Gotham High, Melissa de la Cruz’s new YA graphic novel, takes all of your favorite DC Comics characters and reenvisions them as high schoolers with a Riverdale flair. As you might expect, we had a lot of questions, but Melissa de la Cruz was more than happy to answer!

There are so many fun character surprises in Gotham High, not to mention quite a few exciting twists along the way. Fans of Batman, Catwoman, and even the Joker, will find a lot to love in this new graphic novel.

Being that there’s so much to explore and dive into, it’s hard not to wonder about the creation and even future of this fun world.

So, we went to the source and asked Melissa de la Cruz some of our most burning questions. (Hopefully, they’re some of yours too!)
 

Author Melissa de la Cruz talks ‘Gotham High’ representation, universe creation, and more!

1. What motivated you to write a graphic novel that pulled in a whole slew of classic DC characters rather than just a handful (like your DC YA graphic novel predecessors did)?

I am a franchise/series author. What is most exciting to me is creating the universe, so for me, I wanted to write a big story; it just came naturally.

Like if Bruce is in high school, then of course Selina and Jack are there… and Harvey and Ivy and Dick Grayson… I like to imagine the whole world instead of just one character’s story.

2. What character was the most fun for you to explore while writing (and why)?

Re-imagining Bruce Wayne was super fun, taking the things that we know about his background: billionaire, parents killed in front of him at a young age, a mentor named Alfred — and then figuring out how to still keep within those parameters, but also, re-invent it to our current time.

I don’t think I ever really understood how much of an outsider people of color feel to the mainstream culture until I saw Hamilton, and seeing someone like Thomas Jefferson be played by an African-American actor, Alexander Hamilton by a Puerto Rican actor, and Eliza Schuyler by an Asian actress was so powerful, so moving — it was such a statement that said, “We are part of America’s story too.”

So often with Asian characters, we are sidekicks or minor extras. I remember when I sold my first book to Hollywood, my dad, an investment banker who had his own chauffeur in Manila when we were growing up, was so excited and he said jokingly, “I’ll play the driver!”

Because we understand that’s the only place we’re allowed to be in pop culture. But times are changing, and I was really excited to be part of that change. My brother, my male cousins, they were so excited to find out I was writing a Chinese-American Batman.

3. Were there any characters that you wanted to rope into Gotham High but just couldn’t find a way to make it work?

I wanted to have a little more of Robin in — he was cut from a few scenes. I would have loved to have been able to explore that friendship more.

4. Coming from the world of “traditional” YA, what surprised you most about the process of writing a graphic novel?

It’s an entirely different creative process — much more like writing a screenplay. You have to think about how to tell the story in images, and how those images play out on the page. So there was a learning curve for sure. You can’t just have a bunch of talking heads — that’s boring.

5. One of the aspects of Gotham High that I found most interesting was the relationship between Bruce and Jack. They’re not not friends, but they’re also not BFFLs by any means. What was most important to you when striking that balance between the two?

I wanted to show that they could have been good friends, that they had a lot in common and that they liked each other. I think the worst enemies to have are former friends because they know you so well.

And there’s a real sense of betrayal, that someone you used to like, maybe even love, now hates you. It’s an experience that’s part of life and I thought it would be more interesting to have that in their background than just animosity — that’s so boring and flat.

6. Selina Kyle is very much the central figure in Gotham High. What about her as a character inspired you to weave this high school origin story around her rather than another character?

Selina definitely became more important in the story as the writing went on. It started out as a “Bruce” book. But Selina finds a way to make it all about herself LOL! She’s a great character, very dynamic and sharp, and you never know what she is thinking. As the story progressed, she just ended up hogging the limelight. That’s what Selina does.

7. Is Gotham High a concept that you could see yourself turning into a series? Or do you feel satisfied with it as a one-off “What if?” story?

Absolutely. I’m a series writer. My vampire series numbers 18 books, which include four spinoff series within the universe. I’m also a series reader — I love when the story goes on and on. And on. :)

About ‘Gotham High’ by Melissa de la Cruz and Thomas Pitilli

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Alex and Eliza and The Witches of East End, comes a reimagining of Gotham for a new generation of readers.

Before they became Batman, Catwoman, and The Joker, Bruce, Selina, and Jack were high schoolers who would do whatever it took–even destroy the ones they love–to satisfy their own motives.

After being kicked out of his boarding school, 16-year-old Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City to find that nothing is as he left it. What once was his family home is now an empty husk, lonely but haunted by the memory of his parents’ murder.

Selina Kyle, once the innocent girl next door, now rules over Gotham High School with a dangerous flair, aided by the class clown, Jack Napier.

When a kidnapping rattles the school, Bruce seeks answers as the dark and troubled knight–but is he actually the pawn?

Nothing is ever as it seems, especially at Gotham High, where the parties and romances are of the highest stakes … and where everyone is a suspect.

With enchanting art by Thomas Pitilli, this new graphic novel is just as intoxicating as it is chilling, in which dearest friends turn into greatest enemies–all within the hallways of Gotham High!

Gotham High by Melissa de la Cruz and Thomas Pitilli is now available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository, or Indiebound. Also, don’t forget to add it to your Goodreads “to read” list!