Review: Gotham Academy #9

Previously in Gotham Academy #8

I must admit that I was a little confused when Gotham Academy returned and it seemed like some of the events in the previous issue hadn’t happened, like Pizza Club.

Here, in issue #9, we finally get the mystery-solving group of friends we were promised in issue #6. Everyone, including Kyle, is caught up to speed on the strange happenings at Gotham Academy. Their first case is figuring out what attacked Tristan in the woods. At the scene of the crime, Pomeline finds animal fur, which Lillards wants to examine in his secret laboratory. The fact that he even has a secret lab sends Maps into a fit. An adorable, lovable fit. While his test results conclude they’re dealing with a werewolf, much to Pomeline’s pleasure, Olive slips away.

After finding Maps’ roommate, Katherine, trying to steal posters from her room, Olive discovers an envelope slipped under her door. She confronts Professor Strange with the contents: a file which reveals Olive’s mother was a “costumed freak” (a villain) and that Olive is attending Gotham Academy to be watched, not because she won The Wayne Scholarship. Strange doesn’t have many answers, but he tells her Tristan is also a student in which Headmaster Hammer has taken an interest.

While Olive is speaking with Tristan, the werewolf crashes through the window. Two interesting things to note here: The werewolf seems hell bent on cursing Olive and it’s wearing the gym teacher’s clothes. The gang devises a plan to capture and cure the teacher, thanks to an antidote Lilllards made. Except when Olive encounters the wolf alone, her mother appears in her head and taunts her to use her power to set the beast on fire. She almost does it, too, but Lillards arrives with a tranquilizer gun.

The coach is cured and all is back to normal… until Pomeline confesses to Olive that she stole the note Olive’s mother wrote her. She has discovered more information about Calamity, but before Olive can react, her mother appears and sets the school’s theater on fire.

Overall Thoughts:

• I love how this series will hint at another mystery or two while the main events are taking place. Although, I wanted Olive and Maps to be a bit more concerned with the fact that Katherine was busted going through Olive’s things.
• I’m digging the fact that it appears Olive’s mother was a villain. If she is truly appearing to Olive and pushing her to do bad things, that’s a more interesting development than having her be a good person who was just misunderstood. Watching Olive come to terms with who her mother was is something I’m looking forward to.
• However, since Olive can’t seem to remember what happens when her mother appears to her, it’s also possible that Olive is just batshit (see what I did there?) insane. We shall see.
• More Maps, please. Always more Maps.