Maps continues to steal all of the spotlight and Olive faces off against Batman in the exciting finale of the first “Gotham Academy” arc. Keep reading for our review that includes very, very minor spoilers.
Written by Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher
Illustrated Karl Kerschl and Mingue Helen Chen
Holy cow, it’s Taco Tuesday! Oh…and Olive battles Batman!
I will be totally upfront about this and say that I initially did not dig “Gotham Academy”. I typically go for something a bit more dramatic and mature like the current “Catwoman” arc and less for something as cute and teenage angst fueled like “Gotham Academy.” I didn’t want to give up on this series though because I felt, and still feel, that this is a much needed shot in the arm at DC. It’s brought in all kinds of readers including younger females and those who had given up on the company. “Gotham Academy” #6 is a nice bookend to the first arc that does a lot to make me enthusiastic about what comes after “Convergence”.
“Gotham Academy” #6 picks up right where issue five left off and we’re thrown right back into the fight between Killer Croc and Batman. After all of Olive’s resentment towards Batman, she finally has her moment to come face to face with him and she doesn’t disappoint. She’s resolute and acts far beyond her age. In the midst of this fight we get more insight into Olive’s mother and what she was capable as well as some additional insight into the friendship she had with Croc. The rest of the issue wraps up most of the lingering drama between this conflict and the secondary storyline with Millie Jane Cobblepot’s diary.
“Gotham Academy” #6 is a really strong issue of this series in regards to storytelling. This is arc is wrapped up very nicely but more importantly it’s done in a way that fits with what the series has been. The way Olive approaches Batman is a very intriguing moment for a few reasons. It really does a lot to set her apart from the rest of the cast because of how she is so strong against him. He doesn’t phase her and it’s even more important to add that she doesn’t see him as a hero. We rarely get to see this in Batman stories. We get to see how cops react to him and how other villains relate to him but we never see what the average citizen thinks, especially young citizens. Olive is a great set of eyes to look at Gotham City through and I really hope we see this with Damien Wayne making his way into the series.
Maps continues to be the most delightful thing in comics. Everyone talks about Spider-Gwen being a huge unexpected break out character but I think Maps has been more unexpected. Maps is funny, sweet, very intelligent and so much the kind of girl I want to be best friends with. “Gotham Academy” is a ton of fun but the kids themselves can be downers. Maps comes in and lightens everything up and I cannot get enough of her.
Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher have reached a really nice place as writers in this series. They’re in a groove when it comes to giving the kids voices with each one having a distinct personality. They all started a bit stereotyped and have evolved into something much more as the series has progressed. Pomeline has gone from typical “mean girl” to a more layered character who will in time be Olive’s closest ally. Maps, who is easily my favorite character now, began as someone who was really just a hyper sidekick to a fully realized person with a huge personality that I can’t get enough of. With Damien Wayne joining the cast and these characters being so much more developed than when the series started, this book is going to be very exciting and so much fun.
Karl Kerschl once again proves why this is arguably DC prettiest book artistically. From beginning to end, this is a stunning display of comic book art. The panel layouts are immediately noticeable as he does a lot of overlapping and more unconventional things with how he situates panels on top of each other. He sets an amazing gothic tone that never lets you forget that we’re in Gotham City. It is, in its own way, very dark and gloomy but never really feels the same as a Batman book. The character designs are strong as always and I really enjoyed how we saw more of the formal attire that we saw last issue as well. He designed each characters’ clothing to represent a little of their personality. I’m in love with the emotion he allows the kids to have. Teenagers are angsty and emotional and Kerschl really taps into that with the wide range he has for expressions. He uses angles that build a lot of tension and set a very cool 80’s high school movie vibe. This is especially on display near the end of the issue when most of the cast is in the cafeteria. He gives us close ups from a different perspective that enhance the awkwardness of the situation and does a lot of storytelling on it’s own. Msassyk and Serge LaPointe are not colorists I’m familiar with. They work on the pages that Kerschl draws and they do a fine job but I couldn’t tell the difference between the two which I guess is a good thing because it does keep the issue looking one cohesive creation. “Gotham Academy” has had a tough time keeping a full time colorist but this issue is stronger than some of the more recent ones with a great color palate and tons of vibrancy.
Continued belowMingue Helen Chen handles the Cobblepot diary flashbacks and creates very painted and animated pages. I tend to prefer flashbacks being handled like this. I like to feel like I’m actually reading something removed from the main story and Chen does a nice job with this. Chen has a very different style than Kerschl but pairs well with his work. It’s very clean and polished and very, very well colored. It’s much less realistic but still very well crafted.
“Gotham Academy” #6 is fun, action packed and does a great job at setting the stage for the next arc post “Convergence”. I’ve been turned into a believer thanks to the gradual development of the main characters. I’m very much ready for Damien Wayne to be super moody with the rest of the students.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Solid issue that resolved everything nicely and builds enough anticipation for the next story arc.
