Review: Gotham Academy #4
By Philip Schweier
December 14, 2016 - 14:36
DC Comics
Writer(s): Brendan Fletcher
Penciller(s): Jon Lam
Inker(s): Jon Lam
Colourist(s): Jon Lam
Letterer(s): Steve Wands
Cover Artist(s): Mingjue Helen Chen
A slight pause
in events from prior issues, as we enjoy a slight detour to the Carnival
Midnight. The story is set before the current second semester. In my
experience, carnivals are an autumn thing, so, first semester? Sure, let’s go
with that.
When an old-fashioned traveling show sets up on the grounds of Gotham Academy, Headmaster Collingwood Vaughn Hammer (yes, I see what you did there) is quick to send the troup packing. Not to be denied, it moves to just outside the gates, allowing the students of GA to come see the sites. But as we’ve come to expect with Gotham Academy, there is more to this show than meets the eye, leading to a little D&D-style adventure and its fantastical secret.
Another noticeable departure is the art style. It’s now fully-painted, rather than the animated style we’ve seen before. But it still works well, and all the characters are “on-model” as some cartoonists would say. Perhaps it’s an inventory story while the next chapter is being polished, but safe to say it’s a pretty good inventory story; better than most.
I’ve said before how much I enjoy this series. Sure, it’s an all-ages book, but it sure doesn’t read like one. Maybe the violence and language is more tame than other comics, but that makes this no less sophisticated or enjoyable. If you’ve got a young Scooby-Doo or Harry Potter fan in your life, this is a great title to share with them.