What a long, strange trip it’s been. No? Is that too saccharine? Listen, we’re just trying not to bawl our eyes out over here, OK? One of the best and brightest diamonds in all of DC Comics has finally faded and is gone. Hopefully not forever, but who knows. Let’s hope that, like Alice Cooper sang, school is just out for summer.

Gotham Academy began in October 2014, making it one of the longest-running current DC series at the time of its conclusion, and the last series standing that was born in The New 52 era. Sure, Batman, Superman and most of DC's other big heroes were all a part of the New 52, but Gotham Academy had the same tone throughout the years, the same creative team, telling the same story. For the past three years, the series has told the story of Olive Silverlock, her cursed family and the mysteries and frights surrounding Gotham Academy. Oh, and of course, let us not forget Maps Mizoguchi, Olive’s erstwhile best friend, and leader of the Detective Club. (Oh, and possible future Robin.)

RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Two New Variants from the “Gotham Academy”/”Lumberjanes” Crossover

While the rest of the DC Universe was burning down or breaking apart or engaged in some other life-threatening shenanigans, some terrible destruction that would end the entire world, Gotham Academy stayed grounded. Sure, occasionally something would happen that’d threaten the Academy, and towards the end, Gotham itself became a target -- but throughout, the series zeroed in, focusing on the worlds of a small handful of heroes living in a strange, strange world. It felt like a story about a group of people; friends figuring themselves out, who just happen to be stuck in the weirdest place in the DC Universe.

And that’s no exaggeration. The Academy is weirder than Hogwarts with more mysteries than the V.F.D. It always felt like there was a huge plot that we weren’t seeing -- that there were so many moving pieces, so many stories, that we were only getting brief glimpses of. Never has a comic book world ever felt that well-defined without all of the other characters leading their own books.

(Hey, speaking of, if you wanted to have some spinoff books now that the Academy is over, we’d be down with that.)

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='Gotham%20Academy%20Didn%27t%20Try%20to%20Be%20Groundbreaking%20--%20It%20Was%20Simply%20Great']

Gotham Academy Didn't Try to Be Groundbreaking -- It Was Simply Great

Gotham Academy stood out as a DC book that wasn’t trying to blow anything up, or become the most exotic or startling book ever. It merely wanted to tell a relatively small and simple story, about a young girl, a strange school, and her friends and family members, all while wrapped in some of the most gorgeous art that has appeared in comic books.

Again, one of the true joys of Gotham Academy is just how consistently pleasant it was. So let’s move to the part of the graduation speech where we call people up and hand them diplomas!

Without creators Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl, we would never have been introduced to these wonderful characters or explored a world that makes Gotham City itself seem almost tame by comparison. We would never have been drawn in by the small but spirited design of these characters -- ones who never get anything as gaudy as a superhero suit, but still managed to look uniquely like themselves. Without them, we would never have seen a world that we want to dive back into, just as soon as we’ve left.

If it weren’t for that team, Academy could have been something much less optimistic, and closer to typical superhero fare. Instead, it’s DC’s answer to the Gillen/McKelvie Young Avengers.

Academy was a series full of hope, passion, friendship, mysteries and one of the scariest YA monsters ever. Because, and what a joy nowadays, this was a comic definitely intended for the younger kids. This is one of the best comic books to give kids who are just getting into comics, kids Olive’s age and younger. Heck, anyone really, but this book specifically is for kids, and what a nice thing that is to see -- a comic book for kids.

RELATED: 12 Awesome Aspects of DC Comics’ New 52 We Won’t Forget

Gotham Academy was one of the smallest and weirdest comics to make it from the New 52 through the DC You era, to Rebirth and in its own quiet way became one of the defining comics of this era. We’ll miss it. What other ostensibly superhero comic book could have a crossover with BOOM Studios' own Lumberjanes, and make it feel not even a bit noncanonical? The two were made for each other and if, for some reason, we don’t see our graduates again at DC… maybe they can at least meet up with the Lumberjanes again, for an adventure or two.

Gotham Academy is over, but just because school’s out doesn’t mean life is over, does it? The characters remain a part of DC's shared universe, so hopefully readers will see Maps, Olive, and all the rest go on to bigger and better things. Maps already seems to be a perfect Robin and hey, doesn’t Batman need all the help he can get? Who knows what’s next for the Detective Club? Maybe they’ll move from mysteries at the Academy to mysteries in the city.

Happy graduation to all of the characters (and creators) of Gotham Academy. Can’t wait for the reunion.