When Gotham Academy first launched back in late 2014, it came at a very opportune time. While the New 52 had been branded as being darker and more straight-faced than some longtime readers may have preferred their DC books, Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher changed the game by turning Batgirl into an almost hipster-like character in her own solo series, offering a bit more of a light-hearted tone that some thought previous issues in the run lacked.
That said, it came as no surprise that Fletcher also served as one the creative minds behind Gotham Academy, along with co-writer Becky Cloonan. Basically, the series could be best described as if The Goonies were attending a school somewhat comparable to Hogwarts, only based in Gotham. With that, not only do we continue being able to gain a fresh perspective on Batman and those others who exist within that corner of the DC Universe through the eyes of new characters, but the title was also extremely welcoming to the “young adult” crowd.
Once the Rebirth initiative took off last summer, the book was relaunched with the appropriate subtitle of Second Semester. Much to the delight of devoted readers, pretty much the same creative team stayed on, only with artist Karl Kerschl jumping to the other side of the fence in order to focus more on co-plotting the series. Still, he continued to contribute covers and folks such as Adam Archer didn’t stray too far from the visual precedent that he set.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end at some point. Thus, issue #12 will conclude the journey Olive Silverlock, Pomeline, Maps and the rest of the crew have embarked on. Here’s a brief synopsis letting us know what to expect:
“The Ballad of Olive Silverlock” finale! It all comes down to this. With Olive poised to raze the city to the ground, Maps is determined to make one final crusade in the name of friendship. But life isn’t school, and if she fails…all of Gotham could pay the price! Don’t miss the final issue of this beloved series!
Gotham Academy: Second Semester #12 arrives in comic shops next Wednesday, August 9.
Credits:
Writers: Karl Kerschl, Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher
Artists: Adam Archer, Sandra Hope, MSASSYK
Cover: Karl Kerschl