There have been many different takes on Batman and the mythos surrounding the popular DC Comics character. However, a new young adult graphic novel is shaking up the previous convention while adding worthwhile layers to the complex relationship between Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, and Jack Napier aka the Joker.
Gotham High is part of DC Comics' excellent line of young adult graphic novels that have offered completely new takes on popular characters. Previous highlights include Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh, Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo, and Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn and Nicole Goux. The books are new interpretations (and origins) to some of DC's most popular characters that are aimed to appeal to a teen audience. Gotham High by Melissa De La Cruz and Thomas Pitilli follows that trend, offering a diverse, interesting story that brings something new to both new and old readers.
In this alt-version of the Batman mythos, Bruce Wayne is Asian-American who's deceased mom Ma-sha Dean is the driving force behind the Wayne fortune. Gotham High sees Bruce kicked out of his boarding school and returning to his former home Gotham City, where he's enrolled at Gotham High School. It's there he reconnects with Selina, his former friend, and neighbor, as well as Jack, who's a loyal friend to her. A relationship blossoms between Bruce and Selina, reminiscent of the two's enduring comic romance.
De La Cruz said it was important to have a connected history between Bruce and Selina from the get-go.
When DC approached me to do a Batman YA, they wanted a whole new take on the characters and they gave all the authors working in the YA line the freedom to reimagine the characters as we saw fit. So I knew Batman and Catwoman had sexual tension…but I didn’t know the entire history of their relationship. But I loved that about them and so I wanted my Bruce and Selina to have a history from the beginning. She’s the girl next door, his best friend, and he’s too broken to accept her love or even acknowledge his.
So I wanted to lay the foundation where you imagine, this is what happened in their past and that’s why they are enemies in the future.
Pitilli said it was exciting to explore the pair's dynamic for a new audience.
The Bruce/Selina dynamic is one that has played out throughout their long history in Batman comics. Bruce has always seen a sort of humanity in Selina, perhaps one that she might not even see in herself. So, in our book it was fun to explore that dynamic, set through the filter of teens in 2020. Of all the villainesses in Gotham, I'm glad Melissa picked Selina for our book.
Part of what makes the book feel so fresh and accessible is the fact Bruce, Selina, and Jack all have believable motivations behind their actions. Selina's father is sick and she's in desperate need of money, as her inheritance isn't available to her until she's 18. She'd do anything to help her dad. Bruce, meanwhile, is trying to navigate his past and future in Gotham, while playing detective to strange happenings at Gotham High School. Lastly, the Joker isn't a sinister psychopath, instead, he's a troubled, sweet teen who's got a thing for Selina. As De La Cruz put it, she wanted to write a new kind of Joker for a young adult audience.
In my version, Jack Napier grows up to be the Joker, but not any of the Jokers on screen or in the comic books before. So for me, he’s not a nihilistic anarchist or sociopath, yes at some point he does grow up to be some kind of villain – but a villain who once loved someone and a villain who once had friends. Because in my Gotham High, he did have friends and he did truly love someone. He started off as the kind of guy who’d buy a girl a book with his last ten dollars. So I think that’s important to note. There are some very dark interpretations on the Joker, which I appreciate, but that isn’t my interpretation of the character. To me it’s much more interesting if there is something human and redeemable about him. It’s so much more tragic.
Ultimately, De La Cruz and Pittili succeed in telling a welcome new chapter in Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle's relationship. Gotham High reimagines the pair in a fitting and believable way, while keeping the same mysterious, tense dynamic between them. It's not easy to take such established characters and their relationship and add new dimensions to it, but that's exactly what's accomplished. Gotham High is worth checking out for Batman fans of all ages.
Gotham High is in stores now!