Back To School With ‘Gotham Academy: First Year’ From DC Comics

DC Comics is returning to Gotham Academy with new six-issue series, Gotham Academy: First Year, by the original team of writer Brendan Fletcher and cover artists Karl Kerschl and Becky Cloonan. Also joining them on this new series will be artist Marco Ferrari on interiors.

Here’s the rather detailed lowdown:

“Gotham Academy: First Year continues the critically acclaimed story of Gotham Academy’s young students, perfect for longtime fans and new readers alike. Mystery and mayhem await Olive Silverlock, a shy, working-class teen from Gotham’s Narrows, as she navigates school life in a super-powered world, offering a unique perspective on Gotham through the eyes of a youngster as scared of its heroes as its villains. In addition to visits to Arkham Asylum and surprise appearances from billionaire weirdos, you never know who — or what — you might meet wandering the halls of Gotham Academy.

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?“

Speaking of returning to this title — and what’s new — and reuniting with his past collaborators, Fletcher said:

 “I’m so excited to return to the world of Gotham Academy with Becky and Karl. 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. 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 is out on Wednesday, October 1st, 2025, from DC Comics with variant covers by Dustin Nguyen and Sweeney Boo.