Review: Gotham Academy Second Semester #5
By Philip Schweier
January 11, 2017 - 13:58
DC Comics
Writer(s): Brendan Fletcher, Becky Cloonan and Karl Kerschl
Penciller(s): Adam Archer; Breakdowns by Rob Haynes
Inker(s): Sandra Hope
Colourist(s): Msassyk and Serge Lapointe
Cover Artist(s): Karl Kerschl
The
fate of Colton is (somewhat) decided, as events pick up from two issues ago.
Accused of theft, the troublesome student seems to have brought Headmaster
Hammer to the end of his rope. Whether Colton is eventually expelled remains to
be seen, as well as how much Bruce Wayne’s involvement will impact the outcome
(C’mon – you know he had to show up sooner or later.)
Meanwhile,
more secrets of other students are slowly being exposed, which will no doubt
culminate in a future storyline. This story is a bit of a lull in the
action – which is fine, otherwise how would we recognize the peaks
and valleys of the story arcs? Stay tuned. More to come.
There are veiled references to the Batman mythos. It is my hope that the more original elements will somehow manifest elsewhere in the DC Universe at a later time, tying Gotham Academy into the greater DCU.
As always, the artwork is stellar. I showed the book to my 11-year old niece, and she was charmed by it, asking me where she could find the cartoon series. (See, I’m not the only one.) This is one of those series that everyone should read. It’s not just for kids, though that is undoubtedly the target audience. Parents and those of us who are comic book missionaries need to acknowledge the books that stand out, that have a broader based appeal.