Amity unleashed!
Creative Staff:
Story: Brenden Fletcher, Becky Cloonan, Karl Kerschl
Art: Adam Archer, Sandra Hope. MSASSYK
Colors: MSASSYK, Serge LaPointe
Letterer: Steve Wands
What They Say:
In an epic climax to this storyline, Olive faces her true destiny as the fate of Gotham Academy hangs in the balance. Will her friends be able to reach her in time…or will the Academy be lost forever?!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With the announcement that Gotham Academy: Second Semester is entering its final arc and will end with issue twelve, there’s a kind of bittersweet element to this. Though the creators are talking about ways to come up with a third semester down the line I can’t help but to feel that it needs a whole new creative team and direction to take it on. I thoroughly loved the first semester until the yearbook nonsense and this semester has been a mixed bag. But the concept, the characters, and the location, are all worthy of lots of stories to be told and could be an ideal animated project in so many ways. But at the same time I’m glad it’s ending because it just doesn’t feel like it has a strong creative direction right now.
This issue finishes out the existing arc and does some decent things overall. I particularly liked the time with Pom and Colton, a pairing that’s certainly awkward, as they’ve been captured by Professor “Bookworm” for the moment and he’s just thrilled to have the book that Pom and her family have been searching for years to find. It’s all tied into what happened in the past with the Arkham’s and their lineage with the curse and covers those that must pay the price for their deeds like any good ledger would. Their escape and acquisition of the book is simple detective club material overall, but the flashback pieces are interesting to see Amity’s origins as is the way Pom and Colton work together while events go on elsewhere.
While Batman has been used minimally and to good effect in this series, his presence now is certainly warranted as Olive has been taken over by Amity and is full of fire and vengeance. These pages are really engaging to read as we get the narration that showcases Amity’s fear and how she believes she’s been used in so many ways, which warps whatever might be Olive’s personality underneath it. MacPherson is trying to calm things down and we naturally get more of the kids here along the way, but Amity is in full control and ready to really do some damage. That we get a momentary respite is helpful since it’s when Maps is there and she almost recognize her friend and others there, but it’s no surprise that she goes full on Amity once she gets control of the book and has all that information at hand. There’s a thrill to the idea of Amity unleashed in Olive that’s ready to burn it all down and that’s what it looks like the final arc will involve.
In Summary:
Gotham Academy: Second Semester has been such a rollercoaster of quality in terms of storytelling and structure that it’s frustrating as it could have been a great run. What we get here is the payoff to a lot of things that have been put together in awkward form for a while now and I wanted it to resonate more than it did, but this semester has had more drag on it than it should and it reduces the effectiveness here. There are some really good moments, some solid artwork, and a design for the final four issues that has me hopeful that we get some resolution to events and a way forward for these kids to still exist as their stories can and should be endless and fun. I want so much for this book but continue to feel like it falls short in some pretty big ways.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: April 12th, 2017
MSRP: $2.99
