golden did.  The commissions that JB does are on par and often surpass what he would produce for a book to see production.  His customers don't get less effort because they aren't going to be produced as a cover.