Russ Burlingame and Dan Jurgens have their monthly Justice League International debriefing in the article "Dan Jurgens and Guy Gardner Prepare for the End in Justice League International #11" at ComicBook.com. I found Jurgens' answers to Burlingame's questions to be particularly un-enlightening this month, but even I will be quick to blame that on my own dissatisfaction at the issue and DC Editorial's obvious interference in the story.

Burlingame: It seems here that you're setting up the idea of Godiva and Booster as an official couple. Is that something you had hoped to pay off down the line, or just kind of beginning to wrap up your plot threads before you move onto your next project?

Jurgens: It was something I hoped to develop down the road.

Burlingame: For old times' sake, I just have to ask: Is Godiva Rip Hunter's mother?

Jurgens: Oh, c'mon. It's not like we've ever seen Rip with Elasti-hair.

I'm very frustrated by the cancellation of this series. I guess if there is an upside here, it's that Dan Jurgens still considers Booster Gold to be Rip Hunter's father, for whatever that's worth. It seems unlikely that Dan Jurgens will be investigating the Time Master when he takes over his new role as writer/penciller of The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men this October.

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Russ Burlingame's latest no-longer-titled-"International Exchange" column with Dan Jurgens is already posted at ComicBook.com. As usual, it's a good place to go for creator commentary.

Burlingame: Godiva, meanwhile, is advocating for we Booster fans a little, suggesting that she needs to get a look at Skeets. Was that tossed in after you realized you probably wouldn't have time to write him in to a future issue?

Jurgens: No. At the time that issue was written I was unaware of that, and plans for Skeets were pretty much planned out.

Don't toy with my heart like that! I for one am still holding out hope that we'll get to see Skeets before this series ends. Don't take that hope away from me!

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"Predicts" may be a bit strong. But in last week's interview with Josie Campbell for Comic Book Resources, former Justice League: Generation Lost and current Batwing writer Judd Winick does hint that the JLI has a future after their cancellation.

CBR: While the JLI are in [Batwing] with issue #12, has the cancellation of "Justice League International" affected the story you're telling at all? Or is what you're doing unaffected as it is specific to your book?

Winnick:The script was written before the announcement. Even though the book is being canceled, I don't think the JLI is being disbanded so much as we're not publishing a book about it. I can't tell you how it's being wrapped up, y'all will just have to read the JLI title. In Batwing, we will leap in as a team, and Batwing as a member.

As mentioned, the Booster Gold-led JLI appearance in Batwing #12 is scheduled for an August 1 release. That's the same day that the final issue of Justice League International hits the stands, but don't expect the events of Batwing to provide significant illumination on the resolution to Dan Jurgens plans for the JLI. From the same interview:

CBR: Turning to your other series, while Batwing appeared in Gotham for "Night of the Owls," the next issues will see him operating on an international level and teaming up with Nightwing and the JLI. Did you talk a lot to Kyle Higgins and Dan Jurgens about their characters?

Winick: No. In this case we're doing it through editorial. This isn't a crossover so much as it is just using the characters. I know Kyle a little bit, mostly through Scott Snyder, so through editorial we asked if it was cool. But it goes to a larger issue tact we're taking at DC. We're trying to be better in paying attention to continuity, but at the same time not being so slavish to it we're not producing story.

Standalone adventures without slavish devotion to continuity? I think I can support that concept (partially because I don't really want Judd Winick anywhere near my favorite characters' continuity).

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There's nothing funny about the DCnU. Maybe that's part of our problem with it.

Last week's poll question: If the New 52 JLI were to be reborn, which model would you prefer it follow? (49 votes)

Earlier this month, thwp.net interviewed Dan Jurgens about his career and his interests. That led to the following exchange:

Q: If the Booster Gold character wasn't a superhero, what line of work do you think he'd be best suited for?

A: He'd probably go back to being an athlete, most likely trying to catch on with a NFL team. Or... he'd be on some kind of reality show!

With the cancellation of Justice League International, it now looks like Booster could indeed be looking for a new job. That leads us to this week's poll question.

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Russ Burlingame asked Dan Jurgens about the Justice League International cancellation on Wednesday at comicbook.com. As expected, Jurgens wouldn't or couldn't elaborate on DC's bigger plans, but he did manage to deliver this devastating news:

Burlingame: For all we old Booster Gold fans, will we see the New 52 Skeets before all of this is over?

Dan Jurgens: The plan had been to unveil Skeets in #13. Since we're not going to get there, Skeets will be "heard" and not seen.

"Skeets will be 'heard' and not seen"?

"Skeets will be 'heard' and not seen"?

"Skeets will be 'heard' and not seen"!?!

First DC screws us out of the 50th issue of Booster Gold, where we were promised the resolution of the Black Beetle's story, and now the company screws us out of meeting Skeets in the New 52? Mr. Jurgens, maybe you should consider resolving your stories a little faster in the future.

Oh, you'd better have a plan to fix this, DC.

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