The final Yearbook chapter has thankfully arrived!
Creative Staff:
Story: Brenden Fletcher
Art: Adam Archer
What They Say:
As the “Gotham Academy Yearbook” storyline comes to an end, Olive, Maps and the gang wrap up the year with stories that will reveal secrets about the Academy you won’t want to miss!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Gotham Academy has done some fantastic work in its run and even in this Yearbook arc has had some great stories. But by the second book I’ll admit I was already feeling a bit weary from it, never mind by this one that draws it to a close. The concept is one that works well in bringing in a range of creators to tell some stories while giving the main team a chance to move ahead with the next arc. And a place like Gotham Academy has a limitless number of stories from its past that it can tell, not just from the kids that are there. So with Maps and Olive off chasing Robin as he’s making his way with the scrapbook, a few more tales are told.
The first one digs into the story of Professor Milo and made me dislike it from the start as the lettering was unreadable to my eyes on the screen, which made for a huge amount of frustration. Especially since it is an interesting story that Moritat gets to illustrate here as we see Milo working on trying to figure out what secrets Hammer has within the Academy, taking on Tristan and the virus within him as a Man-Bat to be explore as the puzzle that it is, and watching over the rest of the kids as they begin to figure out that there’s more to the place. I rather liked the nods to the coach that we get here with what their interactions are like and how Milo uses him, but mostly it’s the strength of the artwork that carries this through. Fletcher’s story is solid enough but the lettering just made it very problematic.
The second story deals with the shop class that Maps is a part of as written by Steve Orlando and illustrated by Minkyu Jung. It’s here that we see Silversmith teaching his love and respect of silver itself with the kind of passion that will drive away most kids that age. Maps is hugely into it if only because of the usefulness of a silver weapon she can create, which has her swiping the necessary materials in the middle of the night after distracting Silversmith. It’s a cute enough story when you get down to it and it has a solid design, but it lacks something to really make it feel compelling. It’s a nice bit of additional color for the Academy itself, however.
Another flashback story is from Natasha Alterici, who wrote and illustrated it, as we get to see a talent show play out in the auditorium. This has Maps and Pomeline working together for some fun that goes awry, but the main takeaway here is getting a little time with Pom’s mother and the tender moment there after things go wrong. Alterici’s artwork is fantastic but there’s just not enough meat to the story. At least it leads to the final story, a two-page work from Faith Erin Hicks, that has Kyle teaching Maps how to drive. A golf cart. Which he puts a Batman decal on so it becomes a Bat-cart. That’s just priceless.
In Summary:
While not my favorite arc of the series as a whole, I generally liked the Gotham Yearbook material – but wish it was spread out more throughout the series. This installment brings it to close with a nice touch in regards to Maps and Robin that should make you smile while Olive is just surprised by it all. The book is coming back in August with a one-shot story before a full new arc lands in September as part of the “second semester” billing. We’ll definitely be back for a whole lot more.
Grade: B-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: May 11th, 2016
MSRP: $2.99
