Q & A With Batman Family Editor/Writer Scott Peterson

It’s becoming increasingly easier to talk with people that were formerly much harder to reach in the past, even on the internet, compared to even just seven years ago. To be able to freely follow and respond to people you admire and often have actual conversations with them, people you otherwise would have never met or speak with is one of the upsides to social media. It is not only humanizing, as hey, they’re actual people (who knew!) but it also opens a lot of doors into viewing what they’re about.

I’ve had the pleasure of following of former DC editor and sometimes writer Scott Peterson (known for being co-creator of second Batgirl Cassandra Cain, and recently returned to create a new Batgirl, Nissa, for Batman Beyond with artist Annie Wu) on tumblr for the past few months. His reblogs are often centered around important issues and very vocal stances on current happenings as well as comics related material. We’ve been able to chat and I was happy to ask him a few general questions about the Batfamily in a short three question Q & A, I hope you guys enjoy!

You’ve had a longstanding relationship with the Batfamily as an editor and writer of said books and being involved in the creation of two Batgirls; Cassandra Cain, and now Nissa. We all know Cass is amazing (and we all miss her, as a fan it’s been particularly distressing) but Nissa in particular is an awesome character as well (will we be seeing more or her ever?).

One of my very first memories, from when I was (I think) 4 years old, is of playing in the backyard of one of my best friends: I was Batman, and she was Batgirl and we were chasing dragonflies around. (Not a terribly Bat-thing to do, in retrospect, but I plead the ignorance of youth, as I so often do.) When I’d watch the Adam West Batman show, which I loved, when Batgirl’s motorcycle would  race across the screen at the end of the title sequence, indicating she’d be in the episode about to air, my heart would beat faster. I’ve always had more female friends than male, ever since I was just a kid, and somehow Batgirl figured into that entire thing.

Since I now have four daughters with the greatest woman in the world, and am fully aware of how superior the female of the species is, my love of Batgirl just comes naturally, I guess. I mean, seriously: Batman + female = how great is that? 

Huh! Interesting. I’ve never thought about it before, but off the top of my head: in my own AU, there’d be Batman, and then there’d be the rest of the Batfamily. Batman would usually–but by no means always–operate solo, although he’d frequently request/accept the assistance of one or two of the others, with occasional instances where they’d all collaborate for an operation. Nightwing would be the (almost) unquestioned unofficial leader of the rest of the Batfam, which would also have Tim, Cassandra, Stephanie and of course Oracle. The Helena Huntress would be somewhat on the periphery, often part of the gang but just as often not, with the relationship at least a bit tense.

I think they have a very strong understanding. I think Gen Y and Millennials are very aware of the forces, whether governmental or corporate or simply societal, affecting their lives. They’re aware of what and who manipulates them, or at least is trying to. I think they know what they want and what they don’t want, and are aware of their own internal contradictions better than previous generations, and they understand those in power far better than those in power understand them. Of course, I could be wrong. :) 

I joined tumblr I don’t even know how long ago. Three or four years? And many, many months would go by when I’d even forget I had a tumblr–I think I seriously went like a year and a half between visits once. But at a certain point, I started following enough people that the energy really started to draw me in. I didn’t get tumblr for a long time–it seemed like the worst of Twitter plus Facebook plus good old-fashioned blogging. It took me quite a while, and finding the correct (for me) combination of people to follow, for it click. I’m still not very good at it, honestly, but it’s definitely my favorite of the various social media platforms.