Gotham Academy #3 Review

Written by Becky Cloonan & Brenden FletcherArt by Karl Kerschl By now you’re sold on the awesomeness of Gotham Academy, and that makes this review even more fun to write. Has the series been running long enough to drop character references at lunch yet? Can I say “That girl keeps a scowl like Pomeline” in casual conversation? It’s probably too soon with other people, but you feel me. You know a real-life tagalong that reminds you of Maps, and the proud suspicion that she’s even smarter than you think. You remember feeling the teenage angst you see in Olive, even if it was back in 1999. We’re among friends here, so discard your etiquette and geek out with me.

Cloonan and Fletcher continue to introduce characters and have interesting subplots, all the while dropping breadcrumbs towards the larger mysteries to keep us enthralled. Issue 3 starts with Olive and Pomeline trying to solve the mystery of Millie Jane’s grave. Ignoring the fact these two girls are braver than me by strolling through graveyards at night, they also pass the Bechdel Test with their eyes closed and are just fun to read. Pom continues to be the overaggressive mean girl to Olive’s more subdued edge, which makes it all the more satisfying to read Olive scratching her armor and knocking Pom off balance even slightly.

Can we take a moment to just talk about Pomeline? I mentioned after issue 2 I expected her to become one of my favorite characters, and the girl doesn’t disappoint. She’s assertive enough to …