As you probably already know (as a subscriber to this site and a reader of my work), in 2014 I co-created a series for DC Comics, along with my friends Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher, called Gotham Academy.
It’s a series about young people attending a private boarding school in Gotham City and how they solve mysteries both on and off campus, all the while under the shadow of the ever-present spectre of the Batman (and his rogue’s gallery of psychotic villains).
It’s the work I’m proudest of at DC because of the freedom and fun we had making it all up. It only ran for a couple of years, but it retains a strong fan-following and the characters have taken on lives of their own in other appearances as well as in fan-fiction.
This year, after a six-year absence, we had the opportunity to bring back these characters in a short, 10-page story written for DC’s ‘Saved By The Belle Reve’ back-to-school anthology. It was a bit weird to jump back into work on Gotham Academy after so long, but we quickly found our groove and in some ways it felt as though we’d never left.
Here’s a breakdown of the story, from script to finished artwork:
The Story
What to do?? Where do you pick up a series that’s been out of publication for so long? The natural decision was to just continue from exactly where we’d left off – the next school year. Or, rather, the end of summer break, right before the new year begins (it is a back-to-school issue, after all).
One of my concerns was that I didn’t want to just drop a random mystery story here. I wanted it to feel like something substantial – like it was going someplace bigger. So the story ends in a place where it could easily and naturally be continued. I also didn’t want to make it overly nostalgic and sentimental – a retread of stuff we had already seen before. This is the script that Brenden and Becky submitted to DC after our lengthy video chats:
1. Gotham Academy, closed for summer! Establishing shot of the school, dialog over it.
“How long do you think you’ll need?”
“Maybe hour. I’ll text when I’m ready.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
“It’s okay, Kyle. I can do it.”
Cut to Sad Maps standing outside Olive’s room, holding the box— It’s hard to walk through that door. The sadness is overwhelming. Is she strong enough to do this alone? She told Kyle she was… Now that she’s here, it’s a different story. Takes a breath, steps over the threshold.
2. Sad Maps clearing out Olive’s room, putting stuff in the box. Just as the sadness begins to overcome her, a MYSTERY REVEALS ITSELF! Olive’s journal is missing from the room!
3. Maps looks all over for the journal—science room, library, art room (Beholder painting cameo) cafeteria… Doesn’t find it.
She’s in the cafeteria starting to panic when something out the window catches her eye. She sees Colton on the tower watching… something. Can’t see what it is. It’s on the other side of the cathedral. Shit. A sudden snarky comment from the other side of the room draws Maps’ attention…
4. Pom is there leaning in the doorway like a creep throwing sass bombs (hahaha yeeess). “Did Kyle tell you to check up on me?” Pomeline doesn’t answer, but agrees that the mystery of Olive’s missing journal and of Colton’s REAR WINDOW act! Detective Club is back in business!
5. Maps and Pom going up the tower like Maps once did with Olive (same page layout?) – Talk old times, Olive, how they see the new year shaping up, WATCH OUT FOR THE BROKEN STAIR… and definitely don’t pull the rope or everyone will know… Pom can tell Maps is “off” without Olive but Maps does her best to cover it up and make this seem like an adventure. Pom plays into it.
6. Meet up with Colton, who is surprised to see them. He’s using a set of souped up binoculars to watch a giant zombie shamble across the grounds— when Pom and Maps look, nothing is there. Colton swears he just saw it, he came up here to try and get a better look. “You can see the grave he just crawled out of…” Pomeline is skeptical, but there is a hole in the ground. Maps says she believes him.
“I suppose you would have believed it if it were a ghost, huh?” Pomeline says she’s learned her lesson. He came prepared with a net-gun, which Maps is very interested in.
7. Pom stops the conversation… behind him on the ground is a duffel bag, net gun, and in the pocket… OLIVE’S JOURNAL! Maps is aghast— Colton stole it? But why? Colton looks sheepish. He didn’t realize anyone else would be coming back early, and he was worried they’d just through her stuff out. Since he was back, he thought she’d want it. He thought maybe there’d be a clue as to where she went… See, his parents suck— they’ve pulled him from GA, moving all the way to Metropolis for a “fresh start.” He thought maybe if he knew where Olive went, he could deliver her journal in person… to make sure she was okay, and to get away from his folks.
8. Colton expects a snarky response from Pomeline, but she gives him a hug. Colton says “I’ll miss you too,” Pom replies “Let’s not go that far.” Colton hands the journal over to Maps, who says she’s probably the best caretaker. Maps asks if he read it yet, and he said no. There’s a lock on it… Maps is getting into her feelings, making Colton promise to write, when she hears Pomeline— there it is! I see it! The zombie! It’s got a shovel. (We catch a glimpse through binoculars, It’s totally Solomon Grundy.)
9. The kids run, arriving on the scene of a new greenhouse being built! By the side of the hole is an Olive Tree in a pot (so it can be hauled inside during winter) “OLIVE TREE – DO NOT TOUCH”. No sign of the zombie, except very big footprints in the dirt, and the shovel… “I’ve got ten dollars that the zombie is the new groundskeeper. Have fun with THAT one, ladies.”
10. Maps gets pensive. She touches the tree. School will start soon. “Next year… It won’t be the same.” Pom says, “Yeah, but would you want it to be?” Maps answers. “…I guess not.”
HONK HONK Kyle calls to Maps from his sports car parked alongside the building— “There you are, Mia! What is taking you so long?” Pom yell back “ZOMBIES”. Maps takes the flower from her hair and leaves it on the sign by the tree. When she walks away we see she’s altered the sign to say “OLIVE’S TREE”. Inside the greenhouse, SOLOMON GRUNDY watches them leave.
***
Fun, right?? I love how it incorporates most of the main cast without feeling too forced (although it’s slightly coincidental that they’d all be hanging around the school on this day). Also, we get to see some familiar campus locations. I sent these notes back:
Hey, gang! This stuff is great. Here are a few things I noted while reading:
– would love to have Maps see Olive sitting in a dark corner of her room. She’s not actually there, of course; just a creepy trick of the mind. Want to keep some horror elements in here.
– what if – WHAT IF – Colton doesn’t cop to stealing the journal and we see it in his duffel bag or jacket pocket and he leaves with it for reasons unknown?? How does that change the whole story?
– Can’t ever see Pom hugging anyone willingly but Maps would for sure.
– rando idea for a bit: Maps radios Kyle. “Kyle! Come quick! I DO need you!” Cut to Kyle digging a hole for them because no one else will do it.
– also agree that we don’t want too much Grundy too soon.
I’ll send more thoughts after I drive home and listen to music…
We incorporated some of these points and then I was off to the drawing board! (Or my iPad, more specifically).
The Art
Gotham Academy was designed to look like an animated series put to paper. We bent over backwards to achieve that look in the original series, which required Michele to paint all of the backgrounds (a monumental task on a monthly schedule). For this 10-page story, we decided to handle it more traditionally – flatter colours, no painting – partly because Michele was VERY busy already, and partly because it seemed like it would be okay. The GA characters are part of a larger comic book universe, and they can exist stylistically within that universe; so, more black line art, less painting.
My drawing style has changed a bit as well over the years (not that I really noticed until I started drawing these characters again), so the lines are a bit sketchier, the shapes are different. Some things are more detailed while other less. I think it ended up being a nice way to make it look like some time has passed.
Also, each of the characters has an element of change to them. They’re evolving as people. Maps’ hair is a bit longer and her features less cartoonish. Pomeline has a wardrobe change to reflect her transitioning interests and maturity. Kyle has moved up to a baseball cap instead of a visor (don’t know what that signifies). Colton is the only one who’s largely unchanged and I think it’s because his major life changes start to happen after this story. He’s leaving the academy but not the narrative and he’s about to go through a lot of stuff.
Roughs
The only thing of note here is that as I was drawing this story, it began to bother me that we were spending extra time in the bell tower when we could be using that space to tell more story. If this is the only 10 pages that fans are going to get after such a long wait, I wanted it to be jam-packed, and I felt like we were spinning our wheels with all the nostalgic hugging, etc. So I sped that up and added the action beats inside the greenhouse, also incorporating Kyle in a more significant way.
Click for Slideshow…
Finished Inks
And that’s it! We end with a very Breakfast Club shot of Colton walking away from the school and a hint as to what he might be up to next.
Conclusion
I haven’t included Michele’s colours here but you can see them (obviously) in the finished book. Also of note: Steve Wands returned to letter this story! So we had the entire Gotham Academy team on board to produce this.
I’m really happy with the way it turned out. Drawing this really felt like being transported back to 2014. Since that time, Becky and Brenden have both moved out of the studio (and Montreal) to bigger things, so it was a treat to reconnect with everyone again. We’ve all been growing and doing different things, so this iteration of GA feels like a bit of a growth spurt. Appropriate for the transition from one school year to the next.
It isn’t quite the same Gotham Academy as it was before. But would you really want it to be? 🙂
