In its 5th issue, DC's Gotham Academy has cemented itself not only as a truly great all-ages comic, but as one of the best tiles in the entire New 52 lineup. Often described as a tantalizing mixture of Harry Potter and Batman: The Animated Series, Brendan Fletcher and Becky Cloonan's story is one that balances dark mysteries with teen drama and actual, genuine fun. Plus, they have the benefit of Karl Kerschl's amazing manga/comic art. It's new, fresh, and completely right for this story.

As this is the end of the second arc, there will be a two month hiatus until Deadly Class #12. You know what that means? If you're not already reading this comic, you now have time to buy the previous issues and catch up. YAY!

Ladies and gentlemen, Stray Bullets is back and it was well worth the wait.

Latour's art continues to prove itself the perfect match for Aaron's writing. This story is wild, angry, and hyper-violent. Latour captures that essence with panels that are triple-fried and smothered in blood. These two guys may be lacking in subtlety, but hey, who the hell needs that?

Issue 8 is a fantastic example of everything this comic does right: fun action, intense mystery, and great characters.

While it may be something of a set-up issue, East of West nevertheless proves itself as one of the can't miss titles in comics.

Finally, one really cannot say enough about the work of Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin. These last couple of issues may have been lacking the action sequences these two have made their hallmark, but their work is still incredible.

As a strong positive, the art continues to impress. Henderson and Guzowski create pages that are gritty and realistic enough to convey struggle and fear, but at the same time, they're still aesthetically pleasing. By abandoning the muted black and white slog many horror comics chose to go with, the colored panels make for an interesting mix of terror and fun. If a more sparse publishing schedule means that this combination of story and art continues, I'm all for it.