Another mystery sorta solved.
Creative Staff:
Story: Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl
Art: Adam Archer, Sandra Hope, MSASSYK
Colors: Serge Lapointe
Letterer: Steve Wands
What They Say:
Could it be? Maps Mizoguchi has abandoned Detective Club for…Witch Club?! The gang refuses to believe that their fearless cartographer would ever betray them. A mystery must be afoot! But who is behind it and what sinister plans do they have for the Academy?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Gotham Academy has had a mostly solid return with its second semester run as we get a mostly standalone Olive issue at first that brought Amy into play and then we got the gang back together in the second. That one worked some fun in getting the mysterious witch Haxan story underway, which comes to a quick resolution of sorts with this issue. It’s the kind of story that leaves more of a tease of what’s to come while keeping some truths from the kids so there’s a sense of honesty and realism about it that’s a little off-putting. What makes it just a blast to engage with, however, is the artwork. The book is once again just beautiful with the way everything is blended by Archer, Hope and MSASSYK and combining that with some great layouts and creative moments, such as the laundry chute, just makes it delightful to follow.
The fun with this book, beyond the beautiful layouts, is in watching the Detective Club doing their best to rescue Maps. Knowing that she’s a part of this now, apparently mind-controlled through technology, it’s a race to try and get her back from doing anything that would be really bad for her since they don’t know what Haxan is actually up to. In fact, Haxan’s overall goal is something that never really gels and is the weak point here as she comes across as essentially just wanting revenge on the Academy without a distinctive and clear reason. That it involves book burning makes one cringe, more so when we discover who she really is, but I admit that I adore the way she goes old school witchy here with the cabin in the woods, the fire circle, and just the color design that makes it all a winter wonderland of creepiness.
The cast dynamic has been a big plus for a long time in this series and that continues here, though we get some fringe elements coming into it. Olive brings Amy into the hunt after a bit while not really explaining things so she’s more of a tagalong at this point and not really fleshed out or key to it. But it’s welcome just to see her a bit more involved since that can be explored more. I also like the whipsaw like effect we get from Eric from time to time as he’s got his issues to deal with, notably with his notebook being burned, as it showcases a different side of him than we’ve seen before where he’s mostly kind of meek. The part that I really enjoyed was seeing Pom of all people telling Colton to step up and talk to Kyle about his feelings toward him because it’s only going to become more problematic. There’ll be problems one way or another no matter what, but just seeing Pom telling him this and his nervousness worked wonderfully.
In Summary:
Gotham Academy is slowly working its way back into my heart after some problematic Yearbook issues in the previous series. This issue has its problems as well, mostly with Haxan and another nod toward bigger things at play, but the real draw continues to be the character dynamic with this group that’s come about. I do wish we had more with the teachers, especially those with rich histories, and digging more into the curious and endless past of the Academy itself. The other big draw is the artwork and I’m usually not one to say read a book even if you don’t like the story because the art is fantastic. This is one of those books that it’s worth it just from that point of view alone. Thankfully, the art and storyline with the characters all blends together well and that makes it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: November 9th, 2016
MSRP: $2.99
