You can also keep chocolate and peanut butter separate and never know the bliss of a perfect combination. The choice in the end is always up to you. The question is whether or not you want to miss out on a great treat just because it has new ingredients. So, what's your answer? Read Full Review

Oh my... it took me about a week to get through this book, because every page was so painful to read, it's unbelievable. Yeah, it's an elseworld tale, so ultimately it's irrelevant and harmless, but what matters to me in this case is not creative liberties the author took, but rather the awful plot and pitifully shallow characters, naturally, like in most teenage novels, intertwined in a pitiful love triangle.

I get it, comic industry is having hard time making money, modern mainsteam audiences hardly read anything longer than a damn Tweet, let alone a graphic novel, so DC is trying to diversify its line with books made for completely different audiences and demographics, with completely different results. I can't blame them for experimenting and trying to reach new readers, but this comic... I don't think will appeal to many people. And definitely even less people who later on will pick another, and another DC title from the shelves.

Reasons for that is plenty, but the most important one is, it doesn't inspire the reader. None of the characters is even remotely interesting or appealing to the reader. They are your typical Twilight-like archetypes of an (this time non-vampiric) introvert rich boy and a poor but (supposedly) charming impulsive extravert. And then, there's Selina. Oh, boy. She was clearly meant to be a complex protagonist operating in the shades of grey, but ultimately she feels paper thin, like a heartless manipulator, the typical pretty yet egotistical girl from junior high, you know, the one who's a self absorbed arrogant that laughed in your face when you told her you like her, and few years later once you got over it, you asked yourself what did you see in her to begin with.
That's pretty much who Selina Kyle is in this book. And that's a shame - after all, think about it, it's a comic for young audiences who normally don't read comics, so maybe it should make them interested in the character of Catwoman, instead of feeling disgusted and repulsed with how she treats Bruce and Jack? But hey, whatever, I'm not going to complain that every character must be a likeable role model, that'd be crazy. And boring as hell.

So, concluding this brief review - what do I think of Gotham High? Avoid it like plague unless you're atually high. If you want to read a genuinely good book about teen characters growing up within the DC universe, pick up Becky Cloonan's Gotham Academy. It's vibrant, fun, full of lovable and diverse characters with their own struggles, personalities and motivations. It's one hell of a series, especially the first two trade paperbacks (Welcome to Gotham Academy and Calamity). If you look for something good featuring Catwoman, why not pick up Jeph Loeb's Catwoman: When in Rome or Paul Dini's Heart of Hush? And then, if you look for a good story with Batman and Joker, Alan Moore's The Killing Joke is an obvious pick, as is Sean Murphy's Batman White Knight. All of the above are best selling classics I'd recommend to any new comic reader (otherwords the target audience for Gotham High), contrary to this mess of a book. more