First of, DC sent this book to me for free so I could review it. So thank you very much!

It's been a long time since I read a graphic novel. But I'm a big superhero nerd, so offcourse this sounded great to me!

The drawings look really great. They fit perfectly with the story and the details ensure that you are indeed drawn into the story. They were therefore a very important part of the story as always in graphic novels.

The story tells part of the teenage years of some of the most famous figures from the DC comic world. For example, we see Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle (Batman and Catwoman) in their teens. However, the story is completely different from anything I've ever learned about these characters. Obviously it is up to a writer to put a spin on something herself, but it is difficult to do this well in the case of such well-known characters. And unfortunately I did not quite succeed in this.

I noticed that I was very much in my head with everything that was not right with the classic Batman stories. Something that you should not do, of course, but it is extremely difficult to switch off. Would you see this separately from each other, I think the assessment is different.

The story went very smoothly, something fascinating happened on almost every page and the writer was able to create a lot of background for the characters for a graphic novel. Clearly work was being done somewhere with a lot of space leaving for a sequel.

All in all it was an entertaining story, but lacked some depth.

Gotham High is my second graphic novel from the DC Ink line from DC Comics, and I’m already so in love with this collection. DC Ink makes quality YA graphic novel retellings for classic DC characters, and they’re full of beautiful art and even more beautiful diversity. Gotham High is a stand-alone re-imagining of the origin stories for all your favorite DC heroes and villains, and has really strong characterizations for both its main characters and its secondary characters.

Characters you’ll see in this graphic novel: Bruce Wayne (Batman), Dick Grayson (Robin), Selena Kyle (Catwoman), Jack Napier (Joker), Harvey Dent (Two-Face), Barbie Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle), Ivy (Poison Ivy), and more. We don’t see these people in their superhero or villain roles, but we see them as high schoolers in a setting very reminiscent of all those addictive television high school dramas.

After Bruce Wayne is kicked out of his private boarding school, he returns home to attend Gotham High. At Gotham High he reconnects with his childhood best friend, Selena, and her close friend, Jack. When kidnappings start happening to Gotham High students, Bruce suspects something bigger is going on, and that someone he knows might even be involved. The story that unfolds is deliciously dramatic and full of twists and turns.

Bruce is brooding, flaunts his wealth, and knows his power over others in the school. Jack is scrappy, a typical bad guy, and completely obsessed with Selena. Selena is sleek, sly, and won’t stop at anything to get the life she wants for her family and herself. It’s the perfect high school love triangle, and ends in unexpected ways. I love that romance doesn’t end up coming between any of these friends at the end of the day, and think it’s a great modern take on the YA love triangle trope.

Bottom line: 4/5 stars and full of frothy YA drama that’s addictive and so much fun.

Thanks to Netgalley and DC Comics for providing me and arc of this title in exchange for an honest review! Gotham High comes out on April 7, 2020.

My review will post at the below blog post on my blog, Back Shelf Books, on April 7, 2020. The goodreads review at the below link is viewable now.

While I liked the art style, I was a little confused during most of the story. There wasn't a ton to go off about what was happening since it was a new "reimagining" of the Gotham already established and I felt like it was disjointed to have the narrator character (in this case Selina) also be part of the big reveal twist at the end. Maybe if Bruce was the narrator character the reveal would have felt more powerful somehow.

I appreciate the attempt at trying to add more diversity to the cast and giving subtle hints to the future of some of the characters (like with Harvey and Ivy, specifically), but overall, I wasn't that impressed with the story or characters. It moved too quickly for a single story and didn't give enough for me to actually care about what was happening. Also, it wasn't until I read the synopsis again that I realized that Jack is supposed to be the "teenage" Joker. I didn't catch any parallels between them, so it just feels weird.

Fun twist on the universe with the characters in high school. I'm not totally familiar with them all, so had fun figuring out who everyone was. I would read more with these characters and storyline.

3.5 stars

I love the art in this graphic novel, I love the diversity and I love the trashy(and I mean this in the best possible way) Gossip Girl-esque feel of this book. It was fun and easy to read and I truly felt like I was reading a book about a group of teenagers in high school.

Unfortunately what I didn't like was the way the female characters were depicted in this book. They're conniving, manipulative and honestly not portrayed in a positive light at all meanwhile the male characters are depicted as these gullible, soft heroes who get treated horribly by women. Honestly I would've assumed this was written by a man with how it so obviously sets up for the "a beautiful girl broke my heart and now I use that as an excuse to treat everyone around me like shit, but especially other women". I just feel like they didn't need to go down that route. You're doing a remake, why did you have to make the females seems so shitty and yet the heroes are sweet, perfect specimens--even creepy Jake is played out to be a victim by the end and you're left feeling bad for him even though he's a huge creep. And yet, while we do get some background on Selina and where her motivations come from, the route the author decided to go with this character is one I find will be unpopular for many.

If this is going to become a series (which it seems to be set to be), I'd definitely check out the second one for the art alone but hopefully these characters get some much needed character development and depth.

I've never read any of the DC Comics (or the Marvel comics for that matter), so my knowledge comes from the movies I've seen - which really is just Batman & Robin LOL. But I feel like most people know the basis of the heroes and villains. I was so intrigued to see the DC World set in the high school years before everyone became who they became. But I was really disappointed. This was really cheesy and written with so many YA tropes. It felt like there was no real connection with any characters and I know that's possible in a really short comic because I've read Saga and had my heart torn out. This one just lacked substance. Two stars over one because the artwork and style is stunning.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Gotham High is a reimagining of a whole cast of Gotham characters in high school or there around. Bruce gets kicked out of his private school and returns to Gotham High to continue his education where he reconnects with Selina, girl next door and childhood best friend, and meets Jack Napier, class clown.
I enjoyed the ways in which most of the characters were re-imagined but something about the writing wasn’t quite clicking with me. While it was a fun enough read this has not been among my favorite of the different graphic novels DC has been dropping.

I’m sad to give this a 3, because the illustrations are just that beautiful. The art is so bright and fun, and it doesn’t (in my opinion) deserve to have less than a great rating. That being said... I couldn’t rate this higher, because there were a few things that I found problematic in this one. I did enjoy the bones of the story overall. Sort of the Robin Hood trope blended against the vigilante in training trope. Bruce is in that mode of save everyone in his high school/city and the “villain” characters, are just trying to get by the best way they know how. I feel like I have a hard time truly rooting against the people who are doing the “bad” things, because their reasoning is usually to help someone else. I don’t want to say too much and spoil the entire story, but yeah. If you’ve enjoyed Batman/Gotham characters and plot lines over time and want to see the characters as teenagers, with stereotypical YA plots of their other world comic plots, then you will enjoy this graphic novel.

I have always loved superheros, so when I got approved for this I was psyched. I went in with high hopes and looking back, that may have been the issue.


What I Liked:

The Characters - Batman in high school. Who wouldn't want to see that, right? And wait.... he is FRIENDS with Selina Kyle and Jack Napier? This was intriguing and I liked being able to see teen versions of my favorite super heroes and villains.



The Artwork - This was a graphic novel and the artwork was amazing. I have recently gotten obsessed with Webtoons and this read a lot like one of those. Part of me thinks it would probably be a better fit for it.



Poison Ivy - Most people IRL know this about me, but I have an obsession with Poison Ivy as a character. She is my all time favorite character DC or otherwise. And I don't feel like she is nearly as enough stuff as she should be. She was in this, though she is an adult, which is fine by me. And to add to this, Harley Quinn wasn't in this, which was even better.


What I Didn't Like:

The Writing - The story was fine, but the writing wasn't. Now, I haven't read any of Curz's other books, but this was very choppy and superficial. I know they are teenagers, but even teens remember what they said three pages ago.



Predictability - You basically know who is behind the kidnappings from the get go. So when it is finally revealed toward the end I was like was this supposed to be the big reveal? You told me this at the beginning!



Richard Grayson - He was only mentioned for a second and was a kid that was getting bullied that Bruce helped. The reason he gets kicked out of his prep school. And then that is it. I would have liked to see more of Dick Grayson.




Overall I gave this a 3/5. I did like this book and the story. And unlike a lot of other reviews on Goodreads, I am not mad for the characters acting like the actual characters, I.E. Selina Kyle. But there was a lot I didn't care for, too.

Meh, not feeling this. I like the efforts to diversify the cast, but there's SO MUCH exposition and the story is full of outdated stereotypes. The art isn't my cup of tea, either. Gave up at about 35%.

Bruce is kicked out of boarding school and returns to Gotham where he attends public school. There is a rash of kidnappings and Vruce resides to investigate.

The first thing you need to know is this book is not consistent with comic cannon in a lot of ways. Bruce and Dick are the same age and attend school together. Also Alfred is Bruce's uncle, but still oddly calls him Maater Bruce.

The story is a good story, the art and colors are great. The letterer never interrupts the flow or art. I think I would have enjoyed it better if it wasn't a Batman title. The only thing in common with the hero I love is places and names.

Creative Team
Author Melissa de la Cruz
Artist Thomas Pitilli
Colors Miguel Rodriguez
Letters Tray Peteri

Melissa de la Cruz's re-imaginings of the high-school lives of familiar superheros and villains makes for a rollicking read. Is that "the Joker" and "Catwoman?" Can the young Bruce Wayne get to the bottom of a string of kidnappings that haunt the halls of Gotham High? Thomas Pitilli's art adds to the suspense and intrigue of the story.

Another good book to try to squeeze the DC Multiverse to another generation. I have always loved Melissa de la Cruz's take on stories, and this is another gem in her collection. This would be before the Infinite Crisis story line, perhaps creating another world where these heros are in high school together. Who knew Bruce Wayne was such a pain! Overall a good addition to the DC arsenal

This book was received as an ARC from DC Entertainment - DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I could not stop reading this book. This is one of my favorite DC Comic series and I have read many of the early years of Gotham/Batman comics and this one by far was very intriguing and really fun to read. I knew there had to be a more realistic teenage drama and scandals across the heros of Gotham that lead to the start of Batman. Bruce Wayne not being who he seems befriending the most popular girl in school Selina Kyle who hides dark secrets and is not who she seems and then the class clown Jack Napier sounds so familiar who later turns into the joker. All the mischief and schemes throughout the comic were so entertaining that I could not stop reading this book. Our young readers especially DC Fans will love this book.

We will consider adding this title to our YA Graphic Novel collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the E-arc copy of Gotham High.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The characters are diverse and have been changed to update them more toward the contemporary society that we live in today. Melissa de la Cruz is a wonderful writer and brings a whole new aspect to the Gotham characters. I definitely will be recommending to my youth readers that enjoy Graphic novels and comics, but even mainstream readers will enjoy this one as well.