Gotham Academy: Year One #1: School Sucks!

Welcome back, students! Every now and then, the stars align with the universe and give us what we want. And what we want is another Gotham Academy series with the same creative team coming back for another great semester of gothic teenage drama! Bad school puns aside, this first issue was everything you expected it to be. 

The first issue gives us insight into not only Olive’s eary days at the academy, but we see a bit of a troubled teen, who sees herself as an outcast. Can you blame her? In her eyes, Batman took her away from her mom and dumped her into this school with a bunch of snotty rich kids. Not too much to smile about in her world, right now. On the surface, can you blame her? How Olive is written in the first issue takes the reader on a journey of trauma and pain that may ring familiar bells to many. Olive’s trauma is front and center, but it doesn’t take away from what else is going on within the story. For one, how many kids does Batman need to save from the mean streets of Gotham? Regardless of intent, Olive does not carry the Caped Crusader in the highest light. Olive, (and rightly so), in her mind, she was ripped from her mother when Batman put her in Arkham, and then he dumped Olive in the academy. Olive may have some life troubles, but Batman just added to the mound. Or did he? 

Her quest to uncover the truth about her past becomes an act of rebellion of sorts, fueled by her disdain for Batman, whom she blames for controlling her fate. Or does he?

The creative team masterfully threads a contradiction: as Olive delves deeper into the academy’s secrets, she constantly finds herself in danger and needs the expertise of someone like Batman. Talk about a powerful tension. As she pushes away the very protection she needs to survive the bizarre school. Her ultimate journey isn’t about escaping Batman’s world, but accepting that the need for community and safety outweighs her desire for complete self-reliance.