Gotham Academy was always a peculiar series for me since its launch in 2014. As a Bat-adjacent book, it really stood out from the rest of the line, having been more aimed towards a younger audience and having a generally lighter tone as a result. When the series took off I remember it having a strong following on Tumblr at the time. Maps Mizoguchi may not have been the main character of the first series, but she was certainly the breakout star — and the concept of Maps as Robin became a fun idea to pass around in fan circles.
Maps of Mystery is all about Gotham Academy‘s breakout character, collecting various Maps stories over the last few years including the fan favorite Robin tale. Gotham Academy often operates in its own area, relatively untouched by the rest of the DC universe and that worked in its favor. It made Gotham Academy feel like a glimpse into that corner of Gotham as opposed to the usual superhero fare.
Cloonan has been a polarizing writer for me and I often don’t see eye to eye with her visions on certain characters lately, but Gotham Academy is certainly her best work at DC. The creative team who made the character and the series so popular have their prints all over this book and it makes Gotham Academy feel so cohesive as a series. At the end of the day, Batman has always been good with kids in need and the way he interacts with Maps is exactly the kind of Batman content you want to see in a book like this.
The lighter, fluffier stories don’t always have a place in Batman books to match tone, but it’s certainly the advantage of a book like Gotham Academy on the other hand. The art is perfect for the lighter heart of the story from start to finish as well.
If you’ve ever wanted to know more about this niche corner of the DC Universe and this unique character, Maps of Mystery is a great place to start.
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