The fall means back to school, doesn’t it?
Regardless of your age, the change in weather and the change in the colour of leaves (well, depending upon where you live) is synonymous with buying pens, pencil cases and duotangs. Students still use those things right? Everything hasn’t gone iPad, has it?
In any case, DC Comics is getting into the back-to-school game this fall, publishing a new, monthly series aimed at a younger audience (YES! Comics for teens!) but enjoyable to comic readers of all ages.
Boys and girls, please take your seats. Gotham Academy is now in session!
Gotham Academy #1
Written by: Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher
Illustrated by: Karl Kerschl
Published by: DC Comics
Written by Becky Cloonan (Demo, American Virgin, East Coast Rising) and Brenden Fletcher (Wednesday Comics) and phenomenally illustrated by Karl Kerschl (Wednesday Comics) Gotham Academy sort of takes a page out of Harry Potter and Hogwarts: kids within a school institution, solving mysteries, finding adventure and battling evil.
It doesn’t get any better than that, does it?
It’s a fresh take for DC Comics. There really isn’t anything that comes to mind that touches upon the young teen demographic in this particular way. Gotham Academy is certainly not Teen Titans and it’s still a title that can be enjoyed by any age group, despite who the main cast might be made up of.
In a shrewd business move, DC editorial has also decided that Gotham Academy will exist within regular DC continuity! That means that whatever big happenings are occurring in something like a Batman comic book – will have ramifications in Gotham Academy.
Atta be, DC. Get those young readers their hit of comic book crack early! And can you imagine fathers and mothers, older brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, having conversations at the dinner table with the younger folks in the household about what’s happening in the bat-verse?
Colour me optimistic, but that sounds wonderful – people of various generations taking about story and art in comics.
Gotham Academy stars Olive Silverlock, as she introduces young freshman “Maps” Mizoguchi to the main character of the series: the prestigious, mysterious and downright spooky prep school, whose benefactor is Bruce Wayne and where interesting strangers always seem to drop by.
Make the run to your local comic book shop today and sign up for Gotham Academy. In or out of class, it’s going to be a fun and fascinating curriculum!
