Olive Silverlock has been possessed by the spirit of her pyrokinetic ancestor, and she’s about to broil The Batman alive. This seems like a good way to get expelled… Your Major Spoilers review of Gotham Academy: Second Semester #8 awaits!
GOTHAM ACADEMY: SECOND SEMESTER #8
Writer: Brenden Fletcher, Beckly Cloonan, Karl Kerschl
Penciler: Adam Archer & MSassyK
Inker: Sandar Hope & MSassyK
Colorist: MSassyK
Letterer: Steve Wands
Editor: Rebecca Taylor
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Gotham Academy: Second Semester: “In an epic climax to this storyline, Olive faces her true destiny as the fate of Gotham Academy hangs in the balance. Will her friends be able to reach her in time…or will the Academy be lost forever?”
LOST HISTORY
As our issue opens, things are looking bad: Pomeline and Colton have been captured by Bookworm, Olive is possessed, and Maps is nowhere to be found. There are a lot of important revelations in this issue regarding the history of Gotham and the families whose history have been intertwined for so long. While Olive fights off the influence of Amity Arkham and her flame powers,Bookworm reveals the truth about the book and how Amity became cursed, and Batman… just kinda hangs around ordering people about. Everyone gets their own moment in the sun, but the real MVP ends up being Pomeline, whose family secret comes out, even saving the day. Unfortunately, the issue ends with Olive on the run and the promise of a big Final Arc of Gotham Academy…
IS THIS THE END?
I’ve missed a couple of issues, but it’s the to credit of the creators that I was able to jump back into this comic without missing anything, and the relevant bits of plot information are delivered naturally and well within the structure. I’m sad that this book might be ending (though I hope it’s just this volume, and that there might be another arc after this one) but this issue is very well-done, and includes a tiny Clayface saving Colton’s bacon. The interactions of the cast are once again the star of the issue, and I enjoy the fact that it wasn’t just “Batman swoops in and saves the day.” Most impressively, though, I’m really excited for what comes next, even if it does end up being the final arc…
THE BOTTOM LINE: LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ARC
I’ve argued for a long time that comic books should be allowed to have natural ends, and if any book deserves it, it’s Gotham Academy, a comic which has long ignored the “traditional” rules of comics. Gotham Academy: Second Semester #8 brings a lot of things to a boil all at once, but keeps it all balanced, with clear and excellent art, some real suspense and an ending that will make you want issue #9 immediately, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. Will it all work out in the end?
I kind of doubt it, and that’s a big part of the fun…
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Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.