Title: Gotham Academy Vol 2: Calamity
Author: Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher
Illustrators: Karl Kerschl, Mingjue Hellen Chen, Msassyk
Publisher: DC Comics
Publication Date: March 22, 2016
***I received a digital copy of this publication in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
Description:
Olive has received information that her mother might be alive—and now, she and her friends must investigate! Of course werewolves, ghosts, and new student Damian Wayne won’t make it easy! Collects issues #7-12 and the sneak peek story from DC SNEAK PEEK: GOTHAM ACADEMY #1.
**description from goodreads.com**
My Review:
Wow. I am so excited I stumbled on the first Volume of this series last year. I loved it. I am a big fan of the Batman franchise and have wanted a way to dive into the universe without being too overwhelmed.
There are so many Batman, Batgirl, Robin etc. runs that I just didn't know where to start and since I had a little bit of base knowledge thanks to the film versions and the millions of pop culture references over the years but the task of actually reading a comic series, when I am new to comics, seemed so daunting.
If you find yourself in the same metaphorical boat then this might be the solutions for you.
I am not sure, but I think about this series like a middle grade or young YA aimed series. We follow Olive who is the daughter of a woman locked up in Arkham as she attends Gotham Academy, a private school funded by Bruce Wayne.
We open the first Volume on her meeting the kid sister or her ex-boyfriend and them bonding as she deals with relationship and family drama. Strange things start to happen that a few of the other "unique" kids who attend the academy also begin to notice. They form a friendship group dedicated to protecting the school.
We see a familiar villain, have some great character development (especially for Olive), and have a fun paranormal adventure. It was lighthearted and humorous but also simple and the dark colors of the panels and the overall tone felt very much like the Batman movies I was familiar with which really made me enjoy it more.
I was so excited and grateful to be able to read the second issue a little in advance and although I am posting my review a little after the release date it is not because I didn't enjoy it or it didn't capture my interest. It is because I was so hyped to know what everyone else would be saying about it.
I wish more people would pick up this series and motivate the release of these trades to come out a little quicker because I almost can't stand the wait after the finale of this volume. I was not disappointed in the least.
We pick up where we left off but with more friendship development, more paranormal activity, and more depth into the Batman universe. I love spotting the connections to things I know about and love seeing how they incorporate these elements into this fun series.
As you can see from the cover the art style is consistent throughout the two volumes and I am so happy about that. The purples, grays and blacks, and overall gloom of the colors really makes me feel like the are keeping with the authenticity of how anything Batman related should feel. The colors are almost brooding and that is exactly what I want them to be.
Olive continues to grow but we also get more details about the side characters which I really appreciated. I don't want to reveal too much about the actual plot in case you are reading this without reading the first volume first but if you are looking for a great way to dive into Batman that isn't overwhelming and is entertaining and has the same feel then this is a great place to start.
My Star Rating:
5 out of 5
Read This If You Enjoyed:
No comments:
Post a Comment