Last
issue, Gotham Academy’s Detective Club was looking for a mystery, and they
found a doozy when kids all over campus started acting strange, as if
mesmerized. And when each one became part of a mysterious coven of witches,
things got even weirder. And when one of their own is among the brainwashed, it
became downright dangerous.
As a so-called
all-ages title, Gotham Academy requires a great deal of forgiveness. For
instance, with all the strange goings-on at an institute of higher learning,
things tend to get out of hand rather quickly. It’s not like Hogwarts, where
much of it can be attributed to uncontrolled magic. At Gotham Academy, you have
young people in an academic setting exposed to corruption, cartoon villainy and
nefarious deeds by persons (mostly) unknown. You’d think parents and the more
upright staff would eventually demand a formal investigation.
But that
seldom works in a world inhabited by Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys wannabes. It’s
usually left to the kids to solve the mystery and set everything right once
more, usually with little or no consequences. But perhaps that might not be the
case this time, as one member of the Detective Club may find their time at
Gotham Academy at an end.
One thing I like
about this book (and this may pertain in other all-ages titles) is that of the
stories I’ve read so far, they’re all pretty much two-parters at the most.
Rather than extended story arcs that run for 5-8 issues, each story has been
mercifully brief. Not that they’re bad stories by any means, but none of the
stories have required a heavy investment of time or money. Not only is that intelligent
marketing to the younger readers toward which the title is aimed, but I hope
it’s a strategy that filters over to other books. Perhaps not every Superman or
Green Lantern comic book will encompass an overly-ambitious epic.