Since taking over CATWOMAN, Genevieve Valentine has helped steer Selina Kyle in a new and exciting direction. Trading in her catsuit for more formal attire, Selina has been controlling a mob family and is heading into a big mob war. It hasn't been easy but Selina is shaking things up in Gotham City.

We talked to Genevieve about what's been going on up until issue #39, that one moment everyone's been talking about, and what's coming up after Convergeance.

COMIC VINE: Now that you’ve been in Gotham for a few months, do you feel you’ve settled into Selina’s world?

GENEVIEVE VALENTINE: In some ways I do; I've been working on this arc for about a year behind-the-scenes, so I've had a chance to work on building this world to be as complex and textured as possible. It helps, I think, to have jumped into a storyline that started with her in a slightly different place – literally, in some ways, like having her living in the amazing Calabrese townhouse positively stacked with studies and meeting rooms! But it still feels surreal at times; sitting at the Bat-Summit being the official representative of Catwoman, I felt the weight of my responsibility to the character.

CV: How’s it feel to be the one exploring all the different mob families in Gotham?

GENEVIEVE: Ha! Sometimes it feels a lot like pulling up Gotham maps and wikis and emailing the editors to making sure I'm not introducing a mob family that was totally obliterated by a meteor and is therefore out of commission. Luckily I'm not alone – the BATMAN ETERNAL crew is also working to flesh out some of the families and coalitions that are causing trouble – and luckily, as we all know, there's always room for one more family of nasties in Gotham.

CV: Selina’s been through some tough times since moving in this direction. Is there any hope she’ll find some happiness?

GENEVIEVE: It's been a rough gig, right? I think she had to know going in that becoming the head of a mob family means you're selling your soul in exchange for that power, to some degree, and I think Selina was absolutely prepared to make certain concessions. But being in that chair is the kind of thing that turns boulders into gravel, and Selina has been faced with some really awful choices. I think that what she says in this issue – about being reckless when cornered – is something she considers a weakness at this point, but that can just as easily be a strength. People tend to underestimate someone like, to their peril, and you just know she has something up her sleeve. Not that it's of much consolation to her in the moment, though; she's still trying to figure out how to have a conversation with Antonia that doesn't involve rescuing her from gunfire as a sign of family loyalty!

CV: That being said, what can you tell us about the possible relationship between Selina and Eiko?

GENEVIEVE: I think that part of what's drawn them together is definitely the intensity of their current situation; at a time when there's no real trust elsewhere in either of their lives, someone confiding in you or looking out for you carries a lot of weight. They're both very intelligent women who feel a little lost in some ways, and having someone as the calm in the storm can be so necessary. But of course, they are in really rocky territory here – on different sides of a mob war – and once things start to get ugly, they'll be facing a lot of conflict!

CV: Was creating this tension all part of your plan when you first introduced Eiko?

GENEVIEVE: We definitely wanted to make her a believable foil. It wouldn't occur to most people to take up the Catwoman cowl out of nowhere just to run your underworld errands, so there's definitely something within Eiko that's more than meets the eye; there's something about this identity that means something to her, and we're beginning to see glimpses of that. She's someone who challenges Selina – and Selina appreciates anyone with that spark of anger at the world. But it's also something of an off-kilter mirror; there are a lot of unanswered questions between them, which is its own tension.

CV: How explosive will things get in CATWOMAN #40? Is Selina going to fight for control of the underworld?

GENEVIEVE: Selina is absolutely going to fight. I think there's a chance that at first she took this on thinking it would be a long con and she could get out with minimal damage, but if this was ever a game to her, I think we're well past that now. Despite the facade she sometimes puts up in the faces of people like Batman and the cop, she has a keen sense of injustice, and when she threatens someone abusing a position of power, like Black Mask is now, she tends to be stone serious. Sacrificing some short term control for the chance at a longer game is a really big risk, though, and not a decision she's made lightly; for things like that she tends to have more plans than anyone knows about.

CV: Is there anything you can tell us about what’s coming up post-Convergence?

GENEVIEVE: Well, as often happens when entropy sets in a delicate situation, people start coming out of the woodwork, so we're going to be seeing some familiar faces (allies or enemies, who can say?), and there are some seeds planted in this issue with some relationships and some larger mysteries that we're going to see take root a little in the post-Convergence arc. And of course, one of those seeds is that Gotham might need Catwoman as much as it needs Selina Kyle...

CV: David Messina is taking over on art? Have you seen any pages yet?

GENEVIEVE: He is! We're still in the sketches stage, but I'm really excited; his Selina look ready to wage war, and there's something about reviewing designs of superhero costumes that's just amazing!

CV: What’s been your favorite part of writing CATWOMAN so far?

GENEVIEVE: Honestly, it's all been amazing. She's a character I've loved since childhood, and this setup is one of the best I could have imagined for my first time writing her – these high stakes that bring her back sidelong into the Gotham fold, in some ways, but still introduce her to a new circle of potential family, which for Selina is such a huge deal and something she still doesn't quite know what to do with. And there are such great opportunities to explore the nature of the business – that sort of obligatory villainy that still has real people behind it; even Black Mask, in this issue, is touched by the use of his real name. It's all been a blast, and I'm thrilled to be writing for her.

CATWOMAN #39 is now on sale! Don't miss out on the excitement. Issue #40 is on sale March 25, 2015.

This has been such a good run, and those Jae Lee covers are amazing (well, Jae Lee covers are always amazing).

Aw man, I haven't been this excited for Catwoman stuff in a long, long time.

I'm actually interested int eh Catwoman title now.

This has been such an improvement over the last run

Looks cool. Might trade wait.

If you guys have never read Darwyn Cooke and Ed Brubaker's runs on Catowman, do yourself a favor and go read it ASAP!

I've been enjoying her run so far. Looking forward to what she has coming post Convergence.

Gonna trade wait this, it looks purrrfect.

@the_stegman: Same. I can't wait for the trade!

I kinda wish convergence would bring back the Pre-52 Selina. A Crime-boss Selina kinda takes away her charm for me. Also this Eiko relationship kinda feels...I dunno, rushed ? I mean sure Selina is open minded as heck and spending time around with Harley and Ivy kinda gives context to it BUT as she said in the moment, did she really kissed her or just the Catwoman ? It is not easy leaving something behind like that. It is part of who you are. And Selina always felt like she was free in that sense but now , she literally bound down by the whole power and control.

I just don't want it to be a '' oh we messed up Batwoman ...now we should make it up with Catwoman '' stunt, since Selina is almost as iconic as Batman. Heck I can say when you think of Batman villians/anti-heroes she comes to mind after Joker.

A personal note. I want Bat/Cat back dammit :D

@wowlock: Talia and Batman is here to stay ;)

Still hanging in on this one. I'd have preferred Eiko and her not be romantically involved. Seems like a cop out to me. Having two powerful women develop a complicated and tenuous connection with each other would have impressed me.

@boynerdgeek: They already have Damian (whom Talia killed already once...and then got killed herself while trying to kill Bruce) Sure we have Helena but she is Earth 2 and...well her parents are dead now soo.

Look I just miss the Pre-52 relations they had when Bruce came back from the past . You can't blame a guy for that. Not to mention how she doesn't know who Batman is anymore and such. Bah , I think I will be waiting till Convergence and how it will be handled where the Better universe characters will come back :)

I'm just kind of frustrated with this revelation because DC is promoting it as though it's some milestone. I feel like they're exploiting LGBT people on some level because it's not actually that much of a landmark that a sexy (often overly-sexualized like in Arkham City) villainess is bisexual. It's been done before! Many, many times. It's kind of a trope at this point. It could never be Batgirl or Supergirl or....uh, I dunno... fricken Wonder Woman? Genevieve said for years Selina has been implied to be bisexual? I'd say a decade or two tops and stingily so. Wonder Woman has been lesbianonic from day 1! She was based on a bisexual woman. Or what about Harley and Ivy?! Oh waitaminute....Harley's in a franchise now so we can't have that! So is Wonder Woman!

And forget about them making a male bisexual. Batman and Robin will never, ever be- maybe offshoots of more famous characters like another version Green Lantern or Batwoman, who was out of canon for like 40 years. But they played it safe and had Catwoman be bisexual at the HEIGHT of villainy. Hoooray. Hope the publicity stunt flounders.

To be honest, regardless of Geniveive's intentions, this is just a feast for opportunists. I'm mad.

@hexthis: I feel the same way about this. Also feel like the could have made Catwoman a bisexual a LONG time ago and still would fit the story. Now it just seems a little forced after that girl said she wanted more diverse characters in the DCU. Plus they still seem to be ignoring the fact they made Batwoman as a positive LGBT character.

What you say right here, is probably why Valentine is introducing this plot point.

Not everything a writer writes has to be straightforward as to how it impacts the character. Sometimes, the best stories contain plot points and character traits that are open to interpretation, as opposed to just simply being what you see on the surface.

Where are her legs???

Also! It's funny they should make Catwoman bisexual but completely erase her lesbian sidekick from current continuity. Renee Montoya and several other LGBTQ people didn't make the transition and DC has had a few issues with homophobia recently with the trans character Dagger Type, Batwoman's kiboshed marriage, some of Damian's remarks toward "Flamingo"...

Or how about future Damian Batman being "offended" when asked if he's gay...

But they want credit now for making Catwoman bisexual? No effing way! That isn't only not enough but it's a trope! A bisexual female villainess? We've had those for ages! Mystique was revealed to be bisexual in 1990!

@hexthis: Been so long since I read Catwoman,forgot about Holly Robinson.

@hexthis: What's wrong with Damian seeing the word "gay" as an insult? He's a bratty little shit in both of those stories, it's like complaining that Red Skull is racist or something.

Red Skull is a Nazi, of course he's racist. Being a "bratty kid" doesn't necessitate homophobia. I dunno with Flamingo, Dagger Type, and some iterations of the Joker, it seems as though DC loves vilifying gay male characters and ironically under the Batman titles! Batman, more than any other superhero, has been closely tied to gay subtext and there still isn't even an alternate universe version of him or even a gay Robin ever. It's a smack in the face. So, once again, DC trying to publicize this about Catwoman just really digs into my sensibilities. I'm just angry at the hypocrisy of it all. They still haven't had Harley or Ivy come out by the way. It's like ridiculous! The bisexual insinuations with Catwoman are so scant, meanwhile, several other characters, characters DC intends to schill out in movies with generations of homosexual subtext just can't go there. It's cowardly. You want bold? Make Wonder Woman bisexual how bout.

I've been following Catwoman from issue 1 and I really hate how this gimmick is causing so many people to swarm around Valentine. When his run is honestly only the third best run when compared to the other writers.

The whole thing kind of disgusts me. As if Catwoman isn't a strong enough character that they need to start doing stunts like this that motivate some kind of controversy with all the stupid tabloids that eat up this "us vs them" stupidity when it comes to representation of anyone.

Way to make an issue and spectacle out of non-issues to generate some hate/bigotry for the sake of sales. /claps.

@hexthis: But Damian's like 10, lots of kids his age use that kind of language, it's part of being immature. I'd like to think I'm pretty tolerant but that doesn't mean I didn't say and think some shitty things when I was younger. It actually works incredibly well in this case since Morrison is showing that even though Damian may know all of these different kinds of martial arts and such he's still a kid. Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim, they don't use that kind of language because they're grown ups (well, I'm not so sure about Jason) but Damian does because he's a kid and a pretty bratty and entitled one at that. I mean, he's the son Batman, super rich ninja detective extraordinaire, and Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul, one of the greatest criminal minds on Earth and head of the League of Assassins! Any 10 year old would be a little asshole if they had that kind of birthright. In The Just, everyone is just as entitled and bratty as Damian is, they're just a bunch of kids with powers and flashy legacies that inherited a utopia, so, again, him finding the word "gay" offensive is perfectly in-character (besides, he knows Alexis and probably thought she was just trying to push his buttons so it may not be so much Damian thinking "gay" is an insult as it is Alexis, daughter of Lex Luthor aka not one of the nicest people around, thinking that way).

And yes, there hasn't been much representation in general, positive or otherwise, in the Batman family of books but honestly, how many other superhero universes can claim to be terribly representative? I can't think of any gay characters in the Superman universe, does that mean a creep like Atomic Skull can't make a gay joke?

And yes, it'd be great if DC had the stones to push for diversity in a less stereotypical way (I've already said in other threads that bisexual anti-heroes isn't a new or bold concept by any stretch of imagination) but that doesn't mean getting hung up on certain characterization.

It's basically click/viewer-bait. How do we generate sales and publicity? Make a controversial moment.

While I always thought Catwoman was slightly bisexual under all that Batlust, seeing as she's a sexual character and has a history that would dictate an interest in women, it does feel forced. Not as forced as some LGBT moments in comics, but it made me roll my eyes.

Progressive train, choo choo!