Interview of Genevieve Valentine by Comicosity[]
http://www.comicosity.com/interview-genevieve-valentine-takes-it-all-with-catwoman/
May 20, 2015
Valentine answered a question about Stephanie's upcoming appearance in Catwoman 42 and 43:
MSG: Speaking of spoilers, we did see Stephanie Brown on the cover of issue #42 for July. We know that she interacted with Selina in Batman Eternal, but what can you tell us about your take on the character?
GV: I think Stephanie Brown is a fantastic character — a scapper [sic] from the ground up. It’s something that Selina would instantly understand and probably quietly resent, both at the same time.
Their interaction in Batman Eternal was hilarious, and also incredibly aggravating to Stephanie, so by the time she shows up in Catwoman, she’s come to collect. It’s probably the perfect starting point for anybody in Selina’s life, because every good relationship should start with a huge fight. It’s like she wants to take everyone’s measure. Can you stand up against me? If you can, we will proceed.
When Stephanie shows up, she is looking for something very particular from Catwoman, and when Selina is not willing to provide it, Stephanie is undaunted. She is going to take it wherever she can find it. And one of the reasons that I’m so excited to have this larger cast of women is that when Stephanie starts looking around for someone to fill this role in her life, there’s a couple of takers.
Good to see Valentine excited about Stephanie!
CBR interview about Catwoman[]
https://www.cbr.com/genevieve-valentine-whips-up-excitement-in-catwoman/
May 21, 2015
Speaking of fan reactions, we know that Spoiler is coming back starting with issue #42, which I'm sure will have more than a few people taking notice. What drew you to Stephanie Brown as a character, and how does her history with Selina from "Eternal" help complicate the story of your new arc overall?
I love the idea of Catwoman's Gotham being one to which misfits are drawn, and where the past can come back to haunt you. I definitely think the way Selina handled things with Stephanie in "Eternal," there was no way Stephanie -- a natural scrapper who feels, among other things, abandoned -- wasn't going to come back and demand a rematch. She's also not the kind to be easily discouraged, which means that no matter how Selina reacts to her being in town, there's a sense that Stephanie's here for her own answers, and plans to stay until she gets them.
Blog Post[]
https://www.genevievevalentine.com/2015/07/catwoman-42-gathered-from-all-sides/
Catwoman #42 is out in the world! In “Gathered From All Sides,” Selina needs to be Catwoman, Spoiler just needs A Catwoman, and their reunion goes just about as well as you could expect for two people who last met when one of them kidnapped the other one.
There’s a preview available at MTV, which features Selina in what might be her sharpest suit yet, a chat between old friends, and a reminder that Bill Turner is part of something bigger than himself. (The quote this month is from Empress Pulcheria, whose skills at delegation are whose idea of a nice militarized parlay ends up being a soft spot with Penguin, because of course.)
It’s been a blast writing Stephanie, especially given their beautifully awful setup in Batman Eternal, in which Selina regrets nothing and Stephanie is ready to fight her despite being perfectly aware she’s going to get her ass handed to her. She does find a mentor (you’ll have to see who), and is going to have an arc of her own as the walls close in, but this was exactly the intro we wanted for her: pissed, determined, and doomed to learn things the hard way.
It’s gotten some very nice reviews (including at Comicosity, and some of them have begun to guess where things are going. Obviously I can’t speak to anything about those except to say I’ll make sure everyone’s well-dressed. Even Stephanie.
I remain utterly charmed with that panel of poor, poor Steph, and her totally comic-book dismissal. (Don’t worry, she doesn’t take it lying down for long.)
Graphic Policy Radio interview[]
August 11, 2015
An interview where Valentine touches on writing for Steph knowing how rabid her fanbase is.