Overdrive and Gotham High: Taking Bruce Back To School

[ironman2978]

As every fan knows, there has been multiple approaches to telling our favorite Dark Knight Detective’s origin ever since it was first told in Detective Comics#33, and fleshed out in Batman#47.

From comics with Batman: Year One to Zero Year or Cartoons like Batman: TAS or The Batman or even the countless different movie interpretations of Batman’s origins and how the man became Bat. But recently there has been a new idea, exploring Batman (and other heroes like Black Canary or Catwoman, Mera, Batgirl, etc) as a teen through YA novels. I know multiple comics in the silver age explored Bruce’s childhood or growing up into their heroic adult counterparts (making him Robin, meeting Superboy, etc), but these two are the latest takes on exploring a childhood of Bruce in different ways.

Overdrive : This novel by Shea Fontona explores Bruce becoming Batman through the how the first Batmobile was built from the wreckage of his father’s favorite car. This story does introduce a new character and try to look at Bruce through a more optimistic light, and is more on building Bruce’s relationship with Alfred in the aftermath of his parent’s death. The most similar takes I can compare them to is Scott Snyder’s Zero Year and Gotham.

Gotham High: This take of the Caped Crusader by Melissa de la Cruz is more Gossip Girls with a tinge of Rich, Crazy Asians as described by the author herself. Even though she admits not being familiar with the Batman mythos, she creates a new world from the ground up by revising the characters, not only through ethnicity, but also making them either high schoolers or faculty (Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock) or even making Alfred related to Bruce. This doesn’t try to turn Bruce into Batman at the end of the story, and is more focused on Selina/Catwoman. But this story is a interesting take on Bruce as a detective and really uses the new idea of Bruce’s being a Chinese American and exploring it through a new cultural lens.

Catwoman: Under The Moon : A special mention, even though this is mostly a Catwoman story, Bruce makes a colleague of a teenage Selina as well.



So what are your guys takes on these two different YA novel, and how would you guys explore Batman if another Young Adult novel comes along. Plus one more question: what are your favorite take on Bruce’s adolescence/teenage years?

[Restingvoice]

I'm interested in Overdrive because it's basically David Mazouz Gotham meets Speed Racer.

Hell no on Gotham High. There are already many more interesting school settings and characters for Batman family members. DC Superhero Girls, Gotham Academy, JL8, Super Sons, Gotham.

Placing Bruce, Joker, and Selina in a regular high school setting screams trying to be relevant when that's not what makes them interesting.

[Vakanai]

I would like to read both, but I really want to read Overdrive, it looks like something right up my ally.
Also you missed one - Batman: Nightwalker

[ironman2978]

I would like to read both, but I really want to read Overdrive, it looks like something right up my ally.
Also you missed one - Batman: Nightwalker

Thanks, I almost forgot about that one. I think both are good takes on the character and there are a lot of interesting takes in that subject. I don’t think it’s them trying to be relevant, but trying to explore them in new ways to reach to different demographics or audiences. Which is what makes both interesting reads.

[Celgress]

Meh, I don't have much interest in reading about teen Bruce but to each their own....

[AJpyro]

Overdrive sounds great.

[dietrich]

DC likes to find the most difficult path don't they?

Gotham Academy already established that Bruce attended briefly so why not have that be the setting for the school shenanigans?

Sure it's not going to be featuring the cast of GA as we know but it keeps it present and not forgotten. It might lead to creatives/DC doing something with the original GA. Which triumphs everywhere Gotham High fails.

Teens know Batman. making him a highschool teen isn't going to suddenly make teen fans think 'Oh so this is batman? well I like him now'

A polyamourous relationship between Selina, Napier and Bruce? Wow!

Overdrive sounds okay and the Catwoman YA book was fun and hard hitting though it took liberties

https://ew.com/books/gotham-high-fir...lli-exclusive/

Can't wait to read Gotham High after reading this interview with the writer. It sounds like it's going to be SOOOO... much worse than Zoom's Superson's and so cringe.

OMG! Poor Alfred and the Batman mythos.
Nice to see that Dick Grayson is part of the cast. I hope we get to see more of him.

[Restingvoice]

DC likes to find the most difficult path don't they?

Gotham Academy already established that Bruce attended briefly so why not have that be the setting for the school shenanigans?

Sure it's not going to be featuring the cast of GA as we know but it keeps it present and not forgotten. It might lead to creatives/DC doing something with the original GA. Which triumphs everywhere Gotham High fails.

Teens know Batman. making him a highschool teen isn't going to suddenly make teen fans think 'Oh so this is batman? well I like him now'

A polyamourous relationship between Selina, Napier and Bruce? Wow!

Overdrive sounds okay and the Catwoman YA book was fun and hard hitting though it took liberties

https://ew.com/books/gotham-high-fir...lli-exclusive/

Can't wait to read Gotham High after reading this interview with the writer. It sounds like it's going to be SOOOO... much worse than Zoom's Superson's and so cringe.

OMG! Poor Alfred and the Batman mythos.
Nice to see that Dick Grayson is part of the cast. I hope we get to see more of him.

Bruce did attend a Gotham high that's not Gotham Academy, but the main problem is Joker and Selina's inclusion. Selina is often orphan and Joker poor, so they shouldn't be able to afford to attend the same school.

If anything, it should be Tommy Elliot, Oswald Cobblepot, and Roman Sionis. All of them are Gotham princes and two of them with Bruce are descendants of Gotham's forefathers.

I guess it does sound too privileged for the target audience, but the idea of these young princes trying to navigate rich high schoolers politics with different ideologies based on how they've raised sounds more interesting to me than the regular high school.

Bruce and his honesty, Cobblepot and his bribes, Sionis and his sociopathy, and Elliot with his secret plots. A cutthroat world that's full of backstabbing that trains them once they become businessmen, wrapped in neat private school uniforms and charming smiles.

[Gotham citizen]

[…]
I guess it does sound too privileged for the target audience, but the idea of these young princes trying to navigate rich high schoolers politics with different ideologies based on how they've raised sounds more interesting to me than the regular high school.

Bruce and his honesty, Cobblepot and his bribes, Sionis and his sociopathy, and Elliot with his secret plots. A cutthroat world that's full of backstabbing that trains them once they become businessmen, wrapped in neat private school uniforms and charming smiles.

That would be interesting.

[bat39]

This reminds me of an early episode of Gotham where Bruce is being bullied at school and so, with some guidance from Alfred, gets his revenge by beating the bully to a pulp in a carefully planned attack.

Loved how it foreshadowed the eventual Batman-Alfred partnership.

[Restingvoice]

This reminds me of an early episode of Gotham where Bruce is being bullied at school and so, with some guidance from Alfred, gets his revenge by beating the bully to a pulp in a carefully planned attack.

Loved how it foreshadowed the eventual Batman-Alfred partnership.

The bully is Tommy Elliot. Yes, that's partially where I got the idea from.

The other part is Cruel Intentions

but more politic than sex traps

though I'm not against that idea, they're in high school after all.

[skyvolt2000]

Bruce did attend a Gotham high that's not Gotham Academy, but the main problem is Joker and Selina's inclusion. Selina is often orphan and Joker poor, so they shouldn't be able to afford to attend the same school.

It's a multiverse book-it is not suppose to adhere to mainstream DC. That is the point of the book. It's one take on Bruce just like whenhe was a black guy in Stan Lee's Just Imagine book from 17 years ago.

Gotham Academy already established that Bruce attended briefly so why not have that be the setting for the school shenanigans?

Because the folks who green light this stuff is thinking of the comic book store folks-who act like if you are not certain characters-you have no business with a book or existing. The OGN market is not like that. They don't have an issue with Gotham Academy kids.

If Squirrel Girl & Ms marvel & Moon Girl hadn't prove that, Cassandra Cain & Raven's OGN dong well SHOULD have by now. If not Beast Boy and Aqualad most certainly will.

And I say that as someone who bought both volumes of Gotham Academy.

[Aahz]

Has anyone already read "Gotham High"?

How cringeworthy is it?

Because the folks who green light this stuff is thinking of the comic book store folks-who act like if you are not certain characters-you have no business with a book or existing. The OGN market is not like that.

I still think the characters in the Kids and YA OGN should still be similar to the main universe versions.
Not sure if "Gotham High" doesn't take it a little bit to far.

[dietrich]

Has anyone already read "Gotham High"?

How cringeworthy is it?

I still think the characters in the Kids and YA OGN should still be similar to the main universe versions.
Not sure if "Gotham High" doesn't take it a little bit to far.

If you go over on the Damian side I put some spoilers and details.

It's REALLY bad.

I agree that the characters should be similar to the main comics world. That is the world DC's trying to pull fans into.
Present them as they are. True to their Mythos.

[Jackalope89]

If you go over on the Damian side I put some spoilers and details.

It's REALLY bad.

I agree that the characters should be similar to the main comics world. That is the world DC's trying to pull fans into.
Present them as they are. True to their Mythos.

Yeah...

JL8 and other fanfics have done this school setting thing better than DC has. Kind of sad, really.