Description: The students of Gotham's most prestigious prep school are back and they've just survived one heck of a year within the walls of Gotham Academy. Now it's time for everyone to look back and experience some of the lost adventures from the school year that was.

Review: It is hard to call Gotham Academy Volume 3 a "volume" since it contains six meandering short stories that are written and illustrated by different graphic novelists. There were only a handful of stories that I liked and many others I disliked. While I liked the concept of the yearbook I was surprised how early it released considering how many unanswered questions that surfaced with the first two volumes of this series. What made reading this volume difficult is the inconsistency with the narrative text and the artwork of different graphic novelists who take a crack at the Detective Club. Overall this volume felt disjointed and I did not enjoy it.

Rating: 2 stars

Words of Caution: There is some PG-13 violence in the graphic novel. Recommended for Grade 7 and up.


Description: When you're Gotham Academy student Olive Silverlock, winter holidays can be a drag. Luckily, when a new student shows up at Gotham Academy to keep her company while the other students are away, Olive finds what could be a brand new friend...or a whole lot of trouble. And when Maps, Kyle, Colton, Pomeline and the rest of the students of Gotham's #1 prep school return for a new semester, the adventures are twice as mysterious and twice as dangerous!

Review: I am not sure if Gotham Academy Second Semester is a spin off series for Gotham Academy or a continuation of the overarching story. All of our main characters return to a new semester. I was a bit hesitant to read this one since I was really disappointed with Gotham Academy Vol. 3, but ended up really enjoying this one. The plot and tension of this volume is a slow burn. Olive has a new roommate that starts to have a negative effect on her. We also have a small mystery where students have been brainwashed and kidnapped by a disgruntled teacher. At first glance I thought the graphic novel was pretty average since I figured the mystery early on but as I read on I was glad to discover a twist in the last half of the story. We get more background information on Olive's family history, what fuels her dark side, and there is a new romance development that I'm very curious to see where it goes. Luckily, the romance is not a love triangle. The volume does end on a cliffhanger so it might be a while to read what happens next. Gotham Academy Second Semester returns to the dark, gothic mystery setting that first grabbed my attention and made me curious about this series. I am glad that it is back on track.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong violence in the book. Recommended for strong Grade 8 readers and up.

If you like these books try: The Nameless City series by Faith Erin Hicks

Description: At the beginning of the term, Olive Silverlock returned to Gotham Academy a shadow of her former self. But thanks to her new friendships and their Detective Club sleuthing, Olive was finally starting to feel whole again. But now, Olive is seeing ghosts. A spectral, robed figure is haunting the Academy, and haunting Olive in particular, appearing to her and giving sinister instructions. Could this spirit be the key to unlocking the secrets of her family's dark past? Or is Olive simply losing her grip on reality?"




Review: Gotham Academy is a fun mash up of Scooby Doo meets the gothic, gloomy Gotham City. While I didn't like this volume as much as I did the first, mainly because it did not flow very well and felt choppy as there were no logical transitions between the scenes. Maps takes up much of the first half of this volume. Her partnering up with the grumpy and wiser than his years Damian Wayne was fun to witness. I adore Maps, the energetic and adorable girl whose eyes light up when a new mystery surfaces, but she felt like the energizer bunny who bounced off the walls and was just too much for me in this volume. I do hope that we see more of Damian Wayne has he was the yin to Map's peppy yang. 

 Gotham Academy is a fun graphic novel that will suit fans of the superhero comics as well as old school mysteries. It is also a great start to a brand new series.

Description: Welcome to Gotham Academy, the most prestigious school in Gotham City. Only the best and brightest students may enter its halls, study in its classrooms, explore its secret passages, summon its terrifying spirits.
  Okay, so Gotham Academy isn't like other schools. But Olive Silverlock isn't like other students. After a mysterious incident over summer break, she's back at school with a bad case of amnesia, an even worse attitude...and an unexplained fear of bats.
  Olive's supposed to show new student Maps Mizoguchi the ropes. Problem: Maps is the kid sister of Kyle, Olive's ex. Then there's the ghost haunting the campus...and the secret society conducting bizarre rituals. Can Olive and Maps ace the biggest challenge of their lives? Or are they about to get schooled?

Review:  There are many graphic novels written about Batman, but Gotham Academy has a new conceit. In this series, Bruce Wayne is the benefactor to Gotham Academy. While does have a presence in the graphic novel, he is regulated to the background and pops in at very interesting times throughout the novel. The students take center stage, particularly Olive Silverlock who has had a traumatic summer. She struggles to get back into her school routine while showing around new student Maps Mizoguchi and trying to avoid her ex, Kyle, Maps's older brother. With a possible ghost knocking on the walls and secret societies roaming the halls, Olive isn't coping well with the knowledge of her mother's precarious health condition, her studies, and her classmates' bullying. On top of all the school drama, Olive begins to remember bits and pieces about a fire and keeps running into a mysterious stranger with glowing eyes who seems to know her more than she knows him, she bands with other school misfits to uncover some of Gotham Academy's dark secrets. 
  I loved that the cast of the characters are quirky, full of energy, and are extremely diverse. I like how all the characters took time to get together and build their friendships at a natural pace. I'm not really sure how Bruce Wayne is figured into Olive's mother's illness or why Olive has such a great disliking to the Dark Knight, but I definitely want to know more. The art is vibrant and captures the gloomy and creepy atmosphere of the academy. The text has the right amount of campy dialogue and humor to off set the darker undertones of the overall story. While we do solve the bigger mystery of the mysterious person lurking in the halls of the academy, we are left with plenty of questions. I definitely will continue to this series.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There are some disturbing images and brief language. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Batgirl by Cameron Stewart, Batman: Lil Gotham by Dustin Nguyen