It’s a tight schedule to save Colton with!
Creative Staff:
Story: Brenden Fletcher
Art: Adam Archer, Sandra Hope. MSASSYK
Colors: MSASSYK, Serge LaPointe
Letterer: Steve Wands
What They Say:
The Book of Gotham holds a truth that Olive Silverlock may not be ready for. When devastating secrets are revealed, Olive’s closest allies will be seen for what they truly are, and the fate of the Academy itself may hang in the balance.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Gotham Academy took a less than interesting turn with the side story the previous issue, which is something that the series does far too often in the grand sense of the thing. As much as I enjoy the book it hasn’t had the same magic as those early issues as it feels more unfocused than before. With this issue we get back to the story that was going on since the start of the second semester, which means the main team is back in full, and there’s at least a great looking book to be had here. Again, not the same as the opening issues of the original series, but the team is continuing to do some good work that stands apart from other DC books and feels very appropriate for the stories and characters at hand.
This one takes us back to the bit with Colton suddenly being expelled as it shows what lead up to that with him and Pom almost being caught acquiring some gear and doing their best to escape. That lead Colton to discover a new secret passageway which in turn put him into Scarlet’s office where he’s messing with a map that’s quite old. And Colton’s swiping of the map and running off puts him squarely into Hammer’s hands, which means a quick expulsion. It’s only some quick maneuvers by Mizoguchi and then Pomeline’s mother that delays the expulsion and allows for an actual hearing to be put into place. Because, you know, these are actually the rules and need to be followed instead of just the whims of Hammer. It’s comics but there’s still some grounding to be had in reality here.
Unfortunately, the book comes across as a bit of a mess before the hearing gets underway with a lot going on as it deals with the prior events of this arc as well, and then it wants to run with what feels like five or six different things amid the hearing. And hearings are never interesting, even with Pom’s mother in the mix. The addition of Bruce Wayne is a fun touch, especially as he talks with Olive a bit and that gets questions sent her way, as well as accusations towards Wayne about how corrupt he is. The book has a lot going on with the various mysteries that exist in this very old academy and we see how other events that have been percolating from the start of this semester are starting to come forward, but it really doesn’t feel like it’s been given the right weight or time to earn what it’s doing and instead is just more scattershot and unfocused.
In Summary:
With a couple of very solid issues at the start of the run and then going into less than interesting territory, I’m at a loss with Gotham Academy. It continues to be a book that I want to rave about like I did early on but it’s hard to muster up the energy to do so. There are fun character moments in this issue as I expected, such as with Wayne and Pomeline’s mother, and I continue to be intrigued by the use of certain villains to handle the place, but the lack of something that feels coherent for a storyline and strong pacing and exposition to bring it to life is really hindering things. It’s still a visual treat, at least.
Grade: B-
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: January 11th, 2017
MSRP: $2.99
