AVC: What are the things that attract you to Batman as a character and the Bat-universe in general?

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BC: Besides just being iconic and dark, it has a very noir feeling to it, which I always loved. And the mystery of it. He’s a crime fighter, but he’s also a detective. He’s like a science crime fighter. So no matter what, he’s like Sherlock Holmes. I think it’s the same deal, but with a little more than secret identities. There is a romance to it. He’s a very ironic kind of hero too. He’s this broody, stormy Bruce Wayne, and he’s got this tragic past. All that kind of combines and makes for this perfect storm of a character. Batman is a great example of how different creators can come on board and create an icon, because when you look at Paul Pope’s Year 100 versus “Hush,” they’re two completely different stories and different styles, but they both feel like Batman. It’s like everyone’s got a Batman story in them, and he’s just the perfect vehicle for that. And that’s why he’s stood the test of time, I think. And he has a great silhouette too. That really helps. The little bunny ears.

AVC: How did it feel being the first female artist to work on the main Batman title?

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BC: Oh, man. I didn’t even know I was the first woman to draw Batman until after it happened. Thank God, because I don’t know if I would have enjoyed that pressure. I almost didn’t even take that job, because I was moving that month and I was going to HeroesCon back in June, I think, a few years ago. And after I found out, I had the same reaction as everybody else. That can’t be true. It’s got to be someone else. But there had to be a first, and it happened to be me. It feels good, even if it isn’t something that’s going to be on my tombstone. It kind of shadows everything else—all the other accomplishments that I do are like, oh yeah, and first woman to draw Batman. It’s nice. It’s nice to be a part of history like that. But it’s also a little sad that it’s taken so long to happen.

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AVC: How are you incorporating your favorite qualities of Batman’s world into Gotham Academy? What is the general tone of the series going to be?

BC: Well, the tone of it has definitely got some Harry Potter. It’s got some Nancy Drew feelings to it. There’s a lot of mystery. We’ve pulled from the idea Scott Snyder really touched on in his “Court Of Owls” run, this story that Gotham has this secret history that we don’t know about. And Gotham Academy takes that ball and runs with it. There’s this really old building. It’s a prestigious boarding school. All these kids are going there, and it’s definitely a coming-of-age story. They’re going to be discovering different things about the school, different things about Gotham, and that’s a big part of it.

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First impressions of Brendan Fletcher and Karl Kerschl

BC: I knew of Karl’s work and Brendan’s work before I met them. Karl, from Teen Titans: Year One. I remember getting that in the comp box and just being floored a few years ago. And Brendan Fletcher and Karl worked on The Flash for Wednesday Comics. I remember reading that and just being like, “Holy shit.” But we didn’t meet until a few years ago up in Montreal. That’s where we all reside right now. Now I share a studio with Karl and I look up and I see the right side of his face. And the three of us, we’ve got a lot of similar influences.

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We almost share a hive-mind, it seems. And our ideas from what we want out of a story are always along the same lines. So for Gotham Academy, it’s almost a perfect storm. We almost finish each other’s sentences, and anytime one of us throws an idea out there, it’s like, “Yes, that is it. Exactly.” There’s never been a time when one of us feels off the mark. And the three of us are a good series of checks and balances too. With Brendan and I co-writing the book, we’ll cover the plot and then show it to Karl. And then Karl will come in with a series of questions about characters’ motivations. “I don’t feel like this is genuine,” or, “Why don’t you go re-work this scene?” And we all agree. There’s no ego. There’s no arguments. It’s good. We make a good team, the three of us.

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AVC: What are the team’s goals for the series?

BC: It’s really focused on a younger age group. Our two main characters, Olive Silverlock and MAPS Mizoguchi—it’s these two young girls. It’s MAPS’ first year at Gotham Academy, and Olive is a year older than her, so she looks up to her like an older sister. But their relationship has gotten a little rocky lately, so the first story arc is really a coming-of-age story. They’re learning how to be friends again and really struggling with their relationship personally. But then they’ve also got what might be a ghost in the north hall of Gotham Academy, so there’s this bigger mystery. But inside of that are interpersonal relationships between these two girls. Everyone goes through that when they’re a kid. You have the people you’re friends with, and then you fall out of friends with them and you’re not really sure why, and that’s a struggle. It happens all the time—growing apart. There’s a lot of that.

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Karl is knocking it out of the park and really brings these characters to life. There’s a lot of the high school drama and romance, but then it’s also set against these mysteries of what’s happening at this school. It’s in continuity, too, so some of the events that happen affect what happens at the school. That’s been really cool, that we get to play in the world directly and not just exist in a bubble. So it really is there in Gotham, and things that happen really affect these kids. We have years of material, so I really hope we get to it because the characters, they start out really young, but we have plans for all of them within this universe.