A review by jessie_h
Gotham Academy, Volume 2: Calamity by Becky Cloonan

4.0

4.5/5 Stars!

This review originally appeared on Goldilox and the Three Weres.

I am so happy to say that this trade was just as good as the first volume! I loved it so much! Olive is still the main protagonist but this volume focused more on Maps! I love that she's bound and determined to figure out every secret Gotham Academy has. And I need more interactions between Maps and Damian Wayne like ASAP! I loved them together! I was also excited to see that Map's brother, Kyle, had more of a role. Unfortunately, Pomeline, Heathcliff, and Colton didn't have as much page time in this volume but what they did have, I loved.

This volume continues the story from volume one and the Detective Club encounters things from cursed pens to werewolves. I really enjoyed the different mysteries that the gang has to solve. In my opinion, the story line was more coherent and just better than in the first issues but the art is still the best part of this series beyond the excellent characters. Seriously. It's absolutely gorgeous and it fits the feel of the series perfectly. I found it interesting to learn more about Olive's family history and most importantly the truth about her mother. While I enjoyed that part of this volume, the Maps and Damien part was my favorite. I will say the cameos from established characters in the Batman universe are still on point. The writers also deserve an A+ with the literature references and I loved how the gang got involved in the school's production of Macbeth.

This comic series continues to be a breath of fresh air and I'm so excited to read more about the future adventures and shenanigans of the Detective Club! I just picked up the single issues to continue the series because I don't want to wait for the next trade.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.