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The majority of the Batman family is currently involved in the massive crossover event Fear State, which sees Gotham City face an unprecedented attack by the combined forces of the Scarecrow and the private police force known as the Magistrate. The Dark Knight is joined in his battle by allies old and new, with familiar faces such as Nightwing and Barbara Gordon suiting up in an effort to help their mentor save the city.
Batman: Urban Legends #8 marks Batwoman’s entry into the massive crossover, and writer Alyssa Wong (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra) sat down in an exclusive one-on-one discussion with CBR to discuss the upcoming challenges in store for Kate Kane. Along the way, Wong also explained why this is the right time for Batwoman and her supporting cast to enter the story, shared her favorite character from her story and discussed which other member of the Bat-Family she would like to write the most.
CBR: What made this the right time for Batwoman to enter Fear State?
Alyssa Wong: Fear State is a super exciting event, and part of that story is about a disinformation campaign that involves the Bat-Family. Kate Kane is a big part of that family, and one of the exciting things about having an event like this is that you get to see all the members come together. Kate has a special place in my heart, and as a queer writer, the chance to write such a prominent queer character is so exciting to me.
Red Alice is a relatively new addition to the Bat-Family. What would you like for fans to know about her going into this story?
Red Alice is Kate Kane’s twin sister who was presumed dead but was brainwashed into being a killer. Right now, she is in a place of recovery. She is trying to unpack the trauma that she’s gone through. She’s a relatable character dealing with a traumatic event who is on the road to gaining a better understanding of herself. The events of this story are going to push her and present her with the chance to help her sister at the cost of possibly re-traumatizing herself.
Alice was previously a high-ranking member of criminal society, and in her original appearances, she tended to speak in quotes from Alice in Wonderland. It turns out to be very difficult to pull quotes from a source and then repurpose them into different contexts. That was a unique challenge of writing Alice in this story.
Did you face any additional challenges when writing this story?
The biggest challenge for me was wondering if I could write a good Batwoman story, especially after looking at all the incredible stories that have come before. I think she has an incredible legacy, and I really wanted to do justice to that. Another challenge, and also one of the most fun things about writing the story, was trying to read as much as I could about Batwoman and Red Alice, pick up the pieces that I liked the most and build a new narrative around those threads.
So far, your story features Batwoman, Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, Red Alice and Renee Montoya. Out of all these characters, which one interests you the most and why?
I have a deep and personal love for Cassandra Cain. She was the character who got me interested in DC Comics. I remember being a kid on Wikipedia trying to learn about comics. I didn’t have any to read, so I was just reading about the comics. Then I saw Cassandra Cain, and I got so excited about seeing an Asian girl. She was the first Asian superhero I had ever seen, and it was amazing. I love that she’s incredibly tough but also tender on the inside. So I have a deep, personal love for Cassandra Cain.
In terms of characters that I’ve had a lot of fun writing and would be interested in exploring further, it has to be Red Alice. I love Beth, and I think she’s a really interesting character. Her character trajectory is really intriguing and feels very relatable. She’s a survivor, and she’s both very feminine and very tough. She and her sister have a really deep and complicated relationship, which I also love. She’s definitely my favorite.
So Cassandra Cain was your gateway character into the world of Batman?
For sure.
What’s one moment in your story that you can’t wait for fans to see?
There’s a very trippy sequence that Vasco Georgiev drew that is just incredible. All of his action sequences are stunning, but there’s one he drew that’s a two page spread. I can’t say very much about it, but it is in the second part, and you’ll know it when you see it. It’s very weird, and I’m really excited for people to see it.
Is there anything you can tease about the future of these characters?
I’m very excited about the future and what’s coming down the pipeline. I can’t say much about it, but there’s a story coming in the future that I’m very excited to see.
I have one last question for you. What one character would you love to work with the most, and why?
If I had to pick just one character it would be Jason Todd. He’s my favorite former Robin. He’s got this mysterious, tragic past, and the hardened vigilante vibe. His history puts him at odds with the other Robins in a way that I love. I like messy, antagonistic relationships, so Jason Todd is prime territory for me. My dream is to do a really stressful, emotional story about him.
Alyssa Wong, Vasco Georgiev, Rain Beredo, and Becca Carrey’s “Disinformation Campaign” story features Batwoman’s entrance into the Fear State crossover. The story appears in Batman: Urban Legends #8, on sale now from DC Comics.
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