Gotham Academy: First Year #6 Review

 

Gotham Academy: First Year #6 Review

Story: Brenden Fletcher, Becky Cloonan & Karl Kerschl

Script: Brenden Fletcher

Artist: Marco Ferrari

Colorist: Eva De La Cruz

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artist & Variant Cover Artist: Karl Kerschl

Editors: Kristy Quinn & Dacy Lim

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 5, 2026

 

When she couldn't learn what happened to her mother, Olive pushed away everyone and everything that offered her a future she didn't believe she deserved. She sought refuge in Professor Crane's pills, but they trapped her in a nightmare and fractured her identity. Can Batman rescue Olive Silverlock again? Or will another hero arise to help Olive be the champion of her own story? Let's leap into Gotham Academy: First Year #6 and see what happens!

 

Story

This year, the limousine leaves the Mizoguchi residence with two students heading for Gotham Academy. While Kyle eyes a position of responsibility, Mia also envisions great things. Kyle may not know what the future holds in store for him and Olive. Yet Mia is certain that she and Olive will be best friends.

 

When Safi brings her bags into her dorm room, Mia cannot wait to see Olive. Yet in Gotham Academy: First Year #6, Olive isn’t around. So, after Safi leaves, Mia tells her roommate about her best friend. Despite everything Olive has gone through, Mia sees her as an indomitable force. While she waits for Olive to join them, Mia instructs her new roommate in how to play Serpents & Spells. Yet, as Mia and Katherine delve into the role-playing game, danger stalks the school.

 

After Brenden Fletcher, Becky Cloonan, and Karl Kerschl’s story begins with Mia, the story shifts to other people who care about Olive. When Olive makes her appearance, her experiences have changed her. Yet some things remain the same. Last year, she was the insecure girl who thought she didn’t belong in Gotham Academy. Now, she’s still unsure how to view her place in the school.

 

Brenden Fletcher's script highlights the circular nature of life. With a new school year beginning, the students, teachers, and staff fall into familiar patterns. The students need friends and leadership. The staff and teachers recognize that some children will need more attention and protection than others. Olive suffers from some of the same issues she did at the beginning of her first year. But now, she is a Junior and more is expected of her. As Olive ponders her future at the school, Mia represents the breath of fresh air that she, and everyone at the school, needs in Gotham Academy: First Year #6.

 

Art

Mia stands before a character sheet, wearing her school uniform. Her face radiates happiness. Kyle hangs his head as he trudges beneath his burdensome backpack. Muscular Safi easily lugs Mia's luggage to her room. Mia and Safi’s introduction to Katherine evokes how Lucy Hunt met her roommate. The next morning, drapes obscure her roommate in the top bunk while Mia sprawls on the bottom. As she awakens, books, maps, character sheets, and other game paraphernalia cover the floor. Yet as Mia spots a red object, another character demonstrates how a year has changed her in Gotham Academy: First Year #6.

 

As Marco Ferrari portrays Mia’s passion for life, the school colors showcase differences between characters. While the yellow and blue suggest a mixture of concern and hope, Mia often wears one color to contrast her disposition with another's. Yet Katherine and Mia both wear blue when they meet. And when danger threatens, Mia's yellow hairbow matches Katherine's yellow hair.

 

Eva De La Cruz suggests that two characters are surprisingly well matched by tinging Heathcliff's lenses and Pomeline's hair with orange. Green signals someone who steals others' willpower, while a frightened character regards her surroundings through yellow lenses. As Mia glimpses a fleeing figure, her blue shirt looks indigo in the night, while violet tinges her skin. Yet before the school year gets underway, red links two characters, perhaps temporarily, or perhaps forever.

 

Black lowercase letters fill white balloons and yellow boxes, while letters grow bold for intonation and fade for lowered voices. A glimpse of handwritten words provokes anger, while red exclamation marks signal a life-threatening situation. Sound effects enhance Mia’s first day at school, a fight for life, and an act of heroism. Still, white words on a brown poster suggest a more positive literary interest than rereading The Castle of Otranto. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Mia has a plan. She intends to storm the school and reshape it in her image. Yet while “Maps” is forging her new identity, Olive wrestles with her self-worth. Some students and teachers will shine radiantly, others will lock themselves in prisons of their own making, and the rest will tread toward whatever future awaits them in Gotham Academy: First Year #6.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #6. 

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #5. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Gotham Academy: Year One #4.

For how this series started, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #1. 

 

 

 

Gotham Academy: First Year #6 Preview

 

 

When she couldn't learn what happened to her mother, Olive pushed away everyone and everything that offered her a future she didn't believe she deserved. She sought refuge in Professor Crane's pills, but they trapped her in a nightmare, and fractured her identity. Can Batman rescue Olive Silverlock again? Or will another hero arise to help Olive be the hero of her own story?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Gotham Academy: First Year #6 Preview

Writers: Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl & Becky Cloonan

Artist: Marco Ferrari

Cover Artist & Variant Cover Artist: Karl Kerschl

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 40 Pages

Series Length: 6 Issues

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 5, 2026

 

Siblings. Side Quests. Scarecrows.

 

Olive Silverlock has vanished, and Maps Mizoguchi is ready to roll for rescue. With Kyle in tow—and a not-so-helpful ghost on her heels—Maps must brave the halls, the catacombs, and the shadowy secrets of Gotham Academy. Just a normal Tuesday, really.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #5. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Gotham Academy: Year One #4.

For how this series started, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #1. 

 

 

 

Gotham Academy: First Year #5 Preview

 

It wasn't supposed to be like this. After Batman rescued her from the fire, Bruce Wayne sought to give Olive a better future. For a short time, Olive Silverlock escaped the darkness that threatened to engulf her life. But when Arkham Asylum went up in flames, guilt over her mother's fate consumed Olive.

Now, every day is a walking nightmare. Olive yearns for escape. But Professor Crane's medication struggles to mend her fracturing identity. Who will Olive Silverlock be next? The girl who believes she's not good enough for Kyle Mizoguchi? Or the vibrant spark that ignites Tristan Grey's nights?  

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Gotham Academy: First Year #5 Preview

Writers: Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl & Becky Cloonan

Artist: Marco Ferrari

Cover Artist: Karl Kerschl

Variant Cover Artist: Annie Wu

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 40 Pages

Series Length: 6 Issues

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

 

School is a Nightmare.

Literally.

 

 

Gotham Academy’s first day of school comes with new schedules, new secrets…and a creeping sense that nothing is quite what it seems. For Olive Silverlock, the search for her missing mother takes a turn into forgotten memories, closed doors, and conversations she swears she’s already had. But how do you retrace your steps when you don’t remember walking?

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Gotham Academy: Year One #4.

For what happened before that, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #3.

For how this series started, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #1. 

 

Gotham Academy: First Year #4 Review

 

Gotham Academy: First Year #4 Review

Story: Brenden Fletcher, Becky Cloonan & Karl Kerschl

Script: Brenden Fletcher

Artist: Marco Ferrari

Colorist: Eva De La Cruz

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artist: Karl Kerschl

Variant Cover Artist: Marco Ferrari

Editors: Kristy Quinn & Dacy Lim

Publisher: DC Comics,

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 27, 2026

 

For a few months, Olive Silverlock thought she could have it all. She envisioned a future with Kyle Mizoguchi. His family invited her along on their summer vacation. After her portrayal of Juliet in the school play, Olive was the toast of her drama class. Then Jonathan Crane detonated a bomb at Arkham Asylum.

 

Olive wanted to escape her mom's fate. So, she stopped visiting Sybil Silverlock, and Arkham went up in flames. Can Olive forgive herself for abandoning her mother? And how will she spend the summer in the empty dormitory? Let's leap into Gotham Academy: First Year #4 and see!

 

Story

Gotham Academy has its guardians. Headmaster Hammer still rules its halls. Harriet Cooper still welcomes visitors. But the students and teachers have abandoned the classrooms and dorms, leaving Olive alone with her thoughts and guilt. During the day, she awakens in places and wonders how she got there. And by night, Olive wanders the halls and stairways, while another resident looks on.

 

Olive Silverlock breezed through the classes in her first year at Gotham Academy. Her performance in the school production of Romeo and Juliet made her the belle of the prom. Yet in Gotham Academy: First Year #4, Olive remains the frightened girl who hid beneath the bed when her roommate Lucy arrived in the fall. Her passion for Gothic literature helped Olive fine-tune Mia Mizoguchi's campaign for Castle Crowhold. Yet as the summer passes, and hopes for her mother's miraculous survival dwindle, Olive slips into a trapdoor inside her mind.

 

While Olive’s conscious thoughts often revolve around Kyle Mizoguchi, Tristan Grey observes Olive. When danger threatens her, he rescues her. And in their isolation from other people, Olive escapes the fear that hovers over her like an unceasing storm. Brenden Fletcher reveals Tristan's concern about the girl who helps him feel more like an angel than an outcast. But as the people around Olive look on in concern, no one is more worried about Olive than she is about herself in Gotham Academy: First Year #4.

 

Art

After regarding the stately building from afar, Olive walks through the open doors guarded by glowing candlestands. When she reaches the fireplace, Olive spies Millie Jane ascending the stairs in the mirror. A towering figure, shrouded in darkness, grasps Millie by the neck. Then, as if through the looking glass, Olive looks down at the still girl. The candlestand behind Olive glows, while the candelabra the girl held has gone cold. When Olive picks up the candelabra, the broken candles reform and glow with light, as she retraces Millie's steps. Then a towering figure, shrouded in darkness, grasps Olive by the neck.

 

As Marco Ferrari interweaves dreams with reality, Eva De La Cruz lavishes bright colors on Gotham Academy: First Year #4. Kyle wears a white shirt when Olive awakens from her dream. Olive’s green gown suggests health and links her with Tristan. Along with the vitality of the natural world surrounding the school, blue also symbolizes Olive’s growing relationship with Tristan. Yet yellow, orange, and red signal danger. Flames engulf the school. Fire also threatens Olive when she seeks clues to her mother’s fate. And then, there is the red-and-white medicine in the yellow-orange container that former professor Jonathan Crane gave Olive Silverlock.

 

Sybil’s dark-orange words hover in light-orange clouds. Dialogue appears as black lowercase letters in white balloons and boxes, while Olive recalls Professor Jonathan Crane's words in gray boxes. Olive shares her thoughts in yellow boxes, and Tristan records his observations with handprinted words in white paper scraps. Steve Wands helps readers hear imminent death and the rush of air as a character risks their life to save another. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

When sickness leads to isolation, Tristan finds peace and meaning in life, while Olive starts to fall apart. Unlike Tristan, her illness seems more rooted in her mind than her body. Yet unlike Kyle Mizoguchi, both Olive Silverlock and Tristan Grey evince extraordinary abilities in Gotham Academy: First Year #4.

 

Rating 9.7/10

 

To look inside, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #4.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #3.

For how this series started, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #1. 

Gotham Academy: First Year #4 Preview

 

For a few months, Olive Silverlock thought she might have it all. She could envision a future with Kyle Mizoguchi. His family had invited her along on their summer vacation. After her portrayal of Juliet in the school play, Olive was the toast of her drama class. Then Jonathan Crane detonated a bomb on Arkham Asylum. 

Olive wanted to escape her mom's fate. So, she left her alone in the institution, and Sybil Silverlock died alone. Can Olive forgive herself for abandoning her mother? And who will she meet when she spends the summer in the empty dormitory?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Gotham Academy: First Year #4

Writers: Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl & Becky Cloonan

Artist: Marco Ferrari

Cover Artist: Karl Kerschl

Variant Cover Artists: Marco Ferrari

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99

Issue Length: 40 Pages

Release Date: May 27, 2026

 

 

There’s a Man-Bat in the Academy’s Belfry!

 

 

Olive’s had her share of obstacles since she arrived at Gotham Academy. From the difficulty of young love to dealing with bullies to fighting villains alongside Batman, it has been a lot. But sadly, her troubles have just begun, as a Bat-shaped (or more accurately, a Man-Bat-shaped) shadow falls over Gotham Academy.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #3.

For what happened before that, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #2.

For how this series started, see my preview of Gotham Academy: First Year #1.  

Gotham Academy: First Year #3 Preview

 

 

Olive doesn't belong in Gotham Academy. But her roommate accepts her. Lucy doesn't even complain (too much) when Olive wakes up screaming. Her boyfriend also helps her fit in. As Olive worries about getting outed, Kyle's family gives her the support her mother can't. Grateful to be accepted at the prestigious school, Olive pays it forward by tutoring Heathcliff Ray. Will fortune keep smiling on the penniless girl with a troubled mother? Or will her hopes and dreams get crushed like Conrad in Olive's favorite novel?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Gotham Academy: First Year #3

Writers: Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl & Becky Cloonan

Artist: Marco Ferrari

Cover Artists: Karl Kerschl & Mayo “Sen” Naito

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 40 Pages

Price: 4.99 Card Stock

Release Date: December 3, 2025

 

Romeo, Romeo…

Is that Batman in the lighting grid?!

 

She’s got the lead in the school play, a cute boyfriend, and maybe even a shot at prom royalty. But just as Olive starts to feel like she belongs at Gotham Academy, the football team bullies crash her big stage debut…with pyrotechnics! Cue Batman. Suddenly, stage fright is the least of her problems.

 

Also featuring: Colton Rivera in a tux. Sort of.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

Gotham Academy: First Year #2 Preview

 

After her mom set their apartment on fire, Bruce Wayne found Olive a new place to live. Gotham Academy is a school for rich kids. It may never feel like home. And it's hard to feel okay while her mom resides in Arkham Asylum. Still, she's made a new friend in Kyle Mizoguchi. While most of the girls make Olive feel like a castoff, Kyle makes her feel special. Will that be enough to help Olive get through the school year? And how seriously should Olive take Jonathan Crane's warning that her mom's condition may be hereditary?

Here's all the info from DC Connect: 

 

Gotham Academy: First Year #2

Writers: Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl & Becky Cloonan

Artist: Marco Ferrari

Cover Artists: Karl Kerschl & Haining

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99

Issue Length: 40 Pages

Release Date: November 5, 2025

 

School is about making friends…and enemies!

 

Life at school is both terrible (pissing off the football team is never a good idea) and wonderful (almost kissing a cute boy is almost perfect), but Oliver Silverlock will never truly be happy until she knows her mom is safe. Visiting her mom in Arkham is supposed to be reassuring! But when Olive meets the man behind the scarecrow’s mask, will her serenity be torn away too?

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

Gotham Academy: First Year #1 Preview

 

 

Horror stories abound about the horrors young students have endured when attending a boarding school. Yet young adults leaving home for the first time can also struggle to find a sense of belonging at a University. Olive's history and demeanor set her apart from the other students at Gotham Academy. Can Olive find her place in this storied bastion of the upper class?  

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

Gotham Academy: First Year #1

Writers: Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl & Becky Cloonan

Artist: Marco Ferrari

Cover Artists: Karl Kerschl, Dustin Nguyen & Sweeney Boo

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99

Issue Length: 40 Pages

Release Date: October 1, 2025

 

The school has secrets. So does she. It’s going great.

 

Olive Silverlock has a problem, and it is shaped like Gotham’s favorite hero: Batman. He “saved” her when her mom lost control and got Commissioner Gordon to pawn her off on Bruce Wayne, who promptly shuffled her off to Gotham Academy. Boarding school. With a bunch of awful rich kids! As if she wasn’t traumatized enough already!

 

How will Olive navigate her trauma as a new student? Who will she share her first kiss with? And…why are the existing fans talking so much about maps?

 

Fall in love with the fan-favorite characters all over again in this revealing prequel taking readers back to Gotham Academy! Artist Marco Ferrari joins the original team as we return to the hallowed halls for even more mystery, romance, and teen drama. Guaranteed to delight fans of the original series and introduce new readers to the lovable cast; don’t miss the year it all began!

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.