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yorticia33 's review for:
Gotham High
by Melissa de la Cruz
Thank you DC Comics for sending me a free copy of Gotham High so I could read and review it.
I took a break from my usual fare to read a graphic novel called Gotham High. Featuring the usual suspects you'd expect from a title with "Gotham" in it, only younger than we usually see them, the story focuses on the events that transpire shortly after Bruce Wayne is kicked out of a prestigious boarding school. Returning home to Gotham to matriculate with the local plebeians, Bruce soon finds that some people in his hometown have it out for him, or possibly his classmates. Whatever the case may be, he is forced to solve this mystery before his life is snuffed out, or at best he is held for ransom. Can Bruce keep himself and his friends safe, or is he doomed just as his parents were?
I really wanted to like this graphic novel by Melissa De La Cruz. It has great art that is stylish and easy to follow, and it has a young Batman. That's pretty much a guarantee, right? Unfortunately, there were aspects of the writing I found particularly troubling. First, this book is supposed to be marketed to young adults, and yet there is not a single role model in sight. Even Alfred is basically an MIA enabler while Bruce's life is in danger. None of the characters appear to have a strong sense of morality, and that's truly unfortunate to see in a superhero-derived graphic novel. Further, characters as a whole are treated somewhat poorly. Boys are treated as if they're naive or simply stupid just because they try to be nice. Girls (more than one) are treated as rotten, immoral, scheming cretins out for their own selfish interests with no concern for the consequences. It feels like a lot of attention was paid to how gritty and edgy the novel could be, without asking, "But would or should these characters actually do this?" I also felt like Bruce Wayne got short shrift in this story, which left me underwhelmed considering that I believe "the Batman" to be a much smarter individual than this. Ultimately, I feel like there was a lot of potential here, but at some point somebody pushed this novel past where a young adult graphic novel should be. I really just felt kind of bad after finishing this one considering the fallout for a number of characters. This was further exacerbated because a number of decisions certain characters make quite literally make zero sense with the options at their disposal. Most of the pain inflicted on characters happens because the story demands it, not because the characters would necessarily make that choice given the information they have.
While all of that sounds bad, the artwork as I mentioned before is good, and some characters like Jack at least have some consistency and good moments. If the story had held at least some moral value or featured some kind of sensible, decent outcome, I could have forgiven it more of its flaws, but as it stands I find it to be underwhelming considering my expectations going in.
Story: ⭐⭐/5
Artwork: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
I took a break from my usual fare to read a graphic novel called Gotham High. Featuring the usual suspects you'd expect from a title with "Gotham" in it, only younger than we usually see them, the story focuses on the events that transpire shortly after Bruce Wayne is kicked out of a prestigious boarding school. Returning home to Gotham to matriculate with the local plebeians, Bruce soon finds that some people in his hometown have it out for him, or possibly his classmates. Whatever the case may be, he is forced to solve this mystery before his life is snuffed out, or at best he is held for ransom. Can Bruce keep himself and his friends safe, or is he doomed just as his parents were?
I really wanted to like this graphic novel by Melissa De La Cruz. It has great art that is stylish and easy to follow, and it has a young Batman. That's pretty much a guarantee, right? Unfortunately, there were aspects of the writing I found particularly troubling. First, this book is supposed to be marketed to young adults, and yet there is not a single role model in sight. Even Alfred is basically an MIA enabler while Bruce's life is in danger. None of the characters appear to have a strong sense of morality, and that's truly unfortunate to see in a superhero-derived graphic novel. Further, characters as a whole are treated somewhat poorly. Boys are treated as if they're naive or simply stupid just because they try to be nice. Girls (more than one) are treated as rotten, immoral, scheming cretins out for their own selfish interests with no concern for the consequences. It feels like a lot of attention was paid to how gritty and edgy the novel could be, without asking, "But would or should these characters actually do this?" I also felt like Bruce Wayne got short shrift in this story, which left me underwhelmed considering that I believe "the Batman" to be a much smarter individual than this. Ultimately, I feel like there was a lot of potential here, but at some point somebody pushed this novel past where a young adult graphic novel should be. I really just felt kind of bad after finishing this one considering the fallout for a number of characters. This was further exacerbated because a number of decisions certain characters make quite literally make zero sense with the options at their disposal. Most of the pain inflicted on characters happens because the story demands it, not because the characters would necessarily make that choice given the information they have.
While all of that sounds bad, the artwork as I mentioned before is good, and some characters like Jack at least have some consistency and good moments. If the story had held at least some moral value or featured some kind of sensible, decent outcome, I could have forgiven it more of its flaws, but as it stands I find it to be underwhelming considering my expectations going in.
Story: ⭐⭐/5
Artwork: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5