Brittany Holzherr interview – Guiding Wonder Woman as Senior Editor DC Comics

This November, a slew of special guests will come to Heroes Dutch Comic Con Winter Edition 2024 at Jaarbeurs Utrecht here in the Netherlands. Among the movie stars and comic book artists, Senior Editor of DC Comics Brittany Holzherr will be present to meet fans and review portfolios. This influential editor has been guiding stories at DC Comics for over 11 years. She works on titles as Wonder Woman, Batman, Action Comics, Power Girl and many more. Especially Wonder Woman has gone through a big change recently, becoming a mother. Therefore, we took the opportunity to ask Brittany about her work in comics and her view of Wonder Woman in particular. Read our Brittany Holzherr interview! 

Find out more about Dutch Comic Con Winter Edition 2024. 

DC Comics Senior Editor Brittany Holzherr has been a comic fan all her life. She grew up with her brother Kent – named after Clark Kent – and her father’s long boxes full of comics. She studied cinema studies and attended many comic cons, where she made it a habit to visit the booth of DC Comics. When an opportunity arose to become part of one of the largest comic book publishers in the world, she didn’t hesitate. Brittany has been working for DC Comics for over eleven years now. She works on titles as Wonder Woman, Titans, Power Girl and many more.

As Senior Editor and a member of the “Women of Warner”, she has a huge influence guiding the stories starring the enormous stable of DC Comics characters. Especially in Wonder Woman, a big change has occurred recently. Wonder Woman became the mother of Trinity, a breakout superhero who was introduced in Wonder Woman #800 as a multiverse character. Now, Trinity has been born in the current DC Universe. As Senior Editor, these important milestones in beloved character’s lives who have been around for ages is something to be proud of. So when we got the chance to ask Brittany about her work and Wonder Woman, we also didn’t hesitate. Read our Brittany Holzherr interview and come to Dutch Comic Con on the 23rd and 24rd of November to meet her in person!

Brittany Holzherr interview

• Brittany, you’ve been working at DC Comics for over 11 years. How long have you been reading comics as a fan?
  
  [Brittany] You could say I never really had a choice but to be a fan, my brother is named “Kent” after Clark Kent aka Superman. I believe I was eight when I first started truly reading comics. But I grew up flipping through the comics in my dad’s long boxes until I was old enough to have my own.

• 

  What comics were your favourites growing up?
  
  Young Justice by writer Peter David and artist Todd Nauck was my absolute favourite. It led me to other series like Robin and Teen Titans. I also enjoyed the graphic novels available at my local library which got me into The Dark Knight Returns and Kingdom Come. I’ve read both more times than I can count!

• How did you enter the comic field professionally?
  
  Joining the industry was always a dream I never thought possible. Growing up, I went to a lot of comics conventions and always made it a point to stop by the DC booth since I was such a fan of their characters. I met the former Senior Vice President of Publicity & Communications – Courtney Simmons – at San Diego Comic Con in 2012 and stayed in touch. She was kind enough to give me a chance as temp in the Publicity department. And the rest is history!

• You’ve graduated cinema studies, which is a different form of telling stories. Although comics have become more cinematic, did you have to adjust your view of making comics coming out of your studies?
  
  I think cinema and comics go hand in hand. They’re both classic forms of storytelling. Dissecting and critiquing films in class was very helpful in my journey to become an editor. Many comics professionals are cinephiles. It gives us a shared dictionary of references that we can utilize to create our best work together.

• What does a typical day at DC Comics look like for you? What are you busy with hour to hour?
  
  It really depends on the day or how many books I’m working on in that moment. Some days are filled with research for an upcoming series or story arc, others reading scripts and giving notes to the writer. Sometimes I even find myself looking at art all day and critiquing it. Editors wear many hats while doing their jobs and you must be ready for just about anything.

• Do you still have time to read comics as a fan during the week?
  
  I try to make time for it. That’s where I find new stories and professionals that I’d like to collaborate with.

• Which are your favourite comic series at the moment?
  
  That’s a tough question! Honestly, I will read anything Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips do together. Those two are at the top of their game. I look forward to each book they create.

• You’re editing Wonder Woman. In Wonder Woman #14, Diana had a big change in her life recently, with her daughter Trinity being “born”. Diana has been around since 1941. How did the idea to make her a mother start? Did it take long to convince everybody at DC Comics to make this idea a reality?
  
  It was part of the original pitch for the series. But we ultimately decided the focus should be on what it means to be Wonder Woman in this day and age. We wanted to return the character to her roots as a rebel before making any real changes. The company was supportive of that from the very beginning.

• 

  What came first? The idea to introduce Trinity and make Diana a mother, or did the idea take shape after the story in Wonder Woman #800, where Trinity was introduced in a possible future? Did you test the water first with that story?
  
  The story really took shape after the success of the story in Wonder Woman #800. We initially didn’t expect that much fanfare for the character. But once it was released it was obvious writer Tom King and artist Daniel Sampere were doing something special.

• Was there any discussion of Diana becoming more “aged” as a mother? I ask this, because there was a whole to do over at Marvel with Peter Parker being married to Mary Jane. One of the reasons the editors wanted to change this, was because the character of Peter lost some of his youth being married (I don’t agree at all, by the way). Somehow, Diana being a mother fits naturally. Why is this?
  
  Well, one could say Diana is one of the oldest heroes in the DC Universe given her immortality and upbringing. So age is nothing but a number to her. Becoming a mother seemed a natural conclusion to what we had planned for the character in the first year of our story.

• How does Trinity differ from Diana herself?
  
  Diana is the epitome of perfection; she does everything right and all that meet her are enamoured with and inspired by her. Trinity is a bit rougher around the edges. She doesn’t think twice before speaking her mind. And she’s still figuring out the whole hero thing. I love her outspokenness while her mother is a bit more reserved.

• Is it fair to compare Trinity to Donna Troy? Will Diana think about training Trinity like she trained Donna? Or is this too early to tell?
  
  Not really. Donna is a bit more like Diana and the Amazons since she left home at a very young age and grew up on Paradise Island. Trinity is more of a product of “man’s world” and the heroes in it. It’s too early to tell how Diana will train her own daughter, but all I can say is keep reading the series to find out!

• You’re also editing Power Girl. Is it easy for you switching between recognizable women in DC Comics such as Wonder Woman and Power Girl? Or even Supergirl? How do you make sure their characters stay uniquely their own?
  
  Not all women in the DCU are the same. It’s my job as editor to remind readers of that. Power Girl and Supergirl can be a bit tough to differentiate since they are the same person but born on different earths. In their recent stories, the creative teams and I have focused on exploring their personalities and really setting them apart from one another.

• What story you’ve worked on are you most proud of?
  
  I think it changes every year because I am consistently surprised and inspired by the stories we create here at DC. Currently, I am most proud of Wonder Woman #14. It’s a landmark issue in Wonder Woman’s history. But at its core there is an unforgettable story about loss and hope that can born from it.

• Are you doing portfolio reviews at Dutch Comic Con this November? If an aspiring artist or writer wants to show you their work, what do they have to keep in mind which is specifically aimed at DC Comics?
  
  I am! I can only speak for DC, but with portfolios I encourage the artist to show art that demonstrates their understanding of sequential art and the comics medium.

• What do you like seeing in a portfolio yourself?
  
  I enjoy distinct styles. You never know when you might find the next Jim Lee, Joëlle Jones or Dan Mora!

• To conclude this interview: what DC Comic book character would you like to work on, if you haven’t already?
  
  I worked on Tim Drake briefly. And since he’s my favourite character and Robin I look forward to the day I can tell more stories with him.

Where to find Brittany

If you want to know more about Brittany Holzherr, look for her on Twitter at @ms_brittanyjean. You can find Brittany’s work at DC Comics in titles as Wonder Woman, Batman, Black Canary, Action Comics, Power Girl and many more. As you could read in this Brittany Holzherr interview, Brittany will be present at Heroes Dutch Comic Con 2024 Winter Edition. Meet her there!

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Brittany Holzherr interview: © 2024-2024 Modern Myths – Images: © DC Comics