Peter Tomasi has previously said that Carrie Kelley is sticking around the main DC continuity but neither he nor DC would confirm if she will be the new Robin. While he of course wouldn't reveal if she is going to be the new Robin, Tomasi sat down with Newsarama to talk about his experiences with Carrie, if Bruce will recruit a new sidekick, if there was any hesitation in bringing her into the New 52, and what Bruce thinks about her, amongst other things.
Newsarama: Pete, I know last time we talked, you bemoaned how early people know about story surprises these days, but it must have been hard to keep this one under your hat, huh?
Peter Tomasi: Actually, it wasn't too hard on this one, Vaneta and that's because I think people didn't see this coming. Pat and I were even laughing that in issue 18 when Bruce found the list in Damian's room that people thought the CK initials meant Clark Kent instead of Carrie Kelley. Pat and I let out a relieved sigh and were happy that the "WTF" in issue #19 would be a surprise.
Newsarama: Does the fact that Tim wasn't the "surprise guest" in this issue mean future issues might not be "as advertised" with Jason and Barbara?
Peter Tomasi: As you saw in issue #19, Tim Drake/Red Robin did make an appearance; it was small, but it was forceful. I'm approaching these issues with the Bat family in an organic way instead of just having them come on stage for no reason whatsoever. But I would say that Tim Drake's appearance is the smallest of the upcoming issues as compared to Red Hood, Batgirl and Catwoman and Nightwing.
Newsarama: Have you always been a Carrie Kelley fan? When did you first take notice of her?
Peter Tomasi: Well, I first took notice when I read Dark Knight Returns, lo' those many moons ago. I definitely loved the fact that she was a redheaded livewire and I really enjoyed the way Frank Miller juxtaposed her youth and vitality against Bruce's world-weary age as he built up the relationship between them so that they trusted each other implicitly.
Newsarama: As you write the character in Batman and Robin, what makes this character special, not only to Bruce Wayne but to you as a writer?
Peter Tomasi: Carrie's a beam of light in a time of darkness in Bruce's life. I like her spunk and I'm looking forward to exploring her creative streak, which is something you don't see as much in comics. There's some other stuff coming down the pike with her of course, too, but not much I can get into this early.
To read the entire interview, head over to Newsarama. The next issue of Peter Tomasi's Batman and Robin hits shelves on May 8 and will feature Jason Todd.
Posted by Dane Haji
