In celebration of American Independence Day, today DC Comics is releasing Justice League International #11. A 4-page preview of the issue is online at Comic Book Resources. (Thanks to MetalWoman for the link.)

According to DC's advance solicitations at dccomics.com, "the team is defeated at the hands of The Burners," a team of anarchists currently planning to bomb the nation's capital. Hooray!

While the timing may be only coincidental -- what team of anarchist super-villains aren't always trying to blow up national monuments? -- I'm just not sure I want to read a story in which America's foremost hero, Booster Gold, gets his ass handed to him on America's birthday. Maybe tomorrow.

Buy this issue and watch some fireworks with Skeets.

Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: comicbookresources.com holidays independence day justice league international metalwoman new releases previews

Hoping to surprise their friend and teammate Mister Miracle, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle drop in on him at his day job in Mister Miracle, Volume 2, #7. Mister Miracle is understandably not pleased to have his super-heroic secret identity exposed to the citizens of Bailey, New Hampshire. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

To make up for their gaffe, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold decide to masquerade as... themselves. Beetle and Booster, in the guise of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, respectively, go on to provide autographs for the citizens of Bailey. It's not their proudest moment.

Compared to some of the pair's misadventures, this events comes off comparatively smoothly. Until a foursome of Professor Ivo's robots crashes the event. Nothing is ever dull in the life of a professional super hero.

Comments (1) | Add a Comment | Tags: blue beetle history justice league international mister miracle professor ivo

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!

Comments (2) | Add a Comment | Tags: comicbook.com dan jurgens international exchange justice league international russ burlingame skeets

Remember those bombers who destroyed the Hall of Justice and then hospitalized half the JLI team? DC's solicitation for today's Justice League International #10 finally gives the group a name.

The JLI team — BOOSTER GOLD, AUGUST GENERAL IN IRON, GODIVA, GUY GARDNER, BATWING, O.M.A.C. and FIREHAWK — face off against THE BURNERS, who want to create anarchy by any means necessary!

That's right, an anarchist group that calls themselves The Burners. All things considered, it's probably a better name than Justice League Anarchy or Mutant Liberation Front.

Buy this issue and tell DC that we want Skeets!

Comments (1) | Add a Comment | Tags: justice league international new releases

"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).

Comments (3) | Add a Comment | Tags: batwing comicbookresources.com continuity dan jurgens josie campbell judd winick justice league justice league international kyle higgins