Gotham Academy has quickly become one of DC Comics’ most engaging titles, taking an all-ages look at Batman’s world through the views of various students at the titular institution. The series started strong and has only improved as writers Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher delve deeper into the characters and build up a mystery involving mysterious supernatural happenings on campus. Last month’s Gotham Academy #3 brought the cast together in a way that dramatically strengthened the personal relationships in the story, and putting a different spin on the dynamics of certain characters like lead heroine Olive Silverlock and her class rival Pomeline Fritch has opened up new plot avenues that are further explored in this week’s #4.
The main attraction for this title continues to be Karl Kerschl’s outstanding artwork with a team of colorists that includes Msassyk and Serge LaPointe for Gotham Academy #4. This preview of the next issue spotlights the animated character work and detailed designs that have made this an incredibly immersive title, and his layouts do exceptional work reflecting how the characters experience the world. For example: When Olive trips on the stairs and is caught by her dreamy blonde classmate, the panels are put on a diagonal to show her disorientation, while also adding a dynamic energy to the encounter.
Kerschl’s artwork looks unlike anything else DC is currently putting out, and while the detail in the linework and coloring has resulted in a few weeks’ delay for #4, the strength of the visuals is more than worth the wait.