Ask any Batman fan and they’ll tell you how DC loves to milk the Dark Knight, with several series based on the hot property. In the world of comics, there’s Batman, Detective Comics, Batman and Robin, and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest, just to name a few. That doesn’t even count other ensemble books that Batman appears in, like Justice League Unlimited. One of the more overlooked Batman spinoffs was released over 10 years ago, and while DC has revisited the comic over the years, it’s never had an extended run. That’s all about to change in October with a new series.
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Gotham Academy: First Year is a six-issue comic book series launching on October 1st that marks the long-awaited return of the fan-favorite Gotham-based teen saga. Gotham Academy: First Year also brings back the original creative team of Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl, and Becky Cloonan, who are joined by interior artist Marco Ferrari. The original Gotham Academy series debuted on October 1, 2014, and followed Olive Silverlock as she was enrolled in the prestigious prep school. Fans immediately took to the book and its intriguing cast since it introduced this school that happened to be located in one of the most crime-ridden cities in the DC Universe.
“I’m so excited to return to the world of Gotham Academy with Becky and Karl,” says Fletcher. “It’s a joy to be back with the original team, and to welcome the incredibly talented Marco Ferrari to the fold. His work brings such life to these characters and to the halls of the Academy itself.”
“We went back to where it all began,” says Fletcher. “Gotham Academy: First Year takes us into Olive Silverlock’s pivotal first year—the mysterious summer before it all started—and introduces one of Batman’s most iconic villains to the series for the very first time. We can’t wait for readers old and new to join us this October, exactly 11 years to the day since the original series debuted!”
GOTHAM ACADEMY: FIRST YEAR #1
- On Sale October 1, 2025
- Written by Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl, and Becky Cloonan
- Art by Marco Ferrari, Eva de la Cruz (colors) and Steve Wands (letters)
- Main cover by Karl Kerschl
- Variant covers by Dustin Nguyen and Sweeney Boo
- 40 pages
- Cover price: $4.99 US
- Set before the events of the original series, First Year traces Olive’s reluctant arrival at the school after a traumatic event involving her mother—and a fateful handoff between Commissioner Gordon and Bruce Wayne. Shuffled from crisis into campus life, Olive must adapt to cliques, secrets, and a system that’s less supportive than it seems.
- Underlying everything, Olive has a problem—and it’s shaped like Gotham’s most famous vigilante: Batman. But how will she process the weight of her past while navigating school politics, unexpected friendships, and a growing connection to Gotham’s darker mysteries? Who will she share her first kiss with? And why is everyone obsessed with… maps? What’s with these rich kids? Does Gotham Academy have a cartography class??
ComicBook was included in DC’s praise of Gotham Academy as we celebrated the debut as “really, truly, genuinely exciting,” spotlighting Olive and Maps as “fully realized human beings” whose friendship anchors the series with humor and heart.
Gotham Academy: First Year #1 goes on sale Wednesday, October 1st. Let us know what you think of Gotham Academy‘s return in the comments below!
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Image courtesy of Lucasfilm.
