Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #426138 in Books
• Published on: 1990-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
If comics are the modern mythos (a pretentious statement, maybe, but what other art form allows so many storytellers to work with a handful of established characters?), Batman is Gilgamesh--the man of a thousand faces. Portrayed as everything from costumed clown (the Bat-Mite years) to vengeance personified, he is one of the two pillars of the DC Universe--the ultimate in human achievement, as opposed to Superman, the impossibly powerful near-deity who struggles to live as a man.

At the series' best, Batman's writers and artists have portrayed the struggle between the man and the mission--the scarred child who donned a cowl to overcome his fears, and the realities that come with his (let's face it) completely implausible existence. As with any fantastic fiction, a certain amount of suspension of disbelief comes with the territory--and in the case of Grant Morrison and Dave McKean's Arkham Asylum, that's a necessary thing. Morrison, the creator of off-key series The Invisibles and probably best known for his work on The Justice League of America, here spins a tale of the titular institution, the home-away-from-home for the members of Batman's Rogue's Gallery. Psychologically intense, the story is split between Batman's ordeal in an Arkham overthrown by the inmates and run by the Joker (easily the most unstable nemesis for our hero) and the heretofore untold tale of Amadeus Arkham, founder of the Asylum.

McKean's painted artwork is both detailed and impressionistic (a nice duality in itself) and even more disturbing than the facts of the story; this is a story that, as told, could not creditably exist in another medium. It's a triumph of both art and craft--but, like P.J. Harvey's Is This Desire?, it may be a triumph of art over enjoyability: reading this book can be unsettling, if not disturbing. Further, Morrison's treatment of the regulars is clearly subject to the conceit of the story--neither Batman nor Two-Face are really "in character" here (for that matter, neither is the Joker, though his mental instability makes it tough to argue against any behavioural pattern). Ultimately, Arkham Asylum is a creation unto itself, best remembered as a singular work of art that is only by necessity a part of the Batman universe. --Randy Silver

Synopsis
The battle between the Batman and his closest enemies intensifies when the inmates, led by the psychopathic Joker, take over the asylum. This graphic novel takes a controversial look into the dark recesses of the Batman's psyche.

Customer Reviews

A darkly imaginative graphic novel
Artistically, this graphic novel is fairly unique. A Dark atmosphere is created using heavy ink and watercolours, which perfectly describe the story of Arkhams journey into insanity, and Batmans confrontation of some of his most and least famous enemies. Clockwork cogs over dark backgrounds, with slightly smeared white sketchy lines, batman is often just drawn as a dark shadowed silouette with the recognisable mask. The Joker is a terrifying cavorting bloodless figure with red painted eyes and lips,arithe with dark sexual intent.The mad hatter is a pipe smoking hallucigenius with a lined face and lank wisps of hair under his hat, claiming to "have things to tell" batman. The novel realistically breathes life into batmans villains in a way that is more fantastic yet more terrifing.
The thing that really struck me about Arkham asylum is that it cannot just be limited to describing the artwork, the writing is easily just as astonishing. The book fascinated me in the morbid way i enjoy watching horror films, it delves into batmans psyche and that of Amadeus Arkham.Inparticular there is a moment at the beginning where batman reveals his fears to jim Gordon- he is afraid that when he walks through the asylum gates it will "feel like coming home", providing the first suggestion in the book that batman is possibly as equally insane as his foes.

Arkham asylum stays with me, and i recommend it to anyone who is interested in a dark strangely compelling batman tale, but i warn you that this is not a fairy-tale. It has grotesque moments, but they all contribute to this remarkable piece of work.

An absolute masterpiece
I am not, on the whole, the greatest superhero fan. However I should point out that this is NOT a superhero book. This is probably the greatest bit of comic book art since Bill Sienkiewicz "Stray Toasters". Dave Mckean's art has become slightly more his own since Black Orchid and he makes more use of multiple textures which suits the "barely keeping it together" tone of the book beutifully.
It is also one of Morrisons best bits of work. Up there with "mystery play".
Esentially the lunatics have taken over the asylum and, led by a high heeled Joker, they demand that Batman joins them. As the Dark Knight attempts to regain control we flash back to the very first madman to inhabit the asylum - Dr Arkham's mother and then later himself. It comes complete with echos of the future to comes and the most disturbing Mad Hatter ever. The Hatter usually comes across as a slightly weak character but Morrison has completely transformed him into something much more sinister.
Essentially, the book it great.

4 and a half *'s really.
this book is great for bats fans and others alike. for the fans itexplains the start and history of one of the most important buildings inbats' life. for newbies and non-fans it introduces a fair few of thevilians. I found the artwork unusal but nice. it seemed to suit the storywell. the only problem i had at all was it seemed a little short.