“Morning Gail. I was curious about your opinions on large-scale crossovers like “Death of the...

“Morning Gail. I was curious about your opinions on large-scale crossovers like “Death of the Family”. How do you feel when you find out you are going to be part of one? Are you given a strict outline to follow, like “OK Gail, Scott is going to to x,y, and z in Batman, so you can do whatever you want as long as this, this, and that happen?”, or do you have much more creative freedom? I’m still a noob so DOTF is my first arc that I’m following in real-time and I’ve picked up every issue in the crossover (sucker). Outside of Batman, your Batgirl is the only title that has been consistent in delivering that special event feeling (loving it, btw). Nightwing has been ok, this last Detective Comics was solid, and Batman and Robin was good, but wow…the rest? Some are just flat out bad and seem like nothing but cash grabs. Suicide Squad could have been so great with Harley and all, but it was just meh, and Catwoman? I have no words…

I’m rambling here, but it seems like crossovers are basically a epic storyline that runs through one specific title, like a river, and the tie-ins are like little streams that meander here and there, sometimes adding something significant to the story and other times going nowhere at all, doing nothing but selling a few more copies. Am I about right or way the hell off base?

For the record, super excited for Batman and Batgirl tomorrow!
PS: I started reading Punk Rock Jesus last night and it is amazing! Thoughts?
-Jesse— heatvents”

This is a big question, in some ways. Also, dang, why is this (my response, not the OP’s post) so badly formatted? Weird.

Okay, first, I’m sorry some of the DotF issues aren’t working for you.

About crossovers, it’s a little funny even inside the publishers. Readers love them, even the ones that aren’t great seem to boost sales. But the ones that are good REALLY create interest and often will give a flagging title a nice boost that sometimes will carry over to continued purchases. That’s the marketing portion. I never give a crap about the marketing portion, could not be less interested.

But I LIKE writing for crossovers. I just do, I always have.

Sometimes, a well-meaning editor will ask about if I want to be part of a crossover, or it will be suggested that we should, and they are a bit trepidatious, like I’m going to be angry or resistant about it. They think I will be upset, I guess, and don’t want to mess with the integrity of the book, which is all good and understandable.

But I like writing to touch other books. When I first started reading comics, like a lot of people, I loved the characters, but what I really loved was the UNIVERSE. I loved that in some complex way, Sgt. Rock and Superman had lived in the same universe. I loved that tapestry. I still do.

When a crossover is done correctly, we are remaking that tapestry. We are connecting, we can make something bigger than the sum of the individual books. That makes me happy…I want Batgirl to live in the same space as Supergirl and Swamp Thing, and I am constantly trying to reinforce that message, with graffiti, with background detail, and especially, in crossovers.

Having a character from Batman or Nightwing appear in Batgirl, I love that, and crossovers make that a prime opportunity. Yes, some are cheap cash grabs, sometimes. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take that opportunity and make a great story out of it. Secret Six came out of a crossover, just as an example. You can use these opportunities to move lots of players on the board together…I adore that. It’s one of my favorite things.

The crossovers since the New52 have both been spearheaded by Scott Snyder, one of my favorite writers. And the way he does it is, he makes a huge framework for Batman, and offers us a couple suggestions and entry points, but with the full knowledge we can go another way if we choose. He is one of the most generous and helpful guys ever, all he cares about is good stories.

So we all get input, especially on our own characters. I don’t recall ever having taken part in a crossover where we were just ordered what to do, I wouldn’t enjoy that at all, I’m sure. But it’s never come up, at least not for me.

Some writers hate doing the crossovers. I love them. The reason I love the DCU and MU so much is all the connections, all the intertwining. So I love making those ends touch in the middle. There’s a real art to it.

I have read some tie-in stuff where the writer clearly didn’t enjoy that aspect and it shows. But if you love it, you can really go wild and elevate the story.

It really is a fun mix of my fan-like enthusiasm and hopefully the outer reaches of my writing ability as a professional. I like that mix.