Review: Gotham Academy: First Year #2

In this review of Gotham Academy: First Year #2, as Olive settles in at Gotham Academy, finding friends, fun, and maybe even love, the darkness that is devouring her mother threatens to devour her too!

GOTHAM ACADEMY: FIRST YEAR #2
Written by BRENDEN FLETCHER, KARL KERSCHL, and BECKY CLOONAN
Art by MARCO FERRARI
Main Cover: KARL KERSCHL
Variant Cover: HAINING
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: 11/5/25

This review contains spoilers

As Gotham Academy: First Year #2 begins, Olive talks to her mother about her time at Gotham Academy – things are going well! Sibyl teases her daughter about her romance with Kyle, and Olive says she’s happy to see Sibyl doing well. Sibyl whispers that Professor Crane’s medications are the reason for her improvement, and hopes to be out in a few months. Olive starts having nightmares of her mother returning, causing her to seek help from the Guidance Counselor. She recommends tutoring to get more personal interaction without mediation.

Olive meets Heathcliff Ray, her tutor-ee, and discovers he has a massive crush on Pomeline (as well as a very musical, artistic soul). Later, her study date with Kyle is interrupted by Colton dropping off a bunch of fireworks, followed by a bunch of the Academy’s football team trying to bully Colton. Kyle trips up the bullies, then flees with Olive in the rain, laughing (making a big impression on Colton). Kyle and Olive finally have their first kiss, and Kyle invites Olive to stay with him over the Thanksgiving weekend.

At the Mizguchi manor house, Olive has dinner with Kyle, his parents, and his hiding-under-the-table little sister Mia, nicknamed Maps. Maps shows Olive her room, covered with role-playing game maps and drawings, and the two form an instant bond. Later that night, while Olive’s in bed, Maps surprises her with a sleepover, with games and snacks.

Afterwards, Olive can’t wait to tell her mom about it, but as she visits Arkham, the Scarecrow has broken out, and she meets Clayface (who mirrors her appearance) and Mr. Freeze before finally finding her mom. Sibyl is nearly catatonic, muttering about fire, and Olive fearfully sees the guards bring Scarecrow back to his cell. He tries to get Olive to unlock his cell, but she refuses. As she flees Arkham in the rain, his words echo in her ears that he plans to blow up the Asylum.

Analysis

Brendan Fletcher and Marco Ferrari’s storytelling is really dense in Gotham Academy: First Year #2. Huge amounts of plot, character, and texture at Gotham Academy are hinted at or sketched in quick, efficient ways through narration and flashback, a non-chronological emotional theme of Olive pulling back from kissing Kyle culminating in their kiss in the rain, a beautifully paced and executed emotional catharsis. This type of carefully crafted storytelling is a real treat in today’s single plot, decompressed storylines. Just an overall delight in terms of quality of storytelling.

But the story that Fletcher, Ferrari, and co-plotters Cloonan and Kerschl have to tell is even more worthwhile. As Olive continues to feel the pull of her new friends and boyfriend, she also feels desperate to hide her mother’s illness and confinement in Gotham Academy. Though of course we won’t see the full fruition of that plot in this miniseries, as it was resolved in the DC Rebirth sequel series, Gotham Academy: Second Semester, seeing the tension it creates in Olive while also seeing her blossoming from fear into love and friendship is quite simply lovely and tragic at the same time. Little notes like Olive’s worries about sex in her new relationship with Kyle are nicely rendered – not too overtly, but with emotion and awareness.

And, of course, there’s the Maps issue. When the series was first announced, this particular Gotham Academy fan was quite worried that because Mia was new in the original Gotham Academy series, she might not appear in this “First Year.” But those fears were allayed when Brendan Fletcher shared pieces of the script for this issue, showing that Maps would, indeed, have a part to play in this miniseries. And there was MUCH rejoicing! Marco Ferrari draws a Maps and her environment that take full advantage of the energy and joy first created by Karl Kerschl, and adds his own layers of energy and delight. There is no downgrade in art or writing in this prequel-era Maps Mizoguchi, and hopefully she’ll have a few more guest appearances, while of course Olive and Kyle and the rest of her year have the main stage.

Lastly, the continued threat of Professor Crane and Arkham at the end of Gotham Academy: First Year #2 is very nicely handled – very reminiscent of the Gothic literature that Olive is reading all through this issue, with the rain, the architecture, and the grim adults with deceptive, evil motives. Hopefully Olive won’t fall for them…though of course we know tragedy is looming from the original series!

Series co-creator Karl Kerschl’s main cover shows Maps and Olive lying together on top of, of course, maps, with Maps holding a bright red 20 sided die (used for role playing games), with some nice new-friend dialogue as flavor text. Artist Haining’s variant brilliantly shows Olive and Kyle leaning on each other, holding hands on the dock, but we see them reflected in the water with a terrifying Batman-Beast vision and flames behind them as Olive looks terrified (Kyle being blissfully in love with Olive with his eyes closed). Two really excellent covers!

Final Thoughts

Fletcher, Ferrari, and company provide yet another stellar Gotham Academy issue with all the joys, scares, delights, and frights you’d expect!

Ian Miller

A latecomer to comics - I started reading Bruce Wayne: Murderer, Birds of Prey, Hush, and War Games in college. Over a decade and a half later, I'm still inspired by Batman, and especially the Bat-Family (Stephanie Brown!) I started out listening to BTO, then Stella drew me to TBUCP, I volunteered to write reviews, and the rest is history! Love recording the podcast, especially with my amazing cohosts. Also a huge fan of Jane Austen, C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, and many more books!