Five Questions With...Convergence: Batgirl and Mystik U Writer, Alisa Kwitney

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH...

Hello everybody and welcome back to Five Questions With...the interview segment where I ask a comic book creator questions about comics, pop culture and their eating habits.  This week features Alisa Kwitney, the writer of the recent Convergence: Batgirl tie-in and the upcoming Mystic U.  I thought that Alisa nailed the voice and character of Stephanie Brown in the Batgirl book, I really can't wait for Mystic U.  I'm a sucker for such things and it can't come quick enough.  So, I'd like to thank Alisa for doing this and I hope you enjoy it.

1. What are you working on now and/or is coming out soon?

I'm working on Mystik U, a new monthly DC comic about a college for magical folk. There's a mixture of new characters, like the brooding illegit son of a dark warlock, and also some familiar faces, like Rose Psychic and Cain and Abel. It's coming out in October, a fittingly witchy month.

2. How was it writing fan favorite Stephanie Brown and how did you prepare to write the Convergence Batgirl books?

I refreshed my memory by rereading everything Stephanie that I could get my hands on, and then I put it all to the side and tried to hear her voice inside my head. And it was fun -- Steph's voice is so distinctive and down to earth and upbeat.

3. Where DID all the trannies on roller skates go now that they aren't at Riverside Park?

Ah, you've been reading my website bio! I believe the trannies of my childhood roller skated out of the Upper West Side when it became gentrified, and migrated upstate to places like Hudson, Poughkeepsie and Kingston, where there are still hungry artists and cheap old cool houses and wild magic. (Which is why I'm setting Mystik U there.)

4. Best 80's Movie and why?

Oh, God, that's such a difficult question! There's Breakfast Club and Beetlejuice and Romancing the Stone and Alien...maybe An American Werewolf in London? That was the first time I'd seen real horror and comedy combined. 

5. What was the best job you've had outside of comics...and the worst?

Worst job: I was a temp receptionist for Vera Wang, and one of the senior guys said I was the stupidest woman he'd ever met in his life. I did disconnect him twice, however. I have anxiety issues with technology. Best job outside of comics: Either teaching, or else walking around Millbrook on New Year's Eve wearing a swan mask and a wedding gown and dancing with my friend Deborah, who was wearing a raven mask and a tux.

6. What food could you never live without?  Why isn't it chicken wings?

I do love chicken wings, but it is cheese that calls to me in the darkness. 

I'd like to thank Alisa again for doing our goofy little interview and I can't wait until October!