Gotham Academy, Vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy by Becky Cloonan

Gotham Academy, Vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy by Becky Cloonan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Gotham City's most prestigious prep school is a very weird place. It's got a spooky campus, oddball teachers, and rich benefactors always dropping by...like that weirdo Bruce Wayne. But nothing is as strange as the students!

Like, what's up with Olive Silverlock? Is she crazy or what? Where did she go last summer? And what's the deal with her creepy mom? And how come that Freshman Maps is always following her around? And is she still going out with Kyle? P.S. Did you hear the rumor about the ghost in the North Hall?!

Collects Gotham Academy #1-6

My Review:

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story can best be summed up by the Nerdist's blurb.



Although this blurb is somewhat on point, it wasn't enough to make this a spectacular read. The art was good, and the way the illustrator mapped out the campus and the characters in the beginning was quite amazing. Good job. As for the storyline, it was a little slow and a little bit all over the place. This story is about a group of misfit friends, and by misfit, I mean they couldn't be any more different from one another (in fact, they don't all necessarily get along).



The main character, Olive (white hair) was aloof and distant. Many times throughout the story it was hinted that something strange/interesting/devastating happened over the summer to make her stand-offish, but it was never directly regarded. Huge hole in the storyline, although it may be brought up in more depth in the next issue.

Pom, Kyle, Maps, and Colton all played a supporting role, but not much depth was given to them, other than Maps. Maps was an enthusiastic "optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and dreamer of improbable dreams" - Doctor Who. She was the first to go exploring, cause trouble, play with explosives - well, you get the idea.

Batman was not left out of this story, although, he wasn't necessarily the beloved hero everyone thinks him to be, at least by Olive. I liked this direction because not all Superheros are flawless, and this just brings more depth to his character. Hopefully there will be more in this regards in the next volume.



I won't go out and buy the next volume in this series, but will continue on if I can obtain a free copy, via NetGalley, library, etc. I'd also warn you that if you are wanting the darker Gotham feel, don't expect much, but if you want something slightly different, or to view Gotham in a different light, give this a try.

Read May 21st, 2015

Top 5 Genres*: Sequential Art/Comics, Sequential Art/Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Mystery, Graphic Novels Comics
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

View all my reviews