Remember last month when Bleeding Cool told us that Booster Gold and Blue Beetle would be turning up in Justice League 3000 #12? Well, Vaneta Rogers and Newsarama.com finally confirmed it at 10AM this morning.

Newsarama: Keith, we've been hearing that issue #12 has some new characters that people should be happy to see. And now that issue #12 is about to be solicited, are you ready to reveal who's coming to Justice League 3000?

Keith Giffen: Yes! Booster Gold and Blue Beetle are coming to Justice League 3000, as of issue #12.

I'm not going to keep this a secret anymore. I mean, if Beetle and Booster are coming back, we should scream it from the rooftops, right? Maybe more people will buy it who are Beetle and Booster fans, and not be surprised and miss the issue. So I'm not really big on hiding stuff anymore.

O frabjous day! I'm already reserving a place in line to buy Justice League 3000 #12 when it hits stands in December.

I know that many fans weaned on the Johns/Katz volume of Booster Gold don't care for Giffen/DeMatteis' take, and that's okay. However, even the news that Justice League 3000 takes place in an alternate universe free from the shenanigans of the New 52 fills me with unbridled glee.

This revelation means that despite all of DC's posturing in recent years over the inviolability of the New 52, the multiverse — or hypertime or elseworlds or whatever you want to call it — is alive and well and somewhere the "real" Justice League International continues its never-ending battle for truth, justice, and a little bit of respect! Somewhere, Wally West is still the Fastest Man Alive and Captain Atom isn't Dr. Manhattan.

It also means that somewhere, Michelle, Rani, and Rip Hunter are running from rampaging dinosaurs, and that the Black Beetle and Rex Hunter could return to take their revenge on Booster Gold's wife. What's not to love?

For complete details, I recommend that you read the rest of the article at Newsarama.com.

EDIT: This post original ran on Friday, September 12 at 4PM EDT.

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I'm sure most fans remember their first encounter with their favorite hero. I remember when I first saw the cover to Booster Gold, Vol. 1, #1 back in 1985. The author of the Super Fan articles at imstillakid.com remembers his first encounter with Booster Gold too:

I had started collecting the retooled Justice League title in 1987 from the first issue of this new series. In the fourth issue, weasely businessman Maxwell Lord found his way into the JL's headquarters and immediately demands Booster Gold's inclusion on the team. Having no familiarity with the character whatsoever (this was long before the halcyon days of the Internet to look things up), I thought "who's this nerd"?

Visit imstillakid.com to read more and see panels from Booster's classic first encounter with the Royal Flush Gang in Justice League #4.

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Remember the good old days when Booster Gold was leading his own team of international heroes? No, not the Nu52 Justice League International. I'm talking a team of real heroes. I'm talking about the Conglomerate.

Back in 1991, the original Justice League International was falling apart over Max Lord's apparent death (his first second of many; the man has more lives than Resurrection Man). Meanwhile the corporately-owned Conglomerate was a stable, productive organization, thanks in no small part to Booster Gold's sterling leadership.

With the JLI disbanded, Blue Beetle felt sure he could turn to his best bud and roommate Booster Gold for a hand up. Too bad for Beetle, the Conglomerate's corporate sponsors had some pretty high standards for admission.

Guess who got to break the bad news?

Poor Booster. Sometimes it's no fun to be the boss.

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Fire and Ice had cornered Lady Shiva beside the loading docks. With the rest of the Justice League International elsewhere hunting Deathstroke the Terminator, it was up to Bea and Tora to apprehend the most dangerous martial artist in the DC Universe. Two against one, and Shiva doesn't even have any metagene powers. It should be easy, right? Wrong.

Unbeknownst to our heroines, Lady Shiva was not alone. As Fire and Ice were discovering the truth behind Lady Shiva's hard-earned reputation, they were also being stalked by David Cain, another world-class assassin. Cain had Fire and Ice square in the sights of his sniper rifle. His finger tightened on the trigger, preparing to loose the bullet that would permanently snuff out Fire's green flame.

A streak of blue and gold unexpectedly sliced through the sky, a nigh-impenetrable force field intercepting the bullet's path! Blue Beetle and Booster Gold had arrived to save the day!

One well-aimed duo attack BB Gun and Booster Shot blast later, Lady Shiva was down for the count! Having felled Deathstroke single-handedly, Batman soon arrived out of the shadows to KO Cain. Assassins apprehended, the JLI could consider their latest adventure a rousing success!

The above adventure has never been published in a DC Comic. Nor was it an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold or even a piece of Internet fan-fiction. No, that's a summary of a 300-point game of WizKids' Heroclix that I played this past weekend.

Justice League #001 Batman, 75 points
Brave and the Bold #052 Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, 82 points
Brave and the Bold #050 Fire and Ice, 131 points
Armor Piercing on Fire and Ice, 10 points

VERSUS

Batman: Streets of Gotham #038 David Cain, 76 points
Batman: Streets of Gotham #040 Deathstroke, 147 points
Batman: Streets of Gotham #039 Lady Shiva, 67 points
Armor Piercing on David Cain, 10 points

The New 52 may have erased the classic JLI from existence, but so long as we don't forget our heroes, they'll always be having new adventures with us.

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After posting about Extreme Justice on Friday, I went back and read all 19 issues of the series this weekend. Since the series is commonly derided as one of the worst (if not the worst) Justice League ongoing series of all time, it made me wonder how it compares to the latest failed Justice League series, Dan Jurgens' nu-Justice League International.

Art: Let's get this one out of the way. There is no comparison between the traditionally naturalistic drawings of JLI's Lopresti/Ryan team and the fitfully stylized work of Marc Campos and Tom Morgan in EJ. The Extreme Justice art gets worse every time I look at it. Advantage: JLI.

Line-Up: EJ: Amazing Man, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Carol Ferris, Firestorm, Maxima, Plastique. JLI: Booster Gold, Batman, Fire, Ice, Guy Gardner... need I go on? Advantage: JLI.

Action: In 12 Dan Jurgens JLI issues, the team is formed and fights domestic terrorists, rogue Firestorms, and aliens. In 19 Dan Vados and Robert Washington III EJ issues, the team is formed, fights domestic terrorists, rogue Firestorms, and aliens. EJ also found time to battle Monarch, Star Sapphire, the Wonder Twins, and the Legion of Doom. Advantage: EJ.

Characterization: In EJ, Booster Gold regains his business fortune and gains the benefits of Millennium, Maxima finds interracial love with Amazing Man, and Captain Atom discovers that he is not who he thinks he is. Firestorm gets cancer, cures cancer, becomes a super-model and an alcoholic. Only Blue Beetle goes unexplored. In JLI, the only element that hints at growth for any character is a teased budding romance between Booster Gold and Godiva that is never resolved. Oh yeah, and a Rocket Red dies. Advantage: EJ.

Sales: Both series were under-performing sellers ultimately cancelled not because of their sales figures but to make way for other Justice League series. Advantage: even.

Legacy: Although the Wonder Twins eventually found their way into Young Justice, most of the events of EJ may as well have happened outside of DCU continuity. It's too soon to tell what JLI's legacy is, but given that so little happened over the course of 12 issues, it's hard to imagine that people will look back on these events as precursors of stories to come. Advantage: even.

Skeets (tiebreaker category!): In EJ, we get to see Skeets and in JLI we don't. Advantage: EJ.

As I count it, Extreme Justice comes out slightly ahead. Whether that means Extreme Justice is better than its reputation or whether the New 52 Justice League International was downright bad, you can be the judge.

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