Trouble has found Olive Silverlock. Again.
The beginning of the comic's second story arc (after taking a few months off for Convergence and last month's cute interlude starring Damian Wayne) starts with a funeral. As such, it's not a spoiler to tell you that it's poor Olive who's grieving. Her mother, it seems, has died, though don't bother hoping for any details about how it happened.
As ever, Gotham Academy is in no rush to untangle its secrets and mysteries.
Instead, this is a story about Olive's ex. After taking a backseat for most of the first story arc, Kyle takes the lead role in this issue. His sister Maps brings him up to speed on the various discoveries the group has made, such as the school's direct link to Arkham Asylum. But it's Kyle's dogged determination to keep Olive safe propels the story foreward. Obviously he's still deeply in love with her, but Olive's in a weird place and needs something other than a boyfriend right now. When Kyle discovers that Olive is friends with the mysterious Tristan — and maybe a teeny bit more than friends — things take a dark turn.
Naturally, the two boys are soon on a collision course, a path that leads to the revelation that a very familiar name to Batman fans has set up shop at Gotham Academy as the new science teacher. Other mysteries unfold as well, such as a new threat against the school, another teacher with serious rage issues, and a twist on the final page that has potentially major implications for our heroine.
It's always hard to talk about Gotham Academy without going into spoilers, since every page, every panel is so carefully considered and planned out. It's always a very smart book, leaving plenty of room for readers to intuit what's really going on without spelling it out for us.
But it's still nice to see that the time off gave writers Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher ample opportunity to recharge and pick the story back up without missing a beat. If anything, their writing feels even more confident than ever, and that's saying something. The book's identity and tone are firmly established, and you get the sense that this duo isn't out to prove anything anymore; they've settled in and are ready to just tell an engrossing story.
Likewise, artist Karl Kerschl shows off his talents with a new willingness to experiment with layouts and angles. His art only gets richer and more soulful as the series progresses. Pay special attention to the book's very first page; it's all empty settings, no characters or dialogue, but it's oozing atmosphere that's thick and emotive.
We suspected as much from the start, but issue #8 seals it: Gotham Academy is something special. If you're not reading this book, you're missing out on one of the best comics out there. It's brilliant.
Go get it. Seriously, stop reading this review and buy it now.
Story:
★★★★★
Art:
★★★★★
Overall:
★★★★★
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