Gotham Academy #5
Story by Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher
Art by Karl Kerschl with colors by Msassyk and Serge Lapointe
Review by Mara Wood
Each month, Gotham Academy sheds light on the lives of Olive, Maps, Pomeline, and the other students of the grim boarding school. This series, with its blend of whimsy and noir, continues to be a great series for fans of the Batman universe and fans of fun, all-ages comics.
Olive and Maps make their way into the secret passages of Gotham Academy. There, Olive encounters a strange inhabitant who may know something about her mother. Olive doesn’t have time for answers; the student body is in frenzy prepping for the dance. Olive’s got more problems than the refugee within the walls – who will she ask out at for the dance?
Issue 5 is by far the most action-packed issue while still retaining the character interactions we’ve come to expect from the series. While Olive is still the primary protagonist, Cloonan and Fletcher blend in more of the students and start getting readers interested in their backstories. Not only is Pomeline fascinating, but so is Colton with his pyrotechnics and Tristan with his strange…behaviors. Also, if you’ve been reading from the beginning, the end of this issue will get you super pumped for the next installment.
Once again, Gotham Academy delivers a fun, intriguing comic that is suitable for readers of all ages. The pace of the series flows seamlessly between Olive’s search for information on her mother to the strained relationship she has with her ex-boyfriend Kyle to the strange ghost stories surrounding Gotham Academy. There is a lot to unpack with each issue, but it never feels rushed or unnatural.
THE VERDICT
If you’ve been reading and felt like you have been on the fence so far, pick up this issue. It may just be the push you need to be a super fan of the series. If you’ve been curious about Gotham Academy, hunt down the first four or get ready to pre-order the trade when DC releases. This is one of my personal favorite series, and it always manages to sneak to the top of my reading pile when it comes out.
