With a pencil polish and grabbed Batalan, Gotham Academy officially returned to the session! DC Comics has announced Gotham Academy: First Year. We’ll be reuniting our favourite creative team of fans who have started all of the brand new issue 6 series, Brenden Fletcher, Becky Cronan and Karl Kelschul, which began on October 1, 2025. This time, artist Marco Ferrari will be taking part in bringing a fresh look to a creepy, secret prep school in Gotham City.
Set before the original series, the first year dives into the backstory of Olive Silver Rock, a shy student at the Narrows who arrives at Gotham Academy after a traumatic event involving her mother. As Batman is looming heavily in the past, Olive is thrown into the world of elite students, buried secrets, and ghost corridors. Along the way, she crosses her path with eccentric billionaire Arkham Asylum, and is the first in the series to be one of Batman’s most iconic villains.
“We’re back where it all started,” Fletcher said. “This is Olive’s first year, the summer before it all started, packed with new mystery and familiar faces.”
Fans can expect Kerschl to return to the main cover with all six issues. There is a variant cover by Dustin Nguyen and Sweeney Boo. The creative team promises the perfect jump point for new readers and gives longtime fans deep insight into the series’ beloved characters.
Main cover
Dustin Nguyen Variant Cover
Sweeney Boo Variant Cover
Following a single issue, Gotham Academy: First Year will be collected in the Young Adult Graphic Novel Edition coming on August 4th, 2026. And for those keen to keep up with the original execution, Gotham Academy Trade Paperback (ISBN 9781779521712) is still available where the book is for sale. There is also Gotham Academy: Map of Mystery. Now it can be used anywhere comics are on sale.
Whether it’s a whole new thing to Gotham Academy or a proud alumni, this is the perfect opportunity to register (or re-register) in one of DC’s most fascinating, mystical and sincere horns.
