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Is It Good? Gotham Academy #2 Review

Comic Books

Is It Good? Gotham Academy #2 Review

I really enjoyed the first issue of Gotham Academy. It was refreshing in that it was nothing like the usual Batman book, the writing and artwork were a lot of fun and they made for a very enjoyable experience. Maybe not the best new book debut last month, but it certainly stood out amongst all of the superhero titles. The second issue is out now. Can it keep this up quality? Is it good?


Gotham Academy #2 (DC Comics)


Is It Good? Gotham Academy #2 Review

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It’s another day at Gotham Academy and Olive is just trying to get through it. Pomeline Fritch is still giving her crap and she now has to write a report with her, she still feels isolated after the mysterious events that happened during the summer, and there are still those ghost rumors floating about the place. Either way, it’s not an easy life for her.

Is It Good? Gotham Academy #2 Review
Also, possibly a secret society, but what private school doesn’t have one of those?

Overall, I would have to say this is another good issue of the comic, even if it still feels like it’s in the setup phase, still building up storylines and Olive’s character for the audience. As such, it doesn’t feel like we make many leaps and bounds this issue in terms of story or character development… except for the end. The ending itself has many implications and things you can read into about what we’ve seen there and what has been hinted at so far. It leaves on the book on a very good note, one that’ll surely already have fans guessing and making theories about (I’ve already have a few of my own).

Regardless, the comic still falls squarely into the young adult/teen genre. The way it tells the story, how it focuses on Olive, and the internal narration and feelings we see really do seem like it would fit right in with a young teen novel. As such, the comic still feels like a niche product, one that’ll only appeal to a certain demographic and not to regular superhero fans. Though, I did hear that the book did do well in sales, so maybe I’m wrong about that.

Is It Good? Gotham Academy #2 Review
Oh crap! Don’t go towards the light!

Overall though, the writing on the book is solid and works well. Olive’s characterization is good and all of the hints we get really makes her an interesting character, someone who you definitely want to know more about. The rest of the cast is still not getting much in the way of development or characterization disappointingly, so hopefully that changes soon. The pacing and structure of the book is solid, never going too slow or glossing over things, with the exception of one scene with a dog (which you think would lead to something). The dialogue and narration are well done as well, never trying to overdo it with modern lingo in an attempt to make the characters sound younger. There are also some elements and ideas here that hint that magic or the supernatural is involved somewhat in the school, but we don’t get too see much of it. It may be interesting to see how that plays out from here on out.

The artwork on the comic is still very beautiful and pleasing to look at. The characters are all well drawn, easily distinguishable from one another and have a great range of emotion and expression. The layouts look great and are well put together, though at times they can be slightly wasteful with how much empty space they leave over on a page. There’s some nice imagery, a good amount of detail put into everything, and the locations and areas are very luscious and lively (I especially like how the library looks). The coloring as well does a real fantastic job here, helping bring these characters and their world to life. The art is easily one of the highlights of the book.

Is It Good? Gotham Academy #2 Review
Hmm, I think this book is faulty. There are no words in it.

Is It Good?

Gotham Academy #2 is a very enjoyable issue of the series with a lot of good, quality aspects. It does suffer a bit with a lack of development in its story and supporting cast, but it does offer a lot of interesting ideas, intriguing surprises, good writing, and really lovely artwork. The next issue seems to be hinting at something big and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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