Review of Gotham High by Melissa de la Cruz #InPartnershipwithDC

 

I was thrilled to be contacted by DC and asked to review Gotham High.  I was given access to read the book on my computer.  Thank you so much DC!  #InPartnershipwithDC

 

GOTHAM HIGH

Written by Melissa de la Cruz

Art by Thomas Pitilli

 

 YA Spring Break Reads  ∙ Anticipated 2020 Reads ∙ Diverse Reads  

∙ Fierce Heroines ∙ First Love ∙ Love Triangles ∙ Teen Angst ∙ Friendship 

∙ Asian-American Protagonists

 

∙ Books to add to your Guy-briary  ∙ What to read after watching Riverdale/Gossip Girl

∙ New twists on classic characters 

 

 

Before they became Batman, Catwoman, and The Joker, high schoolers Bruce, Selina, and Jack did whatever it took to satisfy their own self-interested motives — even if it destroyed the ones they loved in the process.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Alex and Eliza and The Witches of East End comes a reimagining of Gotham for a new generation of readers. Melissa de la Cruz makes her graphic novel debut with Gotham High, a thrilling, original tale that introduces teen readers (ages 13-17) to an entirely new Bruce Wayne.

With enchanting art by Thomas Pitilli, Gotham High is just as intoxicating as it is chilling and follows Bruce as he navigates the highs and lows of high school, making friends and enemies at every turn.

After being kicked out of boarding school, 16-year-old Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City to find that nothing is as he left it. What once was his family home is now an empty husk, lonely but haunted by the memory of his parents’ murder. Selina Kyle, once the innocent girl next door, now rules over Gotham High School with a flair for the dramatic and a thirst for danger, aided by class clown, Jack Napier.

When a kidnapping rattles everyone at the school, Bruce seeks answers as he takes on the role of the dark and troubled knight…but is he actually the pawn? Nothing is as it seems at Gotham High, where the parties and romances are of the highest stakes…and where everyone is a suspect.

 

 

 

Praise for Gotham High:

 

“Fast-paced and entertaining”
– Kirkus Reviews

“Superhero fans will appreciate this fresh take on the Batman universe, meeting young superheroes and supervillains before they emerge into their future personas. De la Cruz has shaped a diverse cast of characters by taking welcome liberties with their backstories…Offer this to fans of teenage superhero tales, especially the DC Icons series.”

-Booklist

“Full of intrigue and betrayal, this drama-laden graphic novel offers a new take on the motivations and origins of Batman, Catwoman, and the Joker.”
–School Library Journal

 

 

I haven’t read too many batman comics, but I was really excited when DC Ink contacted me to review Gotham High early. Not only did I enjoy this story, but I really loved the illustrations. I has happy to see so many names I knew.

Gotham high is a current times, diverse graphic novel from when Bruce Wayne was a senior in high school. He’s expelled from his prep school and sent to Gotham High. Uncle Albert is there to help. Selina Garcia Kyle lives next door to Bruce, in the rich neighborhood. But her mom died and her dad has Alzheimer’s and there is no money to keep the nurse on. Selina doesn’t get the money from her mom until she’s 21, so she’s trying to figure out how to get money for him. She and Bruce were best friends when they were kids and thought they would marry each other. Selina’s new best friend is Jack Napier, and Barbie Gordon is also in their small group. They decide to take Bruce in and show him how things are in Gotham. They go to poker parties. Harvey Dent was trying on Bruce’s coat at school and was kidnapped and Bruce was hit with a drugged dart.

Bruce decides he’s going to figure out what happened to Harvey. He has a party at his house and has plans to investigate. But mostly it was the lure the kidnapper out since they wanted Bruce to begin with. Harvey had been returned, but not without injury. When another person close to Bruce is taken, he decides to go find them himself. He feels guilty for Harvey’s kidnapping.

“But Bruce without guilt is like peanut butter without jelly. Or Gotham without crime is more like it…”

Jack lives with his parents that are addicts. He and Selina are friends, but he’s also in love with her. He even has a shrine on his wall. Selina and Bruce still like each other from their past. So we have a love triangle between the two. Throughout the book, you know who is playing whom, but you don’t always know the details. There is a lot of betrayal between everyone.

Another character that is in a small part of the book is Ivy. She works at the apothecary shop that Bruce goes to trying to find what the poison dart was. She also gets invited to his party. After all, Bruce needs everyone to be there. I wanted a bit more from Ivy in the book. I do like how it was mostly centered on a few people, but we had the side characters that are part of DC’s Batman.

I ended up giving this 4 stars. I really got into the story and I loved both Bruce’s and Selina’s voices. Bruce is already all broody and Selina trying to help her dad was so loving. Not exactly how she acts around others, but she has a good heart.

Thank you to DC Ink for letting me read this early.

Warnings for addiction, bullying, gambling, kidnapping, talk/attempt at suicide, and a love triangle. There is also fighting, and facial disfiguration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Melissa de la Cruz

 

Melissa de la Cruz is the #1 New York Times, #1 Publisher’s Weekly, and #1 IndieBound bestselling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages including Alex and Eliza, The Descendants, The Witches of East End, and Blue Bloods. Her more than 30 books have also topped the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists and have been published in over 20 countries.

 

About Thomas Pitilli

 

Thomas Pitilli is an illustrator and comic book artist living in his native land of Brooklyn, NY. His work can be found in the series Riverdale from Archie Comics. His illustrations have appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, as well as many others. When not making art, Thomas enjoys music, museums and summertime in NYC.

 

 

 

 

About DC’s YA Graphic Novels

 

DC’s young adult graphic novels introduce DC’s most iconic characters to a new generation of fans with stories told by some of the most successful authors from the young adult publishing space. The YA titles are standalone stories, not part of DC’s ongoing continuity, and completely accessible to new readers who have no previous knowledge of DC characters.

 

 

 

 

I hope you all enjoy Gotham High as much as I did.