We’re lighting candles and hitting the books with this week’s “So You Want To Read Comics”.  This is our weekly feature where we take a look at a single topic or genre, then give you two comic book recommendations, perfect for new readers, based on that topic or genre.

With the rise of the internet, the world of genres, sub-genres, niches, and styles has grown exponentially.  Many of those remain relatively obscure, but every once in a while one rises up, gains prominence, and is then adopted by everything from fashion to architecture to literature.  That’s the story of dark academia.  In 2015, the first instances of dark academia began to appear on Tumblr and Reddit, first as a sort of offshoot of the Gothic aethstetic, but it would soon start to distance itself with a strong focus on romanticized versions of old European boarding schools and colleges.

Dark Academia is characterized visually by classical libraries similar to those found in colleges like Oxford, school uniforms, gothic architecture, candlelight, and dark stained wood furniture.  During the early days of the Covid pandemic, the sub-genre gained even more attention as young adults, unable to attend school in person, flocked to the romantic versions of school.  Dark academia has been heavily utilized in novels like Babel by R.F. Kuang, the T.V. adaptation of The Magicians, and even countless Spotify playlists.  It’s also featured prominently in non-western created entertainment like manga and anime.

For fans of Dark Academia, here are a couple of comics that utilize the style and are great for new readers.

GOTHAM ACADEMY

Writer: Becky Cloonan

Artist: Karl Kerschl

Publisher: DC Comics

In a city famous for a certain caped crusader that looks slightly bat-like and spends a good deal of time standing on gargoyles, it’s not a stretch to believe that the schools there might be a bit dark.  Gotham Academy is a series centered around the character of Olive Silverlock and her adventures at Gotham Academy, which include releasing a ghost into school, encountering secret societies, and learning the unknown history of the school while butting heads with the school’s financier, Bruce Wayne.  The series is filled with interesting characters, none more so than the school itself, which is filled with secret tunnels, large libraries, and plenty of low lighting.  While the series does feature some well-known elements of the Batman mythos, they are presented here in an accessible way with the real deep cuts being played off more like inside jokes. The series was short-lived, compared to some of the longer-running series’ out there, and can be read in its entirety in three volumes.  Also, keep an eye out for a crossover miniseries with another comic book title The Lumberjanes (which is also great).

COURTNEY CRUMRIM AND THE NIGHT THINGS

Writer: Ted Naifeh

Artist: Ted Naifeh

Publisher: Oni Press

Even though it pre-dates the rise of Dark Academia as an established sub-genre/culture,  Courtney Crumrim features many of the elements that would go on to be considered key aspects of the style.  This series centers around the titular character of Courtney Crumrim who is a character who might be the exact opposite of the suburbs, which is a shame, because that’s exactly where her parents bring her to.  Thankfully she has her uncle’s gothic-styled house to hide in, including his library which brings forth all sorts of strange things for her to encounter.  At its heart, the series is about a character who feels out of place in where she is and longs to steal herself away into the dark halls of her uncle’s house and explore the mysteries there.  While the series hasn’t had a new issue in many years, the creator has claimed that the door is still open if they ever feel the urge to return to it.  As of right now, there are seven volumes available on Amazon, meaning there’s no shortage of Courtney Crumrin stories to enjoy.

What are your favorite parts of Dark Academia? What did you think of these recommendations? Let us know in the comments section below.

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