Comic Book Resources has posted an interview with Bryan Q. Miller about ending his run and the series Batgirl, starring Stephanie Brown. While the relaunch is taking Batgirl in a different direction, Miller ensures that Stephanie is not down and out just yet.
CBR: Let's touch on those characters heading into your final issue of "Batgirl." Issue #23 ends with Cluemaster revealed as the man behind the Reapers. Did you always intend to use Cluemaster, or did you decide to bring him back so that the last issue would emotionally bring things full circle for Stephanie?
Bryan Q. Miller: Kind of both of those things: he was always intended to be behind the Reapers, just like in issue #23 where there was that raid on Blackgate and the reveal that Arthur Brown was behind it. That was going to be a full arc. There were going to be three issues with Steph undercover at the prison — with brown hair! Stephanie Brown! [Laughs] She was going to have to be shoulder to shoulder with the people she put inside the jail in the process of trying to suss out who the ringleader was. It was always in the stars; we just had the opportunity to play that card earlier than intended.
CBR: The return of Cluemaster reminds everyone of Steph's murky past, especially since, as you said before, one of your big goals for Stephanie was for her to become Batgirl versus Spoiler.
Bryan Q. Miller: And in either version, the longer version of the arc or in this much shorter version of the arc, it was kind of right when she's at her lowest when Dad rears his head — it's when her past rears its head. That's the challenge for her; when faced with that — even though she's done all this work and put that behind her — when faced with it again, what's her new reaction to that going to be? Suddenly there's this very big, real, tactile reminder of how she began back in the day. There they are, face to face. It's an interesting situation for Steph.
CBR: Touching on the rest of the "Batgirl" supporting cast, was having Proxy/Wendy take off for Tibet partly done to clear the deck so the last couple of issues revolve around Stephanie on her own again?
Bryan Q. Miller: I had a very different plan for Wendy; I like what happened with Wendy, but I had a very different plan. Going into the last run for Wendy and Stephanie, they were going to be Butch and Sundance a little bit, and there was a request made to broom Wendy out, so I tried to find the most actualized way to get Wendy out. This was a place I eventually wanted to take her, I just wasn't ready to take her there just then.
For the entire interview, including talk about Barbara as Batgirl, head over to Comic Book Resources. Batgirl #24 hits stores tomorrow, August 10.
Posted by Dustin Fritschel