Comics
Comic Book Review: ‘Gotham Academy’ #4 Is A Game Changer
‘Gotham Academy’ is getting lukewarm reviews from longtime Gotham fans, but I think this new direction adds some variety. The story so far follows a mysterious high school student named Olive Silverlock, who doesn’t seem to have very many friends, who hasn’t spoken to her boyfriend in months despite not actually breaking up with him, and who can’t remember something cataclysmic last summer.
WRITTEN BY: Becky Cloonan, Brendan Fletcher
ART BY: Karl Kerschl
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: January 28, 2015
Review by Katy Rex
If you were wondering if DC was intentionally making an ongoing comic in the tone of a high school romance manga, and Kyle’s weird visor/hair situation wasn’t enough to clue you in, I’ll help you out: At one point in this issue, Olive trips and falls down the stairs, literally into the arms of the mysterious stranger/hot guy who she’s seen hanging around campus. Who is that boy? And does he have a clue about her mysterious missing summer?
Make no mistake, this isn’t a criticism. From a company that has taken dark & gritty to new depths, this is sweet, refreshing, and honest fun. It’s still on the dark side of YA, but it’s so accessible. Maps is easily the most likable character, with her buoyant and infectious enthusiasm serving as the catalyst for many of the major plot points, without her encouragement Olive would probably mope in her dorm room. But while the past issues were about character development and build-up, this issue hits the ground running, facing the mysteries head-on, accumulating more key points in the inexplicable haunting, and confronting some pretty serious shit.
The best part of the art in this issue takes place in the actual art classroom. Remember how I mentioned how Maps is my favorite? Well, it turns out she’s a fantastic artist and a total weirdo. She’s in her class, just casually painting some seriously Lovecraftian monstrosity. It’s just delightful. I could actually probably just write this whole review about how much I love Maps, but that wouldn’t be fair to the book as a whole, which can hardly help the fact that Maps is unparalleled in how great she is. But all of the character designs walk this manga/western line beautifully, and are each singularly appealing in their own way.
If you’re one of the people who have been on the fence about this series, and you’ve been waiting for something to just happen already, jeez, this isn’t the issue to drop. Pick it up, this one’s a game-changer.
—
Katy Rex writes comics analysis at endoftheuniversecomics.com, comicsbulletin.com, and bloody-disgusting.com. She also writes scholarly articles for various academic journals. She really likes butt jokes, dinosaurs, and killing psychos and midgets in Borderlands 2. She has a great sense of humor if you’re not an asshole.
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
You must be logged in to post a comment.